Do the conversions or save up?

Hey everyone, so I recently bought my first Taco (2008 base model, 2 door, white, RWD, 4 cylinder, 5 speed, manual locks, manual windows, pretty bare bones) and have been having a blast driving it. But I wish I could of done was gotten a 4x4 and optimally a V6. When I first bought my Taco, I was working with a check that my insurance had given me for my totaled car so I only had so many resources to work with otherwise I would of just anted up and gotten the nicer version. But with me being a college student, I'm trying to avoid as much debt as possible atm.

Why I bring all of this up is I know of several junkyards around my area where I can find the V6 and all the components to do the 4x4 conversion but would it be worth it to do the conversion myself or just save up a few grand and try to just upgrade my Taco in for a nicer one at a dealership somewhere?

 

There are a couple writeups on this site which describe people upgrading from 2wd to 4x4, but the threads I've seen were all auto transmissions versus manual. I wouldn't attempt an engine upgrade - time and money invested to make it work would make it far more expensive than simply trading up.

If you do go the route of trading up, you can often find better value buying from a private party rather than a dealership. Be patient, wait for the right truck, and you'll be really happy with the results.

 

Ya, I had only found the auto write up threads as well that's why I figured I'd ask. Would it be possible to do a trade with a private party? A Tacoma for a Tacoma? I guess technically it is possible but finding someone who will do it will be the tough part. I will be patient though, that much I know for sure.

Quick question though because I haven't seen one, did Toyota make a 2nd gen V6 2 door with a manual and 4x4?

 

Private party won't do a trade, but you could either sell your truck private party if it's paid off (and get more for it), or sell it to a dealership and buy your new truck private party. Trading in at a dealership means they undervalue your trade and overvalue the truck you want to buy (lose-lose), selling to a dealership means they only get you on half the transaction (lose-win), selling and buying private party avoids all of that (win-win).

Only in an access cab. Regular cabs are only 4cyl.

 

If you can find the nessasary components for a good price and do the work yourself, that would be your best bet financially. Only problem would be resale value.

On a side note: wouldn't the insurance cost less if it was originally a 2wd?

 

Maybe, but then if there was a claim the insurance company may only pay for 2wd parts since that's all they were required to cover.

 

This^^

I'd save and get what you want when you can. If you get your Dr. Frankenstein on, you'll be married to the damn thing. It won't hold resale value with that kind of modding. Enjoy the truck you have while you have it. It'll make you appreciate the next one even more.

 

All of this advice is very useful and I appreciate it. I'll probably just do some small stuff on the 2 door for now and save up till I can get the 4x4 to do anything big with it.

 

That's a swell idea