After 20 Years, I’ve Upgraded!

On November 5, 2001, I bought my first truck, a 1999 Tacoma Xtra Cab V6 Auto TRD Off-Road with 22,000 miles on the clock in Colorado. Here’s me and my little buddy on the day I brought it home and then traveling up to 10,000+ feet shortly thereafter:







Well, this girl is now married and expecting my first grandchild. To properly take that grandchild fishing and off-roading, I decided it was time to upgrade to a four-door. So here’s my 2022 Tacoma Double Cab V6 Auto TRD Off-Road in Barcelona Red with the XP Predator package as the sun rose:





These photos are in my home state of North Carolina, about 20 miles from the homestead. These trucks are hard to come by, and it was just luck that I came across it. It arrived the day before Thanksgiving and I saw it on the internet on Black Friday at 7:30 am. Another hour and it would have been sold to someone else!

A few comments:

1. I’ve seen folks complain about the 3-Gen’s power but it certainly has more pick up than my 1999!

2. The new one also rides much smoother. And I’m not finding any God-awful shifting from the transmission.

3. It’s 10 inches longer and stands taller. Made me clean out the garage to make it fit!

4. The ‘99 isn’t going to the boneyard. I’ve offered my youngest daughter (I have several of them) the choice of adopting it.

5. Finally, my hope is to goad the oldest to pose again with the new Tacoma - I’m betting another doughnut may do it!

 

Great story and a sharp looking new ride Congratulations!
Hope the old truck gets a good home too.

 

Congratulations on the new ride . Cool story.

 

Congrats all around, family doing well and a new truck. Finally a 2022 in the wild, looks great

 

Beautiful Red Taco! Congrats on the grandchild also. Still waiting on mine.

 

Need a pic of your daughter standing in the bed with her red gloves and shades. Then and now!

 

Smart man sticking with the Off Road!

Congrats.

 

Great stor, cute kid, beautiful old Tacoma and IMO one of the sharpest looking Gen3 trucks I’ve seen! Congratulations and enjoy.

 

Congrats on the grandkid and the new truck. I replaced a 1st gen with a 3rd gen recently too and have to agree that the 3rd gens are much nicer.

 

That is a beautiful truck!! I hope you will enjoy it for years to come. Congratulations on the grandchild too!

 

Nice 22!. How many miles on the 99?

 

Awesome story and congrats on the truck. I really like those 98/99 Tacoma’s. A college roommate had one back then and that was what partially made me want one eventually. That thing was unstoppable. Hope it stays in the family and gets a refresh for your daughter.

 

Great looking 1st Gen, same color as my ‘99 4Runner!

Love the story and photos with your daughter as well — like @Fatback17 said, y’all must recreate those pics with the new truck. I have some similar old photos with a few of my dad’s cars and I wish we’d recreated them before he passed away.

 

A little over 223,000 miles on the old 1st Gen. I’m trying to recall the repair list: radiator, carrier bearing, starter, timing belt, cleaning the power steering pump screen, brakes, a rear axle seal, a little cleaning and welding in the frame to account for a bit of rust near the rear axle, one tie-rod, a new radio, water pump, and fluids. Not too bad for 20 years!

As to the new Tacoma - I only meant to find a 2022 to test drive. But when the salesman told me it was red with the XP package, I ran over to the dealer to check it out. I think it was the only 2022 in Western North Carolina! Three hours later, I was driving it home! When I saw that the VIN ended in 0069, it seemed like a sign, as my birth year is 1969.

Just to make it all the more interesting, my grandchild is due on June 8th, which is my parents’ anniversary.

 

Congrats. My oldest daughter is a little younger but not far off. They grow up way too fast!. And congrats on being a soon to be Grandpa!!


Hopefully that is a ways off for me

 

Awesome story. Those are two great looking trucks.

 

Congrats! I had a similar experience, except for no grandkids on the way (my 2 girls are only 4 and 1 1/2 now). But I had a ‘98 regular cab 4 cyl. 5 speed 4x4 Tacoma and I absolutely loved that little truck (the “taco verde”). My ‘21 TRD OR 4x4 is better in just about every way, but I still miss my old truck and wish I would have kept it around…


And the new one…

 

Definitely need to re-create the photo, it'll be an awesome set of pictures to last a lifetime! Maybe even some day the grandchild can re-create the original in the old truck if it stays in the family. Super cool.

 

Wow! Time sure does fly!

Beautiful color choice going with the HOT Barcelona Red.

 

awesome story and congrats on the new ride!