Plan to Build: Keep 4-Banger or Trade/Sell for V6, TRD? -Opinions Appreciated!

Hey fellas,

Just purchased a 2010 Taco, 2.7L Manual 4 cylinder, 5 speed, 4x4 all black SR5, 40k miles and in great condition.

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. This will be my first build and I'm going to try as many DIY projects as I can. 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. 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, one owner). 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 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 an 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! I 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 being a positive. 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...

On another note, if I were to purchase a V6 Taco, is the TRD Offroad package worth it if I were to rebuild the truck anyway? I was on Toyota.com reading about the different packages. The TRD Off Road Extra Value package includes things that I would be replacing/enhancing anyways such as suspension, shocks, wheels, tires, skidplate, fog lights, and front tow hook. But what I'm not too sure about is the electronically contolled locking rear differential and the VSC+A-TRAC in place of standard VSC 12 + TRAC with HAC and DAC. I just don't have enough mechanical knowledge and experience to get a grasp on those things. Of course all the other features are very nice like key-less entry, cruise control, etc but those are standard in the SR5 model as well.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated,
Cheers,
Taco de Baja

 

If you modify your truck it won't void the warranty!!! And honestly you could just get a urd supercharger for your 4 cylinder and get just as much power as a stock V6. Oh and to answer your question for Baja style wheeling look at fox, icons or king off road mid travel shocks.

 

I went from a base 4 banger 5 speed access cab 4x4 to a loaded double cab 4x4 trd off road. I loved my 4 banger, great little truck, I love the new one better. I went with an auto this tine, but the power difference is amazing.

So happy with this truck. It will be around got a long time. If your serious, work a few dealers, and use the online price in negotiating. I got my new one well below invoice, and traded my old one with less then a 3k difference from purchase price for a truck that was 3 years old.

 

I know how you feel on the 2.7 , I had a 99 4runner that i loved but it was a 2.7 auto and couldnt get out of its own way.


As far as options, depends what you want. I knew Id be moddding , but still purchased the bells and whistles cause I like the color bumpers , the scoop, and I was able to sell my TRD 17s for a fair amount.

G/luck

 

If I could go back I would have waited to find a V6 with a locker. The 4cyl is nice but underpowered (especially with the lift and tires) and no locker on *most* of the 4 cylinder TRDs. (mine included)
But since I already own the 4 non-locker I wouldn't trade or sell it and start over. IMO my effort to switch everything and the buy/sell hassle isn't worth the extras.

 

Exhaust & a header will only get you ~ 10 to 15 hp if your lucky. You'll mostly get a small boost in low end torque. K&N filter is a waste of money in my opinion - Overrated. So is the AFE - don't believe the hype. Run a stock Toyota air filter and you'll do fine.

Regarding Mods:
http://www.tacomahq.com/275/magnuson-moss-accessories-warranty/

If your going to buy a V6 instead, sounds like you'll want to get an SR5 and mod it.

 

You can cancel warranty at any time, the sooner the better if you want to recover the majority you put in. There is a fee, less than $100, and it will reduce your payment slightly, around $50.

 

Don't feel bad - I made the same mistake. I went from an 09RC to a 10AC 4cyl/5spd, to a 12 TRD Sport with a V6/auto. Finally happy.....

If you're going to mod it to go off road, you'll want the extra power. Can't comment on the OR options, but a lot of guys say if you're going to mod it anyway, then get a SR-5 and save some of the up front cost.

 

I had a 92 Toyota pickup that I had till 2004. It was a 2.4 (less hp and torque than a 2.7)and loved that truck. I spent a lot of time and effort building it to what I wanted making it the perfect truck for me. I pushed 35's with it no problem, with a few engine mods but mostly gearing (5.29 gears dual Atlas transfer cases) and suspension. It was built for trail riding/crawling. You can do some research and make the truck work for you with the right gearing, suspension, slight engine mods, etc. I had 4.88's front and rear and eventually went to 5.29's. It was a bullet proof truck, a lot of fun and best of all a lot of pride in it because of all the work I put in it. I had no problem running with the 6's and even my buddies who had 8's (Dodges and Chevy's). The 4 will work great for you if you drive it like a 4 cyl. work your power band in the higher RPM's. That being said I have a 2012 TRD sport that I absolutely love. The additional torque is nice. The extra power for towing has come in handy and I have no regrets over stepping up to a six. I wish you the best in your decision.

 

Thanks man, appreciate the reply. Thanks for the reference for URD, and I'll look into those different shocks. Cheer!

 

Thanks for the advice, I'll def do that this time around as I'm leaning towards going for a V6. Got to love the resale value of Taco's!

 

Build the 4.

 

Thanks for the reply. Your link to the Magnuson-Moss Act answers a lot of questions and is exactly what I was looking for. Much appreciated! Regarding enhancement, I assumed that the HP boost I would get after exhaust and what not, even though all the products claim they will boost your HP by a lot more.

 

Thanks, very relieving to hear that. The financial officer made it sound a lot worse, he was obviously "stretching" the truth.

 

Looks like I'm going to be on a path similar to yours! Thanks for your reply.

 

Gracias for the reply. I def have some research in front of me regarding gears, that's a whole new subject for me. Thank God for sites like TW. Thanks!

 

If, in the course of figuring this out, you decide that the 2.7 is not powerful enough for your specific needs, I would NOT consider adding a supercharger to it. You can't rely on getting anything like USA premium fuel in Baja. Things are better now than they were ten years ago, but still not that good, especially far from the beaten path. The V6 is probably the best way to add power without needing high-octane fuel.

Mike

 

Thanks for the reply and all the advice. I just checked out your build, very nice! Digging the front bumber, state of the art indeed! Haha. No, I purchased a new 60k warranty, so it started once I left the lot, with the Taco having 40k miles, so it is covered up to 100k.

I've been hearing that a lot regarding K&N filter and exhaust, a lot of people say they aren't worth it. I'll look into LCE, thanks for the reference.

 

Think I might do that!

 

Thanks for the reply and advice. Very much agreed, Mexican gas is just scary. We always add gas-additives when we fill up.