I have a little cash to throw at my 04, What should I do?

I bought this 2004 Toyota Tacoma V6 Manual XtraCab at 136k miles about 4 months ago. 141k miles on her now. It has a good service record from the one previous owner, regular oil changes, balanced tires, front/rear diff service & Transfer case serviced @ 130k, mostly perfect condition.

What I want out of this truck: Daily driver with moderate off-road capabilities for camping/fishing mostly in central Texas.

I have done a few minor things to it already (Tool box, Tow package, Air filter box port, front/rear dash cam)

My question is, what would you do to a fairly stock 04 if you had $700 and a decent shop?

I'm thinking of going one of two routes:

Getting a single bigger used item that will probably require some hunting online or a junkyard. (Bumper/grille guard, larger tires, Rock sliders, camper shell/bed rack, truck tent, suspension lift hopefully?)

or

Quite a few cheaper things that will be much more work but could be more beneficial. (New brakes early, complete detail & touch up of engine/under carriage, DIY roll on bed-liner, New headlights, Black out all chrome trim, New rubber floor mats, DIY Window tint, Seat covers)

I have a few problems that can be fixed for a couple bucks with the great guides here on the forums (squeaky clutch pedal, Slacking seat belt return, lack of tie-downs in the bed) so i'll do those no matter what.

I just don't know what to do...I'm not used to having a little cash for my truck. Is here some service I'm missing that would be more important than an upgrade?

If there are any other ideas I'm not aware of, please share. I would love to hear some discussion on priority of upgrades.

 

Should definitely do the timing belt if it hasn't been done yet, should be done at 90k or so.

 

BALL joints

 

Service Ball joints? or upgrade them? Thought they were mostly g2g for like 200k?

 

Buy gas and go on a fun trip.

 

Making it mechanically dependable is key so - totally agree the others. After that, I'd say spend it suspension. I lean toward close to stock maybe up to 2" lift but that depends on your priorities. Weather bike or truck, suspension gives most bang for buck. All else (other than mechanical) can wait. I just did the lazy seat belt trick, worked like a champ.

 

There are recalls on the ball joints. Go to the dealer to see if they were done. Timing belt / water pump service.

 

I just got back! http://imgur.com/a/AIpHZ

 

Ball joints at around 90k. I have 236k and have done mine 3 times. Lots riding on the poorly designed LBJ.

 

I didn't know about this recall, thank you.

 

Dependable is #1 priority so I'll be looking into the ball joint, timing belt, and water pump. Thanks.

 

Not intending to start another LBJ discussion, but it is generally recognized that the design used on 1st gens is terrible. While OEM LBJs can go many thousands of miles, it's a good idea to keep an eye on them, and replace them before there is the remotest chance of failure. Some will only use OEM parts, others say good quality aftermarkets are OK (555 (Three Five), who makes Moog and some others). OEMs cost more, but you can save some money on them by buying online. Just don't use cheap eBay junk, which is usually sold in a set (upper and lowers, tie rod ends) for under $100.

 

The lower ball joints on these trucks don't go out quietly. They crash and burn in a big way when they fail. Google "Tacoma ball joint failure". Then order yourself a set of OEM replacements and rest easy knowing you're not going to die due to a catastrophic lbj failure.

Get all your maintenance done first, then mods.

 

Recall was for years '01-'04, due to scratched surfaces on the parts, which could lead to failure, IIRC. Mine were replaced under the LBJ recall back in 2005. At the time there was 40K miles on the truck. Now there is about 170K, so I keep a check on them.

 

Can you link me to some of the more productive LBJ discussions so I can read up on what would be the best option? Thanks for the advice.

 

They are all going to end the same way. Replace +/- every 100k miles. 70% will say only go OEM because I'm not skimping on something that can kill me. 30% will say 555 or moog is just as good because blah blah blah...

Up to you, but the general conclusion is that OEM is the best.

 

There have been a few just recently. One has a link to to guy that cut apart an OEM version and an aftermarket to show the differences. They should come up in a Google search.

Everyone has their own preferences.

 

Shit guys.. I just found an invoice from the dealership that was hidden, serviced in 06 at 18k miles. Am I good to go, or should I have them inspected anyways?

 

Even so, they're probably ready to be changed again. That's 120k ish on them. Can check for play in the joint if you want.

 

Yea that's what I thought, may as well be safe and have them looked at anyway since they are older.