First, that is one well preserved Taco! Bravo!
Second, I would get a look at the RTL-E level trim before making a decision (as others have suggested)
Third, I am a Toyota fan boy. I have owned nothing in my household, other than Toyotas and Lexuses, since 1991. My last car before that string was a Honda Civic.
I originally wanted a Tacoma and drove many, but I just could not get a comfortable seating position for me. As I have to drive 4 hours to check in on an ailing father, I was not up for that!
I get what you are saying on the interior. My 2017 RTL-E has a better interior than you are describing, BUT it also has a seat heater switch that would never find its way into a Toyota. It does not have a solid feel.
Still, a vehicle with a pickup bed is what I wanted, and the Ridgeline gets me that in a package with decent electronics and a good ride. That is why I shelved my Tacoma dream.
As always you have to evaluate what is most important to you. I would survey the Taco, the Ridgeline and the Ford alternatives. I don’t trust the Fiat/Chrysler or the GM mechanicals.
Happy Hunting!
Thank you for your reply. Yes, that is what I need to do, see a RL in the model / build I am looking at. I agree, the seating portion in the Taco. All those years ago now, when I bought mine, in my mind anyway there was no other choice than a Taco for a small / midsized truck, so I just sort of "lived with" the seating. Now I guess I'm used to it, because it is what I have, not because it is great. When I ride in others vehicles (none of my friends / family have a tuck, so they are cars / SUV's) I realize that what I have (Taco) is bad, really bad. Around town for 30 min is one thing, but on a long trip it is bad.
Thanks again!
What are your needs out of a vehicle? Do you need a truck? Are most of your trips short, or do you have a long commute or take you truck on long trips? If just short trips, any truck will probably work. For longer trips, it's hard to beat the Ridgeline.
Your Taco is a beautiful truck and, IMO, nicer than today's Tacos. If i were you, i might consider, say, a Civic Si for a fun little commuter car and save that nice Taco for the rare occasion when you needed a truck. Nice well-kept vehicles tend to increase in value once they exceed twenty years of age.
As mentioned earlier, a few new trucks are expected in the mid-size market in the next couple years. Nissan will have a new Frontier next year, FCA should have a mid-size (Dakota), Ford is likely fast-tracking a new Ranger (and maybe a smaller unibody truck), Hyundai should have theirs out next year, rumors of a Mercedes-badged Amarok, etc.
Best advice i can give is test-drive them all, preferably back-to-back, on a variety of roads, rough and smooth. The Ridgeline will likely do all that you need, but you'll feel better having done your homework (test drives).
Longboat - thank you for the reply. My needs, well once I started to read reviews on the RL I began to think about that very question. With my current Taco (PreRunner, but not 4x4) I don't think I've ever pushed it to its limits off-road, I certainly hope not. What I need for sure is the ability to take two mountain bikes on a couple of 2k - 4k mile trips a year, and weekend trips closer to home. I need / want the ability to dive dirt "roads" but not really dirt trails (one wish I had with the RL is just a little bit more ground clearance) I need / want the ability to go to the home improvement store, pickup 1/2 doz bags of soil, and some potted plants. I need to haul a small amount of gear (in cases) for the work I do several times a week (and would / will, like my Taco, need to have a Tonneau Cover on it to secure this gear).
I would like a little more comfort in my ride vs. my Taco (which the RL will have), I want a little more luxury in the interior (the RL will have this, especially with the package I'm looking at over my 17 y/o Taco). The rated MPG of the RL is surprisingly not much better than my old V6 Taco gets now, but that is not a deal breaker, my daily driving is relatively close, and the few longer trips a year I take would be "vacation" so thinking about fuel cost is not a "thing".
I gotta say I've never been a fan of anything Nissan, so that wouldn't be on the plate. Honestly, I'm hesitant to look at Ford or Chevy, because (in my mind anyway, and I don't have / haven't done much research on their vehicles produced in the past 10 years) I just don't think they'll be mechanically as reliable, and have the same durability of paint and finish in 10 - 12, 15 years. And, it's a good bet I'll be keeping whatever I purchase that long. I could be wrong (Ford / Chevy, etc.), but that is my gut feeling based on friends that have bough from these makers in the past 10 years.
I am (again last night I was looking at some YouTube reviews of the 2020) temped to wait and see what 2021 brings for the RL (and even the Toyota). There are things (as evident by my post / thread here) that I just don't think are that good with the 2020 RL. Plastic (durability in the sun, tenancy to develop rattles), the "infotainment system", and even perhaps the new transmission? If I were the type of buyer that buys something new every 3-5 years, I would care less, but I'm certainly going to (need to) keep this purchase 10+ at least. I could put some money into my Taco and keep it another year, that would put it about 95k and 18 years old. Could easily sell as a "great work truck" or "weekend toy hauler" for someone, and a buyer could get another 75k mi out of it easily. But... I'm in the market now / this spring.
Welp, I need to see / a RTL-E. I guess it's pointless, to a point, to make any decisions based on what I've seen in person so far.
Thank you for your thoughts, I DO appreciate them.
That is one great looking 17 year old truck,
@Terrestrial Rover. I like the
Imperial Jade Mica paint. The 2019 Ridgeline's are in short supply and only the Sport trim is available for the most part. It seems like most of the 2020 Ridgelines are still "in transit." Not sure why it is taking Honda so long to get them distributed across the country.
You will love the ride of the Ridgeline - it is smooth and refined. You won't have any worries about the
composite bed of the Ridgeline as the black color permeates the entire material, no top coating.
One thing that has not been mentioned is the
AWD on the Ridgeline. It does not slip or push into turns like the 4WD trucks tend to do.
Let us know how your search turns out, even if you don't select a Ridgeline.
Thank you Sparkland... Yes, I've "only" been looking at (via web / reviews) for a coupe of weeks, and have only gone to look at a RL once so far. I will need to keep my eye out over the coming weeks for a 2020 and take a better look. Thank you for your comments.