Anyone rock crawl a 3rd gen?

Having to invest $15k+ on top of the cost of a new vehicle is not insignificant. Especially when that difference could land you in a factory capable vehicle which retains warranty.

 

Save the money it would take to build a very capable 3rd gen and build a dedicated wheeler. But then again, some people have more money than sense, they'll beat the shit out of a 30-40k rig.

 

That is because we are showing which Toyota it takes to be better at crawling than a Jeep. There are too many nannies on a 3rd gen to make it a PIA compared to older vehicles.

 

Speaking of nannies, all I did was change ym oil this past weekend and everytime I started the truck or moved it, it complained. Maintenance warning, hood open, dont drive with the door open, shift to park, dont leave the truck running and exit with the keyfob.

I was like, just shut the F up truck and let me change the oil and roll the truck out of the garage without getting a bunch of warning messages and constant alarm beeping.

 

+1.

I would rather stick to having my $12k built '85 and be able to tow it with my stock Duramax for less than it takes to build a new vehicle. Never have to worry about making it to work on Monday because I fucked up my rig.

 

Have Both!! Body damage is free anyway

Build the truck for what you intend or as far as it will go and then build a trail rig!!

I rock crawl the truck but will still build my Jeep to be a trail rig, I dont mind rolling the Jeep

 

Let's do some math. I'll assume that the purpose is to build something starting from a NEW vehicle that can do some moderate-advanced rock crawling (sub-buggy level) and also be daily driven and has all the creature comforts of a modern-day vehicle.

Tacoma OR MSRP is $36K. If I take your $15K as gospel you're at $51K.

MSRP on a Rubicon is $42K. That gives is $9K to mod the Jeep so we're comparing apples-to-apples (at least from a cost standpoint.) You can add sliders, front/rear bumpers, winch, full cage, full set of aftermarket skids, 35" tires and still have about $1k left over for smaller mods (CB radio, better seats, cooler full of beer, etc.)

I think I know which one I'd rather go with given the intended goal of a dual-purpose rig. Hint: it's not the one that will end up with a hole in the oil pan or doors that won't open because of rocker damage.

This isn't to say that it can't be done in a 3rd gen.....just that it's going to take more cash to make it perform at the Rubicon's level. Even then if you add that additional money to the Jeep it will be even better still (Atlas TC, suspension, regear, 37-40" tires, etc.)

Of course I'm not about to go out and spend +$50K on either rig...but if you can more power to you

 

The doors off are just for mall crawling and it’s garage kept so I just leave them off when I don’t need them on. My dad never took the doors off his TJ so I had to do it on mine.

 

Eagle Rock is a cool trail but not that challenging. I've ran it several times in a 1st Gen runner. I wouldn't hesitate to take my Tacoma there.

For argument sake, if I only wanted a daily driver and a wheeler I would have bought the rubicon. It's easier to make a more serious offroading vehicle. But I needed a more practical vehicle for family so I got a Tacoma because it can do both. Eventually I may build mine to do what I'm talking about but probably not.

Doesn't change my point that a solid axle with good travel and lower gearing will allow the Tacoma to keep up with a jeep in the rocks. And yes, I'm talking about the rock crawling posted in the pic above. The only thing special there is articulation in the suspension. And old 80's toyoyas are some people's argument here because they're disposable. No one cares if they get dented or rolled. A well build jeep owner would protect their jeep just as much as a new Tacoma owner so arguing about body damage goes both ways.

 

Eagle rock changes every year after the winter melt. From what I have seen its becoming easier because of the bypasses which ultimately erode away and a narrow difficult single track just turned into a double track

 

Couple pucker up moments and I wasn't even there!

 

For the record, that video was NOT me. There are no malls in that video.

 

I've not been to Calico since the late 90's when I attended CA4WDC Hi Desert Round Up . Funny thing is now I live 40 min away in the Victor Valley area

 

The 2nd/3rd gen taco with a locker and bumpers skids and sliders will get you pretty far if you don't mind a lot of 3 wheeling. This trail isnt much rock crawling but mostly rutted out dirt trails, way back when I was still IFS, and you can see i was having more issues with the breakover. A couple pucker moments for sure.
https://youtu.be/32YCW02wS3o

 

That one around the 6 minute mark made me cringe. It looked like you were pretty close to flopping. I woulda been puckered all up.

 

Nah, I've been over more than that

 

You're a funny guy

 

I don't and it is because I have two sons on my insurance that have both had multiple accidents. About all I need is to become the leader of the pack.

 

My near stock Wrangler keeps up pretty well with Tacoma’s.

 

HAHA, thats an awesome....Jeep thing like buggy

Are you still eligible for the Jeep wave? o/