[slidellkid]

Hello all,

I am new here. I am in the market for a new vehicle. I hunt a lot and live in Louisiana and we can get some serious mud. I have driven a f150 since 2002 and it's 2WD and I am tired of wondering if I will get stuck each time I go out. Most times I don't make an attempt at any type of mud for fear of getting stuck. I realize the FJ will help in that regard, but I am concerned I won't have a bed to put things in. Why did you guys choose an FJ over a Tacoma or other truck? Once the "coolness" of the FJ wore off, how many of you wished you had purchased a truck instead of the FJ?

 

[Ivan70]

FJ Coolness never wears off.. once it makes an attempt to do so, couple of mods pop that coolness right back in

Welcome to the forum!

 

[mikey]

It never wears off, I usualy get bored with a vehicle around the 2 year mark and get something new.

Over 5 years with the FJ now and still not bored.

I came from a Chev Z71 and have no regrets not having a pickup. Since I got the FJ no one has asked me to help them move, pick up a yard of sand/gravel etc. Fold down the seats in the FJ and you can get quite a bit of stuff in there.

 

[Fedaykin]

I already own a truck, so I certainly didn't want another one. But I work for a hospital and sometimes have to come from my house to the hospital (45 miles each way) at any hour or in any weather condition. Here in the Colorado that could mean driving in a foot of unplowed snow. That's why I choose the FJ, so far it hasn't let me down.

 

[Constantine]

I had a Tacoma before I bought the FJ. It was a good truck and I got a lot of use out of the bed carrying large and or dirty items in the bed. One problem was a lack of interior room if I wanted to carry people or things which I wanted to protect from the weather or wind. I had an extracab which gave me some extra interior room, but it usually left the people or stuff crammed inside or just not big enough. I tried a cap, but then if I had something tall I had to take it off to carry it in the bed. I considered a doublecab but then I would have had a smaller bed.
When I got the FJ I had plenty of room for people and stuff inside the vehicle, but no room for big tall or dirty things. So for about $600 I bought a utility trailer. Now I have all the dry interior room I want and when I need a large cargo hauler I hitch up the trailer. It can carry alot more than a Tacome bed like 4' x 8' sheets flat (Tacoma was too narrow) or big piles of brush (I can carry twice as much on the trailer) and I can hitch it up to my lawn tractor to haul stuff around my property.
For me, an FJ and a trailer is the best of both worlds. I have more interior room than any Tacoma with plenty of room for people and stuff and a trailer which I can attach when I need it that can out haul any pickup.

 

[slidellkid]

Thanks all.

Connstantine, you covered all of the problems I was thinking about - if I have a camper shell on a tacoma I can cover stuff but can't carry tall stuff. If I take off the camper shell everything gets wet (I guess I could get a Roll -n- Lock but the one I had was not waterproof). I already have a utility trailer so I guess if I wanted to haul limbs or such I could use that.

I guess my one concern is I don't always want to have to use a utility trailer to haul my ATV, but there has to be a trade off somewhere.

Is it just my imagination or is the FJ Cruiser actually larger and more roomy in the back that the Tacoma?

Thanks all.

Dan

 

[tundracanam09]

I have had mine for less than a year. I used it this hunting season and was great. None of my gear got wet, guns stayed dry,and pulled my Canam great. If you are in Slidell got to that dealership and ask for Ryan Denmark and he will show you all the option with both vehicles. Tell him Barrett sent you he will take care of you, plus the service there is wonderful.

 

[Constantine]

"Is it just my imagination or is the FJ Cruiser actually larger and more roomy in the back that the Tacoma?"
The rear seating area is definitly better than the extracab, I don't know about the doublecab, but both don't have that inside rear cargo area the FJ has available with the rear seats up or folded down.

 

[lane]

I'm on FJ #2. Get one that has the options you want and you'll never look back. I also do lots of trailer pulling for large items. Otherwise there's plenty of room in the back with the seats folded down. Love nit having carpet to clean. Mud has never been a problem... Nor has anything for that matter. Check out some videos on YouTube and you'll be sold!

 

[allrsdup]

i come from having 6 pickup trucks before i got the fj. i have had it for about 4 months now and i love it but sometimes i do miss having a truck. but i dont regret the fj. u just need to decide what fitts your needs more. i sold my quad and wasnt using the bed as much and so the fj was a fine choice for me. i only wish i had gotten one with a locker but ill add one down the rd.

 

[ISPEED]

if i were in the market for a truck it would not be a tacoma , a 5.5 ft or 6 ft bed is useless , if i was in the market for a truck i would buy a long box (8ft) dually probably a 2005 or 2006 dodge ram 3500 4x4 with a 5.9 cummins , this would be a very usefull vehicle...as a truck. but if you want a reliable , capable, offroad vehicle the FJ has little or no competition for the price, sure you could get a jeep for less money and i love jeeps and the amout of aftermarket goodies available is amazing but...they arent as rock solid reliable as the FJ, imho the Toyota FJ Cruiser offers the best bang for the buck at the moment no matter what year they are all excellent vehicles

 

[steve n ky]

Keep the ford pu if you can, I have an 05 tundra with 30k miles, didn't need the FJ, just wanted one since they came out. I just think they are bad ass vehicles, love the look with a 3'' lift and some bigger tires.