i had my cousin there to help, but he ended up being worthless ha ha. the install was SIMPLE. I did it a little differently than they suggested in that i loosely attached the mounting brackets to the rack and slid the rack on, then hit everything with the wrench/ratchet. the key is to remember NOT to completely tighten everything until you are positive you have it even. the first time i fastened everything i had it hanging about 1 inch too far forward and the sunroof hit it when it popped up. So i had to loosen everything and move it back. That took a whopping 5-7 minutes.
Regarding the cost, I know I will never get back what I've put into the truck. But I also know that what I got for the money is incredible, and my next toyota truck (either 5th gen or sequoia) will be treated just as nicely. Until kid #2 comes along this 3rd gen isnt going anywhere.