New to the 200 series with questions about mods/use profile

[Lono]

After looking for an extended period, I picked up a silver 08 urj200 this week. It' replacies the e70 x5 that was my wife's DD and primary transport for our two boys. The x5 was good, but at 80k it started to require more frequent repairs which necessitated trips to the dealer/specialists 80 miles away or increasingly difficult DIY repairs. I was also leasing a Nissan Leaf as my commuter to the office which was repurchased by Nissan a few weeks ago after four months and a half dozen attempts to repair its heater. Needless to say, both ownership experiences had me pining for Toyotas which have never let me down in the past (4th gen 4R and uzj100) so I picked up a 4-door 16 Tacoma in the off road trim to replace the Leaf.

I'm planning to do some road trips this season with my family which will include a trip to the Western Slope of CO to do some of the same passes planned for the 200 event in Ouray. I've ridden these areas by motorcycle a number of times and resolved to bring my family next time.

The tough part is deciding whether to prep the 200 for moderate off-road or to use the Taco for these duties. The Taco is no slouch out of the box and while it has some geometric advantages, it's still a somewhat primitive/limited platform in comparison to the 200 in almost every way. The upside is that the Taco could handle most of the above-referenced off-roading by just upgrading the tires. The 200 will need tires, sliders and probably at least a little lift.

How many of you use your modified 200s as a family DD? Would it be practical to do sliders, a 1" lift and a 17" tire/wheel set to swap on for the off-roading trips?

 

[delmandi]

Good Morning Lono!, Great questions, I for one like the new Tacoma, having had a 1st and 2nd gen, they are great. I think the fam will have a little more room and creature comforts in the 200, however, I think it may be a little more economical ($$) to build the Tacoma for what you are planning. Ive seen some great overland builds on both platforms. I was looking into building our 200 more for similar trips, but it is the wife's DD and she isn't "into that" quite yet, and we all fit in Little Red. There are numerous outlets to build the Tacoma, as you've seen I'm sure, Toytech, TG and a ton of others(Check out a few issues of Toyota Trails or TCT Magazine(can download for free on iPad) there are tons of reviews and vendors in there for what I think you want to build), from what Ive seen its far easier to get a lot more choices on aftermarket items than it is for the 200. But then again, its a lot cooler to take the family out in the 200 than a Tacoma!, haha IMHO! Have fun building and let us know what you do! Lets see those two new beauties!

 

[MScruiser]

I have a heavily modified 200 as a DD. Besides poor gas mileage and getting lots of looks driving around town, it is a great daily driver. No regrets. I wouldn't think twice about sliders or a mild lift, especially.

 

[Rigger]

I have a lightly modded 200 and it's a DD. AS MSCruiser says, poor gas mileage but hey, no biggie! Love the truck!

 

[Willy beamin]

With a proper suspension set up and you'll never notice a thing. Load it up.

 

[Canyonero]

I think the main concern is probably budget; a reasonably modded 200 (lift, tires, sliders, bumper) drives pretty close to a stock 200 IMO, but the aftermarket parts for the 200 cost an arm and a leg (compared to the options for a Taco) and you don't have a lot of 200 series options.

Personally, I would probably go with armor-first on the 200 and see how it does. You might find that for most family friendly trails--including a lot of the ones in Ouray--that's all you need. Good luck!

 

[kreiten]

I roll my lifted 200 as a DD and take it everywhere we go... The Tacoma might be a bit cheaper to mod but the longer wheelbase at times(depending on which one you get) can be a little bit of a negative depending on the trail... You can easily do Black Bear and Imogene with just tires and sliders on a 200, we had 2 goes last year with no lift. Congrats on the rig, either one built up will be awesome, but there's just something about a built up 200, rare and awesome! just my 2 cents

 

[jkilcullen]

I currently own a 200 and am looking at all the options for a mild build... it will be wallet draining. But no more than the build on my 80 was... For now I installed 275/70r18 KO2's on stock wheels and the fit is great. I feel if I installed a couple inch lift in front, swapped the running boards for sliders, installed a skid plate system and aired down I could tackle much of anything I would bring my kids along for, they're still really little

I'm also considering ordering a Tacoma for DD duty but trying to hold out for the 2017 TRD PRO. LOL I'm still DDing my built 80 because wife takes the 200 due to better size for the car seats.

