Howdy Everyone!

Howdy! Im Paul, and I just stumbled across this site via google, and it looks like an awesome bunch here. I recently got a used '01 4 cylinder Tacoma (currently its 100% stock....) . I'm 17, dont have much of a budget, and am looking for some small upgrades I can make here and there, (keep in mind... very small budget unfortunately, for the time being anyway), both for cosmetics and/or performance. Anyone have any ideas for any type of idiot proof do it yourself tasks? Haha, I'm not looking to double my hp or anything, I just want to do something small and cheap to become more familiar with the truck (and without breaking anything). I dont really know much about auto stuff, but am willing to learn. Anyone know anything like a "2001 Tacoma for Dummies" book or anything like that? haha...

Looks like yall have an awesome setup here and I'm looking forward to meetin yall!

 

Welcome to TW!

Cheap custom upgrades, eh?

Things that I did in High School to my cars: You could do a drop in air filter upgrade (K&N, AirRaid, etc...), or add fog lights (stock or aftermarket), decals are very inexpensive, or LED lighting on the interior (of the legal variety, of course), or tinting the windows (again - legally), and the list goes on...

...all the way up to the "hundred dollar plus range" where you have stereo upgrades, Cold air intake, ECU remapping, wheels, tires, exhaust, etc...

...then you get into the "take it to a professional or hire your own pit crew" upgrages which include - turbo, exhaust manifold, differential, lift kit or drop kit, oversized brake rotors, body work, paint, etc...

It really depends on what you want to do, who can help you, and what kind of funding you have.

In any case, you got a great vehicle - Congratulations!

 

Thanks alot! Nice to meet ya! (sorry about the double posts)

 

hi paul welcome to TW post your taco pic on the gallery. any diy questions check out our forums. have fun

 

welcome to the forums, man!! hope you enjoy your truck( i know u will!!)! have you thought of anything you know that you wanna do to your truck??

 

Welcome to TW! How'd you get your truck? Gift? Parents? At 17 your toyota will last ya till your 27!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome!

It was my dad's truck for several years, and he recently sold it to me.

Pictures coming soon, been an extremely busy week, but'll have time to fool around this weekend!!

Well, first up on my to-do list is cleaning the headlights up a good bit. They are extremely foggy, and, to be honest, look like crap. I love my truck, its a beautiful beast... but the headlights look like crap. For me, personally, the headlights are the focus of the car... For example, when I look at some new car/truck for the first time - the first thing I glance at to judge the car are the headlights. Dont ask me why... I like headlights. And mine suck. I'm not really all that sure where to start - I know I could just go to some shop and pay to have em do it for me, but thats not me... I'd like to get down and dirty with it (as dirty as headlight cleaning can get anyway) and do it myself... as long as there is no major risk in screwing something up. Anyone know of an idiot-friendly "How to take apart and put back together your 2001 Tacoma" book or something like that? I'm sure it can't be that complicated of a proccess...

Thats first and foremost anyway, but I'm also looking at an intake upgrade, and further down the line (and when my parents feel more comfortable with me modifying my currently perfectly running truck) I'd like to get a Remote Start system going, (after basic I-net research, it seemed like it would be cheap - under $50, but I wanna get something that will last a while, and I may have been lookin at the wrong thing), perhaps an air horn (giving old people heart-attacks is my lifelong dream), fog lights, and I saw on the road the other day an LED strip a guy had going across the back of his truck, right above the bumper, that went on and off simultaneously with the brake lights - that would be cool too. I dont wanna "pimpify" it, but its hard to have too many lights...
I wouldnt mind raising it up about 4-6 inches, getting some bigger tires, rims, all that stuff, but I'm just dreaming now - I dont have any of the funds to back that kind of stuff up. But someday....

Anyway, thanks again! If any of yall have MSN IM, feel free to IM me one - buskirkpaul@hotmail.com (I thought long and hard to create an original... creative nickname... as you can tell). Or shoot me an E-mail at Paul@RonBuskirk.com (also creative... no?). See yall later!!

 

Welcome to TW. I still have a stock truck.....but someday it will change (probably after I finish the honey do list)