Should I put money into an older vehicle?

Sell it

 

You never get any return your "investment" into modifications. Depending on your age, a sound system may be the most important upgrade. If you drive off road at night, buy a light bar, if you don't, why install one for some loser to steal.
Your 06 may have a slightly higher risk of head gasket failure like my 05. I keep a stash o cash as backup in case that happens so I be can have it repaired. If the truck goes 250K miles, I have a good start on a new vehicle.
PreRunners are solid trucks. I drive offroad a lot, not 4x4 type offroading, it's the perfect truck for that. I drive offroad at night so I have offroad lights but not a light bar. Put your money into maintenance and enjoy Toyota reliability.

 

If you already paid for it and it’s clean and you are planing to keep it for a while. I don’t see any problems in adding some accessories that you like and you will use and enjoy.
Do not and I say do not spend too much time here. You will be spending all your savings on accessories .
I had a BMW 135 and decided to be mature save my money so I traded it for the Tacoma and got into here and spent about 2k the first week I got it on accessories
But to be honest this forum has the best people

 

Preventative Maintenance Costs.

 

OP,
Proper maintenance is the key. Follow the maintenance schedule and be pro-active on the PITA issues. An example of PITA issues is the serpentine belt/pulleys and tensioner or valve cover gaskets or u-joints/carrier bearing......there are others. Do the fluid changes as spec'd in the high mileage maintenance schedule.

I have an '06 4WD with the 1GR-FE in stock condition. It is pushing 116,xxx miles, its getting up there, but its not geriatric. My upgrade plans are simple, keep it maintained and replace the tired HU and speakers along with a bit of sound deadening. Next year I expect it will need a battery (unless this winter kills it) and tires. I consider these as normal maintenance items. Maybe a set of wheels and tires as a winter set.

Suggest for the OP to skip the "exhaust" upgrade, this can wait until the exhaust needs replacing.

Light bar really has little purpose unless off-road at night.....of course its good for bropoints.

Speakers and HU can be changed for a better system for about $1000, less is possible. This work can be done in stages. This would probably give you more enjoyment than the other mods you are considering.

In the end, OP, do what pleases you. Just bear in mind, mods generally DO NOT increase the value of the truck. Mods may increase "curb appeal".

 

An 06 Taco with 95K is not considered old unless it was beaten to s***...Years wize maybe "old" but if t taken care of it will last a long time..So if you plan on keeping it...mod it up and have fun with it!

 

From a strictly financial standpoint, no, you should not modify any vehicle in any way. However, most of us don’t make only the most rational financial decisions, because we want to use our money for enjoyment rather than the thrill of accumulating marginally more electronic credits over your lifetime.


So if you WANT to mod the thing because you want to enjoy it, do it. Do so knowing that there are wiser financial decisions, and do it anyway.

 

that’s why you put a mild exhaust such as TRD catback and add

$125 vibrant 1141 2.5' ultra quiet resonator, silver

vibrant 1141 resonator to quiet the drone - a well known mod

Honestly there is a list of maintenance that can be done

-wiper blades
-replacing fluids and oils
-magnetic drain plugs
-grease all 5 propshaft zerk fittings
-check for wear in the carrier bearing, rear brake assembly, front brakes, control arms/bushings and ball joints, wheel bearings, rear axle seals
-ECGS bushing in front ahead of time if you plan to lift
-front accessory drive assembly part such as belt pulleys and tensioner
-reseal valve cover gaskets
-replace leaking power steering hose
-engine air and cabin filter, A/C recharge
-wiper blades
-replacing spare tire if it’s 10 years old
-trans service if automatic
-alignment
-restore replace or upgrade worn headlights and bulbs
-verify battery is in good shape
Anything else I’m forgetting

 

Preach!

No it's not dumb. Do what makes you happy, it's your truck and yours alone. I've showered my Prerunner with mods and I have never regretted it. But they're logical and useful and ridiculous.

90k!!!?? For a Tacoma, that is literally "just broken in" IF it was maintained. Seriously, this is my third Tacoma, the last two went over 250k miles and both sold within a day.

