Looking for advice

Hey everyone! I've been stalking your forums for a couple months now and finally decided to post.
I'm hoping to get a new DCSB OR next month and wanted to know what you all thought. This will be my first Taco and my experience is pretty much zero with what i'm about to ask.

So ideally I'd love to pimp this thing out to the max but the budget is boss, you know how it is.
I'm wanting to get the manual transmission, premium & tech package, some kind of running board/tube and topper (maybe).
Main upgrades at the dealership I'm wanting to get is the Pro grill and skid plate. The grill for the aesthetics but is the skid plate really necessary? It looks pretty neat but does it really help?
For the topper i was just thinking Leer but don't know much about them or other brands.

I've never done any kind of off-roading and don't plan on heading to Moab the first weekend but want to play.
I feel like a kid counting down the weeks to Christmas with this truck!!

Thanks all!

*Edit* If this was the wrong place to post I can remove it.

 

Welcome to TW!

You have come to the right place. There's no shortage of ways to mod your truck.

 

Skip the skid plate until you're ready to really go off road. Then get a real one.

Or a Toyota one (cheap) from someone who has removed theirs for a real one.

If you want the street queen running board/tube step things, finding those used/removed from folks who install hefty sliders should be easy enough too.

 

welcome.

you don't need the skid plate yet, and the aluminum one is fine for mild stuff, and great for onroad because it's light.

if budget is your main limiting factor now, then get the right bones and be patient with the rest... you'll get there. unless you don't have the right bones, that is. so, get the MT is basically what I'm saying. as then buy the Orange Virus ECU tune when you can.

steps are dumb unless they're sliders, which are expensive and heavy. only for hardcore off road IMO. great if you need em.

Pro grill is cool but looks like you'll have to make some decisions about the funds. also consider the benefits of a good headlight upgrade. lots of bang for buck with that mod.

my 0. 02 also is the right tires are one of the best value adds you can get. you just need to decide which ones are the right ones. but again, wait till the budget allows.

 

Sweet, just the feedback i was looking for! That actually makes more sense about the skid plate.

Is the headlight upgrade the orange virus ECU tune? I'm not familiar with that. I was thinking about an LED light bar at some point too.

Ah, i'm glad you mentioned the tires. That was going to be another switch I'd like to do as well.

Thanks everyone! I'm stoked to be apart of the family! I guess i have a lot of reading up to do on mods and whatnot for later on down the road