Mod up my 05 or trade up to a 12 Trail w KDSS

[medicrn]

So I am moving to California for a better job (hopefully). I love my 05 SR5 and have basic mods listed in my signature. Have about 109k miles on it and I have been wondering:

add a lift, winch, bigger meats/wheels (saw some awesome black TRDs on the FJ at the Javits auto show), sliders, snorkel, rear bumper/spare combo, second battery, compressor, HID headlights, lightbar, rear floods (for night dives), rear and front lockers, and complete skid plates.

Or trade it in on a new 12 or 13 trail.

Btw I got the 05 new and paid cash where as I would have trade and 10-15k down on trail.

any thoughts, opinions, ideas, pros/cons?

I mean money does matter but so does the investment...

 

[Runner27]

If you look for long term investment, I would say go with the 12 or 13 trail edition. Your 05 SR5 is a 7 year old vehicle and adding all those mods would cost you around $6k-7k if you do them yourself. Putting that much money into a 109k+ mile vehicle is not a good investment in a long run, especially if you are looking into another vehicle in a near future. A modded 05 SR5 will have a much lower resale value than a 12 TE.

 

[jimithing]

I'd say it depends on what you plan to do with your 4Runner. All those mods are great if you plan on actually using them. If it's going to be a commuter car then I think you're wasting your money with the mods. And you'll never get your money back out of the mods. At least with a newer 4Runner it'll have a better resale.

Personally, if it was me, I'd drive the '05 another year or two until I saw what the mid cycle refresh for the 5th gen is going to look like. If you have to do something on your '05 while you're waiting do something simple so you can take it back to stock if you ever trade it in. Maybe a small lift and some wheels or something.

 

[AleksV]

ask your local dealer for an extended test drive, see if you actually would want it. You could be sold on it instantly, or it can change your mind completely.

 

[MikeInNH]

I mean money does matter but so does the investment...

A vehicle is NEVER an investment. Financially...keeping your current vehicle for another 5-8 years will save you more money in the long run.

 

[KidVermicious]

What Mike said.

If you own the '05 outright, I say keep it.

 

[Glock_19]

Well I would personally take the no fun approach. If the '05 is paid off then I would take the money you're planning on spending on mods and just put it into a savings account for when the '05 needs repairs and keep driving it "as is." I know that's really boring but it's definitely going to be the cheapest option.

 

[MikeInNH]

Well I would personally take the no fun approach. If the '05 is paid off then I would take the money you're planning on spending on mods and just put it into a savings account for when the '05 needs repairs and keep driving it "as is." I know that's really boring but it's definitely going to be the cheapest option.

When I was significantly younger I made many modifications to vehicles I owned. It was fun. But over the years I learned that there are other things my money could be spent on that were far far far more enjoyable. I agree...keep the 05...and just drive. Do the preventative maintenance...and ("Hopefully") few repairs along the way and enjoy the ride. Keep doing this for a few years...then when you're in your older you'll be able to buy a nice new vehicle CASH. I haven't taken a loan out on a vehicle in over 20 years.

 

[JD914]

I agree with those who are saying stick with the 05. It's a Toyota, and will go another 100K, at least (I wheel with guys whose 4Runners are well over 200K and they're absolutely reliable). Come out and see how often you get out on the trail, and see what you NEED, as opposed to WANT. You'll be amazed at what a stock 4th gen is capable of off road. Build up slowly, based on what sort of wheeling you do, and how much.
At the same time, though, I'm not belittling what you want. There's lots of things that I want for my truck, that I don't need (and I'm buying some, dammit!).

 

[G.I.G.]

I would agree with what others have said and keep the '05. I'm just as guilty in wanting the shiny new object, but there will always be something cooler (hopefully) down the road with the 4Runner lineup. We still haven't even seen the mid-generation refresh on the 5th gens and who knows what the 6th gen will bring in another 4-6 years....

Regarding the mods, I would also probably pass on many of them. It depends on how much wheel'n you realistically think you'll be doing. I've had to ask myself the same question. You can look at my signature and see what mods I have, and I can tell you that I can do about 70-80% of the off-road trails here in Colorado with the setup I have currently. Maybe I could run another 10% of them if I didn't mind risking severe trail damage, and the rest I probably couldn't touch without a SAS in the front, lockers, body lift, bigger tires, etc. If you're looking for a reason to justify keeping the '05 and make it more off-road capable, maybe you could spend a couple grand on a lift, tires, maybe some lights, but forgo the bumper, winch, snorkel, etc. That might renew your interest in your '05 but without wasting a ton of cash on a vehicle that has over 100k miles.