If you plan on towing much in your lifetime it would pay to get comfortable with trailer wiring. It's not "mucky". It's clean compared to other mechanical work and it's not hard if you put your mind to it.
Converters burn out. Factory or aftermarket. The one on my 98 was bad when I got it, factory. The first aftermarket on my 85 lasted about 2-3 years.

"The more you know, the less you need"
Edy

85 4Runner 22re, mostly stock. Over 340K miles(SOLD for $4000 7/06)

98 2.7 4cyl 4Runner Bone Stock perfect 200,000 miles (alright, it has a HG and clutch in it's past)