The year was 1998 when, on my 12th birthday, my dad had his '86 Nissan Hardbody unceremoniously dragged out of our driveway with a blown engine, it's brakes frozen up. It was ironic how the truck seemed to scream as it was ripped from it's bed by its feet, off onto a truck where it would be dumped in a junkyard. Or maybe that was the tyres protesting. :shrug:
Anyways, the truck was quickly replaced with a brand-spanking-new 1998 Toyota Tacoma SR5 extended cab, graced with a 3.4L V6, a manual transmission, and a REAL MAN'S TRANSFER CASE LEVER. DAMN RIGHT!!! I swore one day I would own that truck. I just never expected it to take thirteen years. Nevertheless, with 295,000 drama-free miles on the clock, it's finally mine!
I received this truck for a few reasons. First and foremost, though it has been a very reliable truck, my dad was itching for a new truck and he knew it would be well taken care of in my hands. I needed a new truck for hauling our two golden-labs, a light-duty service truck for rallies, and a daily driver so I could finally begin swapping in the RA drivetrain into the Impreza.
That said, I already have a money pit so I only plan on a few well-researched modifications to the truck to fit my needs. The most important addition would be a Leer cap. I had my eyes on a Leer 100XL cap, with a flocked headliner and gusset-less side windows that fold out with a turn of a knob, but I couldn't justify spending almost $2000 for it. After a few weeks of searching on Craigslist, I settled for a 100R cap being sold locally. At 1/3 the cost of a new one, I had to make due with a bare fiberglass interior and sliding side windows, but at least the front window slides open to get some air in the back.
November, 2011
I left the truck alone at first, giving myself time to get used to the handling of the truck. While we were visiting family for Thanksgiving, my fiance and I decided to go Christmas tree shopping. Instead of walking in, finding the perfect tree, cutting it down and unceremoniously dragging it out, decided to test out the 4wd. Shortly after the following picture was taken, the truck in front of me got stuck. Really stuck. Like, "go bring the tractor down" stuck. After the wimpy Ford was pulled to the safety of dry pavement, I blasted through with the Tacoma with nary a rooster-tail of mud. I didn't even engage the rear locker!
Anyways, the truck was quickly replaced with a brand-spanking-new 1998 Toyota Tacoma SR5 extended cab, graced with a 3.4L V6, a manual transmission, and a REAL MAN'S TRANSFER CASE LEVER. DAMN RIGHT!!! I swore one day I would own that truck. I just never expected it to take thirteen years. Nevertheless, with 295,000 drama-free miles on the clock, it's finally mine!
I received this truck for a few reasons. First and foremost, though it has been a very reliable truck, my dad was itching for a new truck and he knew it would be well taken care of in my hands. I needed a new truck for hauling our two golden-labs, a light-duty service truck for rallies, and a daily driver so I could finally begin swapping in the RA drivetrain into the Impreza.
That said, I already have a money pit so I only plan on a few well-researched modifications to the truck to fit my needs. The most important addition would be a Leer cap. I had my eyes on a Leer 100XL cap, with a flocked headliner and gusset-less side windows that fold out with a turn of a knob, but I couldn't justify spending almost $2000 for it. After a few weeks of searching on Craigslist, I settled for a 100R cap being sold locally. At 1/3 the cost of a new one, I had to make due with a bare fiberglass interior and sliding side windows, but at least the front window slides open to get some air in the back.
November, 2011
I left the truck alone at first, giving myself time to get used to the handling of the truck. While we were visiting family for Thanksgiving, my fiance and I decided to go Christmas tree shopping. Instead of walking in, finding the perfect tree, cutting it down and unceremoniously dragging it out, decided to test out the 4wd. Shortly after the following picture was taken, the truck in front of me got stuck. Really stuck. Like, "go bring the tractor down" stuck. After the wimpy Ford was pulled to the safety of dry pavement, I blasted through with the Tacoma with nary a rooster-tail of mud. I didn't even engage the rear locker!