The one that got away...

Greetings all! New member from the Inland Empire of Southern California.

Years ago I owned a '94 4Runner SR5 4x4 5sp which put a smile on my face every day that I drove it. But one day an air-headed driver with no insurance ran a stop sign and t-boned the HELL out of my ride...totalling it in the process. 25 years later, I've gone through several different vehicles and landed on my current steed: a 2011 Land Rover LR4. Fun vehicle, smooth ride and surprisingly not so difficult to do repairs (fuel pump, radiator, water pump, various cooling parts, etc.).

Anyhoo..

I'm in the classified on the Facebook Marketplace for some reason, and I'm looking at this 2004 Tacoma Xtracab 4cyl 4wd 5sp AND SHE IS A CLEAN BEAUTY. My head is suddenly filled with visions of driving my old 4Runner again but instead sitting inside one of the worlds most revered pickup trucks. I contact the seller, and I'm FIRST in line. We agree on a price and arrange a meeting. I'm still in NorCal visiting my brother...it's Friday...I'm not coming home until Sunday...she's in San Diego. She agrees to wait for me in spite of the "millions" of phone calls she's getting. I offer to wire her a deposit sight unseen. She assures me the car will be waiting for me. I go to sleep with one eye open on the listing page.

Saturday. I inform her that I have arranged to have a friend meet up with her, quickly inspect the car and hand her a cashier's check. Bad news: She sold the truck for $2000 more than our agreed price. Heart drops. Weekend is ruined. The long drive home is in complete silence.

I'm on the rebound, guys. I've responded to no less than two dozen ads in the last week for lesser trucks just to get back that feeling. But I think I'm in a better place now. Patience is a virtue, and I will have a Tacoma sitting in my driveway soon enough. Until then, I'll admire the builds on this site...and I'll be keeping one eye on the 1st Gen FS section of the board.

Cheers.

 

Welcome to TW

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome to TW

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Man, that gave me feelings. A tragedy I say. Hope you find a truck.

 

If you see a good deal, you gotta jump on it. Hope you find another one, but they seem rare in good condition (especially the frame).

 

Redeemed!

Finally brought home my first Taco. I have no words right now other than 97, DLX, 4x4, 5sp, and "dreaming of future possibilities"!

 

Congrats