RE: toyota tacoma
Leaving all the poltical issues about a foreign truck aside, I must admit to going through an "import phase" several years ago. In Dec 95 I bought a 96 Tacoma Ext. cab 4x4. I must admit it was bulletproof, great off road and fora 4cyl (2.7 150hp Ibelieve it was) it was stout. I just ran out of room as kids came along and I got tired of the manual tranny. The handling was great, with rack and pinion steering and stiff suspension it handled great, but rode a lil firm compared too luxurious full size 1/2tons.
The only "downside" too the 6cyls with offroad pkgs? They don't get any better mileage than a similarly equipped full size!
RA