Tacoma a short story (true story)

Pg350 · Oct 25, 2020

Back in high school i saw a pickup that caught my eye and i wanted one so bad. It had the looks of a off road machine and when i started reading, I learned how capable it was. It was everything I like in life. Simple, capable and reliable. I was looking at the 1st gen Tacoma.

A few years later and now serving in the USAF, I was stationed in Montana. I dreamed of owning a 4x4 Tacoma to go into those Montana mountains I looked at in the distance every day. My new wife (high school sweet heart) said no! We owned a Saturn, then finally talked her into a 4x4 but she would only go for a SUV. I found a manual 4x4 Ford Explorer which was OK, but my friend had a 4x4 Tacoma and I lusted after it daily.

One day I put my foot down and we went to the dealership. I located a 2002 TRD Tacoma (extra cab), Pearl Black with a 5

Tylerh147 · Dec 27, 2018

What a great story! Congrats on the new taco!

Amanelot · Dec 27, 2018

Pics?!

trdude10 · Dec 27, 2018

Hell yea man great story! And thank you for your service! Good luck on finding your 02!

MuddyJackson · Dec 27, 2018

Pg350[OP] initial post: ↑

Back in high school i saw a pickup that caught my eye and i wanted one so bad. It had the looks of a off road machine and when i started reading, I learned how capable it was. It was everything I like in life. Simple, capable and reliable. I was looking at the 1st gen Tacoma.

A few years later and now serving in the USAF, I was stationed in Montana. I dreamed of owning a 4x4 Tacoma to go into those Montana mountains I looked at in the distance every day. My new wife (high school sweet heart) said no! We owned a Saturn, then finally talked her into a 4x4 but she would only go for a SUV. I found a manual 4x4 Ford Explorer which was OK, but my friend had a 4x4 Tacoma and I lusted after it daily.

One day I put my foot down and we went to the dealership. I located a 2002 TRD Tacoma (extra cab), Pearl Black with a 5 speed manual and color matched bumpers. The truck had 5,000 miles on it so I was saving a couple thousand off a brand new truck. This was the year 2002 so it was like a brand new truck. I was in heaven and one day I will find her and buy her back (later on that). A couple years go buy and my Taco is a beast in the Montana mountains embarrassing most other trucks.

I worked as a Security Forces member in the Air Force guarding nuclear missiles in Montana. We would go out to the missile field for 5 days at a time then come home for 3 days. One day my friend said he saw another man driving my Taco. I found out my wife was cheating but the only thing I was so pissed about was that another F!@KER was driving my FU!@ing Taco!!!

Needless to say the wife went bye bye. I got deployed to Korea where I could not bring my Taco so she was placed into storage. After a year and a half of being in storage I got stationed back home in Florida. I was single and had cash so I went to the Dealership and installed a TRD supercharger and the 7th injector kit. My Taco was now a mother FU#$ING beast!

That truck was great, it could beat a 1993 mustang GT in a drag race and climb anything. I lifted it and put 33s on it but took that off later for performance.

I got out of the Air Force (like an idiot) and remarried to a real woman. I had a new daughter and the bills started creeping in. My wife could not drive a stick and we could only afford one car. In 2012 I sold the Taco and bought a pontiac G6 ;(

In 2018, we went on a 7300 mile road trip in a mini camper I built. The mini camper only weighed 600 lbs and we were getting 24mpg towing it with the G6. About half way through the trip after visiting Glacier National Park and about 30 miles north of Yellowstone the G6 gave up and said no more. The transmission was toast and the bill was more than the car was worth.

It was 4th of July weekend in Livingston MT and the used car selection was shi#. I searched for two days while sleeping in the mini camper in a truck stop parking lot. We finally decided that a Rav 4 would suit us and could tow the camper. I located several certified Rav 4's in Bozemon MT. We traveled to Bozemon and went to the Toyota dealership. We picked out the Rav 4 we wanted. The 19,000 price tag hurt. I was so used to not having car payments that 19,000 seemed like the end of the world. We planned this trip for a long time and wanted to get back on the road without fear of breaking down so I wanted a warranty. The dealer threw a curve ball and said it would take a week to get a tow hitch installed and it would cost 1500.00. I was pissed and did not want to sleep in a truck stop one more night.

I looked at the salesman and said what kind of Tacoma's do you have???? He looked at me and said, "Jacob, we are not commission based here and you don't want to see the price tags on a Tacoma." I appreciated his honesty and said show me!

