Hello!! 2004 Tacoma Xtra Cab 2wd

I wish I had a garage lol.

Finally moved into a place with a driveway a couple years ago so at least I can work on my truck nowadays.

 

I like the "keep it stock so it'll be worth more later" people. I don't buy cars or trucks as an investment. I don't even buy houses as an investment. I buy them to USE them.

You'd sooner get my left kidney and right nut before someone else gets my truck. You can pry it from my cold dead hands.

 

I hear ya man, been there. When it came time to buy my first house I had one requirement - a 2 car garage.

 

Yeah my wife and I talk about what we want our first home (non-rental) to be like...her list is long, mine is simply 1 thing - must have a garage. Preferably a big one

 

Bigger the better! I'm already out of room lol.

 

I just turned in the permit paperwork to build my new 16x20 shop. We have a 2 car garage, but wife's car and all my motorcycle/bike junk, tools etc... take up all the space. Even without all that stuff, my Taco would only barely fit in the garage. Not enough room to work on it inside unless I hang the ass end out which defeats the purpose of a garage door!

So even with the new shop, I'm still relegated to working mostly outside. But I have SO much more room for tools, etc...

We have plans to buy some property up in the hills away form city lights (I'm a telescope nerd) once the kids get to maybe highschool, and I have dreams for a BIG shop. Like in the 30 x 60 range.

 

Pacific northwest? I would look into coating the frame with Fluid Film every winter, inside and out. Other than that, I'd leave it as is. Looks great, will be worth something one day. Mine isn't worth crap because I've ruined it. lol

 

I appreciate all the input. After reading all these posts, I can confirm it is a 6 lug 2wd. How well is it’s “off-road” capabilities since it is a 2wd? I’ve got the RR Diff Lock but that’s it.

 

This is the sticker I have on the side of it.

 

the original pic didn't show the TRD sticker was that just a stock photo in your first post?

 

Yeah I realized it wasn’t the actual truck in the photo but looks identicle to that photo just has the sticker on it.

 

Mine is a 2wd prerunner. It didn't come with the factory locker. I put an airlocker on last year. Before the locker....no! I couldn't do anything more than mild trails and any type of mud was really a gamble.

After the locker however is another story. I couldn't believe how much more I could do. Obviously I still can't handle what the 4x4's can do such as deep mud, icy hills, etc but I'm not really a wheeler. Slap some good tires on there and and don't try to go through deep mud holes or steep muddy hills and you will be happy.

Welcome to TW!

 

It's better than a Civic, lol...

But honestly, they do just fine off-road. You obviously won't be able to conquer the more technical trails, and even with a locker, deep mud/sand will be problematic. Dirt roads, forest service roads, etc... will be more than fine.

Pre-runners are much more common on the faster dirt roads. You aren't quite as limited with suspension modifications, since you don't have to worry about your CV joint angles.

The key is to just drive it. Find some dirt roads nearby and just drive it. Go with others if at all possible so if you do get stuck, you can get pulled out with some help. Read up in the recovery sections for tips on how to unstick yourself, and the proper equipment to bring along with you.

Line selection, driver skill, and proper speed will get you through more than you think.

Have fun!

 

Just so you are aware, you can buy those stickers, so those are a guarantee for having the locker. People have been fooled before.

Make sure the rear diff looks like this:

The little box to the driver side of the pinion is the electric locker.



And that you have a button on your dash that says "RR diff lock" next to the cab light dimmer knob, like this: