Show me your Truck History Image Diary

3'' black Metal spikes drilled through the hood

I spike all things




taco - spike

 

First truck was a 2008 GMC Canyon. I had come from a Mustang before that so I learned quickly how much better one of these drives in the snow. This was the day I brought it home. Drove it for 4 years and 110k miles. After many adventures and 156k on the odometer, she was getting a bit rusty and spendy. So I traded her in for my 2nd truck:


2017 Tacoma TRD OR (pictured next to our 4Runner). So far, I couldn't be happier. After years of research, I was all ready to buy an F150, but ultimately I didn't need a full size truck yet and started loving the Tacoma. I couldn't get it out of my head after seeing a badass looking black and blue one coming back from a winter vacation in Michigan's UP.

 

[Note to self] Remember to bring with me in case @Tacospike shows up at Tacoma meet.

 

I had neither trucks nor cameras growing up, so I'm just sharing my auto history with googled images.

1978 Plymouth Volare - first car, 150,xxx miles, $600


This beauty, or a trainwreck roughly similar to this with more grime, rust and mildew, got me to school, the park, and Sonic for all of a year. Bled oil, and by the time inspection had rolled around, the frame was so rusted out that we determined it wasn't worth investing in. Oh Plymouth, I hardly new ye.

1995 Nissan 200sx-se - 50,xxx miles


Bought this from a used car dealership that acquires most of its vehicles from auto auctions. It was previously owned by Mennonites, so very well cared for. I used this little bugger in autocross a few times, and it got me through most of college. I think I put around 75k miles on it before I traded it in for the 4R. It was a manual with a cable clutch, none of those fancy hydraulics. It was AWFUL! I had to press the pedal all the way to the floor to get the clutch to disengage by the time I traded it in (on its second clutch).

Bonus: 1989 Toyota Supra with a targa top and 1JZ-GTE swap


I spent a lot of time standing in a field to buy this thing. A local guy ended up getting his hands on it. I should have known it was a red flag when he had to jump start it when we went for a test drive. And the top leaked. But I was young, and dumb (now I'm just dumb!) and I wanted to go fast, so this was the ticket - at least in my mind. It was an auto, but I ended up buying an R154 from someone I met somehow and I can't remember how exactly. Never got around to putting it in, though.

1999 Toyota 4Runner


Traded the 200sx in for this. A local used car dealership had it, it was a manual, I had to have it, so I did everything I could to make it happen, which consisted of draining a bank account and sneaking into the cafeteria for several lunches (In college at the time). Yet another leaky car - the sunroof didn't work and when raining, it would stream down the pillars, or onto me, or my passenger, depending on if I was braking, accelerating, or turning. Eventually I just sealed up the sunroof with silicone since it didn't work anyways. Unfortunately I wrecked this and totaled it when someone was stopped in the middle of the road with no lights on at night. I wish I had bought it back and just paid out of pocket to fix it, but my wife is glad I didn't.

1988 Toyota Supra with 1JZ-GTE

First car that I actually have pictures of! I picked this up after my previous one got hit by a truck and totaled. This one IS a 5 speed, and has a lot more going on so it was very much a straight upgrade. Also, fortunately, that transmission I picked up for the previous one came in handy when this one's 3rd gear and eventually 2nd gear went out. And then the ECU led to getting an AEM stand alone, and then the alternator... but it's back to running now - mostly. We'll see, Spring is right around the corner.

2003 Toyota 4Runner V8


I picked this up after the first 4R was totaled. I always loved the body style, I just wish they offered it with an MT. I'd probably still have this today if it had a manual. Finally a car that didn't leak! I traded this in last December with 275k miles for my Tacoma:

2021 TRD OR DCSB MT
First new car, and back into a manual! So far I've gotten the bed mat, replaced the shift knob with the TRD out of the FJ Cruiser (I think), and have an RSI Smartcap to assemble and put on this weekend. I've loved every single one of the 2,833 miles I've put on it so far, and can't wait to take it to hopefully past the 275k miles of my 4R.

Honorable mention:
Oh look at that, a picture kind of of the 4R as well! My dad was going to sell me his 2001 Tacoma with 322,xxx miles on it as a hunting truck so the wife couldn't complain about me throwing a deer in the back of the 4R, but we ultimately decided against this move as the Transfer Case in the 4R ended up not being able to shift into 4L, and rather than spending money to fix an otherwise perfectly reliable vehicle, we used it as an excuse to upgrade.

 

Nissan, and then Rangers, seems to be one of the more common "gateway drugs" of pickup truck ownership.

 

02 Cummins
2011 Cummins.
Both were great trucks and sold for more than kbb. Really held there value.