There are people here that will definitely tell you how to spend your money. Others will make you feel like money spent on any modification is throwing cash in the trash. Don't get me started on "Depreciation" lol

Anyways, good luck and hide your wallet

 

I would love to know where you find these $125 TRD cat back at back exhausts......... I know it's not a necessity, but I would like to have 1. I want just a little bit more sound than they stock exhaust in my SR5.... But no I do not want some Flo master 40 they're 40 or other garbage like that period they're just way too loud and obnoxious Even if you put in a resonator...

Now to answer the original question..... Honestly with a 2 wheel drive I would not bother with something like a light bar but then again that's up to you.. Sound system, yeah I could see putting money into that..... I mean really who doesn't like music. Is I bought a used Pioneer AVIC-5200NEX Did not change the speakers at all and it made a night and day difference in the sound. At some point I will change the speakers And probably add an amp with a small sub. Kind of thinking something under the seat.....

Exhaust, Yeah and no.... It's not a necessity unless yours is rotted out for some reason. If you just want it to sound different then go for it.

But remember all of these modifications Should be done after any true maintenance that the vehicle needs. Make sure the frame is in good condition and make sure the motor and full running gear is It's all good and ready to go. After that you got free money go ahead and start spending.... As for anybody saying you're not going to get your money back, If you change out some blown out speakers or a radio that's not working you're you're not going to really lose any money unless you put a massive system in it... I mean most people come and look at your vehicle and it radios not working or something like that and they wanna try to talk you down in price. So at least having something that's functional will not will not lose you money...... On the other hand putting in something like a lightbar & loud exaust will deter some buyers Or at least lower the value...... So like mentioned before these things need to be thought about if you're just looking to sell it in The near future. But if you intend to keep it for quite some time then again go ahead start spending. It'll still be cheaper than buying a new vehicle......

 

Opinion, a couple of thoughts:
- get a second opinion on the integrity of the baseline vehicle you start to modify
- never compromise your financial security spending on any vehicle (plan 20% knowing that every plan needs to include contingencies)
- do a gut check and determine how long You will realistically drive the modified vehicle in order for You to get Your moneys worth without compromising your financial security
- make a private, informal, deal with Yourself by writing down Your commitment to drive and Enjoy a vehicle to get your moneys worth
- as required, get a second opinion to insure the mod will reliably last however long you will need to drive the vehicle to get your moneys worth
- don't waste your time or money if you are not the type of person whose words and deeds match

There is not much worse than driving an unreliable vehicle. Don't make decisions to spend while turning you vehicle into a self licking ice cream cone spending machine because you perform mods that destroy your driving pleasure because you compromise the vehicles reliability. Find the disipline and balance between doing a job half-ass and doing it right.

I drove a 500 Hp Corvette for 22 years with a smile on my face every time I pulled it out of the garage. Just sold it. Monetarily I walked away with plenty but still overall lost money. It was worth every penny. ​

Been driving my Tacoma daily for going on eight years. If I had to sell it today it may not be worth what I have in it but it has been a model of reliability (knock on wood...) I still enjoy driving it. ​

 

One thing I just realized,
is if there is a poor situation in front of you, a vehicle such as a Tacoma is capable of doing something about it. A sedan may not. If that is what you're considering selling it for.

Like stationary vehicles on I95 camping in their cold car overnight. In a Tacoma, you could probably turn on the music and continue to drive.
Or imagine you are a nurse on the way to work to save lives when all of a sudden, local college students walk onto the highway and stand there for a long time holding signs. You could simply go off the road and around them.

