The other day, while getting groceries, I saw a well-loved first-generation Toyota Tacoma with a camper shell. Walking past it, I realized that even though I hadn’t seen the owner, I had them pegged. This was the type of Tacoma that a young person would drive all across the American West. I was confident there was a homemade wooden sleeping platform and a pair of well-used hiking boots somewhere in the back.
This was all conjecture, of course, but it got me thinking about how each Tacoma, more than any other kind of car, develops a certain look and feel that often says something about their owner’s ethos, interests, politics, and lifestyle. I should know: I’ve owned two Tacomas over the past decade and both trucks definitely reflected who I was, or at least who I wanted to be.
You may think your Tacoma is just how you get around, but I believe every one reveals something about the owner. I put together a random collection of Tacomas and made up descriptions of who would drive each truck. Read on to see if you find yourself in one of these stereotypes.
The Stock Classic
Even though it’s bone stock, this truck has seen more dirt miles than any overland truck out there. It’s creeping past 200,000 miles but doesn’t eat any oil and still cruises on the freeway. It’s had three owners, and the current one (which could be a man or woman) works for some kind of crunchy nonprofit that allows them to spend a lot of time outside. They had always wanted to go to NOLS, but never had the time or the money and instead got their WFR and did a three-day avalanche training course five years ago. They’re not a mountain biker because it’s too much gear, but love to trail run in the summer (they particularly love trail running hats) and backcountry ski in the winter. There’s a sage bundle somewhere on the dash that’s never been burned, and they’ve been guilty of stringing up Tibetan prayer flags at their rental house.
The Techie’s Toy
This type of Tacoma owner lives somewhere in Southern California and works in tech. They’re not at Google, but instead have an engineering position at a smaller company that contracts for the larger ones (a fact that irks him and hurts his ego a bit). The owner is a slightly overweight man, who is married but doesn’t have kids so he doesn’t feel guilty about spending thousands on his truck (there are, however, occasional fights about money with his wife). It’s his daily driver, and he secretly loves the way it stands out while stuck in freeway traffic on the 5. He’s also part of an informal Tacoma club that goes for trail rides on the weekends. In that group, he’s known as a timid driver, but is still welcomed because he’s generous and often buys dinner for the gang at a local brewery post-ride. His garage is immaculate, and he’s done some of his own modification work, but sends the truck off to the local overland shop when things get complicated.
The Lifetime Love Affair
This truck has only had one owner and they bought it new back in 1985. The owner, now 72 years old, is happily retired after a 30-year career as an accounting professor at the local community college. At least twice a week, someone leaves a note on their windshield offering to buy the truck, but they’ll never sell because it only has 105,000 miles and they still love driving stick shift to get groceries (even if they now have trouble finding the gears at times). That, and the truck is full of memories. They loved the summers when they and their lifetime partner (loyalty runs deep) used it to tow a little camper out to various national parks for early-morning hikes and late-night hankypanky. They also love to talk about that one time the truck safely got them up a high-alpine Colorado four-wheel-drive road that scared the shit of them and was probably more than they should have chewed off.
The Redneck’s Rowdy Ride
This Tacoma’s owner has a Ford F-250 for their daily driver because they need more power for towing and hauling, and because they’ve modified this Tacoma so much that it sucks to drive on the freeway. But when the owner, who’s very much single at the moment, is not at work, they spend hundreds of hours tinkering with this truck and love driving it at stupidly high speeds on dirt roads, rock crawling at their local spot, and standing in the bed to drink beer, listen to Kid Rock at high volume and shoot AR15s with their buddies out in the middle of the desert. The owner did all the modifications and even custom-fabricated the front bumper based on their own design. Politically, they’re on the exact opposite end of the spectrum from the first-gen owner above, but they both appreciate Toyota engine reliability in just the same way.
The Low-Key Adventure’s Rig
You can tell this owner is completely unpretentious because there are zero modifications on the truck other than a simple gear rack. The canoe on the rack also shouts “down to earth” because canoeing is such an easy-going outdoor activity (unlike jet skiing, or rock climbing) and one that’s easily shared with spouse or friends (even if he has to go solo much of the time). There were kids in the picture, but they are off to college so there’s no need for a quad-cab setup. That makes him feel a bit old, but he reinforces his youth and vigor every time he lifts the canoe off the rack and carries it on his shoulders past the trucks with trailers waiting their turn at the state park boat landing. When the canoe isn’t on the truck, there’s usually a steel-frame Jamis hard-tail in the back. The owner likes that the truck is four-wheel drive because they live down a dirt road and have to battle mud and snow. They’ve never upgraded to all-terrain tires, however, because he prides himself on how well he knows their road and has never been stuck—except that one time when he over-estimated his skills, slid off a washout, and they had to call a neighbor to pull them out with a tractor.
The Midlife Image Change
After decades of driving boring-ass Camrys, this is a splurge by a 55-year-old man who’s wanted a truck since he was eight years old. He’s spent years obsessively researching and finding the exact truck he wants. His wife has long encouraged him to shut up and just spend the money, but he’s resisted because he prides himself on his frugality. He’s going with a Tacoma because he knows they’re legendary for being reliable and that makes him feel better about spending more cash than he ever has on a car. It’s not new, but has low miles and never been in an accident. He would never put bigger tires on (which would lower the fuel economy) and doesn’t want a camper shell because he wants to use it as a truck to haul landscaping supplies, lumber, and other materials for DIY home improvement projects. He’s meticulous about maintenance—changing the oil every 3,000 miles even though the dealership said 8-10,000 is now the norm—keeps the interior spotless (he has a monthly membership to the do-it-yourself car wash), and isn’t bothered by the fact that the truck has no get-up-and-go because he drives defensively on city streets and never goes above 70 on the freeway.
The Handyman’s Toolbox
We all love when this Tacoma shows up in front of our house because it means the local handyman has arrived. He’s missing a few teeth, smells like cigarettes, is kind of hard to get a hold of because he’s not a proficient smartphone user, but does amazing work, can fix anything, and always undercharges, especially if you pay him cash. The back of his truck is full of tools that are organized in his own special way, and there are definitely some fast-food wrappers scattered around the cab. There’s a Steely Dan CD stuck in the stereo that still works and he drives around without a spare because he blew a tire and never got around to replacing it. He intentionally bought a rear wheel drive version of the truck: It gets much better gas mileage and the only dirt he drives on is in the alleys behind houses he’s working on.
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