I abuse my 97 Taco, Guilty as Charged....

I have owned a 97 taco standard cab since 2004. It had 80,000 miles on it when I purchased it. Now today it has 360,000 miles on it and it still goes....

I have driven it across the United States twice. Once it sat in a New Hampshire lot exposed to the weather for almost a year. Buried in snow and frozen solid. When I went to retrieve it, it started right up and I proceeded to drive it all the way back to California.

I wore out the clutch after 250,000 miles and replaced it. Changed the battery twice, Three sets of tires. Replaced starter motor.....and it still runs great...

The paint color is white and it has deteriorated. In addition it has some dents and scrapes....
In 2008 a stupid dentist rear ended me and bashed in the left rear. I got it repaired. Then last year a drunk driver hit the same area while it was street parked. But I again got it repaired. The drunk driver's insurer declared it totalled, so now it has a slavage title. But it still keeps running.

Years ago I saw a Top Gear episode where the Brits took a Taco and did everything but explode it. They ended up putting it on top of a building that was then imploded. Afer a few minor repairs the truck was up and running again...

Ihdar of Tacos having over 350,000 miles on them. This is reassuring...

 

hah love it! post some photos of your beater rig.

And not that it's a big deal, and correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Top Gear abused a Toyota Hilux on the episode you are referencing.

 

The Toyota truck in the Top Gear episode was an old Hilux with a diesel engine, I highly doubt a Tacoma with a gasoline engine and all the US smog regulations would have still been running after the same abuse but it's still an impressive testament to the quality of Toyota in general, especially back then.

Dang your clutch lasted 250k miles?? I'd say you were awfully nice to it, that's a long time for a stock clutch.

 

Its so sad when the abused sticks around their abuser.

 

Damg that's alot of miles man, I only have 80,000 on my '98. I just changed the tires a couple months ago after I was turning on a roundabout and the truck skidded 180 degrees. I looked at the DOT date code and I was wondering why it was only 3 digits... then I realized they were the original 1998 factory tires.

Take care of it, Toyotas don't die easily. My neighbor has an early 80's Corolla with something like 450,000 miles on it. I'm surprised your clutch lasted that long.