Hello forum, this is my first post so please bear with me...

I want to get a 4Runner for various reasons. I'm a Toyo fan since my '76 Corolla. 4Runners have one of the most solid reps for a combination of ergonomics, reliability, road-trip comfort and off-road capability not to mention massive number of units sold in North America, huge knowledge base, cross-compatible pickup part and a thriving aftermarket.

So, I've been reading the T4R forums and have decided, since I prefer to drive a manual, I want to get what I've heard described as the "holy grail" of 4Runners, a '99 or '00 SR5 Sport/Highlander manual with a locking rear diff.

As you guys know full well, that is not easy to find. I'd say 15% of the 4Runners I see are Manuals, a small percentage of those are SR5 Sports (I have yet to even see a Highlander) and hardly ANY have the locking rear diff (I've seen no manuals with it and only one auto).

That's only based on what I've read on the forums and a week's worth of searching using Hanks Helper, google, etc. I'm not in a rush but if I wasn't hung up on the ELocker I could have bought one already.

My questions:

Should I not bother waiting to find that locking rear diff and just get one of the manual SR5 sports that I've seen?
How hard will it be to put a locking rear diff in later for someone like me who's not much of a mechanic?
Is there a purely mechanical aftermarket rear diff locking option that can be added later? (I think a cable would be more bullet-proof than air or electrical)
Am I just being a putz since I won't be mudding or rock crawling, I'll probably never actually need a locking rear diff anyway?


I do plan to take it off road when I go tubing, kayaking and biking in the summer and you never know...

Thoughts?