I am doing my due diligence now because I plan to buy a 4Runner early next year. My question is-
Knowing what you know now...If you bought a 5th gen tomorrow, what would you buy, with what options, and what mods would you do?

Thanks!

Spencer

I would of delayed pleasure and ordered a Pro.

TRD Off Road Premium.

Step 1: Recovery Gear (strap/shovel/tow hitch recovery point)
Step 2: Kings, UCAs, Tires, and sliders. (exterior done)
Step 3: Canvas Back, dog hammock, husky floor liners

Build on what you think you NEED after a couple trips. I bought 5 scs wheels knowing I wanted to put the full spare on the back... a year and $2500 later, its on. I could have saved my ass that much if I just did the above.

I think the best place to start is to figure out what you intend to do with it. What works for me might not be the best thing for you . Figure out what mix of on-road and off-road you're going to do and let that be the guide as to what you should be buying. If you're going to spend almost all your time on the road I think a limited edition with a supercharger could be a really fantastic all around daily driver that can still play in the dirt a little bit. If you want to go a little bit more hardcore off-road I would consider an older used SR5 and then with the money you save do a long travel front suspension along with fox or King coilovers custom valve, air lockers front and back, dual or triple transfer cases from Marlin crawler Big Mike there has a Tacoma with the same front suspension running 40 inch tires on a plus 2 long travel with triple transfer cases and it very impressive. RSG has a custom axel swap rear and solid axle front setup that also performs very well with 40 inch tires and the few videos I've seen. I haven't had an opportunity to actually see the RSG 4Runner in person but I have seen the Marlin crawler one quite a few times.. If you're looking for something in between I think a trail or Trail premium with kdss is the best balance of on-road and off-road performance out of the box. Add some upgraded springs and shocks and it'll perform very well off road with 33 inch tires and still drive while on the road. In the end I think all of the models have there good and bad attributes.

If you're doing a lot of towing or need a little more cargo space a gx460 is a very close cousin with a nice small V8 is also worth considering.

@Jetboy said it best. You need to decide how you plan to use the 4Runner. Then reasearch all of the builds on here and pay attention to those that have a similar build towards what you intend to do. Read some more and research (not ask stupid questions) all of the things that interest you.

Build away, but also, do not underestimate the capabilities of this rig stock.

Thought about this a lot and keep going back an forth on selling my truck or just continuing the mods. I barely have any time to hit the dirt with work and kids, but when I do, I want a truck that performs well beyond my skill level...


reality buy: Mag Grey ORP, no cross bars, running boards or floor mats

Upgrade weathertech floor mats
Icon stage 2 suspension
and pretty much my current set up

Fantasy... if I won the lottery...

fully loaded mag grey limited with 3rd row, convert the cosmetics to a trail/ OR with my current setup but with a full icon or king suspension... and an expedition 1 dual swing out bumper with ladder, cause hey, I won the lottery and those are expensive. Maybe keep the trail/ OR rims power coated black with a matching spare. Also convert the awd to a trail/ OR selectable 4wd with crawl control and ARB front and rear air lockers.

Probably won't use have of that kind of capability, but hell I won the lottery so **** it!

I kept mine stock for a year and then slowly added things on the way. Just remember, the more you add the more you stand out. Attention isn't always a good thing.

I loved my Tacoma’s. Traded my 15 sport in on my 17 Pro. No regrets. Love this thing!! It fits my needs better.

If you plan to keep it stock and only run mild gravel off road trails or if you live in a climate with lots of ice and snow:

Limited, swap the front end and wheels to 17” and run some AT tires.

If you plan to do a lot of off roading, upgrade the suspension and don’t need a third row:

TRD Off Road Premium with KDSS


If you plan to upgrade the suspension and need a third row:
SR5 Premium


For all of the above if you plan to spend time off pavement expect to upgrade tires.

Buy a 4Runner without that gross red gauges

Buy the ORP. I would have but my wife didn’t like the fake hood scoop. Ug.

you should have bought an ORP and traded the hood + $2-$300

If I were doing it over again, I would have waited longer to see if Jeep cleans up its issues with the new Wrangler, and then would have test driven the I4 hybrid because it has more power/torque and gets far better fuel economy. But that said, the (more expensive) Jeep would have to blow me away to take over the 4runner which I doubt.

So really, what I would do differently is maybe a different color and maybe haggled the price a little more. Otherwise, happy with how it worked out.

Looking at a 18 ORP with KDSS, but I will be using it more on road than off. What would be the first mods (if any) would you do first? I've heard here and there that the shocks need to be replaced (bilsteins) to help with brake dive. Any input? thx.

Still would have bought the same truck, but would have (I know I still can) had leather installed at the dealer.

I got too go of a deal and to go to a SR5 Premium would have been much more than the $1k or so for dealer installed leather. Though I would have loved to snag an OR, I need that 3rd row!!


Also, I would have snagged the black TRD wheels with good tires from FB Market Place for $450 last week! Still kicking myself!!