Being led to the light

I'm curious to know what was the motivating factor in your decision to join the Toyota club? Was it a awesome trail ride with a friend or perhaps a family member steering you in the right direction? Maybe you watched Back To the Future and drooled over Marty's truck. What led you to what we know now?

 

My first pickup truck was a Dodge.

 

Thats certainly motivation enough!

 

I got my TX Pro and then got into a very serious accident 6 months later it was on a Raptor 450 in garden grove California
Had no business bring on it. Didn't want to ride it but familiar with the dirt so no stranger.
Ended up in the hospital.
Was in a bed for about 1 month, 7 month recovery and thought well ill look up truck shit. Bam....I found T. World 2011 is when I joined

 

because mp3car.com is no longer a forum.

 

Mine was a 1982 VW Rabbit Truck diesel.

 

Footage of toyota trucks during Soviet Afgan war. But I always wanted that Camel Trophy Land Rover

 

My parents had a 2nd gen 4runner, and despite headgasket issues (two sets over 240ish k miles) it was a beast of a vehicle. I ended up with a lifted XJ due to circumstances, ended up nickling and diming me every time I started it. After swapping a third transmission into it and with an ongoing/never ending series of ball joint and electrical gremlins, I started looking for something else. Ended up in a pristine '99 4runner. It ended up lifted, twin sticked, manual swapped, coastal offroad winch bumper.

Was a great vehicle. Only unpredictable maintenance issue it ever gave me over 100k miles was a bad injector and an O2 sensor. Gave it to my uncle when I bought my tacoma. Rustbelt has gotten to it badly enough that it will be off the road next spring, with nearly 350k miles. I bought it with 180k on it, gave it to my uncle with 295k. Last oil analysis was fantastic, the motor was as healthy as the day it rolled off the assembly line, all 6 cylinders within 5# of each other, extremely low wear metals, no silica, no coolant, no fuel in the oil.

Hope to have the same experience with my truck now. I want tonwork on my truck if I break something, not just because I put the key in the ignition.

 

My first truck was a used 1985 Chevy Silverado with the 350 V-8 engine. I loved that engine, it was bulletproof but everything else started falling apart. I wanted to get a Tacoma in 2001, my only requirements were automatic and 4WD. The dealer I was working with was at a Toyota auction and told me there was a 1998 T100 up for sale that had come off a 3-year lease. I told him to get it and drove that for 17 years. Once again, a bulletproof engine and mechanical systems, the only mechanical fix it needed was some starter contacts. I sold it in 2018 when the rear wheel wells and body panels above them were rusted through.

Then came the 2018 Tacoma OR DCLB. Longer but narrower than the T100 and less plush inside. It was fine but was rear-ended while I was sitting at a stop light and was totaled. Now driving a 2022 OR DCLB, the transmission is much better than the 2018.

I bought my first Toyota in 1980, it was a 1978 Corolla. Loved the reliability. We’ve always had one Toyota in the family since then and have been a two-Toyota family since 2001.

 

Reputation of long term reliability. I drove a 1999 F150 before my Tacoma and it felt like every few months something was falling or breaking on it.

 

I’ve had various trucks my whole life. Years ago I bought a new 4Runner as my main vehicle (and still had my Ford truck) loved that 4Runner. And because I liked the 4Runner so much I sold my Ford and got a 4x4 Taco. It’s a truck but the closest thing to a 4Runner. Have had Tacos and Tundras ever since.

 

I've been driving Toyota's longer than some on this board have been alive.

If you were unfortunate enough to live through the 70's and 80's American Car scene you'll understand why I'll
never, ever buy an American made car again. I gave 'em a chance in the late 90's and early 2000's.... never again.

Toyota:
Eats Dodge
Farts Fords
Sh*ts Chevy's

 

This is my first pick-up. Had a landcruiser previously and another awd small suv.

Had had many memorable trips in friend's toyota pick-ups, but had never owned a pick-up myself.

When moving to the us, I wanted something off-road capable, reliable, and it had to have a manual gearbox.

Landcruisers were too big. The T4R was auto only.

The manual gearbox requirement simplified the decision by eliminating most vehicles in the us market.

 

In 2001 my 82 f20 was struggling on fire roads that the Toyota's (88 thru 98 basically), were not.
Bought a 2002 black extended cab 2.7. Not only was it better for what we were doing, that freak'en thing turned out to be a chick magnet. Who would have ever thought. Still have it. Still working on the frame off resto. Too many good memories with it.

 

My first PU was a '59 Chevy 3/4 ton 4 speed long bed step side. It was simple to the point of almost crude, but it was durable, cheap and fun.

# 2 was an ElCamino. Rough, not really a truck of course, but did what I needed for a year as I added a room to my house.

Then I went to a 'custom' trailer made from a light boat trailer for literally decades. It was awesome. And cheap. Hauled all kinds of stuff all over the state, camped with it yada yada yada.

Then an S10 Blazer that was quite handy, especially with the trailer behind. Easy to sleep in in foul weather, easy to fix, although it required more repair than I enjoyed doing.

Next was an S15 a friend was selling, low miles, nicely equipped. I needed to recover the place I parked the trailer for something else and we wanted a 3rd vehicle. Only 2 drivers, but each vehicle had purpose. A Highlander, small PU, and a Miata. All used and I could insure and maintain all of them for less than TCO on 2 newer cars.

Rearranging some things later in life I realized a PU would be useful again for specific purposes. I liked the 1g Toyotas around and the 2g was ok looking, with better seats. But they were more than I wanted to spend, even used. Shopped hard for a last year Ranger, but they were hard to find not dogged.

When I realized that the 5 lug Toyota was more than capable of doing everything I wanted, the hunt was on. Picked it up at 1 yo with 8k on it for thousands less than a prerunner, made a few tweaks and have no regrets. My annual mileage is low enough I should be under 125k when it's over 25 yo and I should probably be giving up driving.

 

My first truck was a 1979 GMC 4x4 Sierra Grande. Love the truck but it was had a bad cam in it from factory and GM would not come good for it as in those days you only had a 1 year warranty. Fixed it at my expense and the truck lasted 13 years till I traded it on a Toyota truck Extended a cab and have been with the Toyota to this day. GM, Ford and Dodge are junk.

 

I didn’t choose the taco life, the taco life chose me

 

hold my 5th wheel, oh wait. toyota's can't...

 

My son and I were looking for a Ranger for him. Not a bad truck, but the driver's seat on every one we looked at was a torn and worn-out mess regardless of miles. We saw a Tacoma in lot on the way home and took it for a test drive: 2005 4-cyl manual LB Access Cab with 150,000 miles. Clean, service records, and no issues. He bought it. I took a turn driving it home for a spell, and knew immediately it (Tacoma) would be my next vehicle when it was time.

He is still driving it (8 years I think) and it has about 240k on it now. Only major repair has been the clutch and its' master and slave cylinder and front wheel bearings AFAIK. (usual wear item things like brakes and cabin fan)

The 2.7 runs fine and uses no oil. (of course not)

 

I am a lifelong Toyota guy. My high school ride was a 72 FJ-55 (I wish I had that one now!). During my Navy days, I drove a Hi-Lux up and down the east coast for 10 years. My wife is a smoking hot Camry gal so I got that going for me too!