I purchased my 04 4Runner Sr5 v8 earlier this year after returning from an awesome trip to Moab with friends from a local Toyota off road, Facebook group. At the time, I had a 2018 Tacoma TRD OR which was already on a great build path, but I built it more for overlanding, not crazy rock crawling.
How this 4Runner looked when I bought it:
This 4Runner already had a great foundation. A few key selling points was the v8 (of course), practically rust free frame and body (major plus living in the salt belt) and a plethora of off-road parts, which included 2.5” Bilstein lift with a 1” body lift, a CBI front bumper, full RCI skid plates, rock sliders (which I need to install) and a lot of spare parts. The previous owner had opted for the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T tires (295/70r17). These tires were fairly new.
I find it ironic that I have gone full circle when I started getting into off-roading. A 4th gen 4Runner with v8 was my vehicle of choice, back in the spring of 2018. Well, I have wanted a v8 4runner for longer than that, but anyway. All I could find at the time was v6 models and GX470’s (before everyone started seeking these out). In hindsight, I should have bought the GX, but somehow ended up in a 2012 FJ Cruiser, which I miss dearly.
Pics of FJ Cruiser when purchased:
I only had the FJ two weeks before heading off to Colorado and hitting some trails in the Breckenridge area.
I really wanted to make the FJ work. Already had purchased an OME lift, Total Chaos UCA’s and still my favorite Method wheels, the MR312’s in bronze. I desperately needed to do the body mount chop and pinch weld mods, but surprisingly, that was all that was required to stuff 33x12.5 tires onto a stock FJ. Of course I had to add 1.5” spacers, just because.
The FJ had a significant rust problem, and it was already past the recall period to have the frame replaced. Breaking bolts was a common practice and ultimately, I didn’t have the time or resources to fix the frame, though I hindsight, I regret selling my FJ.
One thing was for certain, I discovered I really enjoyed traveling to cool and scenic trails. So I splurged and traded up to a 2019 4Runner TRD ORP with KDSS.
Fortunately, most all the parts I bought for the FJ transferred to the 4Runner. I did not install the 1.5” spacers though, as the MR312 wheel offset was perfect. The 4Runner had many of the cool features that was found on my 2012 FJ, which included a locker rear, ATRAC and the manually operated transfer case. Though the 4.0 v6 had torque, in the Colorado mountains, it seemed to run out of breath easy, but that was really only a problem on the hwy. Overall, I really liked the 5th gen platform.
Then covid hit and I was in a remote working status - which resulted in my new 4Runner just sitting. At this rate, the warranty was going to run out before I got any good use out of it. I had also recently sold my house and felt like I was using my new 4Runner more as a truck than an SUV. So I took the advice of a good friend that had been telling me for years to buy a Tacoma. It was during that time when inventory for both new and used cars was at an all time low. I was amazed to even find something close to what I was looking for and local to me. I got my money back on the 4Runner, which still had under 10k miles. The dealer sold it for 10k more than what I paid for it brand new. Crazy days we live in.
So this leads me to my 2018 Tacoma TRD OR crew cab. It felt a little cramped at first, coming from a 4Runner and being 6ft. But after getting used to it, the Tacoma is almost the perfect size. I have mostly great things to say about it, except for the normal complaints about the transmission and lack of power.
I was on a solid build path with my Taco as I had not anticipated buying another vehicle. Even had the RSI SmartCap on order to replace my Diamondback HD cover.
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While at Moab, I discovered a few things. One, I love crawling rocks. The Top of the world trail was an experience, to say the least. Two, going on the trail with a relatively new and clean Tacoma that still had a lot of equity was very nerve racking. I even destroyed my front, steel skid plate on the trail. It did it’s job though. Ultimately, I knew I wanted to do more trails like that, just not with such a new truck. I needed something else.
I could probably start a build page just on my Tacoma, even though I don’t own it anymore. It’s a very capable truck that I will miss.
A friend from our Moab group owned a v8 4Runner and was getting things ready for the trip when one of his close friends offered to sell him a J80 Land Cruiser for a great price. The LC was already kitted out with oversized tires, a front bumper and winch and armor. I guess not all Land Cruisers had this, but his did have three factory lockers (front, center, rear). It was a no brainer, especially for what he bought it for.
TLDR, I bought my friends v8 4Runner and so far I have had no regrets, though it’s turned into more a project than I anticipated. Honestly, all my vehicles are projects. lol.
I had to make a tough choice. I really liked my Tacoma and had put a lot of work into it, including the high clearance front bumper and winch. I don’t have space right now to own two off road vehicles and keeping the Tacoma would mean re-purchasing a lot of parts that could be transferred to the 4Runner. So I opted to sell the Tacoma and transfer as many parts that I could. It was a lot of work, but saved me a ton of money. Sure, I could have tried selling my Tacoma with everything on it. But you will rarely get a 100% return on what you invested into your vehicle.
That was a lot but hoped you enjoyed the read. My adventure build is well on its way and I already have been making some critical choices.
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