Greetings

Hey guys,

So I'm finally taking the plunge and making a new member post. Been a long time lurker, but finally feel like the truck is in a decent enough state to share.

To give a brief rundown, I've loved Tacomas/4Runners ever since I was a kid, and used to spend a lot of time overlanding/off-roading with my uncle in his numerous Toyotas. I would always talk about getting one and building it up so we could go on adventures together, but years went by and nothing ever came of it.

Fast forward a couple decades - I've been driving BMWs for years, but after a very ugly legal battle with BMW NA and a local dealer, I walked away from the brand with a large settlement check and desire to go in a completely different direction, and here we are. I specifically wanted a 1st gen because best gen right? Also because of the legendary 5VZ, smaller size, and I just prefer older trucks.

I searched for about 4-5+ months almost nationwide for either a 1st gen Taco or 3rd gen 4Runner with <100K miles, minimal to no body rust, manual, V6, etc. within a reasonable price range and finally found this guy in Utah - a 2003 impulse red Tacoma SR5 TRD Xtracab with 91k miles. It had spent most of its life in Arizona, and wound up in Utah for a couple years after a 2nd owner purchased it.

I had the truck sent to the local Toyota dealership for a PPI to verify its condition and frame, and after the ok, flew out to Utah, bought it and drove it back after stocking up on everything I might potentially need in case I got stranded in the desert. Needless to say the truck did amazing, but that isn't to say it didn't need A LOT of work with Toyota to bring it back to a place I felt comfortable with it, and that's before I even started the custom work!

Luckily we have a friend that's a Toyota service manager, so parts/labor is all at dealer cost. Still pricey when everything adds up, but has definitely helped keep a ton of change in my pocket to grease the wheels for other projects.

Fast forward another year and a half, and here we are, basically. I've since gotten a Prinsu rack, Satoshi grille, and am currently working on a new skid, sliders and spare tire mod, which should be back on in a couple weeks or so - I'll post some updated pics when I get a chance - I just wanted to get something out there for now to say hi and introduce myself. Feel free to check out my sig for a full list of mods - there's a few.

Hope you guys are having a great weekend and staying safe out there. Cheers!

- p1smo

Edit: Here's a few in-progress pics. Enjoy!

 

Welcome to TW

 

Welcome to TW... Nice looking 1st Gen!!

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld!

 

Welcome friend!

 

welcome

 

Oh snap! The D-Man himself. I feel privileged.

 

Welcome! Nice work, btw.

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome to TW!