We did for many years. Or to be precise, a version with a slightly different body. Like the article said, that truck was basically bulletproof -- it was a tank on wheels. It was way, way overbuilt for what it was intended to do and that's why they last so long and are so popular with offroaders (the reason I got mine!). Typically the bodies rust out after about 10-15 years but the rest of the truck: engine, frame, driveline, etc is still rock solid so there was an aftermarket industry in fiberglass bodies.

I sold mine (1987 4x4) with 130,000 miles on it for about $2,000 in 2005 and it would probably have gone another 100,000 easily with minimal maintenance. The kid who bought it got a hell of a deal (it was pretty heavily modified by the time I sold it) and he was grinning from ear to ear when he drove off.

The Tacoma was the "new, improved, bigger version."