Saying ‘hi’ from South Texas

Greetings from the Sparkling City by the Sea, Corpus Christi! Glad to join the group. Here is my 2002 TRD Off Road 3.4L V6 Double Cab. When I bought the truck used in April 2002, it had 1800 miles. I walked out paying around $24K after trading in my 1995 Ford Ranger. The story I was told by the dealer was that some rich guy bought it for his kid who wanted a bigger truck. So after a few months with the Tacoma, they traded it for a Dodge. I was actually looking for an Xterra when they showed me what had just arrived. I was told to keep it overnight, and I really enjoyed it. Since then, I have added lots of miles - 220K in fact! It has seen all of South and West Texas, two wives, and four kids. It has lived in CC, Austin and Alice, Texas. It was keyed one night when I went out downtown. My ex hit a bollard and dented the front bumper. My daughter and I were hit from behind by a guy who followed way too close and didn’t like that I stopped at every stop sign in a small town so he nailed my back bumper before taking off. There’s a small dent on the rear quarter panel and I have no idea how it got there. The valve cover gaskets leak oil. The driver side electric window has failed so the door panel looks like Frankenstein. The driver side rear window has completely died and is stuck closed. I have no idea what is going on underneath and I’m sure the suspension needs some attention. The windshield is cracked but can’t be replaced because of rust I handed it down to two nephews: one resurrected it and drove it for a year before getting a brand new Tacoma; the other drove it for 6 months only to give it back to me after it died on the road, so he bought a Nissan Frontier (the alternator belt shredded). It is now back in my hands and I plan on breathing new life into it. First things are the valve cover gaskets, door windows and new paint job. After that, the sky’s the limit, right? Any suggestions??

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Man what a life for a truck. Can't believe it's gonna get a chance at a second one. Welcome and keep us posted!

 

Hi and welcome. Good story on a cool old Tacoma with some personal history. My family and I have had some good times down there on the third coast when we lived in Austin.

 

We used to drive down to Corpus from Edna quite often. One of my best memories is summer of 1976. For Texas, the beaches there are the best.

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld

 

Welcome to TW

 

Work on it in phases from the inside out, and eventually it'll be good as new. Great looking truck.