New Tacoma owner and new to trucks/4x4 in general!

Hi all! I've been driving tiny little compact base model front wheel drive cars my whole life, but have always wanted a 4x4 vehicle. Well, I was finally able to splurge and get a 2018 Tacoma TRD Off-Road. Loving it so far. I honestly can still barely believe I actually have it. I am still kind of in shock that I actually own one. Owning one of these has always seemed like a such a far away reach, but yet here I am with one, finally! It feels good. I feel lucky too, as I was able to get exactly the color/trim/packages I wanted, which I feel is even more impressive since I got a 2018 model and there were not a lot to choose from. The 2018 models were disappearing quickly!

Anyway, here is of course a picture to go with my introduction. In her natural habitat no doubt!



Quick backstory to this picture:

Some of my family lives out here where this was taken. During the winter and rainy seasons, I was never able to make it out there because a 4x4 was required a lot of the time. I've made it out to visit them 2 weekends in a row since owning my new truck, and I absolutely would not have been able to make it out there with my old car. Family means a lot to me so being able to visit them whenever I want to without being limited by the weather or my vehicle means a lot to me. This alone has already made my new truck purchase worth it. I can't wait to see where else this thing will take me.

 

Congrats and welcome to the forum!

 

Nice looking truck scenery pic. Welcome to TW.

 

Congrats on your new Tacoma!

 

Welcome

Congrats on the new truck

 

Welcome to TW!!

 

What's your offroad plans? Dirt roads? Service roads or some real offroading?

I'm glad I learned to wheel on some old rigs I could beat up and make mistakes. Just be careful with that pretty truck!!

 

Mostly just dirt/gravel roads and service roads, or whatever comes in between me and a good fishing/camping/kayaking spot, haha! I would also like to be able to seek out some nature/landscape photography spots that I wouldn't normally be able to get to in my old cars. I like to think that I will eventually take it on some actual off roading, but I would probably be too scared to do anything more than the absolute easiest of beginner trail type stuff. I hear Turtle Creek ORV area is fun and that is only 3 hours away from me, so maybe I will head out there when I am comfortable just to check it out.

I did get the automatic, so at least that will help me out since I am a total beginner. I know most people would say that a manual is better for off-roading, but I probably won't be doing anything where it would make a big difference anyway. Plus, I've driven manuals for the past 15 years, and although I really enjoy driving a manual, it just felt right to switch to an automatic since my new vehicle was a truck this time. I think I just prefer automatics in trucks or just larger vehicles in general. I also don't want to pretend I am some sort of off road expert or anything either. I have plenty of other things to keep my mind occupied anyway. Driving a truck is a pretty big change from my history of compact car driving, so things like parking and overall maneuvering is keeping me pretty focused.

 

Thank you! Photography has been one of my main hobbies for quite some time. I am hoping that this truck will allow me to get shots that I normally would not have access to via my old cars. This shot would definitely not be possible with my old car.

Unfortunately I didn't really prepare myself when I took the truck out that day and didn't have my main setup with me, so this was taken with my built in phone camera. I think it still turned out pretty decent though!

 

Welcome to TW!
I do not want to hijack the thread, but those dirt walls on each side of the road in your pic are scaring me. They seem to be willing to collapse at the first good rain. Where is that place???

 

IMO for everyday weekend offroader auto is a lot safer. I prefer auto offroad and manual for my street car.

 

Congratulations on the truck and welcome to TW. Your truck is ready to take you on all sorts of adventures!

 

That is a level B service road in Iowa near where my folks live. It is connected to the Loess Hills Scenic Byway.

 

Hi!

 

Welcome!!! WDE!!!

 

Congrats! and Welcome to TW

 

Nice place!!!

 

Welcome!

 

How you like that OKC vs Nuggs other night! Haha Go Nuggets!

And welcome OP!!

 

Welcome to TW!