Out with the old, in with the new.
TL;DR - I replaced the lower ball joints (LBJs) as preventative maintenance after 75K miles.
I wasn't having any issues with my LBJs, but as a known weak point on 1st gen Tacomas, I figured that 75K miles - and a little less than two years - was long enough and I replaced them. I'll continue to check the new ones every time I do a tire rotation, but by and large I feel as though this part has served me well, despite the trouble it seems to give many.