He showed me a 2017, 4door 2wd with 500 miles on it and said he could sell it for a bargain because they could not sell a 2wd truck. The truck had been sitting on the lot for a year and they had to accept it to get another car they needed. They offered the brand new truck (SR5, 2wd, double cab, v6) for 25,000 out the door. It was a bargain and would tow the mini camper great. I would also be back in a Tacoma. The price hurt but it was beautiful. I missed my Tacoma so bad.

I was doing the paper work and then stopped and told the salesman "I will regret this decision for the rest of my life." He agreed and said he could tell that spending that much money was painful for me even though I had a 840 credit score and made over 70,000 a year.

I told him I just cant do it. He said he would find a used Rav 4 with a tow package somewhere.

I SAID NO!

I cant buy a FU!^ing 2WD Tacoma!!!!

I picked out a 2018, double cab, SR5, V6, super white 4X4 Tacoma and took it for a test drive. I was in shock after driving a G6 for years. I felt like my old self again. I bought the truck for a reasonable 32,595 and was back on the road that night. We finished our road trip in July and now have 9500 miles on her. She has been flawless and was so comfortable during the road trip. She is my second Tacoma to be purchased in Montana (the only place that feels like home to me). I love the little mountains in the background on the dash and it reminds me everyday where she came from.

She is the best souvenir we have from the road trip and everyday when I drive her I remember our adventure. On the trip we went through 20 sates and hit almost every major National Park. I sold the MINI camper and am in the process of building a bigger one now that I can actually tow. We will be back in Montana before you know it so our Taco can visit family.
Click to expand...

great story! Maybe we should trade lives bc Montana is not really for me... at least not yet the whole year I've been here. : /

hiPSI · Dec 27, 2018

Great story man.

GillyLink · Dec 27, 2018

Jesus! That was a absolute amazing read! I’m sorry to hear about the low parts but everything helped lead to where you are now! Congrats on the new wife kid and especially Tacoma! Cheers brother and keep us posted on the new camper blue prints!

Time for more good times and the taco will get you there!

Pg350 · Dec 27, 2018

Lots of pics coming. For some reason I am having internet issues. Or it might be an IPA problem.
Pics tomorrow I swear.

Pg350 · Dec 27, 2018

hiPSI · Dec 27, 2018

Pg350[OP] said: ↑

Lots of pics coming. For some reason I am having internet issues. Or it might be an IPA problem.
Pics tomorrow I swear.
Click to expand...

You are a better man than me. I would have just been getting out of jail for manslaughter of the dickhead who thought he could drive my truck.
Some things are sacrosanct.

jets · Dec 27, 2018

Great story, MT is where I call home as well. Lived in Missoula for 4 years, I will return one day!

shane100700 · Dec 27, 2018

Pg350[OP] initial post: ↑

Back in high school i saw a pickup that caught my eye and i wanted one so bad. It had the looks of a off road machine and when i started reading, I learned how capable it was. It was everything I like in life. Simple, capable and reliable. I was looking at the 1st gen Tacoma.

A few years later and now serving in the USAF, I was stationed in Montana. I dreamed of owning a 4x4 Tacoma to go into those Montana mountains I looked at in the distance every day. My new wife (high school sweet heart) said no! We owned a Saturn, then finally talked her into a 4x4 but she would only go for a SUV. I found a manual 4x4 Ford Explorer which was OK, but my friend had a 4x4 Tacoma and I lusted after it daily.

One day I put my foot down and we went to the dealership. I located a 2002 TRD Tacoma (extra cab), Pearl Black with a 5 speed manual and color matched bumpers. The truck had 5,000 miles on it so I was saving a couple thousand off a brand new truck. This was the year 2002 so it was like a brand new truck. I was in heaven and one day I will find her and buy her back (later on that). A couple years go buy and my Taco is a beast in the Montana mountains embarrassing most other trucks.

I worked as a Security Forces member in the Air Force guarding nuclear missiles in Montana. We would go out to the missile field for 5 days at a time then come home for 3 days. One day my friend said he saw another man driving my Taco. I found out my wife was cheating but the only thing I was so pissed about was that another F!@KER was driving my FU!@ing Taco!!!

Needless to say the wife went bye bye. I got deployed to Korea where I could not bring my Taco so she was placed into storage. After a year and a half of being in storage I got stationed back home in Florida. I was single and had cash so I went to the Dealership and installed a TRD supercharger and the 7th injector kit. My Taco was now a mother FU#$ING beast!

That truck was great, it could beat a 1993 mustang GT in a drag race and climb anything. I lifted it and put 33s on it but took that off later for performance.

