Wisconsin Tacomas and bad financial advice

Bah! Hopes dashed. Yeah, that sounds pretty scammy.

I’ll share my experience looking for used 4runners…pre-covid crazy times.

Too much money and too many miles for too much frame rust.

It was only to have as a secondary fun vehicle, but the “want” never went away. I got frustrated enough to save up for a few years since by that time I was looking to get a new daily driver anyways.

But if you’re looking for a trail rig…those 4th gens look mighty fine with bumpers, tires, wheels, etc. That could increase your odds ag finding a clean platform. Do they sell FJ body kits lol?

 

Anyone else identify...?

 

Most of us?

Beats Cancer. Just saying….

And it gives people something fun to chat about at the wake.

 

@Thatbassguy

You home or still off doin solo adventures in the shark infested waters in the kayak?

Also….. how’s mom and her bfs place? You get it all fixed up?

 

Yes.

 

FJ - terrible wheeling rigs. Some of the best running gear, but zero visibility and cargo space.

4Runner - 5th and 4th gens will have about 70 cubic feet of space with the seats down.

4Runner - 4th gens are awesome dailies..... IF you can find a clean frame. Not the greatest wheeling trucks, for whatever reason there is a lot less support, a lot let space for getting under there, and overall it is just a tad goofy compared to a 3rd and 5th gens.











And











I forgot everything else I was gonna say. Cheers!

 

3rd gens are cool, but man, they are pretty high up there in age. I’d start looking at a late 90s cruiser instead. @Taco-Grinder , you taking notes?

 

Well, it continues...bought sliders...BAMF knockdown kit. It's not on their website, was something they were toying with but ran into shipping problems with the first couple. I'm the new Guinea Pig for the new shipping arrangement. I will probably wait until March to weld them up...maybe. My son rolled his eyes when I said I was going to coat these with bed-liner...that will probably wait until I can do it in the garage as I found out this evening that we're having a 4-legged guest again for a couple of months starting in Feb. Not sure she'll like the smell.

 

@Taco-Grinder I found a place you can dump all that extra $$$

https://nmi.craigslist.org/cto/d/lake-leelanau-1991-toyota-land-cruiser/7580395149.html

Congrats on the sliders. I suggest you coat your son in bed liner, his eyes will stop rolling around then. Best of luck with your mother in law coming to visit the garage.

 

Other nerds out there might be aware of something called ChatGPT. It's an AI (artificial intelligence) engine developed to respond to queries in conversational English, and it's really pretty extraordinary. It can write computer code for you, compose research papers, solve complex problems... it's passed the Bar and medical exams. Brilliant, amusing... and a little scary. I've been having some fun with it on a far more basic and useless level. I told it to write a poem about off roading in my truck tonight. Check this out:



HAHA! Love it. If you want to kill a few hours, go to https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/ It's free (for now) and a blast to play with.

 

This is fun! Way better than Google.

 

Skip the bedliner. Touching that up after a wheeling trip will be a pain. Use paint lol.

 

Good call.

Here's another option for @OldSchlPunk to consider.

I used a Rust-Oleum spray on bed liner on my bumper, and it turned out good. I need to do some touch up this spring, so we'll see how it blends in. Worst case, I'll just scuff up the whole thing and give it a fresh top coat.

 

I'd definitely go with a 4Runner over an FJ Cruiser. All of the awesomeness without looking like you're driving a giant football helmet down the road.

@Taco-Grinder , if you're looking for a camping/wheeling rig, an 80 series LC, or an older 4Runner is a good option to consider.

Unless you just really want an FJC, which is totally fine. IIRC, the rear seats don't really fold flat, and it's probably not long enough to really stretch out, if you're looking to sleep in it.

 

I'll be on the road this evening.

I had my last adventure on Tuesday. I got a little crazy and paddled offshore aways to check out a giant oyster bar. It was loaded with Ladyfish, which are like giant minnows. Not impressive, but they make good shark bait. I had a dolphin circling around, probably eating the Ladyfish.

The Electrical is pretty much wrapped up. There's a few odds and ends to do today. The roof is watertight now, and they're ordering the tin soon. They still have a lot of work ahead of them.

Here's the kitchen as of this morning:



They have a temporary sink set up so they can at least do dishes.

The Lanai is rebuilt, and I added more lights than they had before.



And just for fun, I took this picture the other day.

"I don't always drink beer while kayak fishing in shark infested waters. But, when I do, it is Dos Equis."

 

Hey, I get along great with my ex-MIL, took her out to dinner for her birthday a couple of weeks ago.

 

Damn! you sure got a lot done there!

I really like that new minimalist kitchen btw

 

Haha! It was easy once we figured out a cabinet layout. We decided to move the peninsula over a bit and make it a little longer than before.

 

Operation 35's underway. Starting with a CMR.

 

CMR?