Crossroads with the Tacoma (long)

Alright boys, I need some advice. I will try to make this as short and to the point as I can without the inevitable segway into the what love I do and have lacked lately for my truck. I'm at a crossroads with my beloved Tacoma.
Had big intentions as anyone does when they pick up their Tacoma with the dreams of going long travel, bed cage, tire carrier, upgraded everything etc, until that lying whore called dreams met reality and my hopes didnt match my bank account.
Along the way of two years, I pieced together the truck with a rear tube bumper, front tubed bumper, bed mounts for my hi-lift, rear lights, tire carrier, lift and wheels. Not shortly after all I needed was glass and LT to finish. I got into a pile up on the freeway to which I barely had my truck not totalled by the insurance company and returned to me in stock form sans the crap coil spacer lift I have and my wheels/tires. All the fab work I spent money for, the time and nights in the garage working on it and just my pride for my hard work was gone that quick. The money I had saved up for LT I had to put into my deductible. 6 months since then and I feel stagnant having nearly lost interested in building her back up to, or better than her former minor leagues glory.
I want 4wd, but everywhere I have ever pointed my Tacoma, it has gotten me to in the dirt, even places where my friends have had to lock in their 4wd (whether they really had to or not). Not that my 2wd can ever match where real 4wd is needed, but the point is that it has never failed me before. But lately shit is going wrong mechanically left and right it seems.....my brakes have been subpar even after brake pad changes, numberous flushes,etc; a vibration that has been intermitten has become far worse and I cant source it down after tons of failed fixes to different probable causes; out of warranty TSB tailgate is crushed from just unloading my quad; my driver seat is broken; blown power steering gasket; recently had to macguyver the steering coupler shaft with a cotter pin from far too much play; along with a 2nd rear sliding window seal.
Keep in mind this has all spawned in the past 3 months (at 70k now).
Do I suck it up, hang on to the truck and slowly rebuild it with better parts/components/aftermarket and fix the bugs out along the way?.... or do I trade in a Tacoma with 4wd which means larger payment, less money to mod with and probably more insurance, but still 4wd and farther reaching in terms of off roading.
I'd feel like if I trade it in, I would be breaking some strange bond I have with my truck with all the different places I've been with it, the times I've had in it and the hard work I once put into it. But I also dont want to be dumping money into it just to keep it mechanically sound.
Maybe I'm at the 70k blues and these things to seek and fix are minor, just bummed lately about it and dont know what to do. Or maybe my truck is sinking like the Titanic and its just going to snowball more associated mechanical problems and its time to get out of it....if you took the time to read all that babbling, I'd much appreciate a bit of outside advice if you could haha.

Thanks in advance.

 

My buddy was like that with his truck too, seemed like every week we were fixing something or chasing down an issue but he stuck with it. He didn't have the means to buy a new truck either so that was a major point to consider too. He kept it though and just did a SAS and put LT suspension on it. It was a long road to that point from the perspective of a broke high schooler/college kid. He's rolled it, crushed the front end (good opportunity for a new bumper!), countless trail scars, but mostly it's been all the memories he's had in it and it still runs well.

If you want 4x4 go for it, it's only money. Enjoy life while you can either way.

 

i read your post. my honest accessment. you are skating that ragged edge financially. i wouldnt buy a new truck. if an old truck stressed you out in the money dept. any new one would be at a new level of beat down. sucks.

i seemed to be in the same boat all of my life. believe me, once you get out from under debt..the world seems to open up. instant gratification isnt cheap. again it sucks. i would keep the old rig, and drive it for awhile. if 70k miles is the death bed for our trucks, i didnt buy wisely either.

i think you are having old truck blues.

 

Well, here is a thought. Sell your truck then by an 1st Gen 4WD and do that up. You probably could sell your truck for a fair amount then get the 1st Gen cheeper. I had a first generation for 200K+ miles and if a capable 4wd is what you are looking for or back tracking isn't a bad idea if you can find the right deals?

 

X2^^^

 

i say sell it.. its kind of like an old girlfriend at this point. you dont want to dump her cause you kinda still love her. youve done all these fun things together but those days are gone. shes not looking as good as she used to and shes not "performing" like she did. id say its time to dump her for a new shiny model. IMO

 

hahah! perfect analogy for the situation. I love her so much but shes such a moody twat lately. I wanna see to it that i finish something I had set out to do , but I just cant weight out the good from the bad anymore which leaves me in mod purgatory . God this truck is making me sound like a total pansy.

 

Since you're in Vegas, why don't you go wheeling with someone who has a 4x and see if you really want, or need one? I'm going on a run with the Nevada Backroaders this Saturday, and if you want, you can run with my wife and me, if she wants to go. There will be at least 15 or more vehicles as this is one of our club runs. The club runs are no harder than class 2 trails, but it will give you an idea of what a stock Off-Road TRD can do.

 

Sell it and get a chevy.....then you won't have to worry about the 70k blues. (1 of mine exploded at 70k and the other 1 started having problems after 50k and was terminal at 85k)

 

I would figure out how much difference you're going to have in payments between what you have now and what you will have (plus the length of time you'll be paying on your old truck vs. new).

Check with your insurance company to see if there's a difference in cost (my guess is probably not that much). Maybe it'll be more because it's newer.

Once you know the difference, realize that you could spend that same money on your current truck. It's almost always cheaper to keep an older car running than to buy new (but the reliability of new is nice).

If you truck is going to be paid off soon, you'll have the payment on the new truck to spend every month on mods and upgrades. It wouldn't be that long before you have enough for your long travel.

 

If I were you, I'd just make two columns and add up the costs of keeping your ride versus getting a new one. Every vehicle gets to a point where things need to be replaced. Then, if it was a decent ride in the first place, it gets a second life and you get a few more years of cheap motoring.

What I think you will find if you go out, say, three years in your projections, add both the payments you're making (largely interest for the first while) and the depreciation (which is real money, even if it's invisible), you'll find that your current truck is a great deal even if you have to keep fixing it.

People pay too much for predictability in their lives, in this case meaning the predictable monthly payment versus the unpredictable repair cost. But in the long run, it's always more expensive.

If the truck was a lost cause, I'd say put a bullet in it. I did that with my Range Rover. But mostly, they're not. This kind of debt just makes banks rich. You end up looking like you have more money, but in truth have a lot less.

 

Damn, thanks for all the great input guys. I think I'm going to put my purse down and man up responsibility to my truck. I just have to get used to having my truck acquire miles and little gremlins here and there. Probably right about getting out of my truck into something a gen or two earlier and gain another truck with equal or more problems. Probably let the frustration get the best of me to the point of wanting to get out of it.
Creemore is right, financially the best avenue is to hang on to her until shes paid off. Unless I want to continue getting more broke and the keep the banks reaping the benefits of financial stupidity.
Maybe Ill go another route with building it back up.. upgrading components first (full brake upgrade, driveline, rear end, etc) then do LT and suspension

 

You said it was in a "near total accident." After a massive collison, no matter how great a job they do on the repairs its almost never the same. Sounds like most of these issues. Started after the wreck and repair.

Hate to say it but ditch it fast and start anew, especially if you're going to spend a grip on mods. Not worth dumping money into a questionable truck. Not like its an old classic car that's hard to find. Your dealer has plenty of fresh starts.

I understand the reluctance... I was kinda in the same boat. Since mine is now totalled... bright side is I can get a 4x4 and move up the ranks. Gl in whatever you choose to do