Was used off a guy who had some other parts for sale. Not sure if he sold a 4L and got a 2.7L where it wouldn't fit or what. Was a while ago.
I heard it can be too loud with supercharger whine. Makes sense. It was too loud on it's own without a resonator. That's why I added one.
It may have also been off a later post-facelift model year so one of the hangers was 90 degrees the "wrong" angle and I had to get a new rubber hanger that was a twist style vs straight.
Otherwise the exhaust is probably the same. 2.5" tubing. So I don't see why it isn't possible to research and decide on a good aftermarket muffler to swap in place of the stock one. That might make it a decent price to have a good shop cut out the old muffler, and weld in a new one.
I don't know if it's possible to upgrade the stock one itself. I have seen on other cars sometimes people will cut open a muffler and remove some of the packing inside (fiberglass?) to add some sound.
Got lucky I guess.
There's always classifieds here, stuff local to you like OfferUp, CL, FB Marketplace, and so on.
One odd thing I've noticed is used camper shells are always decent prices in Colorado. Like $600-1k.
But the prices people asking in California are garbage. People want new prices for a used one.
Like $1500-2500+. And they will just sit there. Doing nothing. Collecting dust. Same guy spam re-posting the ad for months on end+, because it doesn't sell and the asking price is above market value.
Normally when an item doesn't sell like that, you take it as a hint that it's time to lower the price a bit. But whoever they are, they're not perceptive enough to take the hint. Maybe they're busy working some other job that pays rent, with the shell in storage, and would rather have a large fiberglass object they have to handle storing as opposed to actually usable money.
I don't get it. I have an old mattress I need to sell. So I will list it at a reasonable price. Then drop it if there is no interest, as low as needed to get it gone and not taking up space. Quickly. Within a month.
Gotta be optimistic about your future. What if you want to move countries in a year and try something different? I guess the people sitting on a shell for a year don't have ambitious plans like that.

If I had too much time I'd probably paint my exhaust to prevent rust.

re: lightbar
another cheap option is ditch lights. Some roof racks come with 4 pod lights for free, if you don't buy cheap ones on Amazon. But that doesn't address mounting brackets and wiring harness.

says a lot about the Taco if you enjoy it coming from a 500hp vette

 

I tried to buy aTRD exhaust from a guy in from a guy in Colorado. He wasn't willing to ship it ship it. Can't find one up here in Idaho.... And like I said I'm not willing to do a flow master or one of those other After market options that are extremely loudI've had them in the past and I just can't tolerate them anymore. Especially since I can't put much of a sound system inside a access cab. I'd like to be able to hear my music &/or carry on a conversation inside the vehicle.... Is unfortunately even with a resonator, mufflers like the flomaster have such a droning noise at specific RPM ranges that it makes it almost impossible to carry on a conversation....

 

same here, wanted to hold a convo and hear music
it was at that specific RPM on highway cruising that drone happened, which at first I didn't notice because my commute was all city
but after highway trips added the resonator to fix it.
Seems like with time, prices on Taco stuff has gone up. Especially nowadays. Cheapest I'm seeing on a new one is $364. IDK if the dealer ever offers any discounts or sales such as 20-30% off and what that would bring final price too.

unfortunately it's not like a cheap old German car where the mod will cost more than the car, so when the unreliable engine grenades people will waste valuable time of their life trying to regain pennies through a "part out" selling the mods.
as opposed to a Taco if someone puts it on, they're either a) (rarely) gonna total/flip it and it becomes available at a local junkyard if you know to look for the oval tip assuming it wasn't added on it's own, or b) will continue to drive the reliable truck for years

 

I have an '06 PreRunner with about 145K on the odo. I drove it off the lot in the Spring of '06 with 2 miles on the odo. In this market there is no way in hell I part with it. Over the years the only thing I've upgraded is the stereo system and the speakers. I did add the intermittent wipers years ago so I guess that's an upgrade too. The average used vehicle price in the USA has reached $28K. New vehicle prices are nothing short of outrageous, I say to the OP hang on to your Taco for as long as you can.

 

if all your maintenance is up to date and the truck is paid off (or you are in a comfortable position financially), and you derive enjoyment from the modification, then it absolutely can be worth it to you

as far as the value of those mods, nowadays you're seeing more dealers slap lifts on trucks/suvs and selling them for a premium. The general pool of buyers will pay a premium for a lift/cool looking tire/wheel setup. That wasnt always the case, used to be more niche or worse, decrease value.

things like exhaust can be easily turned back to stock so no worries there

 

If that's how your feel plenty of us will give you $10,000 cash for your truck.

 

I'd love a 2nd Gen Taco only to dump $10k into it soon after I buy it

 

Just did a $5,000 suspension upgrade on my 2007 (but the truck only has 32,700 miles)