Where to start...

[D.Rikli]

This is my first post in the forum and am sure this question has been asked before but I couldn't find it...

I have a 2013 Tacoma TRD Off Road and would like to begin a slow build to make this an overland capable vehicle. With a limited budget, where would you start putting your money? Everything is factory on the Tacoma except a TRD exhaust and a Leer cap. Where do you think are the one or two most important places to start?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Steve]

Hi @D.Rikli and welcome to the Overland Bound forum! You will find a wealth of information here for such a young forum, and a diverse background of participants.

A good place to start, is to introduce yourself in the sticky in the general discussion area. Next would be off to the section @Michael named "Overland Boot Camp [link], and specifically, the Getting Started in Overlanding section. [link] Then look through the Overland Build Threads to see what other folks with goals similar to yours have done. We can't recommend anything unless we have a better understanding of what you plan to do. Explore the plains of Africa on a year long expedition, or a day trip to the local off-road park. Most likely, something in between.

Here is an interesting thread about what our members think are priorities when upgrading a vehicle that might be a good place to start. [link]

And don't hesitate to ask plenty of questions. No one here will bash you for not searching, or for asking questions that may already have been discussed. If nothing else, we'll simply point yo to an existing thread, but most likely, you will get helpful suggestions.

Enjoy, and welcome aboard,
Steve

 

[D.Rikli]

Hey Steve,

Thank you for your reply. This is exactly what I was looking for... being directed to previous threads to look through. Thanks again and take care.

Dana

 

[Laughing Otter]

Great Question! I was faced with a similar issue....now with the exception of mechanicals (ie; shocks, tires, engine parts, etc.) I have hand built everything for little to no money on my Land Rover...Custom seat covers made from old military canvas duffel bags on a Singer sewing machine I bought for $6.99 at Goodwill and taught myself to use. Snorkel kit out of $60.00 in materials and 2 hours of my time (see the pics on my forum post: snorkel kit for under $100.00). Dog cage/barrier, storage lockers, and a roof rack extension made from metal wall display racks that a clothing retail store threw in a dumpster when they closed. Expedition quality vehicle awning that I made for $23.00 (pics to be posted soon). A propane system to run my cook stoves and lanterns right from my vehicle for $25.00 in miscellaneous purchases from a garage sale....

The items I have purchased...I never buy name brand...yes, there is some credence to the adage, "You get what you pay for..." BUT...if you take the time to do research you will find items that work as well or better than name brand for dirt cheap prices. Like lights, roof racks etc. I have a $75.00 roof rack coupled w/ a Thule cross bar set up that I paid $15.00 for at a garage sale...total = $90.00. I have put up to 260 pounds of gear on that rack plus two 70 pound kayaks and drove over 2 passes and a round trip of over 400 miles...with no issues! and I made the aforementioned extension for it that cost me nothing!

LOL....now some will read this and say, "That "Laughing Otter" guy is full of crap!" and that's okay...because honestly, lol...sometimes...I am! Others will be inspired and will appreciate my 2 cents worth...and really that's all this is...my 2 cents worth. BUT, I saved A LOT of money making things myself...and it all looks and functions just as good as name brand. Welcome to the overlanding lifestyle brother!

 

[ShawnR]

Welcome to the forum. You'll get plenty of good advice on here from some very knowledgeable people. As Steve stated, what is your ultimate goal? Do you have a family that you need to accommodate for on your journeys? Are you more of a "soft roader", or do you want to run the trails in Moab? Welcome again, looking forward to see how you transform your rig.

 

[Truckerbizz]

This is my first post in the forum and am sure this question has been asked before but I couldn't find it...

I have a 2013 Tacoma TRD Off Road and would like to begin a slow build to make this an overland capable vehicle. With a limited budget, where would you start putting your money? Everything is factory on the Tacoma except a TRD exhaust and a Leer cap. Where do you think are the one or two most important places to start?

Thanks for your help!

As was said earlier, depends on what your goal is. So give us a little bit more info. @Steve posted some awesome links. That being said, the Tacoma comes really well equipt from the factory. What I would recommend is to start with tires and recovery gear. Then go out and go exploring or what have you and see what isn't working for you and modify from there, maybe you need more lift, maybe you need more recovery points. I was the same way when I got my truck and wanted to just start modding the hell out of it but what works for others might not work for you. You will be able to do cheap mods and find great deals on parts but I can't stress enough how important it is to not skimp out on suspension and tires.