Expo Vehicle as a Daily Driver? (1 Viewer)

[matmattmatthew]

Noobie here, I've been a lurker for about a year, usually in the 80 series section and I've bounced around a few ideas but I thought I'd get some suggestions from the community.

A combination of things over the last year has caused me to have a profound sense of Wanderlust. I have a 4-5 year plan to take a road trip from my home in Baltimore with the mid point of the trip being Whistler British Columbia, then down the west coast hitting Seattle, San Fran, all the way to Baja, then across the southern states hitting New Orleans then possibly going down the gulf cost of florida to the Keys and back up the coast home to Baltimore. I'm a huge mountain biker so the trip will be tweaked to hit key riding spots in CO, Canada, WA, OR, Cali and possibly in AZ.

This site along with Expo Portal and a few others has made me want to incorporate overland sections into the trip. At first I thought I would get a dedicated vehicle, FJ80, and work on fixing it up and outfitting it over the next few years and doing a few "mini" road trips to test everything around. But more recently I've seen some of the fine Tacomas that are outfitted for overland and expo and that got me thinking the Taco could fit my needs and I could use it as my daily vehicle as well. I work in the homebuilding industry so I need a truck as my daily. I currently have a Honda Ridgeline, it's been a great truck and would certainly be a fine vehicle for the road going portions of the trip but doesn't have the off road capabilities for the overland sections.

So my thought now is to sell the Ridge and get a Tacoma that I can use as a DD and gradually modify/upgrade. I will probably end up doing a small lift, bigger tires, rack over the bed, bumpers, winch, maybe a roof top tent. My fiancé will go on the trip with me so I may have to have a few creature comfort modifications to make her happy. Just curious how many of you use your Expo vehicles as daily drivers? Is the Tacoma my best option for what I'm talking about doing? Are there any mods I should avoid if it's going to be a DD?

Thanks!

 

[Irish11]

I have been DDing my 99 Tacoma since I bought it (http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...1-s-99-Tacoma-Extra-cab-build?highlight=irish). I've driven it to Moab, Colorado, and camping all over. It also serves in my spare time as a volunteer SAR rig. The Tacoma is a great platform for going just about everywhere. Its not entirely setup for ExPo, I have a rack or a canopy that I swap on and off. I have all my gear in different rubber bins that I just toss in the back depending on what I am using it for this week. I tired the sleeping platform with a different canopy and that was nice, but in my small condo garage the 40 gets to use all the space and I don't have storage room for the platform so I am back to tent camping or just sleeping solo in the bed. I have a 2.5" lift, 33x10.5 tires, the factory locker, and some sliders (among other mods) and this has got me plenty of places off the beaten path.

I think the Tacoma is a great ExPo rig, the only downside I have is that it would be nice to have the quad cab of the 2nd generation along with the stick (quad cabs are only autos in the 1st gen and I wanted a 5-spd). The 80 is a stout expo rig too. They have room for everything inside, where its dry, and not dusty. They have space for more people/gear, and have more creature comforts. The downside is they do not have the greatest gas mileage,not saying the Tacoma is stellar there, but my FJ62 got a solid 10-13mpg and my Tacoma averages 14-17mpg. Which adds up over a long drive like the one you are planning. There are ways around this with diesel swaps and all sorts of ideas that this forum and ExPo will get stuck in your head.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with the ExPo bug!

 

[matmattmatthew]

Thanks for the info, your rig is pretty comparable to what I would be doing with a Tacoma. My Ridge is obviously a 4 door so I've gone back and forth whether I would need the Taco to be a quad cab or just an access cab. I probably use my rear seats (for humans) a hand full of times a year, it's usually reserved for my Blue heeler to and from the trails. I have also gone back and forth about manual or auto, I have owned several manual cars over the years but I'm worried that commuting and the long stretches of highway during trips might get tiresome. I also want to split some of the driving on trips with my fiancé and she doesn't know how to drive stick. I know she can learn and wouldn't have a problem after some practice but it's another variable to consider. MPG's was definitely taken into consideration when looking at the Taco vs 80, I did some rough math and I think the Taco would save 500-600 dollars in fuel on just the trip I'm taking. The tacoma is also closer to what I get in the Ridge so I wouldn't notice a big change in my monthly fuel costs.

