TACOMA 4X4 BUILD DECISION! Need your opinion!

Let me start off by telling you what I'm deciding upon and the purpose of the tacoma.

I'm really inspired by the overland expeditions many of the members are into and before I go balls deep in a build I regret and have buyer's remorse, I'd thought I'd get your opinions since many of you have the expertise.

Note: I'm selling my pre runner 4cyl/manual/2wd

That being said, I was thinking between either a stock 4x4/v6/manual/AC no TRD just basic so I could do a decent build without blowing the bank or buying a nicer TRD/4x4/v6/manual/AC.

It may sound stupid asking the question but I know these trucks are pretty capable stock, and I just want to get the best bang for the buck without spending 20k into a build. I would like to travel in remote areas that you need 4x4 (maybe Rubicon trail eventually) but nothing that's just stupid(crazy rock crawling, etc) if any of this makes sense. Maybe I'm not explaining myself that well, and you guys can help me here.

Thanks guys, look forward to your input!

 

Let me preface this with a couple comments.... I have never done the expo travelling, but plan to in the future and have done a decent amount of research. Most of the things that I really like about my TRD OR can be done to any vehicle using aftermarket items. I chose this model because some of the mods that I consider "essential" were already done. I also felt that in the long run, I would spend as much doing it aftermarket either myself or paying someone else as Toyota charged "out of the box."

That being said, the reasons I would vote TRD OR (aside from being a biased owner) are the locker and the A/C power inverter/outlet. If you are going to do any sort of serious wheeling, I am of the opinion that lockers are essential and at some point you will be adding them (they're not cheap and not something a beginner can install). I really like my A/C power outlet in the bed... but it's not necessarily essential. It does however make pumping up an air mattress way easier, keeps the laptop charged while watching movies, and can run a Dewalt table and radial arm saw if needed (yes, I use it for little construction projects). You can also tap off of it and put a 110V outlet in the cab of the truck. The downside of the TRD packages are that in buying them, you are paying stealership prices for some cosmetic stuff along with the useful stuff. Essentially, one way or the other, you're gonna end up spending a bunch of money and have something really badass... it all comes down to how much DIY you're interested in doing.

Hopefully this rambling was in someway useful... Dan

PS, no matter how hard you try not to, you're gonna end up balls deep into this project... just comes with the territory.