Used 2013 Toyota Tacoma Consumer Reviews
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Solid medium size truck
No Tacoma "Fan Boy" here. This is my first Toyota vehicle and there have been no surprises so far. The 2013 Tacoma has been what a truck this size should be. Powerful, quite, smooth at highway speeds. It does have a firm ride thanks to the TRD off road pkg. I am 6'1" and the cab had plenty of room in the front and rear seats. Parking this truck is no major chore with the short bed. I paid $500 below invoice or $30180 before TTL fees. Overall I am very happy with this truck.
Good Truck
I had been driving a 1994 Toyota pickup for 17 years and decided to trade for a new one. I was sure it would be another Toyota, and spent quite a bit of time deciding which model to get. I'm hopeful that my research might help others in deciding what to buy. I mostly drive the truck back and forth to work, so it was important to get a comfortable vehicle that is fun to drive. The SR5 package has more comfortable seats in my opinion and a nicer interior, so I got the SR5 package. The 4-cylinder has plenty of power for me. The truck is quiet and comfortable and I enjoy driving it. I've owned the truck for 4.5 years now and it has 35k miles on it. It has been flawless as far as reliability. There was one recall for something in the exhaust system, but otherwise all I've done is change the oil and filters. I've used the truck to haul brush and yard waste, furniture, recycled and small loads of lumber. For hauling, a shorter truck like this is easier to load and unload than a tall truck. Other guys, with full sized trucks can't reach over the side of the bed to load and unload and have to crawl up into the bed of the truck. I'm 5'10" and can load and unload mine a lot easier. For hauling, I think this is a better choice than getting the 4WD chassis, which is about 4 inches taller, or a full sized truck. Starting in 2016 this shorter chassis is no longer available. The shorter chassis doesn't look as good as the 4WD chassis, especially with the smaller steel wheels and tires. But from a practical viewpoint it is a better truck. The 2.7 4-cylinder is a little underpowered. It is ok, but around town and on the highway I wish it had a little more power. It handles good for a truck and is reasonably quiet on the highway as far as wind noise. The front seats are fairly comfortable. The rear jump seats are crowded and uncomfortable - for short trips only, but a lot better than not having a rear seat when you need it. I keep ropes and bungees in the floor of the rear for tying stuff down. The rearview camera is in the rearview mirror. The radio/cell phone interface was easy to learn to use. Edmunds asked that I update the review again in July 2020. The truck is 7 years old and has been flawless as far as reliability. There was a recall on the catalytic converter, but otherwise I have not had to bring it in for any repairs. It is comfortable and I enjoy driving it. I plan to keep it until it starts giving me problems. Then I will probably get another Toyota. Update 2022. I've owned the truck 9 years now and it has never given me any problems. I drive it every day, but I live close to where I work so the truck only has about 60k miles on it. It still looks and drives like a new truck, so I plan to keep it. Update 2023. I've had the truck 10 years now. It's been a great truck and I hope to get 10 more years out of it. Update 2024. Still the best truck I've owned. Update 2025. I've had the truck 12 years now. There was a recall on the catalytic converter in the second year I owned the truck. I've had two turn signal bulbs burn out, replaced the tires and battery, and changed the oil every 5000 miles. That's been the total maintenance in 12 years. My truck is the shorter (in height) 2WD model that Toyota used to make, and does not make any more. Being lower to the ground makes it much easier for my wife and I to load and unload the truck. My wife is not tall enough to reach over the side of the taller trucks. Other trucks would not work well for us as far as using it as a truck. We mostly haul yard waste (sticks and leaves), recycled materials, and occasional trips to buy lumber or furniture. The truck has served us well. Loading and unloading the truck bed is one of the strengths of this model. There are two tie downs in the front and two in the rear of the bed that are all I need for most things we haul. The bed also has a rail system that allows me to put 4 additional tie downs along the top of the bed when I need more tie down points. The truck seats are comfortable for two in the front and have adequate cup holders and storage. The back seats are very tight. They are ok for short trips, but I wouldn't want to go very far. There is a USB connector to charge your phone. The backup camera is on the mirror and is adequate, though the image is small. My phone connects to the system and I can make calls and answer through the sound system. A negative for the truck is that the 4-cylinder engine is marginal as far as horsepower. It has a good transmission and I am able to keep up in city traffic, but on the highway the engine downshifts when going uphill, and there isn't enough horsepower to pass on a two lane road. Another negative is that the handling characteristics are not great, especially on bumpy roads. It drives like a truck; it does not handle like a car. I love the truck and plan to keep driving it. The paint and interior still look almost like when it was new, and it has been very reliable. When I buy another truck I'm sure it will be a Toyota.
