Greetings all

This site has been an awesome resource over the years, thank you all for your posts. As for me, stay with me, it's almost worth it . . . .

i'd previously had a '97 SR5 extended cab that was paid off but making some noise that sounded an awful lot like a top end rebuild and I just wasn't feeling it. We traded it in for a 2WD Nissan PU with only 7500 miles on it. Biggest mistake ever, gutless golf cart with a bed. I was desperate to get rid of it.

In 2018, an Iranian car salesman was trying to sell me a Ford 4WD - one of those cheesy auto tranny ones with the shift lever on the steering column. Being the gearhead I am, I flopped on the ground and scrunched under a little to look at the tranny, it was all wet and oily, and told him, you have some leak issues, no thanks.

"Oh they just did a rebuild on the transmission and didn't clean it up."

You know. I know. Who rebuilds a tranny and leaves it an oily mess? After a little banter he says, "if I prove it's not leaking do we have a deal?"

Maybe I felt sorry for him. Maybe I was shocked at how stupid he thought I was. Maybe I wanted to see how far he'd go to sell me this Found On the Road Dead junker. "Sure, but I'm telling you, it's leaking."

His plan was to get it up on a lift and show me it wasn't leaking. He drives me around the block to his "mechanic" and all the bays in the shop are full. Behind us in the setting sun is this '03 Taco TRD extended cab, red, and I said "now there's a sweet pickup." He says, "yes, I haven't even priced it out, it's only got 63K miles on it." He gets out and starts arguing with his mechanic, hey I told you I was coming, trying to make a sale here, blah blah blah . . .

I get out, go look in the window of the Taco. It's spectacular clean, electric interior controls and . . . ALL MANUAL tranny and 4WD.

We're done here. This is the truck I'm buying.

I paid way too much for it but it's all paid off as of last month, 81K miles on it, it's the only truck I ever wanted and am keeping it in good shape. It's a sweet PU and I've been under and over it, it's in pretty good shape for an '03.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

Welcome to TW Bill.
Good to see you found the truck you really wanted.

If you need any help, don’t hesitate to head over to the 1st Gen section and ask.

 

Welcome and nice writeup

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome to TW dude!

 

Welcome from SoCal!! Great to have you here