I'm currently driving my third Toyota truck. That probably says it all.

The first was a 1986. The second was a 1992. This one's a 1998. I traded in the first after 150,000 miles, and the second after 250,000 miles.

That's why I buy Toyotas. They don't break.

All were 4x4s with 4 cylinder engines. All had manual transmissions. The first two had regular cabs, while my current one has the extended cab. The extended cab is cool because I can throw my guitar, sleeping bag and a pack full of clothes behind the seat and not have to worry about putting the stuff in my cab every time I stop at Denny's or Chez Pierre on long road trips.

Nothing substantial has ever gone wrong with any of the Toyota trucks I've owned. I'm constantly driving my friends to the repair shops to get their BMWs and Ford Explorers fixed.

If you're a guy or gal of any age who likes to get where you're going and who occasionally likes to haul stuff, buy a Toyota truck and relax.

Are they perfect? No.

The ride in the older trucks was a bit rough compared to a Jeep Cherokee or Nissan Pathfinder. And the acceleration in all three was only OK. If you want to pass yuppies in their BMWs or teens in their souped up Camaros while going up hill on I-80, look elsewhere. Or at least look at the six cylinder engine.

But the latest Tacoma has a smooth ride, and once it gets up to speed (it goes from 0 to 60 in as long as it takes) it cruises along nicely.

Gas mileage? I get about 22 MPG in the city and 27 MPG on long trips. Nothing to crow about but not too bad.

Hauling ability? I've hauled bricks (several hundred pounds), dressers, and other heavy stuff and hardly noticed a difference in acceleration or handling. What these trucks give up in speed/acceleration they appear to make up in power and durability.

Do I actually use 4-wheel drive? Yes, in both Montana and California. The Toyota enjoys being off road, and it can crawl over creeks and washed out roads that would have 2x4 trucks or low-center 4x4s mired up to their bellies. The current Toyota 4x4 handles much better in 2-wheel-drive than the older ones did (they got a little squirrelly on rainy or snowy surfaces until I threw them into 4) and I'm EXTREMELY confident on rainy or snowy surfaces when in 4-wheel drive with the current Tacoma.

A possible quibble for some: You have to hop out to lock down the hubs, and that's not always easy to do, especially on a cold and snowy day. If you're a 105 pound woman who's going to be driving alone over a mountain pass through a possible snow storm, either lock the hubs before you leave home, or practice locking and unlocking the hubs, both to loosen them up a bit and to strengthen your wrists.

The layout of the interior is common sense, and the stock radio/cassette player is comparable in quality to the mid-range Alpine system I installed in my previous truck. Air conditioning is standard and a real plus when driving through Nevada and Utah in the summer.

My two older trucks had plastic seats that heated up to about 211 degrees in the sun. The newer trucks have (at least mine does) a really nice cloth interior that looks great and stays relatively cool even on hot days.

Another minor quibble: I was working with a young horse who backed (with me on him) into the side of the bed of my truck. To my surprise, his butt left a dent about 3 inches wide. Now, that horse weighs about 1100 pounds, but I found myself wondering if the outside of the truck wasn't as thickly constructed as the inside of the bed. I invite others' comments about this.

I think I've said enough. Guys with trucks are supposed to be men of few words.

I like the way it looks, I like the way it drives, but mostly I bought it for the same reason I bought the other two:

Toyota trucks don't break.