I guess my justification for building the 200 over the Taco is simple... It's a Land Cruiser!!! Not to say the Taco is a slouch because it surely would do just as good if not better off-road, just overall comfort for family trips wont compare. But really, my guess is if you were using a LEAF as a commuter the last thing you want to do is sacrifice the fuel mileage of the new vehicle you plan to commute with.

 

[LCHardriver_02]

For me, I have two platforms that are great too(100series LC and 200series LX), but I still feel like I want to have my 200 LX capable of doing mild off-roading, since it is my primary tow vehicle and use it off-road, once we have set up camp. With that said, I will be doing 33s for tires and adjusting the LX's sensors to give it a small "lift" to gain a bit of space around the bigger tires.

If I were in your shoes, I would do the same. Mild lift, new larger tires, and sliders (no slider options for the LX at this time). You can still do stuff in the Taco, but it is nice knowing that you can take the 200 and have that as an option too.

 

[delmandi]

For some odd reason (I'm at work and have a ton of time to waste) Ive been thinking about this a lot lately and on better thought, why not just build both!

 

[LCHardriver_02]

HMMMM.... $$$$? It's the only reason I can come up with not to.

 

[delmandi]

I think it'd be worth it to build both....more options! haahaa

 

[LCHardriver_02]

True, but funds typically have to be prioritized... with that said, I would probably build the 200 (slight) and then focus on the Taco. Doing that I could accommodate the family easier and earlier. That is my opinion.

 

[jamesg]

I would favor offloading with the 200 just because of the differences in the wheelbase and the turning radiuses.....is that a word?

 

[Lono]

Thanks for the input and perspective. Good points about the turning radius/wheelbase. The Taco's wheelbase is a full 15" longer and turning radius 1' wider.

The "do both" approach is one I'm considering. Tires, sliders and skid plates for the Taco would be around $2.5k. I might be looking at $3.5k to do the same for the 200. Not sure about a lift yet.

 

[Markuson]

My priority for my DD 200 has been wheels/tires, lift, and sliders & skids. Sliders and skids go on this Friday, and I should be good to go for Ouray.

Next will be air compressor...bumpers front/winch & back/tire carrier...& beyond.

My fully built 100 was my daily driver for 13 years. Crappy gas mileage, but loved getting behind the wheel every single day.

 

[highrisk]

I would favor offloading with the 200 just because of the differences in the wheelbase and the turning radiuses.....is that a word?

Radi?
Radiui?

 

[T4Runner]

I believe it's actually "radii", but I like the sound of "radiuses" better.

 

[damdifino]

After looking for an extended period, I picked up a silver 08 urj200 this week. It' replacies the e70 x5 that was my wife's DD and primary transport for our two boys. The x5 was good, but at 80k it started to require more frequent repairs which necessitated trips to the dealer/specialists 80 miles away or increasingly difficult DIY repairs. I was also leasing a Nissan Leaf as my commuter to the office which was repurchased by Nissan a few weeks ago after four months and a half dozen attempts to repair its heater. Needless to say, both ownership experiences had me pining for Toyotas which have never let me down in the past (4th gen 4R and uzj100) so I picked up a 4-door 16 Tacoma in the off road trim to replace the Leaf.

I'm planning to do some road trips this season with my family which will include a trip to the Western Slope of CO to do some of the same passes planned for the 200 event in Ouray. I've ridden these areas by motorcycle a number of times and resolved to bring my family next time.

The tough part is deciding whether to prep the 200 for moderate off-road or to use the Taco for these duties. The Taco is no slouch out of the box and while it has some geometric advantages, it's still a somewhat primitive/limited platform in comparison to the 200 in almost every way. The upside is that the Taco could handle most of the above-referenced off-roading by just upgrading the tires. The 200 will need tires, sliders and probably at least a little lift.

How many of you use your modified 200s as a family DD? Would it be practical to do sliders, a 1" lift and a 17" tire/wheel set to swap on for the off-roading trips?

I've run most of the passes near Silverton/Ouray with a completely stock setup. The 200 isn't a rock crawler, per se, but it's taken me everywhere I've wanted to go--and some places I shouldn't have been.