Thanks for the great info.
It had the 4.0L lot of time you see something maybe decent but 3.0L.
Seems like the WB would be nice, so I guess I'd add as a "want" for the later models but not that big a deal unless maybe you're sleeping in it.
Is FX4 better than Off-Road trim package? Or is neither that big a deal compared to plain jane 4x4 ext cab (ext cab is sort of a must for me, it's way better).
Yeah prices are nuts... but it's a good time for me to do the research, and then just keep my eyes open and know what I'm looking for. So if I saw a nice 90's truck w/ TTB and D35, which it probably would be if it were 4.0L, if I understood that right... or an '06-'11 - and they had the right features - well, it really cuts down on the choices so most of the stuff is right off the bat "no" and the ones that are 'maybe' are too high price... so it's a waiting game.
I'd say I'm not looking to do rock crawling. It's cool, but it sounds to me like that is a truck dedicated to just that with mods that make it fairly unusable for regular highway driving and it's a hobby in and of itself, sort of like having a car that you have to take to the track is the only time you can use it. On the other hand let's say you have a '97 and you do everything you can to it to make it good for off-road, even then it's a good chance that truck isn't the one you want for in-town driving (I could be wrong) so you end up with 2 trucks - keep the '99, 5.0L transplant could be in its future, and use the '97 for recreation or if it snows.
The thinking develops as I understand better. What I'm saying is, if a '97 (just for example as a 90's truck) was the right price and basically ok but needed a bunch of fixes, like I did to the '99, then it wouldn't be trading one for the other, it'd be driving the '99 and working on the '97 until it was good to go, then decide whether to keep them both or not. I'm kind of not ready to give up the '99 just when everything is working. But it's like has been said, I have to decide, what do I want to do which sounds like pre-runner, odd term, wonder where that came from.
I tend to think that strategy of two trucks means basically I have one for in-town good-conditions driving and another that is basically a toy (since it's not required for me to get around).
The main thing is when I'm on those dicey roads I want to have some level of confidence vs the "I'm taking a big chance here of getting stuck" feeling. You all must know what I'm talking about there.
The thinking pushes me more to the 90's trucks (TTB) because if in fact it's primary use would be off-road, and it only has to drive "ok" on the street, that's way smarter than the newer trucks that, sure, drive great on the road, but aren't the best choice for off-road.