How did you get here?

Meaning, what truck/4-wheel drive route did you take to end up with your 3rd Gen Tacoma?

I know some guys have had multiple Tacos, but this is my first, love it so far, purchased last Tuesday.

Here's how I got here not counting vehicles we bought after I got married.

1978- I purchased a 1973 Jeep CJ-5. At 20 years old I had a blast with it and learned a lot of lessons. If you play, you got to pay. It was tough as nails.

1985- I bought a 1970 Datsun pickup for $600. I drove this gutless wonder everywhere. It had a 1.6 liter engine and dual points. I always carried spare ones and remember changing them out on side of the road.

1989- traded in the Datsun towards a Mazda B2000. A huge step up from the Datsun. Drove it everywhere, very reliable.

1993- we bought a small camper and needed a fullsize truck. I bought a 1987 Dodge half ton. Again, 2 wheel drive, but reliable and boring.

1995- picked up a 1991 Mazda B2200. I drove kept this one until 2011. Loved it. I even had it shipped to Turkey in 1999 when I was stationed there. (USAF 1983-2003)

1998- A 1996 Chevy Blazer. While the engine was bullet proof, the rest was a piece of shît.

2004- bought my first new vehicle, a 2004 Tundra. I loved this truck, until we bought a 27', 6000 lbs camper. It would pull it fine, but hit hills or wind and it was a different story. The tail would definitely wag the dog.

2010- bought a 2010 Ram 2500 with the Cummins. What a beast, unlimited power, couldn't even tell the camper was behind us. For towing, nothing compares to a diesel. I loved this truck!

2011- picked up a 1999 Nissan Frontier for my daily driver. A tough vehicle, but the Minnesota road salt had got to it.

2016- picked up a 2008 Honda Element for my daily driver. I still have it, but will be selling it. Runs perfect but part of the downsizing project.

May 28, 2019- traded in the Ram 2500 for the Tacoma Off road. The 9 year old vehicle still had plenty of value, $27,000. We had 3 vehicles, the Ram, my Element and my wife's 2011 Rav4. We only drove the Ram to the cabin on weekends in the summer, so it was an expensive luxury. Now we can drive the Tacoma to the cabin and it will also be my daily driver. Retirement is looming and time to downsize.

 

3 prior Tacoma's before this one.

 

Ranger to Sport Trac to 2G Taco to 3G Taco

 

1982 - 1966 Ford Bronco
1985 - Rolled the Bronco. My new transportation became a C-130, a T-10 or an MC-1B and a pair of boots...
1990 - Got out. Drove a VW Golf GTI
1991 - Got a 1975 Ford Bronco
1994 - Sold the Bronco (big mistake), bought a silver Toyota P/U 4x4 (Gen1)
1996 - Some guy totaled my Toy while it was parked. Got the insurance money and bought a green
1994 Toyota P/U 4x4
2002 - My uncle sold me his 1999 Silverado 2500 shortbed. Sold the Toyota for $2700 (another mistake)
2015 - Bought a TJ. Awesome Jeep just no storage or carring ability.
2018 - Sold the Silverado and the Jeep... bought the best of both worlds: a 2019 Tacoma DCSB OR.

Lovin’ the luxury!

 

1989 slammed S-10. (4.3, Could outrun damn near anything I came up against.) 1998(Ordered new) Ranger. 2019 Access cab TRD Sport.

 

I bought a 1994 Toyota 4x4 P/U 5 spd... R22E engine

Then a 2004 Ford Super Duty with that miserable 6.0 Powerstroke diesel. It WAS a great work truck with plenty Ummmph. Just fell apart after warranty expiration.

Now I drive a Tacoma

 

2011 - I got my dad's 2004 f250 to drive to school right after getting my license. Fun to drive when you're 16 but a pain in the ass to park in the highschool lot. Lanes were too narrow to turn into a spot so if I wasn't at the very end of a row I had to park on the street.

2013 - graduated and got a 2000 2wd xj. This was a fun project. Learned a lot. Converted it to 4x4. Lifted it and built a custom bumper for it. Unfortunately got to the point where I needed to work on it vs wanting to work on it. Two very different things

2017 - sold the xj and used that along with my savings to buy the tacoma. Been happy since. Only work on it when I want to and not stressing at 11pm Sunday night to put parts back on and hoping it works so I can make it to work in the morning.

 

My grandfather and I did everything in his Toyota pickup. He had a luxury car, but he always smiled when he talked about the pickup, and that was our vehicle of choice on our little adventures. He always told me that no matter what, always have a Toyota pickup on hand. When I got my license, that was the first thing I was looking for.

