CharlieHex's Waifu Build Thread Living Blog for ADHD Organization

Gather 'round, friend-Os. I have a tale to tell ye, and a tale I'll be needin' help writin'.

How I met my truck:
In late 2020, I was driving an '08 Xterra I picked up in the summer of 2011. That poor beast was approaching 170k, showing its age and starting to need repairs, but I loved it without modifying a thing. It was torquey, I could scream passed aggressive soccer moms on Phoenix Metro on-ramps and sometimes pretend I was in a GTR on certain stretches of road near the Carefree Highway area. I used that little pig like a truck; I hunted, hauled building materials... etcetera, etcetera.

I knew it was about to die, though, and I couldn't really afford to not have a vehicle, so I started researching mid-sized trucks and SUVs, as that's what I need in my life and nothing more.

The Finalists (in no particular order):

Chevrolet Colorado - My Dad has a 2WD V6 in LT Boomer Deluxe Trim. It's got a front spoiler and creature comforts but is mostly a road-sofa. I drove it for a month at the end of 2019 and it was nice on the long drive from SW New Mexico to Phoenix but it handled like a shopping cart in the city and I wasn't ever really excited to drive it. I researched other trims and drive trains and kinda liked the idea of the little diesel powerplant and Bison package but the weight, MPG and price were horrible for what I would have been interested in aesthetically.



Ford Ranger - Like the Colorado, the Rangers need a lot of work to get me interested. I do like what Loren Healey has done with the Fun Haver Ranger but It's A LOT OF WORK and money to get the truck looking interesting at all. It's also really early in its model cycle and I heard that can be begging for issues and recall nightmares, so I moved on.


Jeep Gladiator - I hate the way these things look on the lot and never really considered them a front runner at all. Mojave, Rubicon, Willy's, Overlander... No matter the the stock trim, I hate the way they look even with 37" muds. However, I freaking love these things done up right (wide axles, heavy duty suspension, lights, tents, toppers, etc) but the more I researched, the more I found I would be paying a lot up front and then paying even more to have the rig I wanted, so I was still hesitant to even consider financing one. My buddy was also in the market for a new vehicle and bought a 2021 Eco Diesel JL in December of 2020. I loved the power and efficiency of the drivetrain so much that owning a Jeep truck became a serious consideration, so if I were to get a Jeep, it would be a diesel. I made the trip across town to the only dealer with a Willy's EcoDiesel to give it a test drive; the dealer had no idea they even had a diesel Gladiator on the lot. The acceleration was great on the freeway and the truck had no problem maintaining 75 mph with that 8 speed transmission all while getting 25 to 30 mpg. The ride sucked but I knew what I would be getting into with a Jeep on Dana 44s. The diesel powerplant and Willy's trim came with a $48k sticker so I knew it wasn't likely meant to be, since I'd still be wanting to upgrade wheels, tires and suspension right away. I texted my girl a photo of the uninspiring stock Gladiator at the dealer and her response was, "That thing is so long and ugly. I don't like it." I couldn't argue with her, nor did I want to have a long text conversation about how much money I was willing to dump in it to make it the machine I wanted. I texted the photo to an old friend and he replied, with the Michael Jordan "Stop it. Get some help" meme and "I'm older than you and I'm not old man enough to drive that old man truck.", so I walked away empty handed and with a hard inquiry on my credit.


Toyota Tacoma - I have a 1st Gen. I know the 3rd is currently the number one selling midsize. Toyota reliability is amazing. Resale values are great. We all know the score with Toyota. I just had to try others so make sure I was being a smart shopper (because sometimes I'm a dumb shopper). I purchased mine on the same day I walked away from the Gladiator at the Chrysler dealer next door. They had a handful of Tacomas and they were going quickly. I passed up a Voodoo Blue OR DCSB with a moonroof and leather, knowing I don't care about the color or options as much as I cared about just the locker and Crawl Control (the sand video got me) so I went with a Barcelona Red OR DCSB that had just been delivered. She had a red sister with step bars and tonneau cover but I wasn't paying for things I would be dumping right away. I am usually a fan of two door over four door trucks but this one spoke to me, old man tires and all. I test drove it and while it wasn't the performance of the Gladiator or Xterra I was used to, it had potential so I took my Waifu home.

 

Don't knock the X- Terra was a good truck kind of thing, loved it.

 

As I stated above, I loved mine without adding anything but gas, oil and new tires. Everything was starting to fall apart on me so I got rid of it otherwise I would probably still be driving it.

Edit: I did change the stereo.

 

The Modder's Journey:

1st Gen Tacaoma
My first truck was a 2001 SR5 Xtra Cab PreRunner 3RZFE in Impulse Red Pearl. I was madly in love with lifted Toyota trucks my whole life and I had to have one, so I got one shortly after high school graduation. I drove it untouched for four years, then I got the modding bug. In the next six years, I lifted it, ran 285/75/16 All Terrain KOs and Nitto Terra Grapplers on some cheapy MB or Ultra wheel from Discount Tire Co; the rub was real but I didn't care. I built an angled spare carrier for the bed so I could run a matching spare, upgraded the stereo to iPod ready, converted hand crank windows and manual locks to hidden electric switches, dark tint, then matte black paint when I was sick of the oxidation and clear coat peel. I did all the easiest stuff I could to make the truck "mine" without spending a lot and keeping it classy. I was happy with the city performance of the truck but on the highway I always yearned for a V6 and in the hills, i wanted 4x4. I set my mind on my next vehicle being a V6 4x4. I still own the 1st Gen and have always hated the grill change from the 90s grills. I've also always wanted to do something absurd with it, like a cage and convertible top, V6 4WD swap or (my dream of all dreams) swap the drivetrain out of a same year V8 AWD Land Cruiser, so stay tuned.

08 Xterra
In 2011, my 1st Gen was really showing it's age and needed to be parked to await the glory of Project Truck status. I wasn't a big fan of the 2nd Gen Tacoma because I felt like it was a departure from the "high ass, lightweight" compact Toyota trucks I had grown to love, so I didn't really consider them an option at the time. As luck would have it, my sister and bro-in-law were trying to trade in their Xterra but would have been upside-down, so I said to myself, "I've always wanted an Xterra, it's a V6 and 4x4, no down payment, just take over payments... OK". I eventually came to love everything about the Xterra except the stereo and that it didn't have a bed. I never really wanted to mod it, I developed the mindset of "If I don't need it, I'm not even going to think about paying for it. Why waste money?"

3rd Gen Tacoma
Enter the 3rd Gen. From the get-go, I hated the wheels and tires. I knew I would be going Bronze, I knew I would be running a tire at least 285 mm wide (great on a 1st gen but still not wide enough on the 3rd), I knew a lift of some sort was on the table. Those are all givens in my world but what I wasn't ready for was quirky and annoying little things I really wanted to start changing right away. I would have to readopt my pro-modding stance to be happy driving again.