Rookie coming in, Baja-build is the plan

Hey fellas,

Just purchased a 2010 Taco, 2.7L Manual 4 cylinder, 5 speed, 4x4 all black SR5, 40k miles and in great condition. I've never built a truck before but so far I've found this site to be very helpful. I'm excited to be a part of Tacoma World and share what I have learned with fellow members.

My plan is to build my Taco so that's its Baja ready, but still street-friendly and economical. I'm not looking for the ultimate off-road package with a crazy amount of travel, huge tires, etc. Rather my goal is to enhance this Taco so that it can handle off road, perform well, sound great, and look good. I am going to try as many DIY projects as I can.

I believe in quality, simplicity, cleanliness, organization, and thoroughness. Everything I do or will do will be backed up by lots of research. This is going to be one fun project!

*I've already made two huge rookie mistakes in the purchase of my Taco. 1st- I jumped on this Taco at a local and well-known dealership; Toyota of Carlsbad. Going into everything I was wishing-washy on whether I wanted a 4-banger or V6. Better gas mileage at a lower cost or more HP at a higher cost? My Taco was listed well below MSRP because it has a good pressure ding on the drivers side door and some good scratches on the passenger side door. (Carfax is clean, no accidents). It was basically everything I was looking for at a great price, so I acted quickly fearing it would be swooped up by someone else. Now that I've been driving it for a month, I think I'm regretting my actions as the 4-banger doesn't offer too much HP. I'm going to need all the HP I can get while traveling the Baja, as you have to pass 18 wheelers and buses at high speeds. -Understanding my engine is a high RPM motor, I might find myself standing corrected regarding my HP wishes if I were to make several enhancements such as K&N intake, exhaust system, headers, etc. Any opinions?

2nd- I pulled the ultimate rookie move at the dealership. This was my first time purchasing a vehicle and I opted to purchase the 6 year, or 60,000 mile Toyota Care Package warranty, a $2,500 cost which boosted my monthly payments a decent amount. Damn financial officer was convincing and the ease of mind sounded so good! Immediately regretted that decision after learning that any enhancement to my Taco would negate the warranty, basically lost money. I learned that if I wanted to sell my Taco this warranty package would be included in the cost, so it acts as credit. The financial officer explained that it wouldn't do much good to cancel the warranty package as there would be a fee and my monthly payments wouldn't drop all that much, plus the whole credit thing. So now I'm pondering. Considering my 1st rookie mistake, and this scenario, should I just not make any enhancements to this Taco, save up my $, sell it and/or trade it for a V6 model and start from there? Decisions decisions...

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated,
Taco de Baja

 

Welcome to TW.

That's a tough one buddy.... Another option is to add an S.C. to pep-up that 4 banger.