02 College Commuter

Officially starting a build thread after nearly 2 years of owning my tacoma.

Jan 2017


Here it is on the day I bought it. March 6th, 2015 105,000 miles 2.4L 5spd SR5 all manual erythin. Guy that owned it before me bought it with 23 miles on it in 2003


So far I've done almost nothing to the truck other than a audio upgrade. Picked up a JL audio 10" sub and amp combo. While it won't be shaking any mirrors off in my AC it's just the right amount of bump for my little truck. I didn't take pictures of the install but it was pretty straight forward. Did it myself in about 2 hours.

When I first bought the truck I was a freshman in college, my mazda had just blown up, and I was living hours from my parents and my knowledgeable dad/mechanic/tool shed. I needed a reliable vehicle that was good on gas. Dragged my mazda to a yota dealership and drove away with my taco and a loan payment. I knew I wanted a first gen and didn't care so much about 4x4 or getting a prerunner. I didn't have the luxury of being able to shop around but I'm really happy with what I paid and what I got.

Fast forward 1.5 years and my new(ish) job provides me with a vehicle so I now can justify playing with bigger tires and other upgrades. I live on the coast and commute into Orlando to go to school so MPG ~was~ really important to me.

Future Mods:
Cragar Black D Window wheels 15x7
235/75/15
All-Pro wrap around rear bumper
Line X Bedliner
Doug Thorley headers (purchased in Spring of 2016.. still not sure if I'm going to install or sell)
headlight upgrade

 

Good looking truck. I think the first gens are great also.

 

In July my truck was parked (read: PARKED) in an apartment complex lot and a construction crew took out my passenger turn signal while they were attempting to back? into a spot. Luckily someone I went to school with saw it and pressured the guys to leave a note. The construction company paid for the repair. Everything from the grille down was replaced for about $1200 at a local body shop.

It was an inconvenience but at the end of the day I didn't pay for it and the body shop restored it to OEM quality, or so I thought. 6 months later I now have chrome pitting and rust on top part of the bumper where it touches the color matched part. Tomorrow I'm going back to the body shop to see what they can do. I live on the beach has to be taken care of immediately.

 

A lot of body shops in DFW area have lifetime warranty on the work they do. Good luck!