New Overland Rig! I need recommendations!

[Zach Jacobe]

Hey Everyone!

I am looking for advice! If you go to my profile you will see i own a 2013 ram 1500 crew cab. I love this truck to death and it is an amazing rig for long trips and has everything i could ever think of. That being said i have thought about a new dd so i can start modifying for overlanding and offroading. I can definitly do both with the ram but in hopes of getting something smaller and less expensive so i dont cry when i get trail damage. I am looking towards toyota for the reliability and the modability. Specifically i am starting to look at 3rd-4th gen 4runners or 2nd gen tacomas. Both come with a nice toyota tax as well. I have owned trucks all my life and thought maybe its time for an SUV! I am torn between the two and cant decide if i am willing to give up a bed. What are your thoughts! EDUCATE ME!!!!!! I want to know all of your opinions and suggestions on this! Also if i am leaving out a good competitor, please let me know! Thanks in advance for any information and opinions you have!

 

[brobin15]

I think a question to ask yourself is can you live without the ability to occasionally haul tall things in the bed of your truck? If you can then an SUV might be for you. Both can be built up and customized to store/carry everything you need. An SUV comes out the gate with locked, weather proof storage. I have seen a lot of built up/capable Colorado's lately. Maybe check into them on the truck front.

 

[TreXTerra]

Both the Tacoma and the 4Runner are good vehicles, but they are not perfect. Like any vehicle, they have some known issues; Toyota's CV joints tend to be a little weaker and cause vibration with anything more than minimal lift (1-2" without a diff drop). This should not be a point against Toyota, they make a very solid and robust vehicle. When I was looking for a 4WD, I found that Nissan was a good competitor to Toyota; I could get a much newer and lower mileage example for the same money. My Xterra has been as reliable as the newer Tacomas I wheel with - all my repairs in the last few years were due to abuse and user error (the only exception was a $60 ignition coil that failed at 165,000). The 2009+ Frontiers and Xterras are pretty much bullet proof, the only known issues from the earlier production run were sorted out with updated parts and different suppliers. (Radiator and timing chain tensioner)

The big question is truck vs SUV.

The advantage of a truck is that it can be modular, you can put a camper in it, a shell on it, leave it open, do a bed cage with a RTT, or even a flatbed conversion. It can be anything you want it to be and back again with minimal work. The SUV is a bit more "what you see is what you get" unless you install a drawer system; but that means it isn't good for daily running around anymore.

It really comes down to how you plan to use it and what you want it to do.