Help me pick a quad cab taco topper!

[Winky]

Hey all!
While I go to school I picked up a job bundle hauling newspapers in the morning. I don't have to go door to door but will need to haul lots of papers. My quad cab offers plenty of space except when I need to keep it out of the rain.

So i have been looking at toppers. I don't want to spend too much so my first thought was a soft top. I know flyingwil has a can backer but those run $1100. I think that is too much. I haven't priced an ARE shell but imagine they would be quite pricey.

Anyone know any manufacturers or have any ideas?

[Willman]

I have an ARE.......Mine was $1200 color matched back in 01'......I priced one out about an year ago.....$1700....

Worth every penny! I love mine!

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f374/nicwillman/DSC02186.jpg

;)

[Winky]

I love the ARE... they have the best looking lines of any shell I've seen on a taco. Was $1700 color matched?

I should mention I have an '02.

[Winky]

The quad cab seems to be holding me back with the soft top. Bestop doesn't offer one for the DC. The only company I've been able to find is..
http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/pitrsotopcac.html

Never heard of them and couldn't find any reviews.

[CYi5]

The quad cab seems to be holding me back with the soft top. Bestop doesn't offer one for the DC. The only company I've been able to find is..
http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/pitrsotopcac.html

Never heard of them and couldn't find any reviews.

softopper is the brand shown there.

My buddy's softopper (http://lh4.ggpht.com/JupiterFolly/RzpU1xPaTAI/AAAAAAAABMQ/JhTCE9gZTh8/s912/sequoia%20NF%20%20nov%202007%20032.jpg) on a dubcab

[Winky]

softopper is the brand shown there.

My buddy's softopper (http://lh4.ggpht.com/JupiterFolly/RzpU1xPaTAI/AAAAAAAABMQ/JhTCE9gZTh8/s912/sequoia%20NF%20%20nov%202007%20032.jpg) on a dubcab

That one looks good! How does your buddy like it?

The website looks good and it is considerably less. I know you get what you pay for but for what I want to use it for... I think it would do nicely.

[mountainpete]

ARE is the number one choice - get the windoors option. Otherwise, go used.

Pete

[SWDesertTaco]

Even tho I have an Xtra Cab. I am the proud owner of the ARE w/ windoors.

I think these toppers are amazing.

If you can't get a sweet used one; see if you can find a smaller dealer.

I got a price quote, and then I asked for a 'cash price'

The guy (owner) didn't charge me tax and threw in about $250 in options and color matched and I paid less than $1300 out the door with install.

I got this about 2 years ago by the way.

Good luck

-C

[Winky]

Have you looked for a used one?

They seem to come up on Craigslist every now and then....much much cheaper than a new one.

$500

http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/pts/823017665.html

$400

http://mobile.craigslist.org/pts/792066945.html

A quick search on CL in my area came up with nada. There is a silver LEER on ebay for $300 in GA but the seller isn't willing to ship. I doubt the price of shipping would be too cheap.

[Willman]

ARE is the number one choice - get the windoors option. Otherwise, go used.

Pete

dittoo!!!

The wing windows are a must!.....Wish i had them on mine!...

:campfire:

[Winky]

Patience Grasshopper...



The bills need paying Now!:violent-smiley-031:

I'll hold out as long as I can. I start hauling papers at then end of Sept.

[Martinjmpr]

Used Used Used!

Seriously! Unless you want to pay >$1200 for a shell, you gotta go used!

Try craigshelper.com. That way you can search multiple locations with a single search term.

Having a quad cab you're going to have a more difficult time finding a shell that fits but they are out there. With Craigslist persistence is key - Remember that the two most popular small trucks for the last 10 years or so have been the Toyota Tacoma and the Ford Ranger so it's not hard to find things that fit.

Also: Post "wanted" ads in your area. That's how I found my current shell (a great Raven high-rise with all the desirable features for the measly sum of $300!) The owner of the shell did NOT post his for sale but he saw my "wanted" ad and contacted me (and: Now that I think about it, the previous shell I had I also got by posting a "wanted" ad on CL! So try it, it does work!)

If you find one that is <500 miles away, think about how much it would cost to drive there (my 04 gets ~20mpg on the highway so for me a 1,000 mile round trip would use 50 gallons of gas, at $4/gallon that would be $200.) If it would cost less to drive than to buy a new one (and it almost always will - as I said, $1000 - $1200 is the starting point for most fiberglass shells) then:

ROAD TRIP!

:D

Just my $0.02.

[CYi5]

That one looks good! How does your buddy like it?

The website looks good and it is considerably less. I know you get what you pay for but for what I want to use it for... I think it would do nicely.

It's easy to take on and off, and it keeps most water out. Biggest drawback is the velcro rear flap. He just wanted it to keep his gear dry and out of sight from prying eyes. It does a good job containing your gear without worrying about it all the time as well. You can see a few more pictures of it in this album.

If I needed a longterm shell that I didn't plan on removing very often, I'd go with an ARE with the flip up side windows.

http://picasaweb.google.com/argonzero/SequoiaApr2008#5186340166199934850

[haven]

You can use Google to search CraigsList. For example, using this search

tacoma shell site:craigslist.org

turns up a bunch of camper shells for sale

Do a more specific search to find a particular model or feature

wildernest shell site:craigslist.org

To remove the posts of people who want to buy a shell, try

tacoma shell site:craigslist.org -wanted

[Jacket]

The quad cab seems to be holding me back with the soft top. Bestop doesn't offer one for the DC. The only company I've been able to find is..
http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/pitrsotopcac.html

Never heard of them and couldn't find any reviews.

What year is your truck? I've got a Bestop on my 5' bed. It's not bear-proof, but its (mostly) waterproof.

And how many papers are you talking about? You could just by a big waterproof duffle.....

[Winky]

What year is your truck? I've got a Bestop on my 5' bed. It's not bear-proof, but its (mostly) waterproof.

And how many papers are you talking about? You could just by a big waterproof duffle.....

I worked out the numbers and the papers will be stacked to the top of the cab with some more going into the cabin.... so no duffel bag. My taco is an '02. Do you have any pictures of your bestop?

[Jacket]

There's a few recent ones in here (which will help explain my bear-proof comment).

http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17602

[Winky]

I went with the Softopper and am very pleased. In fact it has way out preformed my expectations. The fabric reminds me of my only jeep top and does NOT leak. I have been using it in a lot of rain and no comlaints. The fit is beautiful with everything nice and taught. I'll get some pics soon. It is so convienent and added tons of worry free cargo space. There is no added noise and I noticed a slight increase in fuel mileage on a trip to St. Louis but that might be because the cooler weather.

The only areas of worry are the adhesives on the velcro that goes on the truck, but that is an easy fix and it is pretty tricky getting things from the side due to the frame construction but is doable. It has decreased rear visibility in the rearview mirror but nothing worse then the old jeep.


So far it is the best mod and has probably already paid for itself. Winter will be the ultimate test and I plan to take it up to Lake of the Woods on the MN CAN border. The seams look strong but only time will tell. I'll get pictures mañana. I really like the look it gives it... my mom immedietly upon seeing it said "it looks like it should be in Australia." I couldn't agree more:sombrero: .














http://softopper.com/index.html