Hello, just purchased a 2008 GX470 w/ 185k miles and new to the forum. Going to be a family daily driver but also our weekend adventure rig. Any recommendations on upgrades and what to do first to get this beast trail ready? We are in Roanoke, VA as well so if anyone knows a good shop in the area that would be great as well. Looking forward to the journey.
Intro: Just picked up a 2008 GX470 Salsa
- Thread starter Bmoonunit
- Start date
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Gawd, where to start...
So much depends on your intentions, your budget, and the truck’s current condition.
For me, my goal was a reliable and capable off-road/ camping rig. Less on-road consideration, as it isn’t a DD.
Here are some suggestions...
-baseline all essentials...engine oil, both diffs, transfer case, transmission. Brake and radiator fluids. Timing Belt (!) if needed (and Water pump since you’re in there).
- next, probably tires for your adventures...a good AT should do it, while keeping the road manners reasonable.
-perhaps a lift, depending on your uses.
-armor? Doesn’t really sound like it’s needed yet.
These are pretty capable as-is...maybe do the baseline now, then drive and assess what your next steps should be. Plentry of good info on Mud.
Great color BTW...
So much depends on your intentions, your budget, and the truck’s current condition.
For me, my goal was a reliable and capable off-road/ camping rig. Less on-road consideration, as it isn’t a DD.
Here are some suggestions...
-baseline all essentials...engine oil, both diffs, transfer case, transmission. Brake and radiator fluids. Timing Belt (!) if needed (and Water pump since you’re in there).
- next, probably tires for your adventures...a good AT should do it, while keeping the road manners reasonable.
-perhaps a lift, depending on your uses.
-armor? Doesn’t really sound like it’s needed yet.
These are pretty capable as-is...maybe do the baseline now, then drive and assess what your next steps should be. Plentry of good info on Mud.
Great color BTW...
How did did you pay for it? Curious.
From my recent experience, unless you hooked a unicorn ride It’s probably gonna need $1000+ to baseline it, or even more. That’s not considering tires or updating the Bluetooth/phone interface. The good thing is these trucks go hard and will last forever and they can overland with the best them.
Welcome to the GX family....
I would also say do your baseline with maintenance first then it depends on what you want to do with it.
If you want to just tackle some dirt roads and some tame fire trail type stuff... just a set of AT tires and you are good to go.
If you want to do some more aggressive off-roading then a lift might be needed ( if the stock suspension is worn I would look into a basic lift and air ride delete and convert to springs) then you can also fit a tad bit bigger tire as well.
The running boards are low hanging fruit and they WILL get crunched along the way (trust me mine were) so rock sliders are going to be a good idea.
and while the factory armor does well in the beginning it is not going to take tons of abuse so if you are going to go a bit further down the rougher roads then that should be on the list as well.
These rigs are great even with all seasons on some basic and green trails... enjoy it and see how it does first before throwing lots of money at it. But be realistic about what you want to do with it because too much changes and it wont be a fun daily anymore
I would also say do your baseline with maintenance first then it depends on what you want to do with it.
If you want to just tackle some dirt roads and some tame fire trail type stuff... just a set of AT tires and you are good to go.
If you want to do some more aggressive off-roading then a lift might be needed ( if the stock suspension is worn I would look into a basic lift and air ride delete and convert to springs) then you can also fit a tad bit bigger tire as well.
The running boards are low hanging fruit and they WILL get crunched along the way (trust me mine were) so rock sliders are going to be a good idea.
and while the factory armor does well in the beginning it is not going to take tons of abuse so if you are going to go a bit further down the rougher roads then that should be on the list as well.
These rigs are great even with all seasons on some basic and green trails... enjoy it and see how it does first before throwing lots of money at it. But be realistic about what you want to do with it because too much changes and it wont be a fun daily anymore
