First 4Runner
 

I live in Ontario Canada and have a 40 min commute on country roads that can get nasty in the brutal winters we have. I've been searching for a winter beater for the past year, but wanted something i could still enjoy driving, and something I would use in the summer for trips to the cottage, camping, hauling and other things my VW CC wasn't made for.
I also wanted something i could wrench on, cause you need a college degree to touch the VW.
Picked up this last week. 96 4Runner. 1 owner, local doctor who serviced it at Toyota By.The.Book. Only 180,000 Km. It's never been oil sprayed so there is some rusting going on with the frame, but nothing rotten. Interior looks like it's 19 years old, but no rips. Just general wear and tear. Body is basically mint, and a brand new set of tires on her. The rubber is almost worth what I paid for her. Now I want to add a few mods to get it looking different and to my liking. This was the first weekend i could get at her.

Oil Change
Running Boards removed
Factory wheels painted black

She makes her first trip to the cottage on Wednesday. I'll be giving her a good wash and wax Tuesday night.

Next steps are the standard engine tunes
PCV Valves, Cleaning the TB & MAS, Fuel Filter, EFI relay reset. Spark plugs and wires, and the timing belt is due soon. Maybe a trans cooler as well.

I'd also like a bush bar and lights of some sort (truck gear direct?) and maybe a cargo basket for the roof maybe a light bar. Recommendations?

Besides a lift, what else are people recommending. I'm not looking to go extreme, just clean and functional. One final thing is i'm getting sole pulsing on breaking so I'll be looking to do the 1st Gen Tundra swap on the front breaks as well.

looks good. i would get a front bumper over a bull bar.

Click here for "4runner Lift Guide".

Unless you have written proof that's they've been changed already, your absolute first priority should be changing out the lower ball joints for brand new OEM ball joints. These are a known failure point, and when they fail, it can be very dangerous.

Before installing a lightbar, you might consider doing an HID projector retrofit. Both DDM Tuning and Theretrofitsource offer screw-in projectors. If you opt for 55w ballast with 4300k bulbs, you'll get MUCH more light output then stock. Install is also a breeze with these new kits. Plus, you'll get to use your headlights every day, unlike a light bar.

With regards to your CC, I highly recommend getting VCDS with CAN interface. It makes working on VW's a breeze.

Thanks for the feed back. I'm going to swing by Toyota tonight to get a copy of the service records and find out about the ball joints.

Also I like the idea of the headlight swap. I'll look into both those options.