Maine

Boston Maine????? Never heard of it... Lol
We kind of kicked the bbq mod party around but nothing ever developed......

 

Haha no, the real Boston. Its only a hop and skip away if you are in southern maine. It was a 2 hour drive from where i am at.

 

Maybe someone will have a project that can use some help on. That's how it starts...

 

Yeah I've been to a ton in the Subaru scene. Turbo swaps, exhausts and brake jobs... It was good fun and a good way to learn something new.

 

3" lift

 

Any recommendations on where to go get a State Inspection without getting railed? I live in Bowdoin. I am willing to travel as far as Augusta/Brunswick/Lewiston.

Runs/drives perfect! It should pass fine but I am a little worried about the rust... Eek...

 

Phillis's in West Gardiner wasn't too picky the last time I had a truck inspected there, and it had some fender rust. There's also a place in Litchfield called BK auto but I'm not sure if he still has his state inspection license. They're both old-school garages so they're picky about mechanical stuff but not as much about body rust. Obviously you don't want any big holes, but they usually won't freak out about a little bubbling or pinholes.

 

I was born a masshole but my heart is in Maine forever, and I have lots of family all over Maine mostly southern parts Portland, OOB, Wells, Hebron and elsewhere.

 

As much as I love Katahdin, Millinocket has got to be about the most depressing town I've ever seen. A while back Baxter was hiring for an IT admin that I gave about ten seconds thought to applying for. With the house prices in that area, I could have nearly paid cash for a decent place. It's unreal.

 

I always found Houlton to be a downer.... Great place to drive through. Even Calais is a bit more upbeat. Right now they are both suffering store closures big time with the end of cross border shopping. That being said Woodstock and St Stephen (NB) are booming yet again

 

Bah. Looking at some pictures of last winter.
This same time last year:

Right now I can see the grass in my yard and I've got mint growing along the foundation of the house.

 

The Bangor area has been the beneficiary of the down turn of the paper industry. Northerners have been migrating "south" for a couple of decades now. The biggest indicator ? The number of successful car dealerships in Bangor, especially on Hogan Road off I95. It's car buyers heaven just off the interstate. But, the Toyota dealership sits by itself over in neighboring Brewer, sucking up all the sales from Down East and the Neighboring lakes. It was a stroke of genious to put a Toyota dealership away from everyone else over there. That side of the river is awash in Toyotas when you drive to work in the morning. It was helped by I 395 access to it off I 95 some years back. They sell every Toyota then they can get.

They are so popular, when I sell my old ones, they often were sold without even being test driven. They are nuts over Toyotas, especially the Tacos in this area.

 

If you are a redneck Taco owner like me who has grown up around 4 wheeling, snow mobiles, hunting, fishing and still want to be near the coast, good schools and hospitals for your family, nothing beats the Bangor area.

 

Good luck. Rust is a big item in inspections. The fees are fixed so it's just a matter of going from one to another till you find one that wil pass your body damage.

 

Back in '07 when I bought my FJ I came very close to buying one at Downeast. I have bought parts there and even had work done there over the years. Used to be in and out of Bangor/Brewer/Ba Ha Ba all the time. Still know the Airline like the back of my hand as well as I-95 above Bangor from the years I lived in Fredericton.

 

In my younger days I used to get my old XJ inspected at Gallager's Auto in Corinna for the inspection fee+ a six-packof BL. That thing had zero business being on the road.

Now I would never support a bogus inspection for a vehicle with mechanical issues. But if all it really needs is a little rust repair, you might have good luck getting a sticker there.

 

When my 4Runner was 9 years old, I tried out an FJ on the advice of a salesman saying it road and drove as well as a 4 Runner. It didn't. A great off roader but even the longer Taco road better and was quieter. I wanted to buy one badly but understand now why they don't make them anymore. Good that you stayed with yours. Everyone I know who owned one, loved it. I just couldn't pull the trigger.

As Dealers go, I am happy with Downeast. Of course, some of the poeple there I have known from school in the area,.......that helps a lot.

 

The FJ is an acquired taste for sure and certainly a tough sell around a Tacoma site....lol..... But TW has maybe a tenth of the bs that the FJC forum has. I had a 90 PU and then a 98 Taco before getting mine. Love it for sure but when it leaves my garage for the last time it will be replaced with a Runner or another Tacoma. I have to say though that it has been a learning curve from day one. I have never altered/modded a vehicle to this extent before and it has definitely opened my eyes to that.

But the biggest thing the FJ brought was a HUGE social circle through the FJNortheasters. 9 years ago if someone told me I would have good friends from Delaware to Ohio and in every New England state I would have laughed at them.

 

We had our 4Runner for 11 years and loved it. It would have been replaced by another except for two reasons. It was $10 k more then the Taco we bought and my wife's newer Venza served as a travel vehicle. Bring lot's of cash but be ready to be wooed by what IMHO, is the best do anything Toyota makes. The reduced gas prices help too. The Tacos are just too freak'n long for a compact truck......but they do ride a heck of a lot better then they used to.

 

Idk about downeast for parts. Went in to feel them out, I had part numbers. Straight msrp, I was quoted 16.50 for a center cap, dealer in mass has it listed for 10.11 free shipping. In a pinch sure but if it can wait I'll find a deal somewhere else.