Since then, I’ve always had tacomas. I’ve had three, own two.

 

2006 - 99 Ford Ranger
2007 - 94 Honda Civic
2008 - 2002 Mercury Sable
2010 - 2008 VW GTI
2012 - 2007 Scion Xb
2013 - 2004 Honda Civic SI
2016 - 2016 VW GTI
2018 - 2018 Ram 1500 Rebel
2019 - 2019 Tacoma OFF-road

 

First transport. 1985 Vespa px150, 1989.
First car 1972 vw super beetle.
Second car 1957 Chevy 210 wagon.
Third car 1967 vw camper bus, sold unfinished.
Forth car 1960 bug, got for 200 bucks with a blown motor.
Here's where it gets weird.
I have bought and sold about 5o old Vespa and lambretta scooters, still own 5.
In 97 got my 1983 Toyota 4x4. Sold that two years ago and bought my 2018 AC,OR.
I really could talk about the cars and MC's for a lot longer, as I haven't really talked about my Alfa Romeo habit.

 

I wanted to go Bankrupt ....... jk

 

I’m 23 and knew nothing about Tacomas at the time but I bought my buddy who had just graduated college 96 Tacoma Xtracab, I used it for work and school and kept it until graduation and then sold it and got my 18 OR. I miss the first gen sometimes but I needed a 4wd. No regrets so far 6 months in!

 

2000-In High School I drove my dads '93 Grand Cherokee and moms '95 Exploder that thing sucked, constant problems. (Although my mom did hydro lock it so that could have been part of it)
Around '04 my dad gave me the '93 5.2L Grand. I loved that thing, unfortunately I rolled it a couple years later.
2006-Picked up a 4.0L Grand Cherokee which I never really loved but it got me around and was mostly reliable other than a few times.
2016-Got my '17 Tacoma, my favorite vehicle thus far! Not perfect but pretty damn good.

 

78 C10 4 speed
87 Sentra 5 Speed
82 C10 Scottsdale
03 Ram 1500 4x4 5 Speed
04 Mustang 40th aniv (I know... I know) v6 5 speed
10 Gmc Sierra
13 Tacoma Sr5 4x4 6 speed
15 Ram 2500 Laramie longhorn
17 Tacoma off road 6 speed
Possible 2020 Trd Pro if army green looks as good as i think!!!!

 

1995: 2D 1980 Buick Skylark Limited (damn right)
1999: 1990 Ford Tempo
2001: 1992 Nissan Sentra
2003: 2001 Volvo C-70
2009: 2008 Toyota Highlander
2012: 2010 Audi A4
2015: 2016 Honda Accord
2019: 2019 Toyota Tacoma DCSB TRD Sport, Black.

 

93-97: drove family Taurus wagon
97: 94 Pathfinder
98: s10 for work - 1 year, kept Pathfinder
03: 03 Taco extended cab
06: 06 Xterra
10: 08 Ford Escape Hybrid - don't ask...
16: 17 Tacoma
25: sell 17 taco to my son and buy last of the 3rd gens in 25 for me!

 

‘02 Honda civic
Had a few WRXs and loved each one, but I’ve been looking at the Taco for years. Saved up forever and finally pulled the trigger and I couldn’t be happier.

 

Always wanted a truck so here is My saga:

1985 - Nissan Sentra passed down but destroyed by a logging truck
1989 - Toyota Supra Turbo
1993 - picked up an ‘88 Ford Bronco sold to brother
1998 thru 2002 - multiple Japanese vehicles in Okinawa
2002 - Lincoln Navigator
2002 - Jeep Liberty for wife and sold the Supra (regret that move)
2003 - purchased 1993 YJ Jeep Wrangler ( still have..heavily modded )
2005 - VW Jetta TDI ( still have )
2009 - Mini Clubman S for wife ( sold in 2013 )
2014- Audi A5 ( destroyed by hail in 2016 )
2016 - ordered 2017 Porsche Macan S ( sold Liberty)
2016 - purchased 2003 Porsche 996 Turbo
2019 - purchased 2019 Tacoma OR

So we still have the two P cars, the Jetta TDI, the YJ and the Taco...

I wheel a ton to get to places Subaru’s can’t get to. But needed the Taco because the Jeep is not that family or daily driver friendly and I have always wanted one!

 

For me, I started out inheriting the family hauler and moved to pickups and never went back.

82 Ford Granada station wagon.
84 Chevy C10
93 Ford F250
00 Dodge 1500
97 Ford F250
05 Ford F250
16 Tacoma