Colorado is a 5cyl.. fuck that.. My friends dad had one for a couple months and quickly sold it because of the same reasons stated above.. he's now had his silverado for a couple years and that gets better mileage..

I didn't see it mentioned but I have had great luck with my Honda Ridgeline. Reliable as all get out (Unlike the Titan it replaced) Reasonable mileage, decent towing and under bed dry storage. As an Owner I would say they are worth a look

If you're going to get a Tacoma, get the X-Runner, it's the sportiest and best-handling pickup. There's really no reason not to.

The Ridgeline is another good choice as well, in terms of how it drives.

Other than those two I wouldn't buy any other pickup. I can't stand how they handle and ride.

I am probably just not going to get anything right now. I am not ready to spend MSRP with no perks money on a new Tacoma and not going to settle for a piece of crap. I don't really want a 1/2 ton at this time. I will probably just save some money and not get anything. I don't really need it. Just was hoping it was a good time to get a Tacoma, but alas, it's not.

The Titan is a Nissan product.

What do you want from the truck? Do you need 4wd? Do you want/need a v8, v6, or 4 banger. Do you want/need auto or manual? Towing big/heavy shit?

When I got mine I wanted all the nice shit (V8, leather, crew cab, 4x4, etc.) but I didn't want to spend the money any of the dealerships wanted (2005, when trucks were still selling well). I went the opposite direction and got the previous gen. Nissan Frontier 4 banger manual 2wd extended cab. I have overloaded it (~2,000lbs), off-roaded it (speed/momentum is key) and generally beat the shit out of it without any problems after 90k+ miles.

Yes, the 4 cyl is anemic, but I get halfway decent mileage as part of the deal (22mpg+ highway with the bike in the bed averaging 80mph+). The only real complaint I have is lack of room in the cab for the 3rd passenger (single side facing jump seat), but I don't often have more than one passenger. The current gen. seems to have fixed that and added another seat (2 forward facing jump seats).

Tacoma

Curious, why a light duty over a 1/2 ton?

I contemplated the same thing when I bought my F-150.
Price of Ranger vs F-150 was within a couple grand. Mileage was within 1-2 mpg, and towing/hauling capacity is far greater with a half ton.
To me it was a no brainer to get the 1/2 ton. I may not have a regular use for the full capacity, but it was there if/when I needed it.

$27k is a lot to spend on an extended cab compact truck with limited payload and towing.

I was assuming he was considering used trucks as well. That model has been out for years.

And if all he plans on doing is hauling a bike, that's all the truck he needs.