One of the things this popular YouTuber praises his Toyota truck for may surprise you.
When you live with the same vehicle for years, you learn a lot about it. You become familiar with its quirks. You may discover that some of the things that you initially liked about it have become pet peeves. Ultimately, the characteristics that have motivated you to keep it for so long become crystal clear.
In this video, a YouTuber who goes by the name Rob Daman boils down why he loves his third-generation Toyota Taco Supreme (aka Hard Shell Taco) to three reasons.
No 1.: Reliability
We saw this one coming and we know why Daman put it on his list. Toyotas (especially Toyota trucks) are legendary for being able to take abuse and keep going. However, they’re not perfect and Daman makes sure to acknowledge that. “Toyota has a long history of being reliable, albeit there’s been issues of the rear diff leaking. I also had that on my truck, which is fixed. And there’s been other issues. The automatic transmission guys have been having problems with the shifting and they’re working on that, but overall, this truck will not leave you stranded.”
No. 2.: Resale Value
Even though Daman has customized his Taco Supreme with decals, wheels, tires, lights, and other components, it’s likely he’ll sell it eventually. He doesn’t hold onto vehicles for very long. Good thing Tacomas don’t depreciate rapidly. Daman says, “I’ve seen some low-mileage second-gen Tacomas sell for 30,000 plus. I can see if I have to get rid of Hard Shell Taco that I won’t be losing my shirt on it.”
No. 3.: Safety
Even though the Tacoma received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s highest rating of Good for its overall Crashworthiness, This kind of took us by surprise. We thought Daman would mention the Tacoma’s off-road abilities. He says, “I’ve seen different posts … of people having unfortunate accidents and they’ve all walked out. I mean they had some mean accidents that could’ve been a fatality, but it actually saved their life.” His reaction makes total sense, though. He doesn’t just have more mods to make to his Taco Supreme (however long he keeps it). He has three children to take care of.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
