What mods first w limited budget??

So after a week delay, I’m getting my 17 Tacoma double cab 6spd manual Off-road tomorrow! I have set aside about $3k for first mods. What would be the mods you’ll perform? Basically I’ll be using Taco for daily drive, no serious off roading. I have 3,500lb camper trailer (w weight distribution hitch), a small outboard motor fiberglass boat to tow. I’ll be doing all maintenance myself... I would like to know what you guys will do! Thank you, I’m just so excited I guess

 

My suggestion is to spend a little time with your truck, hold off on mods, and over time you'll start to notice things you want/need. You'll find there are plenty of posts here that will get you thinking about whether or not you need it, lighting, lifts, tires, etc etc etc. But don't skimp just to skimp on a mod, I'd suggest doing some research, and save/invest in the mods worthy of your time and money. Otherwise, you'll regret it down the road and end up wasting more money upgrading to what you actually want.

 

What Tacowin said...figure out what you want to do. Your stock Taco will handle more than you realize.

 

FWIW, the follow are my plans for "mods" to my '06 used as a daily driver and material hauler for DIY projects.

Bumper to bumper 100 Kmile maintenance - Done
WeatherTech floor mats and mud flaps - Done

The following are planned as budget, time, weather allows:
Replace Serp Belt, pulleys and tensioner.
Replace U-joints
Replace Speakers
Replace Head Unit
Add D-rings at bed front

Way down in the "To Do" list
Install hidden kill switch
Install Front/Rear dash cam powered off overhead console switch
Install Radar Detector powered off overhead console switch

 

On a “need” basis, I’d get the bed mat.

 

I would suggest a speaker upgrade, the music sounded muffled to me. Now I rock out all the time

 

If you have a loan for the truck, put $3000 toward paying off the loan. You would be putting $3000 of mods into a vehicle that the bank owns.

 

Plastidip the chrome bumper caps and grille surround! Then chill and see what else you need as others have said.

 

Accumulator delete mod if its not already done. Costs $15 and makes the clutch feel like it should.

 

Definitely agree with this. I spent way too much money in the beginning for things I thought I wanted and that looked “cool” instead of doing things I would need later. Also start simple, and don’t forget that a lot of stuff you can do on your own with a little YouTube and some work

 

I agree with earlier posts telling you to just get it and drive it for a while before changing anything. These forums are huge enablers with helping spend someone else's money. Until you have the truck and run a couple of tanks of fuel through it you won't even know what you need. For me one of the first mods and also among the cheapest was just one of those plastic trays that fir inside the center console. No more digging through that dark pit of empty space looking for something like a pen. Inexpensive but made day to day use better for me.

 

Miles on the truck?

If there is a complete maintenance history with it, do whatever it needs catching up with. Any fluids, brake inspections/repairs, etc etc.

Read the owners manual. Learn what all the switches do.

Exercise the 4wd on a regular basis.

Some quality products to clean and protect the paint. Do a 110% detail job, including underhood, door jambs, etc.

If you live in salt country, a through cleaning of the frame, in and out, then treating with a product like Fluid film is a must.

Lower the spare, make sure it's aired properly, lubricate the lowering mechanism. Make sure the truck is carrying all the bits needed to change a flat.

Have an alignment done at a quality independent shop. Avoid big box unless you know the tech/manager and are highly confident you'll get the alignment you want.

Bed mats are very useful.

Evaluate your tire condition and the type of tire, possibly adjust to be a better tire for your use of the truck.

Other than that, waiting and using your experiences to decide what needs improvement to make it better for you is what matters.

 

A trailer brake.

 

Bed mat

 

The bed mat stops things including you from sliding around. Check your payload before you add weight. Keep the stock tire size if you want to pull that trailer.

 

bed mat is good. nobody will steal it after you read all 21 pages of this thread
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bed-mat-theft-prevention.702245/

 

Just make sure you shop around for the best labor rates on installation.

 

I could not agree with this more. After a month of owning my truck and throwing some mods at it, I realized that I was about to pull the trigger on $1600 headlights because it “looks cooler”. You’ll find a lot of people aren’t 100% honest about what they have done to their trucks because they have already spent the money and have a hard time admitting maybe they didn’t need to.

What I have done that has been worthwhile so far are the following:
Bed mat
Auto tailgate lock
Interior LED lights (I just couldn’t see in the cab at night with the OEM bulbs)

I’ve done other stuff in the first month, most of it nice but not at all necessary.

Enjoy your new truck!

 

I concur on the bed mat and tailgate solenoid but I'll add a custom shift knob to the list as well.

 

I was fortunate in that my Tacoma already had the bed mat in it when I bought it so I guess I just don't even give it a thought. I added the OEM automatic tailgate lock and the LED interior lights as well. I did do the reverse light upgrade and fell that was money well spent.

I worked for several years in a Harley Davidson dealership parts department and agree with your statement about folks not wanting to admit they bought and made the wrong mods! I could tell you some real horror stories.