Would you?

T

Tooltime19

New member
Im having an internal dilemma and Im looking for some insight from those of you out there.
So, Im thinking of doing a rather large and complete makeover of my entire truck. Im looking about dumping around 20k to build the T4 of my ultimate design. A complete new suspension system front and rear, both with long travel for fast desert running and slow rolling in the deserts and mountains. Probably a hybrid Total Chaos, Icon, MT, Fox or King ect ect ect. More external protection accessories front, side and rear including a winch.
My dilemma is this; Do I or should I sink that kind of moolah in my rig that has 130k on it, or do I start with a newer model with lower miles or a new Gen 5? Dont get me wrong, my rig is awesome, and all the miles have been put on by me and me only. This rig gets used, but gets well taken care of. Im afraid on one hand to put so much money in something with eight years and 130k miles.
Whats everyone thinking,Im curious. Havent made a decision and time is on my side.
Thanks in advance.
 
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My first thought, YOU need to decide if you like the 4th gen or 5th gen appearance better? putting that much $ into something, you know you will be upside down in it regardless. So decide which looks best to you.

I don't recall if you are a v8 or not. So if you have v8 that may make a big difference. Since 4th are the only ones.
 
I totally want to see you do this to a 4th gen!! But if you have the cash to start off with a brand new vehicle and like the 5th gen go for it. Having a loan on a $40k vehicle and dumping in another $20k into it is not something that I would advise you to do with your hard earned money though.

Also sounds like it would be used more for fun, getting dirty, ect. With your 4th gen you probably wouldn't worry as much if you scratched the paint, spilt beer in the interior....stuff like.
 
Tooltime19 said:
Im having an internal dilemma and Im looking for some insight from those of you out there.
So, Im thinking of doing a rather large and complete makeover of my entire truck. Im looking about dumping around 20k to build the T4 of my ultimate design. A complete new suspension system front and rear, both with long travel for fast desert running and slow rolling in the deserts and mountains. Probably a hybrid Total Chaos, Icon, MT, Fox or King ect ect ect. More external protection accessories front, side and rear including a winch.
My dilemma is this; Do I or should I sink that kind of moolah in my rig that has 130k on it, or do I start with a newer model with lower miles or a new Gen 5? Dont get me wrong, my rig is awesome, and all the miles have been put on by me and me only. This rig gets used, but gets well taken care of. Im afraid on one hand to put so much money in something with eight years and 130k miles.
Whats everyone thinking,Im curious. Havent made a decision and time is on my side.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

If you're actually intending to use all that stuff you're thinking about throwing on the truck, you'd really be kind of silly to put it on a newer more expensive rig. Better IMO to start with what you've already got, because you know its history and it's already done some depreciating so you might as well go all in.

Unless the 4th gen you have now isn't your forever truck, in which case it'd be silly to put any money into it at all. But it's your money and your truck, so I vote you do what's going to make you happiest in the long run.
 
 
If you have 35's, high quality extended travel remote resi 2.5" adjustable coilovers with 2.5" rear RR shocks on proper springs with proper valving, rear locker, you can easily tackle obstacles that will destroy your rig if your not a good driver. This is really the max most people need capability wise.

I would think hard about jumping from bilsteins/ 275's to long travel/ 33's-35's if you're not satisfied with your truck's capability right now. Long travel and custom whatever that makes up the 20k worth of crap is just bling unless you plan to thrash on your truck.

However, for some (me definitely include) just like the cool bling factor and appreciate its capabilities.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. Im that guy who does and will use all the wheel travel and enjoys having the capability to custom tune the chassis setup. I have over thirty years building and driving many types of race cars and hot rods. Currently, I have pulled out as much as possible from my current chassis package and im ready for the next level.
Our little v-6 is highly underrated in my opinion. These things scream and work perfect.
My last consideration is just keeping my rig status quo and maybe buying a mid range desert pre runner. Of the guys out there running the fox dsc's how do you like them?
 
