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San Diego, CA

Discussion in 'New Members' started by under1630, May 3, 2010.

  1. May 3, 2010 at 7:50 PM
    #1
    under1630

    under1630 [OP] Retired UPS driver

    Joined:
    May 3, 2010
    Member:
    #36436
    Messages:
    136
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jon
    Las Vegas, NV
    Vehicle:
    '08 PreRunner SR5 TRD Off Road
    Full cab Dynamat, Bilstein 5100's, aFe cat back exhaust, aFe stage 2 CAI, aFe throttle body spacer, 16x8 MotoMetal 951's, Hankook DynaPro MT 295/75 16
    Went truck shopping over the weekend. I'm recently retired after 30 years as a UPS driver. I'm moving to an area that's less expensive (Northern CA), which also has MX tracks (none left in San Diego). I'm going to start riding MX again since I don't have to worry about getting injured now that I'm no longer working at UPS. So I went looking for a truck (I currently drive an '06 Matrix). I wanted to give the American manufacturers a chance, since apparently they've made huge strides recently in quality control.
    First I went to Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet and test drove an '08 Ford F150 Lariat and an '08 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ. Both were lo-mileage, top of the line models. The Ford drove nice and had good quality control. It had luxurious leather and all the goodies installed. The big problem I had with it was that it seemed so damn huge. I felt as if I were driving a UPS truck again. Next on to the Chevy. Same appointments as the Ford. I was equally impressed with the fit and finish of the Chevy and when I sat inside, it seemed just the right size. Not too cavernous. But when I drove the Chevy, it quickly became apparent that this was a "truck". It didn't handle as well as the Ford and it was a rougher ride. It was also a bit noisier inside while driving than the Ford. The engine was more powerful than the Ford. These were minor issues to me, and the salesman made me a deep discounted offer of $22,500. The Chevy only had 21k miles. I told him I still wanted to drive a Toyota prior to making my decision. He smirked and said that the Toyota's weren't in the same league with the Chevy and Ford.
    I started looking online at the Tundra's, but the price point for a low mileage '08 was too high. So I started looking at the Tacoma PreRunner TRD access cab. The lowest price I could find in San Diego county was $21,995. So I expanded my search area to include Los Angeles. I found a nice red '08 TRD PreRunner SR5 with 32k miles for $19.995. So I called the dealer in Manhattan Beach and had him pre-qualify me for a loan prior to making the drive up there (125 miles). The truck was prominently displayed out front when I arrived 2 hours later.
    [​IMG]
    The truck didn't have the leather interior like the Ford and Chevy, but quality control was unrivaled. I went for a test drive, and it was love at first turn. I currently drive an '06 Matrix, and the car before that was an '02 Sequoia. I wanted to give the American manufacturers a chance, but apparently they still just don't get it. In my opinion they can't make a vehicle that can match the Toyota as far as quality control, comfort and fitment at the same price point. I really tried. Anyways, I completed the deal there and drove the Taco home. It wasn't as comfortable as my Matrix on the way home, but it was close! It's the perfect size, rides higher than a passenger car, but not too high, and has a comfort factor in between my Matrix and the American trucks, being closer to the ride of the Matrix, than the trucks. I drove 85 mph all the way home (my Son who was driving the Matrix complained about my speed). I had a shit-eating grin on my face all the way home.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  2. May 3, 2010 at 8:22 PM
    #2
    SocalMan22

    SocalMan22 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2007
    Member:
    #1146
    Messages:
    8,080
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Steve-0
    So*Cal
    Vehicle:
    06 PreRunner Dbl Cab
    What Mods!
    Welcome to TW! Check our so cal region we always have meets at fiesta island, and other off road trails
     
  3. May 3, 2010 at 8:50 PM
    #3
    SoCalR

    SoCalR Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2009
    Member:
    #27311
    Messages:
    286
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Rand
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    05 TRD Sport PreRunner
    Welcome to TW, and congrats on your purchase. Looks really good. Sucks that you're moving up to NorCal, but if you decide to stick around down here, be sure to do as what's been previously said and check out the SoCal section for meets and trail runs. I'm sure there are events/meets up there too...but nothing as bad ass as ours...:anonymous:
     

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