Thanks for the advice. I’ve settled on the Tacoma TRD OR, and I thought I was set on the long bed, but there seem to be much fewer of them and they cost ~3 - 4k more than the short bed. Still mulling it over 
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Another Gladiator vote here. Like @Mjolnir I drove the Colorado, Tacoma and Gladiator and other than the price which is spendy, the Gladiator won for me hands down. Disappointing that the diesel is not available in manual however. I ended up with a Rubicon Diesel (auto) and optioned up with discounts ended up all in at 64k. Spendy for a truck but I really like low end torque for crawling. My GFC is scheduled to deliver this summer, we’ll see where this falls out with the V2 as I’m sure it’s way down the list on qty’s of GFC builds on order. No pics yet, I actually take delivery next week… they are in the process of pulling every single graphic and logo off the truck for me, I hate all of this especially on the Rubi. Another plus on the jeep is even the tailgate badging is removable as its all adhesive.
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Damn that much? Makes sense with it being a Rubi Eco. Mine came in right at $40k. I wanted to add my own air lockers and build it to my own specs. At the end of the day, for the same/similar options + some, the gladiator was less than a Taco.
Two of my friends traded in their tacos for Gladiators after driving mine as well lol.
Indeed. Rubi + Leather + Diesel + a few odds and ends like trail cams. Adds up! Total truck price was 57.8k but after tax and delivery you end up at 64 ACTUAL total.
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Wow! I really wanted a Jeep. I certainly have Jeep envy, but I got my '19 Tacoma for $31,300 OTD. Had to upgrade springs/shocks, add sliders, and aftermarket stereo to the tune of $3000.00. Tacomas are a little underwhelming, but its been a decent truck thus far. It carries my GFC, that’s what really matters… Ha!
Congrats on your ride.
Peace.
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Holy shit. I could’ve bought two of my truck for that.
The more I see people buying brand new vehicles for camping and off-roading, the more I caution against it, for their own sake…
Makes much more sense to get something with a little character that you don’t care about scratching or beating up a little bit and throw the GFC on that, than to get a brand new truck just for the GFC. $0.02
I’d suggest 1st or 2nd gen Tacoma if you plan on doing trails or care about turning radius, or a 1st gen tundra for the space.
Can not recommend a 3rd gen due to all the issues friends of mine have had with it, and don’t have experience with the other larger vehicles other than Ford’s which I’ll personally never recommend, but looking forward to the 4th gen Tacoma/truck and new Land Cruiser, we might finally be getting an Aussie variation here!
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Also, the pro is, and has always been a waste of money. Don’t @ me.
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I get what you are saying and my GFC cost almost as much as my last 2 Toyota 4x4s combined, but the nice thing about my 3rd gen is that anything I do to it, I will have for a really long time.
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Disagree. Just about any off-road vehicle hold it’s value extremely well: Raptor, TRD Pro, Rubicons , and so on. So I buy one, use it, abuse it, and then trade it in for another one. I am on my fourth Raptor and have lost very little on depreciation despite traveling all across North America: Cabo to the Arctic Circle and lots of places in-between. Can’t recommend a Ford? That’s funny because I can’t recommend a Toyota 
Don’t know why so many people hate and look down on a Tacoma Pro.
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I think rock-crawling a brand new vehicle adds to the excitement! Lines feel way more high-stakes when the window sticker is still on 
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To each their own. Cool story.
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DC OR Long bed here.
I would, if I’d have known I’d go w a camper… gotten the access cab. The payload is much higher than the double cab.
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Not sure what you are getting at. I said the pro was a waste of money and you agreed. Maybe the “don’t at me” was generic and not towards me 
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New cars are all decent. They all have great warranties. Back in the olden days it was different. Unless you’re HARDCORE crawling - any of the usuals will get you there and back. It really comes down to preference and the little things that are important to you.
I love my 3g taco. I really enjoyed my 1g taco. Back then, I think Toyota was heads and shoulders above the competition. Not anymore.
I do like the Jeep. And will consider it when I’m looking for something new in another 5 years or so. By then - who knows what will be available?
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I’ve owned two tacos, both great crawlers and both took over 250k. Ironically I just sold an 84 land cruiser for the same reason some are mentioning above for not buying new: too valuable and too concerned with damage as it was 90k on the clock and zero rust under, over or in. We bought it in SoCal for desert crawling and it was excellent for that, but a relo to Colorado changed the game, just doesn’t feel right having it in the limited winter weather we have at altitude.
No qualms about beating the hell out of a new vehicle, resale on Rubi’s are good. Didn’t buy the diesel for “economy” metrics don’t work on that at all. I bought it because it’s an excellent crawler and diesels are fun to crawl with at idle. That and we can afford it.
Back to the original posters query, if I had gone Taco again, I would not have done pro. TRD off-road with a 6’ bed!
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Luckily for me I have always camped and abused my jeeps. So my Gladiator will be no different. At the end of the day it will still hold value regardless of pinstriping from the pine barrens lol. I also spent right at $41k for mine. As I stated previously I paid the same as I would have for an optioned out TRD Pro, with more options.
Glad you made your decision OP. Wish you the best and looking forward to your build 
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I am 6’3" and taco’s have too little leg room for me under the wheel. I found the 5g Ranger a much better fit and have been loving my truck. Downside is the 6’ bed only comes with the access cab, I believe.
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I’m actually going to test drive a Gladiator this weekend after the positive reviews here. Appreciate the advice!
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Just wanted to thank you all again for the advice. After months of searching and test drives (Gladiator, Ranger, Tacoma) I went with a 2019 Tacoma OR DCLB. The price was about 10k less than any TRD Pro I could find, but of course the Pro doesn’t offer a long bed. Now that I’ve had the truck for a few days, I can see that the LB is really going to pay off.
Now to start designing the camper while I wait impatiently on my GFC 
Much love!
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