Mod ur stock truck or use that money for baja trip

Hello im a newbie in off road world
if you have some money to spend would you mod ur truck or use that money for overlanding trip maybe baja?

since theres almost no trail in my area and wasting mileages driving on pavement
I had a feeling i wanted to use my truck for what its intended for while the truck is healthy

If you recommend mod …
im not into crazy off road/rock crawling things yet
I like the australian/ african style look with skinny tires
i think their mod look so cool because of the practical vibe

so i want something practical (but it has to have the arb bar for the look i want)
What mods would you recommend? I heard the bumper is heavy

if recommend the trip instead of modding …
-The truck is stock high mileage (220k km) 2gen trd off road with k02
-All the maintenance is done and never seen any dash warning lights so far (except in winter when i put snowtires i get tire sensors alert)
-Drives well but the suspension has high mileage no leaks tho

would it still be able to do the trip to baja with no mods? ( assuming im not hitting crazy hard trails)
Or is there a minimum/must do mods for any kind of long distances overland trip (as if ur tracking ur car)

i want to hear ur opinions and thanks for reading !

Q1. Spend ur money on…
Mod (austrailian look overlamd set up) and save the trip for later VS just hit the trip with stock or minimal mod

 

Welcome to TW! First reply it looks like

So IMO, put the money toward the trip, do it now if you can. A stock Tacoma can travel around the world several times as is. That said the factory tires are seen as the weak point but yours have already been replaced. If your KO2s have at least 50% of the tread left you should be gtg. Get a good air compressor so you can adjust tire pressure and rock on. Change all the fluids, have a good mechanic check out the truck and enjoy a just broken in Tacoma.

As far as the mods, I understand the look you like and agree there is something about a well done Aussie or SA truck that checks the boxes for me. That being said, the ARB front bumper is a heavy beast, in the 120# range before you add a winch. If you go adding one to the truck you WILL need to add suspension immediately. You will need to rework the complete suspension front and rear, it won’t be a balanced truck if you just beef up the front end.

I had a vision for my truck similar to yours. I added a topper and built a sleeping platform in the bed then started doing some overnighter sand weekenders. I figured out the truck was as capable as I need it and the planned mods haven’t happened. Some mods will happen in the future but get out there and start enjoying the truck as it is now.

 

I've done both.
Modded my 4Runner then went to Baja in February with Team Doble - a Jeep group.
When I got to Baja, I was a bit worried, as being from Canada I had 33' AT tires, and everyone there had +35" MT's.
My Toyota performed flawlessly and I did 10 miles of beach without airing down..
Out 9f habit, I aired up when I got back to our hotel then we got invited to dinner by a group we made friends with only to realize as we were driving that we were taking the beach.
You'll be fine, don't put off a trip, mods will come in due time.
You'll have time to see more rigs, get more info on what you like and what works better, and find stuff at a bargain instead of dropping a ton of $$$$ because you got cash burning a hole in your pocket.
Case and point, I bought a set of AAL fir my new Tacoma, only yo find out that there's a better, 3 leaf Icon leaf pack for less than $200 more..
But the (first) AAL was already shipped, so I ended up selling it at a small loss yesterday. Great deal for the buyer as they went up on price since I ordered the (cheaper) AAL.
That buyer could've been you. Or, you could be one of the guys I'd be advising about the better, 3 leaf Icon AAL pack that's only $200 more.
YouTube is your friend, invest in a good set of tools, Jack, stands, etc then try and do as much of the work yourself with some friends helping you that you can pay in pizza and beer, a lot of us are eager to learn how to do it on other people's dime.
Just post an ad in your local groups that you're looking for ideas or help with whatever you wanna do, and someone like me will show up with tools, and I bring my own coffee and smokes, as I don't drink. Yep, I work for food, and it doesn't even have to be great food, although a good BBQ will make you fast friends.
Make sure to help tho (and show up when someone else needs help or an offroad rescue) or I won't show up the next time if all you do is watch me scrape my knuckles. And, keep them fed so they won't get too drunk.
It's how I started doing tuning back in 2007, trying different things on other people's trucks, and eventually it became my full time job a few years later.

And, live a little in the process, go to Baja, San Felipe was a blast this February. Took my wife and our 2 youngest kids, and on the way North we overlanded Joshua Tree and did Mojave Road West-East.
By the way, I'm in Calgary, and I own Doekter TUNED - Custom Performance Tuning www.DoekterTUNED.com , if you're in the area, or in the Edmonton area, please look me up.
Alex

 

By the way.
Baja is easy.
Very easy. I could've done 99% of the trails in my wife's VW TDI and just do the bypasses for the few spots I had to use 4x4.
Locals do it all the time, since the car they have it's all they have.

They (offroaders) just drive very fast on sand and gravel roads.
Even some places in Moab are easily done with a stock truck, but I wouldn't do anything technical without at least a lift and 33's.
And, a set of good tires. I personally love Toyo Open Country AT3 in 10 ply, with Falken Wildpeak AT3 as a close second only because mine wore way too fast.
Those that like KO2 swear by them, and I met a guy that did the PanAm Hwy on a set and it's all he'll use, but I don't like them. And, I couldn't even tell you why, as the only set I've had, was in 08 and I only used them briefly.
Different strokes I guess.

 

Before you go to Baja, spend some time getting to know your truck if you don’t already, oil changes, tranny changes, can you replace a spark plug(s) and coil, diff oils etc… if you feel confident with all that stuff then I would look into what exactly what you wanna do while in Baja? Remote camping the whole time? If so, then start looking into “overland gear” recovery equipment, tent , water supply , gas containers, etc… maybe do a trial run before Baja where you camp solely out of your vehicle, you’ll quickly realize what you need. Most of all have fun and enjoy it.

 

Go to Baja!
Your truck is already very capable is stock form.
If you are sticking to the ‘roads’, I doubt you’ll have any issues. Locals seem to make it happen with far less capability!
Good tires, a shovel and perhaps traction boards should keep you moving in the sand.

Also, get a 12V air compressor (e.g. I chose the Viair300P) that will let you air down for more traction in loose conditions, and then be able to get yourself aired back up to normal pressure when back on pavement.

 

Thank you everyone for the reply!
these infos are very valuable for newbie’s like me
I had no where to ask these kind of questions, luckily I found this community!

 

As long as your tires are good, brakes are good and s your suspension is not blown you’re gonna be just fine, is the truck 4x4 or Prerunner? Baja 250 is this weekend down at San Felipe. This is the Baja race you want to go to get the Baja vibes. Cheers!