I got out of the Air Force (like an idiot) and remarried to a real woman. I had a new daughter and the bills started creeping in. My wife could not drive a stick and we could only afford one car. In 2012 I sold the Taco and bought a pontiac G6 ;(

In 2018, we went on a 7300 mile road trip in a mini camper I built. The mini camper only weighed 600 lbs and we were getting 24mpg towing it with the G6. About half way through the trip after visiting Glacier National Park and about 30 miles north of Yellowstone the G6 gave up and said no more. The transmission was toast and the bill was more than the car was worth.

It was 4th of July weekend in Livingston MT and the used car selection was shi#. I searched for two days while sleeping in the mini camper in a truck stop parking lot. We finally decided that a Rav 4 would suit us and could tow the camper. I located several certified Rav 4's in Bozemon MT. We traveled to Bozemon and went to the Toyota dealership. We picked out the Rav 4 we wanted. The 19,000 price tag hurt. I was so used to not having car payments that 19,000 seemed like the end of the world. We planned this trip for a long time and wanted to get back on the road without fear of breaking down so I wanted a warranty. The dealer threw a curve ball and said it would take a week to get a tow hitch installed and it would cost 1500.00. I was pissed and did not want to sleep in a truck stop one more night.

I looked at the salesman and said what kind of Tacoma's do you have???? He looked at me and said, "Jacob, we are not commission based here and you don't want to see the price tags on a Tacoma." I appreciated his honesty and said show me!

He showed me a 2017, 4door 2wd with 500 miles on it and said he could sell it for a bargain because they could not sell a 2wd truck. The truck had been sitting on the lot for a year and they had to accept it to get another car they needed. They offered the brand new truck (SR5, 2wd, double cab, v6) for 25,000 out the door. It was a bargain and would tow the mini camper great. I would also be back in a Tacoma. The price hurt but it was beautiful. I missed my Tacoma so bad.

I was doing the paper work and then stopped and told the salesman "I will regret this decision for the rest of my life." He agreed and said he could tell that spending that much money was painful for me even though I had a 840 credit score and made over 70,000 a year.

I told him I just cant do it. He said he would find a used Rav 4 with a tow package somewhere.

I SAID NO!

I cant buy a FU!^ing 2WD Tacoma!!!!

I picked out a 2018, double cab, SR5, V6, super white 4X4 Tacoma and took it for a test drive. I was in shock after driving a G6 for years. I felt like my old self again. I bought the truck for a reasonable 32,595 and was back on the road that night. We finished our road trip in July and now have 9500 miles on her. She has been flawless and was so comfortable during the road trip. She is my second Tacoma to be purchased in Montana (the only place that feels like home to me). I love the little mountains in the background on the dash and it reminds me everyday where she came from.

She is the best souvenir we have from the road trip and everyday when I drive her I remember our adventure. On the trip we went through 20 sates and hit almost every major National Park. I sold the MINI camper and am in the process of building a bigger one now that I can actually tow. We will be back in Montana before you know it so our Taco can visit family.
Click to expand...

This just proves how great MT is... I mean sucks, it totally sucks, never move here..

I hated growing up here, joined the Army, lived all over and couldn’t wait to move back when I retired. But that’s just me, everyone else will hate it... never move here.

GillyLink · Dec 27, 2018

hiPSI said: ↑

You are a better man than me. I would have just been getting out of jail for manslaughter of the dickhead who thought he could drive my truck.
Some things are sacrosanct.
Click to expand...

How dare you say that ??!!! We would never get caught !

MrWednesday · Dec 27, 2018

Awesome Story! Welcome!

Pg350 · Dec 27, 2018

I truly love Montana. I lived there 4 years and have spent the last 13 trying to get back.

shane100700 · Dec 27, 2018

Pg350[OP] said: ↑

I truly love Montana. I lived there 4 years and have spent the last 13 trying to get back.
Click to expand...

What’s stopping you?

Pg350 · Dec 27, 2018

I cant lose another retirement. We will return for good one day. Until then, we will roadtrip.

shane100700 · Dec 27, 2018

Pg350[OP] said: ↑

I cant lose another retirement. We will return for good one day. Until then, we will roadtrip.
Click to expand...

Got ya... that makes sense then. A pension is def nice, especially if you can collect it before retirement age.

orangeracer · Dec 27, 2018

When I got to the part of the story about a G6 towing a mini camper on a road trip across the country, I called BS and wrote the story off as hocus pocus. Then OP post a picture of the impossible, so I apologize and take back all my negative thoughts.

Thanks for the story, congrats and enjoy your new truck OP!

Pg350 · Dec 27, 2018

Pics coming I promise. Tomorrow. Internet not downloading.

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