Getting into Overland for real this time. Need advice!

[JimmyOh]

Hey Everyone! My name is Jimmy and Im currently living Philadelphia. Ive been into building this up and testing the waters with different automotive hobbies for a while now. My first toys with E30 Generation 3 Series BMW's. I owned a bunch, bought and sold a bunch, did a turbo build in one, did a full subframe swap as well. Anyways, I eventually got tired of working on cars every weekend so I cut bait and put a down payment on an E46 BMW M3 which was awesome. But soon enough that got boring because i really don't have a need to go fast and I didn't like having a car I had to be so careful with. From there I decided to do something new. I bought an 01 Tacoma Crew Cab, threw some Winterforces on it, and drove it across the country hitting all my favorite ski resorts with my best friend, the trip of a life time. After I got home I put LOTS of time and money into that truck. Front and rear bumpers, winch, roof racks, tubbed out the firewall to clear 35's BFGs, I was running the toltec ultimate kit, had a leer cap on it, Rear bumper held jerry cans and the spare and shovels and such. It was my god damn spirit animal and It was used mainly for excursions to Vermont during the worst blizzards. In the summer It became something i just drove around for work and would occasionally take out mudding in the Pine Barrens. I got the truck with 173k on it and sold it to a friend once I hit 211k. I was starting to have issues right and left with running it so hard with so much weight and with the the 33's. I could have supercharged it and regeared it but I couldn't see it being worth it. I was putting hundreds of dollars a month into it but thank god I had a local mechanic who knew his **** and became a really good friend. He was the only guy in the county that would work on it. In his spare time he researched all sorts of mods and stuff for the truck that saved me a bunch of money. Eventually me and him had a talk that I should just get something more reliable if I was gonna be doing so many trips in the freezing cold. So I parted out the truck, walked into the ford stealership, and walked out with a 2011 crew cab Raptor. ************* loved that truck but I had ZERO use for it. I wanted a super capable truck that came like that from the factory so the warranty could take care of me. I ended up only owning that truck for a few months even tho it was a ************* blast to drive, so much power. Anyways, decided for work I needed something small and good on gas but I didn't wanna give up my vehicle to take up to go skiing. I ended up getting a 2014 WRX sedan, Did a full exhaust, intake, tune, and was making 300 to the wheels (which were wrapped with Nokia Hakkapellita's!!!) I do really like the car but I really miss not being able to just go ************* anywhere like i did in my tacoma. SO HERE I AM NOW. I really want to get into serious overlanding. I know theres not much around where I am, but I LOVE to drive and am planning on moving out to utah in a few years.


So here we go. Im gonna keep my WRX through the winter but in the spring thaw I plan on picking up my next blank canvas. Ive been all over the place with what I need. I know I'm gonna have 4 people with me on a majority of trips. My budget is gonna be around 20-40k. I would love to pick up a defender 90 but I know nothing about them and hear they are overpriced. Ive mainly been looking at newer Crew Cab TRD Tacomas. Really would like to find one in 6speed. Id like to run 35's again and I plan on rehearing. Does it make sense to even get a TRD package for the electronic locking diff. I loved mine in my old truck but if Im getting it re-geared should I just got air lockers. Also would like to hear from people who have experience with these newer tacomas vs the newer 4 runners. I currently own 2 2009 tacomas for work trucks and Im not a fan of their interiors or the super small windshield it feels like the rear view mirror is always in the way, which makes me curious about the brand new Tacomas.


Sorry for rambling, just have had these thoughts in my head for the past month and needed to vent and talk to some people who actually know their ****, you guys are awesome.


Went to post a all my tacoma pictures but it won't let me hyperlink yet! Sorry

PS typed this in a hurry and didnt spell check it. ​

 

[Vegastoy]

Welcome to the addiction!

