[jetjaguar]

Hi Team Taco,
I just picked up my dream truck: 2000 Tacoma TRD V6. Manual transmission.

It needs work, of course. One thing I need is rear shocks.

Use cases: Mostly in-town driving, but some off-road in the form of boondocking camping in the Black Hills and Big Horn mountains.

What do you recommend? Thanks in advance.

 

[Jimkola]

Bilstein. Without hesitation or a second thought. It'll give you a good ride on the highway and handle offroad work without a problem. Costs a bit more than most competitors(but not a lot more), but well worth it.
A decent brand of tire will also greatly affect ride quality. Reviews on specific tires at Tire Rack helpful.
Lastly, I hate poly anything. I replaced the body mounts and sway bar bushings with poly and made the 1st gen 4Runner ride like a rock. Bit the bullet and got rubber cushions and it made a huge difference.
I replaced body mount cushions, sway bar bushings, lower control arm bushings, upper and lower ball joints, front and rear shocks, rear leaf springs, and tires. Some parts, like the ball joints, i got OEM right off the bat. Other parts I gave aftermarket a shot. I can tell you the pros and cons I experienced with each.