What would you tell your younger self?

Don't marry your first wife.

 

Welcome to the forum!

I'd pretty much do it the same way again...

If you're referring to off-road lights; don't cheap out. Spend a little more money and you'll never regret your purchases. Rigid, Baja, and Diode Dynamics are 3 you can't really go wrong with.

If you're talking headlights, do the H9 conversion for the low beams and call it a day. Unless you have the factory LED's, in which case disregard this (not sure if they switched over in '20 or '21?).


There are a lot of good roof rack options. Think about what you want to put up there before purchasing one. Also, keep in mind that a roof rack will reduce your fuel economy. Mine is removable for this reason.


As far as suspension; if you like the ride, leave it alone unless you're certain you're going to want to lift it. If you do want to firm up the suspension, there are plenty of good options.

If you lift it, keep the lift minimal, unless you're planning on going rock crawling. These things don't need a lift for basic off-roading.

But, it's your vehicle. Do what you want. But, don't get caught up trying to keep up with everyone else's mods.

 

Don't dump a bunch of cash on what you think you need, get out and 4wheel and see what you actually need. First purchase for me was traction boards since I spend most of my time alone in the Arizona desert.

Spend a lot of time on this forum, it can save you a boatload of cash. I was interested in a ladder to reach my full-length roof rack and after reading multiple threads on roof racks I settled on the Moki Door Step. I spent $45 on the Moki step which you can move to each door and gives me much better access to my rack. This saved me from spending hundreds of dollars on a ladder and upgrading the rear hatch pistons to support the weight of the ladder.

Check out these Rav4 mirrors with blind spot mirrors built in (I found mine on Ebay, they run $70-$80). They fit 5th Gen 4Runners and they are easy to change out, look it up on YouTube. It's a cheap safety upgrade that I would never have known about without the forum.

 

I’d tell myself start saving the max in your 401k when you start working, don’t get married, and save like hell for times like this nutty inflation and every now and then treat yourself.


Thankfully I took most of that advice myself in my 20s. Just need to treat myself for frequently.

 

Buy a 3rd Gen 4Runner new and buy and FJ trail teams in cement new

 

Or us guys with gimpy knees!

 

YES! What should be at the top of the list of things to tell your younger self is take care of your knees! And your back! But seriously, those Predator steps are worse than nothing IMO. The gap between the step and the bar is too small for my foot. The steps are awkwardly placed. The Predator steps are sexier than regular running boards, but functionally inferior. I have sliders now, which for the knee-challenged are still inferior to running boards, but better than those Predator steps. But by far the best thing I did for my knees was to install the KTJO driver’s side grab handle and replace the grab handle over the door with one from an FJ. They make getting in a piece of cake, and they are very easy modifications to make.

 

should've bought a 4runner or mt tacoma when i first joined the navy instead of 2020.

 

Should kept my '83 FJ40! But, hindsight is 20/20. Had good luck with pre-Tacos and Tacos but LUV the 4Runner.

 

You wouldn’t happen to have a part # for the one above the door do you? Thanks in advance.

 

welcome to the forum this the best place to do your research to find out what your needs are and what is the best Mods to get for it.
good luck and most defiantly take pictures as you go along so you can see the transformation.

 

2021 is the first year for LED headlights. I have a 2020. No stock LED. The Lasfit 4Runner specific LED headlights work really well for LED in a halogen projector housing, though. Not cheap, but I haven't regretted it at all.

And that dude up there with the Rav4 blind spot mirrors, yes, I did that a couple months ago. It's sooooooooooooo gooooooooooooooood. East to do, too. I got mine as a package here: https://parts.elmhursttoyota.com/p-...ot-mirror-glass-retrofit-8796142d208793142d50 No in-mirror blind spot detection system, though, so if this guy has a 2022 then I don't know if it's a good match. The footprint that the mirrors clip into might even be different, but I don't know. I don't know if anybody knows. I think if I had a 2022 I'd forego the system and stick with low tech blind spot mirrors, though. Just gotta pray that the mirrors clip on.

 

Grab handle: 74603-35010-B0
Plugs (2 req’d): 74617-35010-B0
I ordered these from ToyotaPartsDeal.com

Then you’ll need some 80/20 t-nuts. 2 per handle.

$11 13129, 45 Series M6 x 1.0 Standard Drop in T-Nut Steel (10 Pack)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TG090HO?ie=UTF8

Also some M6x1.0 screws about 30mm long. 2 per handle.

Finally, read , to understand the reason for the t-nuts. Once I had all the stuff it took 10 minutes to install.

Cheers!