Looks like you had a very nice Tacoma! Utah is beautiful and offers so much for the outdoors person, I'm sure you will love it there. I've owned quite a few vehicles as well and have yet to find the 1 that can do everything I want. Everything is a compromise... You can't beat a Toyota for reliability and quality IMO. I think a lot of your purchase will come down to what your goals are for the vehicle? Is this going to be strictly an adventure/camping rig? What type of terrain are you planning to conquer with it? Might just be me but I couldn't imagine going on any extended trips with 4 people in my tacoma. Granted it's not as spacious as an 05 or newer but still... Where will these 4 people be sleeping? RTT? If your not planning on doing any serious wheeling/rock crawling with this vehicle maybe a Tundra crew max would be a better option? It's still plenty capable off road, you can fit 35's with very little effort and probably wouldn't even need to regear.

 

[codename607]

Yeah I agree with Vegastoy. Go with a Tundra Crew Max. Since you speak of reliability and wanted to add 35s, and the fact that you will have passengers, the Tacoma wouldn't work. The only downside with the Tundra is the MPG. However, since you want to add 35s in the first place you may not even care about MPGs.

Get yourself a Tundra Crew Max and put a Four Wheel Camper on it. That's the best rig!

 

[bugeye1257]

Local bucks county guy over here! The places in the pictures look familiar but I cant recall from where?

I don't have any insight on what to get as I love my 4th gen 4runner and it can handle 4 people plus my dogs anywhere I go really.

Like the others have said, it seems that the crewmax would be best since it can carry the weight and fit 35's easily.

 

[JimmyOh]

Thanks for all the replies! I test drove the Crewmax last year and loved it as a truck, but it was just too massive. When I say I need to carry 4 people I don't mean for long trips, but just want to be able to carry some extra friends out on short trips without taking a second vehicle.

 

[mike h]

You should talk to the guys at Mainline Overland since you are in Philly. Call Matt Henwood, he can help you sort out some pros and cons, availability, reliability, limitations, etc, plus you never know what you'll see in their shop.

I built a 2010 Tundra Crewmax after owning a 2008 4 door TRD Taco with the supercharger. Yes the Tundra's size takes some getting used to and it may not be ideal in the city but the Taco didn't do it for me. This sounds confusing but the Taco was too big and too small at the same time. Too small meaning the backseat is really a kid/dog seat and the bed fills up too fast, and too big meaning, well, it isn't really a small truck either from a drivers perspective. Gas mileage is essentially the same and the Tundra's 5.7 V8 is a fantastic motor. The TRD S/C was fun but no match for the torque and depth of power from from the V8.

Trucks in general have limitations for city living, so my first suggestion would be a 4Runner. The new ones are quite capable and although you want 35s I think you would find that a stock set up on 33s especially in a Trail Edition would go 98% of the places and drive a whole lot better. Prior to my two trucks I had a built 80 Series Cruiser and I consider the new 4Runners to be better overall rigs than the the old Cruisers for travel in the US. Personally I live in the hills and use my truck for hauling firewood and stuff but if I was living more urban/suburban a 4Runner would be ideal for the parking ability, security, and a real back seat while having an extremely capable overland rig.

 

[ramonortiz55]

a lot of Tacoma guys run 35s on their taco with only a 3 inch body lift. Of course, you would have to regear and do some trimming.

Check some of these builds out on Tacomaworld

 

[bugeye1257]

Thanks for all the replies! I test drove the Crewmax last year and loved it as a truck, but it was just too massive. When I say I need to carry 4 people I don't mean for long trips, but just want to be able to carry some extra friends out on short trips without taking a second vehicle.

Seems that you need a 4runner then You can get a 4thgen with the v8 for towing and extra torque, fit some 33/34's under there and get all the nice goodies or buy a newer 5th gen?

 

[MightyP]

I'll also suggest a 4runner. I have an '07 4runner I picked up about a year ago and have been very happy with it. The ride is decent and the noise level is fine, even on the freeway. I have a wife, 6 year old and 1 year old and all of us, along with all our crap, comfortably fit inside. I use it primarily more like a minivan, but even with highway tires (I know, I'm ashamed), it has gone everywhere I've asked it to off-road. Don't know if you're looking at new or used, but if you buy used, I'd suggest an '08 or newer 4runner. '07 and older don't have the option to turn off the traction control without the center diff locked, which gets annoying on slippery trails/roads that don't require a locked diff or even 4wd... It's my only complaint and Toyota fixed it the following model year.

Good luck and let us know what you decide on!