If I would have known how much money I'd be spending on aftermarket add-ons I would have tried to get a better deal on it.

"I'm going to cross water, so the differential breather is a no-brainer."

"I need some storage racks inside to mount my first-aid kit, recovery gear, etc.."

"Definitely need some sliders for off-road protection even though I've never come close to landing on a boulder."

"I did hit my front skid and the fuel skid has a huge dent now, so I should get beefier ones."

"May as well get skids for everything."

"That on-board air compressor mod looks like a great way to have air without taking up space in the back. Let's do that too."

"That SSO slimline bumper looks like a great way to have a winch while retaining the stock look..."

"Haven't needed a rack yet, but I do need somewhere to store my traction pads once they're dirty...and that Hi-Lift I don't have."

"I should buy a Hi-Lift."

"Sure would be nice to have a new rear bumper to store an extra wheel and some gas cans..."

It never ends.

It sure doesn't. I bought my 2015 TE w/ the intent of it being a daily driver and maybe taking it off road. I've always been interested in off road, but have zero experience w/ it. Now that I have it, I cannot wait to take it off road and start taking back country camping trips w/ it. The possibilities are endless.

My saving grace is that my wife has delivered the edict that anything I do to this rig is ok as long as it is back together and running within three days. I had a 1995 Trans Am that spent more time apart that together and she has very clearly stated that the 4Runner is not to go down that path.

I do have to say, after driving a 2000 Subaru Legacy Outback for 8.5 years, I am super excited to own the 4Runner. I stoked to do mods and work on cars again. That Subaru was a real drag.

I'll come from the other side. Keep it stock and leave it alone for as long as possible.

I know its hard after seeing all of the pictures are such on here of people who have gone quite far into credit card debt for a vehicle they are still making payments on, but there is no reason to keep up with Jonses...

I've had the best times running and wheeling my stock or nearly stock rigs (LC80, 2 JK Rubicons, 4R) and spending my money on gas and trips.

Run your stock skids until you really need replacements. Go ahead and let them get scratched and dented, that is what they are for. I did go ahead and spring for sliders, as I like my rockers...

My 2nd JK had a winch. I thought "oh cool, this'll be great". I wheeled all over tennesee, Kentucky and Colorado. The only time it was ever used was to pull my toolbox onto a uhaul trailer...

Without lifting points, a high-lift won't do you much good.

Take some time to enjoy the gas mileage and ride before you ruin everything with all the extra stuff you'll most likely never use.

You forgot;

"I've put bigger tires on, I think I need to re-gear"

"Well, if I am re-gearing, maybe I should add that ARB I will never use."

"The muffler is low hanging fruit, should swap a smaller can in there."

The list is long

I've sometimes considered saying something inappropriate just so I can get banned and save some money.
Just not yet....

I totally agree. 90% of people don't need 90% of the stuff they think they do.

A great budget kit: get some sliders, a hi-lift with a wheel hook, a snatch strap, a shackle hitch, a tree strap, some chain, a shovel and maybe some traction boards. If you go out and find thats really not enough THEN figure out what it is you really need.

People around here spend ridiculous amounts of money to no apparent end. "Oh, I go camping on weekends sometimes I need a cargo system and an ARB fridge and a roof-top tent and dual batteries and solar charging and a lift and a winch to get back there and heavy coils to hold everything up." Or you could just throw a tent, a sleeping bag a cooler and a case of beer into a stock truck and call it good.

I'm not saying there aren't some really cool rigs on here and people who really put everything to the test but most people are just throwing money into a rolling hole in the road. Might as well get a boat!

"I can't hear my music loud enough at 80 MPH with the windows down, maybe I'll just upgrade the speakers"

I spent a few bucks on that mod!!

No kidding. My bank account is really suffering since I found this forum.

"I did hit my front skid and the fuel skid has a huge dent now, so I should get beefier ones."

i will need to raise my suspension to prevent damage to the beefier skid plates.

I will need bigger tires to accommodate the new height.

Other than some RCI sliders, my goal is to pass the 30k mark before any big modifications, although is tough when you constantly browse T4R.org and see posts off instagram.

"Now that all my crap is on the roof my COG is higher, gotta spread the wheel base out 2.5" with spacers to overcome the trigonometry"

"It's so sunny out, Tint isn't quite enough, I should hang an awning off the side of the rack."

"I really don't want to turn ALL the way around to look so I will install a dongle and AOB switch to only have to turn 45 degrees to see my anytime back up camera."

"Those letters on the back are soooo shiny it must be distracting other drivers, $90 for matt black covers will be easier than painting them... you're welcome other drivers, and now the picture you take of my rig at the grocery store parking lot won't have any glare!"

Something in my brain wiring won't let me spend a bunch of money on a financed vehicle when I know that money would be much better spent against the principal of the loan.


The other stuff is funny though since, as our long gone 1engineer once pointed out, the percentages of off road use for a daily driver are pretty shocking. 150 miles of off road driving each year on a standard 15k/yr vehicle is 99% on road, 1% off road.

Reading between the lines on how much worse these rigs daily drive is entertaining to me.

"Yeah, I got OME heavies and E-Load MTs. My teeth are all cracked and rearview mirrors are all shattered, but it's not really that horrible on the road."

"Yeah, I got full armor, roof rack, and RTT. I'm getting 6mpg commuting, but that's not too horrible compared to my 1982 Bronco on 38 inch Boggers."


My favorite part of the forum is playing the "spot the wife" game in photos. Generally the staged "off road" shots of these 4Runners have an irritated wife in the passenger seat playing Facebook on her phone while they wonder why their stupid husband is taking picture of his own car again.

You can see mine in my avatar pic:

Have you seen Trixx's build thread?

I agree that there's a sweet spot to be found and it largely differs from person to person.

My girlfriend recently asked me if I wanted to get a rooftop tent too and my reply was, "Not even by my slightly biased standards can I justify a brick on the roof that we're going to use maybe 1-2x per year at most." She was happy to find that I haven't fallen head first down the rabbit hole.

I'm trying to balance buying things before I need them and buying things after I need them. I'd hate to get myself stuck somewhere all alone and think, "Man, I wish I had a xyz right now."

My solution now is to simply avoid things that my vehicle isn't prepared for (e.g. going into mud without someone around that can pull me out) and if there's something I really want to do, buy the right gear for it, then tackle it again. Well, that and I'm cognizant of driving dynamics (accelerating/braking/handling) and overall range, which has put a pretty firm upper bound on my modifications so far.

You can get yourself out of most jams with $200 worth of recovery gear.

I do see the fear and ignorance angle though. We have a lot of people on here who are novices and there's a fear of the unknown and people don't know what they're trucks are capable of so they spend money they don't need to. It's easy for me to sit here with 30 years of experience and say "you'll probably be fine stock, just be careful and use your judgement".

If some one sells it, t4r.org users will buy it. No matter what the price..............