When the Expo/overland bug bit me I was dead set on the 80, but the MPGs and lack of storage for lumber/building materials would force it to be a dedicated vehicle. And while the thought of having a dedicated Expo vehicle is nice, I'm on the east coast and trips to overland areas will be infrequent. The biggest question mark I had with the Taco and one reason it wasn't first considered was IFS but it seems like the lift kits and suspension products for the Taco have come a long way in the last few years.

 

[RS6tofj80]

I have a built 80 and ran with a friends expo-prepped Taco with the SC'er and it was dang peppy - he also has the Icon kit on it and it is smoother then heck.... that said it's not as easy to fit people and stuff inside ofr a trip but might be a good option given your need....

if you start the 80 build make sure you block out this site from your server.... dang it's an expensive place to hang out... !! but a wealth of ideas and insight

 

[Jan-78FJ40]

We have a pretty modified 80 series as travel/Baja truck, with lift, 2 tanks, dual batteries, diesel, and a thousand small things that get added over time. I don't dd it, as it's just not worth putting on those miles. A Yaris with a 100k miles or a comparable small beater will cost you very little, get great gas mileage and keep your expo rig for what you are outfitting it-fun stuff.

 

[bugsnbikes]

The beauty of the 80 series engine is that it can carry a lot of payload in comparison to a Tacoma WHILE still maintaining stock miles per gallon.

Setup with stock gearing and skinny 33s you will slightly improve highway mpgs and that's carrying a ton of gear. Tacoma while great will be more effected by payload. Also driving a conservative 65mph on my last 1000mi trip netted me 19.5mpg when I was running skinny 33s and full synthetic fluids everywhere.

You can't go wrong with either in terms of longevity/ durability. I'd say you should evaluate your payload for such a trip and choose accordingly. I'm 6'3 and just don't fit in a taco like an 80.

80 series might have edge as out of the box you can slap on some tires/ cheap lift and remove second and third row seats and it's ready to go. Low miles vehicle in either should cost about the same. Larger tires will hurt taco mpg contrary to 80 up to 33s.

Get yourself a swing out bike rack and you are good to go.

 

[Box Rocket]

I have a built 80 series and a built Tacoma that have both been daily drivers. My Tacoma is my DD currently and in general I prefer it over the 80 just for the day to day driveability. The Tacoma has more pep than the 80 and just feels more nimble because of the smaller size.

Don't get caught up in the "I need a fully modded truck before I can take that trip" notion. Both the 80 and the Tacoma will get you almost anywhere you want to go completely stock. Just load up with your camping gear and go have fun. But if you decide to build one up, aftermarket support is good on both trucks and it is totally reasonable to daily drive either vehicle fully built out. I do.

the 80


The Tacoma

 

[matmattmatthew]

Thanks for the info guys. In a perfect world I would just get an 80 and have a dedicated vehicle but with the Tacoma I can upgrade little things here and there when time/money allows. At least with a Tacoma I would be using the car as a DD between upgrades/mods, the 80 would most likely just sit for long amounts of time unless I stumble upon a load of money that would allow me to do the upgrades in a shorter amount of time.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

I have a semi built 80 that I use as my DD

She currently has 367,xxx miles and I put ~800-1000 miles a week on her between long distance trips.

Apart from the crappy gas mileage, I have zero complaints and there's no other vehicle I would rather be in

 

[patrickfinley]

The Taco sounds like a great choice. Keep the mods simple, don't overbuild or overspend on it.

Read this article about the Land Cruiser and Taco's as Overland Vehicles. It makes some good basic recommendations for the suspension for the Taco.
http://expeditionportal.com/top-10-used-overland-vehicles/

 

[Mr Cimarron]

I rotate between my 80 and Jeep Liberty on DD duties. My commute is mostly highway so that makes it easy.

 

[MANUCHAO]

I try to drive my rig as much as I can..and love every second of it... smiles per mile couldn't be better.....

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Im on the other side of the fence and try not to DD my 80. When I factor the cost per mile to operate there are much cheaper ways for me to get around.

 

[warezdog]

Im on the other side of the fence and try not to DD my 80. When I factor the cost per mile to operate there are much cheaper ways for me to get around.

But then you're denying the rest of us to envy your 80!

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

But then you're denying the rest of us to envy your 80!

Whatever

Come by anytime and take it for a drive