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New Guy Here! (Some direction needed...)

Discussion in 'New Members' started by devilswork, Mar 19, 2014.

  1. Mar 19, 2014 at 8:23 PM
    #1
    devilswork

    devilswork [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2014
    Member:
    #125718
    Messages:
    2
    Gender:
    Male
    Hey guys,

    I just bought an 06 Taco regular cab 4 cylinder with 104k miles on it. It seems to be in great shape and only had one previous owner, no accidents, and no frame rust. Even the body is in great condition... the guy that owned it got it repo'd and the dealer that sold it to me had just picked it up at an auction.

    Anyway, I know pretty much the bare minimum a guy in america can know about cars without getting made fun of by his friends. I can check and change my oil, change my tires, and do most bare minimum basic maintenance... further from that, I really don't know too much. I know the basic parts of the vehicle under the hood and how they all theoretically interact to make the vehicle work, but not a whole lot more than that. My dad wasn't very involved with me when I was a kid so I never got brought up into stuff like football and cars as much as other kids did.

    I really want to take good care of this truck but would like to take this opportunity to learn about general car care, maintenance, etc, and how to do a lot of it on my own. I don't have a lot of money to spare so I need to take the best care of this vehicle possible to make it last as long as possible in good condition. Are there are websites or youtube channels or video series that gives a crash course in car stuff for someone like me? I'm not really interested in modding it out a whole lot, just things that would make it run more efficiently or would be truly helpful.

    Thanks a lot
     
  2. Mar 20, 2014 at 1:30 AM
    #2
    ZEROPILOT

    ZEROPILOT Can't re-MEMBER

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2014
    Member:
    #121347
    Messages:
    583
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    ED
    SUNRISE,FLORIDA
    Vehicle:
    09 2.7 XTRA CAB 5 SPEED
    LARGER WHEELS. DIFFERENT STEREO. PUSH BAR. TAILGATE EXTENDER. WIPER MOD. TPMS LIGHT DELETE MOD.
    WELCOME. THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE.
     
  3. Mar 20, 2014 at 2:05 AM
    #3
    koditten

    koditten Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2013
    Member:
    #112077
    Messages:
    19,749
    Gender:
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    First Name:
    Kirk
    Central Michigan
    Vehicle:
    04 trd x-cab 4 x 4 3.4l
    Reserected from the dead.
    You are in the right house now.

    Now you just need to come up with some decent questions to do searches off of.

    When I have an issue with a vehicle, I l ike to start simple with a google search.

    For example: I'm thinking of buying a second gen Tacoma.

    I just type in "Toyota Tacoma general issues".

    The results that show up will overwhealm you. Start clicking on listings and read up on the results. I'm not gonna surgar coat it, there will be lots of repeated info, but there will be lots of valuable information. When you come to a statement that you don't know what it means, do a search on that as well.

    I tell everyone I know, there is absolutely no reason for younger people today to be clueless on how their vehicle operates and in most cases, fix it when you have issues.

    With the power of the internet and vehicle specific chatrooms, you will become all powerful when talking to professionals about repairing your car.

    If you spend enough time on a vehicle specific chatroom, you could end up knowing more about your vehicle than a professional that is trained to work on your brand of vehicle. After all, a professional needs to know how to repair all the different vehicles a manufacturer produces. Not just one specific model. There is no way a pro can experince repairing all the issues on one model. On these chatrooms, if there is a vehicle specific problem, chances are, someone here has dealt with it. With that info, you can decide if you feel conficent enough to tackle the job or just let the pro's deal with it.

    One of my favorite examples is the changing of CV joints. Many dealerships have to charge in excess of $400 to change out the half shaft/CV joint. You can buy the parts yourself for less than $200 and get the proper tools to do the job.

    I can tell you have the correct attatude, now you just need to work on your searching skills to find the answers you need.

    Welcome to the show. We are all here to help.

    KO
     
  4. Mar 20, 2014 at 5:19 AM
    #4
    Joe D

    Joe D .

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2011
    Member:
    #66942
    Messages:
    7,202
    Welcome to TW from Oxford, Mississippi.

    Something about the quoted statements above don't work for me....

    One owner of a 7 year old truck that still had a loan and it got repo'd? I guess it could happen but, I've never known anyone that owns/owned a 7 year old vehicle, who bought it new and still had a loan on it. Is the dealer reputable?

    Not sure it matters now....

    On the other stuff, as noted above, do some searching & if you don't have any luck come & ask away.

    BTW, it helps if you're like me and not afraid to make a fool of yourself! :D
     
  5. Mar 20, 2014 at 5:49 AM
    #5
    devilswork

    devilswork [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2014
    Member:
    #125718
    Messages:
    2
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks!

    Thanks so much, I feel exactly this way and I'm glad you understand. I'm looking forward to educating myself on all of this and becoming proficient in doing all the work I can.

    I really appreciate the warm welcome.


    It seemed completely odd to me too, but I ran the carfax on it before I purchased it and it confirmed that this is what happened.

    Poor guy. It was probably almost paid off.
     

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