Finding the Tacoma

Since moving to New Mexico, I've been going on more hikes and outdoor activities and finding places that I want to explore. In 2024 it was really starting to bug me that I didn't have a 4x4 vehicle to take off-roading and doing more extensive trips with. I was still stuck with my 2011 Honda Insight that I moved to New Mexico with.

Now don't get me wrong, I loved my little Honda. I originally acquired her in February of 2020 so that I could commute back and forth to my workplace in Dallas. I got her for $6,600 with 98k miles, and then the pandemic hit. I no longer needed a car because my work was remote. Such timing, and I lamented purchasing the vehicle for a while since I didn't need it.

She grew on me over the years, and I put a lot of work into her and ended up putting 60,000 miles on her. I definitely loved the gas mileage, averaging around 45 mpg and sometimes topping out at 55 mpg.

But early 2025 had me wanting a vehicle suited more for my new home, and as I researched and thought about what I wanted to do with my new vehicle, the obvious choice landed on a first generation Toyota Tacoma.

I've always enjoyed Toyota and Honda's reliability, and was hesitant to purchase Ford Ranger or something similar. I also did not want an excessively large vehicle; I hate how large the modern day truck has gotten. I wanted something on the smaller side, but could take me almost anywhere I wanted to go, and to do so reliably. Third and Fourth generation Tacomas were too large, and too expensive. Second generation Tacomas had some issues that I didn't really want to deal with, so the search started for a First generation Tacoma.

First generation Tacomas come with an elevated price tag for their age (produced 1995.5 - 2004). They also come with their fair share of potential problems. First generation Tacomas from the rust belt or east coast often have a ton of chassis rust and are basically accidents waiting to happen. A low-spec, rusty Tacoma could go as low as $2,000, but a high-spec Tacoma from a non-rusty region, could go anywhere from $8,000 - $20,000 depending on mileage and spec. This was going to be a difficult search.

I wanted 4x4. I wanted a lift. I wanted the v6 engine variant. Most importantly, I had decided I wanted a manual vehicle again. I was looking for a unicorn.

It took a few months, searching across different car listing websites, perusing Craigslists all across the Southwest, doing research, chatting with people, making offers. Then in early July, I found my unicorn.

She was right in my backyard, a hour and a half to my north. Everything I was looking for, with an offroad bumper to boot. The price was a little high for the mileage, but the listing seemed almost too good to be true.

Well maintained, a bed topper, a sleeping platform, she was ready to go. I reached out to the seller, expressing that I wasn't going to turn the truck into a farm truck, and that I'd really like to come see it. It took us about three weeks to finally get together, but she told me one of the reasons she decided to sell it to me is because everyone else wanted to turn it into a work truck.

I reviewed the excel spreadsheet, looked over all the receipts kept ever since it was purchased, I was in love with this truck. I took her on a test drive with the owner in the Taos Ski Valley, and she also spent some time with me explaining the different systems and inner workings of the truck. It was a wealth of information.

I promptly listed and sold my Honda for $5,500, which was about $2,000 more than I was expecting to get for her. I also found out how to look up the Toyota manufacturing specs for my truck and realized just how much of a unicorn I had found.

A well-maintained (with the documentation to prove it), first generation Tacoma, with the V6 engine, the five speed manual transmission, 4x4, originally specced from the factory with the TRD Offroad Package, and the tow package installed on the truck at port of entry. How in the world did I come to own this vehicle?

I of course needed a name for the truck, but the seller also had a name for her. "Bella." The first owner of the truck had used it as a work truck for an electric company, and the faded paint where the company decals once were was still on the side of the door. Bella was the name of the company. I retained this name because it suited the truck, but upon showing one of my friends they quickly chimed in;

"Bella? The taco named Bella?"

For those not in the know, Tacoma owners frequently refer to their trucks as "tacos". And thus Bella came to be known as Tacobella.