ETA: apologies to the young OP for the old guy hijack …

 

Thanks

 

Ohh, if I could go back in time. Well I for one would tell my younger self to invest in apple, Amazon (I almost did when they were still only selling books) and Microsoft. I would tell myself to get into therapy in my 20s instead of my 30's post divorce. I would still marry that first wife even if I knew it would end in divorce because the life lessons I learned were invaluable and no other way to learn them. And I would have told myself to hold onto that 91 5 speed 4x4 yota pickup with the 22re after I got the 4 runner because I'll never find another one that clean.

as for modding the 4 runner, I wouldn't change a thing other than getting the rav4 mirrors sooner

oh and I might go back and tell myself to not buy that 08 WRB Forester Xt with the 5speed, yeah its a unicorn and one of 4 in the state, but those ej25 motors can go right to hell lol

 

Learn how to be a stock trader/investor for my younger self

 

Fast motorcycles are not a good investment….financial and Heath-wise.

 

My motorcycles have always been worth what I paid for them and some. Even after years and years. And health wise the benefits out way the risk.
Funny cause my ZX9R was the reason I quit drinking too.

 

Yep, alcohol and motors can be problematic. When I was 27yrs old after a party I crashed so hard in the middle of the night(AM) on a backwoods country road it took me 5 minutes to find my bike in the total darkness, my shattered kneecap didn’t help. Found the bike had flipped on the other side of a barbed wire cattle fence into the field. I had to drag it back under the wire and was barely able to limp it and me back home where my roommate could drive me to the ER. The Doc stapled the big kneecap pieces back together and threw the little ones out.
It was a hot-rodded 1976 RD400, chambers, carbs….etc, those bikes simply cannot be ridden slow, they have the part throttle 2 stroke cackle and are just a off-on switch. They are about the worst thing you can get for your drivers license, but very light and fast. Bought a mellow 1979 GS1000 to replace it….LOL.

I have always had a bike or two since 16yrs old and for a few years no car, just the bike rain or shine, I loved riding. I promised the wife after I retired I would stop street riding so I sold my ST1300 commuter and am off road only now. Luckily BLM is in my backyard.

 

Stop smoking crack

 

Keep it simple. That’s what I did on my 15 Tacoma Prerunner. Black FJ Trd rims. I did go with 265/75R16 factory load rating tires. Still stock suspension. As I get older I become cheaper, lol.

 

Marriage is the root of all divorce and if you dont get that get a prenup

 

I'm not a fan of dumping a lot of extra cash into a vehicle that I also owe money on. I bought tires for my 4R, but if I really wanted a modded vehicle, I would have just bought an old used LC for $40k less.

Also, what would I tell my younger self? Exactly what my father told me as teenager, dumping money into cars is a waste of money and it never makes you as happy as you think it will. He approved of saving, investing, and buying things that would help improve *me* (musical instruments, photo equipment, anything for education, etc). I actually listened to him, thank god, in my own roundabout way (spent money on MSFT stock in 1986 instead of paying rent), but yeah, spending money on cars is pointless. Might as well go dump it in Vegas.

 

Lol!

Sounds like somebody wasted a bunch of money on the wrong vehicle.

And, good luck finding an old Landcruiser for that cheap.


Edit:. I could agree that dumping money into a car might not make you happy, but using the vehicle for its intended purpose can.

 

Ha, no, but I raced motorcycles and saw that without sponsorship, you're gonna be poor forever.

Plenty of thrashed LCs out there for $10k that I could rebuild for another $40k. The difference is, it would be built the way I want it. Note, I'm doing the work myself, if you're paying a shop, you're screwed.

Otherwise, if you're buying new, buy the vehicle you want, but wasting a ton more money customizing it is just a waste of money.

 

...in your opinion.

There are a lot of things people do that can be considered a waste of money. The truth is, it's only a waste if you're not enjoying yourself.

 

Thanks for making me feel better about how I spent my money in my teens and to my mid 20’s lol

 

Glad I could help!

I just lump it in as entertainment. I don't see anything as a waste, as long as you're getting something out of it.

 

My wife sometimes reminds me of how else the money could have been spent but I consider the 4runner modding an investment of sorts. I plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off and still have those dreams/plans on using it for its purpose when I'm done. As far as the comment about it not making you happy, I'm reminded of something my grandfather told me one day - "your grandmother will tell ya that money doesn't make you happy but give me a million dollars and watch me smile!". My 4runner makes me smile.

As far as what I would tell my younger self? The same things everyone else tried to tell me that I didn't listen to. Finish your education when you're young (it sucked but I went back and finished a bachelor's in my 30's while working) and be patient. Still working on the last one.

Edit for misspelling (probably more)

 

Of course it's my opinion. What else would it be?

Lighten up Francis.