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
- V6 Double CabMSRP: $19,77713 mi away
- Base Access CabMSRP: $16,886199 mi away
- Base Regular CabMSRP: $22,998187 mi away
Retired Tacoma Owner
I recently replaced my 1997 T100 SR5 with the access cab Tacoma. I had well over 200,000 on the T100. I figured the Tacoma would serve me well also. I ordered the 4cyl Base Access Cab with the SR5 Package. The milage for the first month has been 24.6 - 25 MPG. The fit and finish is excellent, Millage is where it is advertised, and performance with the 4 cyl. has exceeded my expectations. I like the rear view camera, makes hooking up my small trailer a snap! I have a single axle trailer that I use to pull my Arctic Cat Prowler around with. The trailer loaded weighs about 1700 lbs., I have not had any problems to date. I'd purchase the same truck again!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Still too many quirks - update
133,000 miles now and the truck started to lack power and rough idle. Cleaned the MAP sensor, changed spark plugs and ran two bottles of Chevron Techron, one per tank full. Engine is much smoother and appears to perform more like when it was new. I changed my center support bearing for the drive shaft with an aftermarket part despite it being in good shape. Lo and behold, the drive line vibration disappeared. Kinda sad that Toyota wouldn't do that at 120k miles ago, when the problem started, while within warranty. Installed my second set of tires and the wheel vibration was unbearable just like the day after I bought the truck. Took the truck to the same place as before and paid $175 to have all four wheels "road force balanced". No one else, can seem to get it right. The exhaust chirp/chatter is now ridiculously loud, but no one can seem to find the exact source. All I know is that this noise disappeared after Toyota recalled the catalytic converter. It was quite for about 2 years then the noise came back. Asked Toyota and they said it would be customer pay this time. I'm nearing the point where I may be finally satisfied with this truck; so long as nothing serious goes wrong. Just wish it had actually felt like a quality vehicle within the first few years of ownership rather than 100k+ miles after. Still, I doubt I'll seriously consider another one. I hear that Toyota, much like most truck manf, is considering to move production to Mexico. No thanks, I've been down that road before with VW. That's probably another disaster waiting to happen. Now at 143000 miles. Haven't been putting much time in the truck due to pandemic. Not much has changed from last update. Although I recently replaced the front brakes because of squealing. Its another problem I've had since new. This time I tried new rotors and a different pad but once the brakes bed in, the noise returned. I found a TSB online for a couple unusual places to add brake grease so I'll give that a try. Q2-2021 (148k miles) and I really don't find many things to like about this truck. A/c compressor started making a funny noise. Steering wheel has a bad shimmy and rattles over bumps in the road. BUT it keeps on running. Nothings officially broken so I'll keep driving it. Don't think I've ever been so disappointed in a reliable vehicle before. So I'm over 162k miles and I still hate this truck. No improvement or worsening of the existing issues. A new one has developed now and it makes it difficult to drive with the windows down on nice days. Either I'm listening to the chirping cat converter or the new noise which is loud metal to metal chattering from the chassis. Took it to two shops and they say despite the horrific sound, there appears to be nothing wrong with critical components. Unfortunately neither could determine the source. Thus is a growing theme for the truck. Shaftline vibrations, wheel vibrations, cat converter chirping, differential whine at hwy speeds, door seal howls like a reed instrument in heavy weather and now the chassis clatters like something is loose and about to fall off. I'm giving the truck a few more years then good riddance. Rear wheel bearings failed at 175k miles. Take about 6-8 hours of labor and a special jig to press out the bearings. Cost be $2500 for two rear wheel bearings. Changed front bearings too because they felt a little crunchy. Shop tells me that wheel bearings on these Tacomas commonly fail under 100k miles and that 175k was well above average. Center support bearing failed again and the driveline vibration is back. Front brake calipers failed last year too. Had them replaced, along with new pads, rotors, flex lines and the system was flushed and topped off with fresh fluid. That lasted 14 months. Too much run out on the rotors is causing the brakes to pulsate. Hoping to last through this year before I do my sixth brake job in 11 years and 175k miles. Also developing leaks from the valve cover gasket and spark plug hole gasket. Changed the PVC valve just in case that was the problem but the leak comes back. Sad to say that I've had a Honda, Mitsubishi and a Kia with fewer repairs through 200k miles. I just don't get how the Tacoma has this reputation for quality.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Former Ford Guy, Turned to Tacoma
I have only owned Rangers and F150s my whole life. Its 2012 and Ford no longer makes the Ranger nor did they ever offer a 4 cyl double cab. I turned to Toyota due to claims of reliability and the size of the Tacoma. Its the perfect size. Bought the Double cab prerunner with the 4 cyl motor and LOVE it. Plenty of power to get around. MPG is right on EPA estimates which I cant say about my F150. So far have averaged 21.4MPG with heavy city driving. The build quality is great as are numerous features of the truck. It looks tough and sits high which I like for visibility.