Box Rocket
Well-known member
I don't think what you are describing is an impossible scenario. If you take your time and are vigilant about watching the classifieds you can find a good truck that meets your price/mileage requirements, and still have money left to do a handful of needed mods.
I'll use my own truck as an example. I watched classifieds for a good year before making a purchase. My truck showed up on a local classifieds site and I had a deposit down on it within hours of it posting because of the lower mileage and price. I purchased it for $14k with 80K miles. These days that seems like an excellent deal particularly for a doublecab TRD model with the V6. This is why I say you need to be vigilant about watching the classifieds. Between the time I had a deposit on this truck and the next morning when I actually saw it in person and finalized the purchase there were dozens of calls from serious buyers.
Anyway, I probably have between $2-3K of extra mods on my truck after you factor cost of suspension/tires and armor. I have been able to save lots of cash by fabricating a lot of my own stuff like skidplates, rear bumper and other items. If you must purchase all your add-ons then you will need to consider that in your budget.
In general the double cab Tacomas in that year are going to be the most expensive. If you are looking for an extracab then you might find one for less. I think with some patience it is totally reasonable to find one in your price range and be able to throw a lift and tires on it, along with some sliders. With that minimal setup you will be able to cover a lot of ground comfortably.
As for features to look for: I recommend a TRD model with the locker (as others have stated). It will cost you more later to add a selectable locker than it will to buy one that has the factory locker already. The 4cyl is a good motor but the V6 is definitely an upgrade that is worth the extra expense. If you get a manual transmission, regearing will be more necessary IMO as the stock 3.73s are really tall once you have larger tires and want to take on any technical terrain. Personally I think 4.88's are the most "streetable" gear ratio for tires up to 33". If you must run 35's then you could consider 5.29s but you have opened a whole new can of worms if you want to make 35's work.
I prefer Old Man Emu suspensions over other setups for overlanding. I think they provide the best ride and the front struts are much more durable in harsh weather conditions that many of the coilover options with that seems to be more susceptable to rust. Same goes for upper control arms. The stock arms with sealed ball joints will last in harsh environments longer than open ball joints offered with most aftermarket control arms. Aftermarket ball joints and arms can be rebuilt, as can the coilovers but if you live in areas that have salted roads in the winter it is entirely possible that your front suspension will need to be rebuilt each year with many of the coilovers and open ball joints. I'm sure this could spark some "discussion" from people that feel differently, but I'm just voicing my own opinion on the matter. there are suspension options out there that are cheaper than OME but I find the performance inferior as well.
The easiest way to carry extra fuel is in extra fuel cans, either in the bed or on a swing out tire carrier. There are secondary fuel tanks on the market but they are expensive and complicated to install.
Carrying a full size spare (up to a 33" tire) can be done in the stock spare tire location with some modification to the bracket for the spare. Some don't like that a full size spare can limit ground clearance in this location. There are options out there to carry a spare in the bed of the truck but you lose A LOT of cargo space with this approach. A rear bumper mounted swing out tire carrier is probably the best option. If you have a swing out rear bumper with fuel cans and a spare tire it is recommended that the rear frame rails be reinforced. the rear frame sections on these trucks can bend with extended use if heavy loads are carried behind the rear axle like with a heavy rear bumper and spare tire/fuel carrier.
Just to get your creative juices flowing here is my 2003 DC Tacoma that I mentioned first in the post.
At time of purchase
In it's current state (which isn't too far beyond the budget you mentioned).
I'll use my own truck as an example. I watched classifieds for a good year before making a purchase. My truck showed up on a local classifieds site and I had a deposit down on it within hours of it posting because of the lower mileage and price. I purchased it for $14k with 80K miles. These days that seems like an excellent deal particularly for a doublecab TRD model with the V6. This is why I say you need to be vigilant about watching the classifieds. Between the time I had a deposit on this truck and the next morning when I actually saw it in person and finalized the purchase there were dozens of calls from serious buyers.
Anyway, I probably have between $2-3K of extra mods on my truck after you factor cost of suspension/tires and armor. I have been able to save lots of cash by fabricating a lot of my own stuff like skidplates, rear bumper and other items. If you must purchase all your add-ons then you will need to consider that in your budget.
In general the double cab Tacomas in that year are going to be the most expensive. If you are looking for an extracab then you might find one for less. I think with some patience it is totally reasonable to find one in your price range and be able to throw a lift and tires on it, along with some sliders. With that minimal setup you will be able to cover a lot of ground comfortably.
As for features to look for: I recommend a TRD model with the locker (as others have stated). It will cost you more later to add a selectable locker than it will to buy one that has the factory locker already. The 4cyl is a good motor but the V6 is definitely an upgrade that is worth the extra expense. If you get a manual transmission, regearing will be more necessary IMO as the stock 3.73s are really tall once you have larger tires and want to take on any technical terrain. Personally I think 4.88's are the most "streetable" gear ratio for tires up to 33". If you must run 35's then you could consider 5.29s but you have opened a whole new can of worms if you want to make 35's work.
I prefer Old Man Emu suspensions over other setups for overlanding. I think they provide the best ride and the front struts are much more durable in harsh weather conditions that many of the coilover options with that seems to be more susceptable to rust. Same goes for upper control arms. The stock arms with sealed ball joints will last in harsh environments longer than open ball joints offered with most aftermarket control arms. Aftermarket ball joints and arms can be rebuilt, as can the coilovers but if you live in areas that have salted roads in the winter it is entirely possible that your front suspension will need to be rebuilt each year with many of the coilovers and open ball joints. I'm sure this could spark some "discussion" from people that feel differently, but I'm just voicing my own opinion on the matter. there are suspension options out there that are cheaper than OME but I find the performance inferior as well.
The easiest way to carry extra fuel is in extra fuel cans, either in the bed or on a swing out tire carrier. There are secondary fuel tanks on the market but they are expensive and complicated to install.
Carrying a full size spare (up to a 33" tire) can be done in the stock spare tire location with some modification to the bracket for the spare. Some don't like that a full size spare can limit ground clearance in this location. There are options out there to carry a spare in the bed of the truck but you lose A LOT of cargo space with this approach. A rear bumper mounted swing out tire carrier is probably the best option. If you have a swing out rear bumper with fuel cans and a spare tire it is recommended that the rear frame rails be reinforced. the rear frame sections on these trucks can bend with extended use if heavy loads are carried behind the rear axle like with a heavy rear bumper and spare tire/fuel carrier.
Just to get your creative juices flowing here is my 2003 DC Tacoma that I mentioned first in the post.
At time of purchase
In it's current state (which isn't too far beyond the budget you mentioned).