If you like what you have, go for it. I'm at 162k on my 2008 and I'm still dumping money into it for mods. It runs great, still reliable and paid off so I just keep modding it.
 
i would say it depends on your frame and the associated POTENTIAL rust issues. internal and external.
I am looking to buy a 4runner right now and literally everything is rusted that I have seen.
So I would try to get an inspection camera and try to look inside the frame bits to see whether it has rust or no.

hope this answer was helpful
 
Sink a few in the runner to make it look how you want and then take the left over money and get a rzr to beat on. I'm not trying to destroy my 4runner..rzrs are made for that kinda stuff. That's my plan when I have the $$$


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I agree with what jsmith says. I would either get a razor or a older runner or even a 5k heep then sink 5k more into it and make it a beast you can beat on and not feel bad when it gets carnage.
 
I'm doing the same thing with my '07. Maybe not as radical as you intend on doing, but similar. I decided to go with the 4th gen for a number of reasons. I like the V8, I like the looks, the price was right, plenty of optional equipment available, plenty of build threads and support, and my budget didn't allow a newer vehicle anyway. I think the 4gen is an awesome platform. 20K is a lot of upgrades. I'm betting you can do a lot with that vehicle for a lot less than 20K. BTW, my '07 has 150,000 on it. That's the way I bought it. I started upgrading, haven't even done any serious driving with it yet, but I will! Check my build thread...lots of work, but lots of fun too!
 
ell, 20k might be a bit off, but I am doing a big change. There is a difference between those who "beat" their rigs and those who know how to use their rigs. Having the right parts for your specific application is what set them apart. Knowing the physics of driving and knowing the capabilities of the rig and most importantly the drivers ability have everything to do with how long or how well your rig will last. Having the right parts allows the user to safely and properly use the rig for the built purpose. Nothing makes me more upset then that dude out there blowing past me or climbing hills I wouldn't even consider, all the while in a totally stock rig. It's those morons who give us all a bad reputation and are also responsible for us paying high insurance rates.... Funny thing is, I have done more damage throughout my 30 years of off roading going slow wheeling/rock crawling and hill climbing than I have when I drive at or near pre-run speeds. Go figure...
As far as the overall costs, if you start add8ng up all the pieces, 20k is not far off. There are some really sharp rigs in here. Add up the roof racks, front bumpers with a winch, rear bumpers with cans and a spare tire mount. Then add up a good uhf/vhf and cb radio, lights ect. A good Camburg or Total Chaos front end chassis package with Fox DSC shocks by itself is nearly10k alone. Then in the rear, a set of long travel Fox DSC's is around a grand. Then for the rear long travel, you need upper and lower links and associated parts and pieces. There is another long travel kit I found for aboutn5k. This kit is suppose to yield 15" of rear wheel travel. I'm very interested in this, but haven't seen any or found any videos yet . Dont forget gears for the bigger tires. Locker for the rear and a Gleason Torsen for the front. New TRD wheels and a larger tire. So, one could see how 20k or pretty close could happen when all said and done.
In the end, I'm building something that a few in here already have and I'm building something that many will want, The all out Dream Rig!
 
Last edited:
blackoutt said:
I searched and found some good threads with the same question answered...

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/226679-thinking-about-selling-4th-gen-5th-gen.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/226681-thinking-about-selling-4th-gen-5th-gen.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/223471-long-wheel-travel.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/216619-rear-long-travel.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/215381-pre-runners.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/214578-thinking-about.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/186205-long-travel.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/184139-starting-dislike-my-spring-shock-package-2.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/170357-shock-temps.html
Click to expand...
And your point?
 
LOL Thanks! I didnt realize I was researching so much geeez! lol Now Im hearing the rear axles are prone to bending under pre-running... So, I may have to fire up the ol welder and fabricate a stout truss for this thing.

:cheers:
 
How do you like the DSC's? Im seriously looking at those, front and rear. Whats been your experience with the DSC's? What kind of wheelin do you do?
 
Hey to each their own. I think it will be a cool build and a cool rig. I just wouldn't sink that kind of money into my daily.
 
Really when you think about it, my build is not much different from many of the high end rigs in here. Our rigs are limited on wheel travel to a point. Imy shooting for the TC or Camburg front kits which will yield a max of 14" in the front and two shocks per wheel. The rear is my wild card. I have just recently started snooping around some of the FJ sites. Now, those boys have some sweet high end rigs.
 
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