Bought a first gen Tacoma!

congrats. i knew you'd like it. you aught to report your purchase in the other thread

 

Yep, much better highway manners than my TJ, that’s for sure!

 

What part of AZ are you moving too? I'm in Scottsdale we should go wheeling sometime if you're close. Also nice rims, I've got the exact same ones

 

Yes, it just so happened to have my favorite Method wheels on it, which was a big selling point.

We're moving to San Tan Valley. I hear there are some good places to wheel down near Florence (and all over), so that would be something I'd definitely take you up on once we get down there.

 

I had a 74 cj5 with the 4.0 and a jeep commanche 4 x 4 truck with a 4.0 that served me pretty well. I went 160k on the commanche before I sold it to a friend and he drove it another 140k before the motor let go. Friends of mine have had nothing but trouble on their wrangler with the newer v6. They finally after all these years have left jeep and bought a 4 runner. They love it. I would like to get another jeep one day but only a CJ series or wrangler with a 4.0.

 

Congrats! I was looking at that truck last October and almost pulled the trigger, someways I wish I had.

 

Yep, after 2006 when Jeep became part of FCA and the 4.0 ended, the Wrangler really went downhill in terms of quality and reliability. I would never encourage anyone to own a Wrangler after 2006 if they want a "reliable" one. The newer V6s are riddled with issues.

It's a nice one for sure! I may have overpaid a bit, but in all honesty, I was willing to pay a bit more than KBB value, as I liked the mods it had done to it, and would have just ended up paying for them out of pocket.

 

I misspoke, it has 285s, so it sounds like 4.88 gears are probably what I want. Of course at the same time, I think it would probably be wise to install a locker in the front so I don't have to go back and do it later.

How is the factory locker in the rear on these things? Is it decent, or is it worth replacing with a better locker (i.e. Eaton or ARB) when doing the re-gear? I'll have to read more about the front locket and IFS, as I'm used to solid axles and having lockers in the front and rear on my Jeeps.

I'd like to find a good front bumper with a winch mount, but all of them I am seeing so far aren't very attractive (at least cosmetically), I'll have to keep looking.

 

Hell yeah dude! I'm not a huge esthetics type of guy but damn.... That is a very hot looking first gen hombre

 

Nice truck!

 

Thanks, I agree! The looks are what sealed the deal!

 

You got the best color truck. Welcome to the impulse red club!

 

Yeah 4.88s seems to be what most suggest. I've been running 295s for years without a regear, it's drivable, but a pig. When i regeared I put lockers front and rear, many people do, you just need to be careful when using the front.

The ARB or Eaton are going to be stronger, but if I had a factory locker I would've just kept it.

I'm not really familiar with the different bumpers, there's a few choices, not as many as the second gens though. I built my own years ago.

 

I been studying bumpers to see what I want and currently Shrockworks has my vote

 

@PumpinIron I recognized the dealership name on the building from back during my Taco search. This same place had listed an absolutely beautiful black 04 Trd at some point. They seem to curate a nice selection of used vehicles, esp. Toyota trucks and SUVs. Looks like you’ve found a real gem.

 

I remember being a teenager absolutely creaming over a 1st Gen. Now I'm on my 2nd 3rd gen lol

 

Nice looking rig man!
I almost bought one from that same company a few years ago but they wouldn't budge on their high prices.

 

I wouldn't sweat it, it's in great condition and it's a non-disposable vehicle that will last a lifetime.

Trust me, you want 4:88's. I believe the V6 TRD Off Road trucks came with 4:10's. I doubt you'd feel a difference going from 4:10 to 4:56. I went from the factory 4:30's to 4:88's and the difference is very slight in everyday driving. Fortunately it's a lot more noticeable in low-range. ARB and TJM both make air lockers that fit your front diff. Harrop/Eaton is the only one that makes a front e-locker that fits. I've seen an ARB compressor air up a set of 33" tires. It took forever and got hotter than the surface of the sun, just like my cheap masterflow compressor from Pep Boys. That's why I put Harrops in my truck.

The factory rear locker is pretty tough. It's rare for them to have a mechanical failure. More commonly the actuator motor gets seized from contamination. Since your truck is from the Southwest, it's probably fine.

 

Those ones are the nicest I've seen yet!

Yes, these guys have a really good inventory of Tacomas, and most of them are nicely done up with tasteful mods. They have another first gen there currently that is green that is also in really great shape!

Yep, this thing was originally listed at 20k, but they dropped it down to $16,999, and I managed to haggle them down to $16,500. It's still high, but it's well kept, has a good maintenance history, rust free, brand new 285 Duratrac tires, brand new Icon lift, Method 105 wheels, and a bunch of other little stuff. Basically I knew I would end up paying for all this stuff out of pocket, so it was worth it for me to pay their price as I saved on the cost of doing the mods myself.

Yep, once I figure out what gear ratio I have (if it's not already geared to 4.88), I'm going to definitely put in the 4.88 gears. I'll probably just go with an Eaton E-Locker in the front. I like ARB, but I have no need for on-board air, since I already have a pretty decent VIAIR air compressor I can take with me. Not to mention I like the simplicity of an E-locker better.

 

What kind of roof rack is that?