offthebeatenpath
New member
My goal for this truck is being able to handle (most) all that Montana has to offer, the only issue is that it still has to fit within my budget....
I'll try to stay on top of updates, but with being a new homeowner and the father of two energetic little girls (3.5 and 20 mos) sitting in front of the computer isn't super high on my priority list.
I've learned a ton from forums like this one, as well as this one, so hopefully this can be a source of info for others as well.
A bit of background- I wasn't much of a wrench guy until a bought an '85 CJ7 back in college, and well, that sort of forced me to become a wrench guy. It would have been parked more than driven if I didn't fix it. My roommate had one as well, so we learned together. My cell phone voicemail message used to say, "Either I'm under my Jeep fixing something and can't reach my phone, or I'm driving it and can't hear my phone ring, so leave me a message and I'll call you when I get off the concrete." Well, I went through that Jeep, did an engine swap, sold it; bought an '98 XJ that was my mildly built DD. Had OME suspension, axle swap, rear disc conversion, intake swap, yada, yada, yada. Bought an '88 MJ for a wheeling truck, did a SOA conversion on that and had it rolling on 33's for awhile, but sold it because we needed the money. Ended up with a '99 TJ on 33's for my wifey, she'd always wanted one, so we bought one before we had kiddos.....so when the kiddos came, out went the TJ and in came the Subaru.
Fast forward a bit, the kids and all our camping crap don't fit into the XJ any longer, so we sold that and started looking at Toyotas. Wound up with an '03 DC Tacoma that we still have, but is primarily the wife's kid hauling rig.
So a few weeks ago, I ran across an ad in the local paper of all places (who reads the paper anymore?
) It read like this: 1999 4Runner, 215k miles, needs work $3500." So I called and asked her to expound on the "needs work" part. She said it needed brakes, a windshield, tires an alignment, and a few other odds and ends. I did some research, it also needed it's 2nd timing belt project. I asked her if I could stop by and look at it, so I did, and the For Sale sign she had in the window said $2500!? I called her back asked her about it, she said she figured it needed at least $1000 in work, so that was the price difference. I haggled her down a bit more because of the timing belt, and we had a deal! She took the cash and gave it to her bank for a deposit on her 2007 4Runner, and I drove our new 4Runner home for $2200!
I'll try to stay on top of updates, but with being a new homeowner and the father of two energetic little girls (3.5 and 20 mos) sitting in front of the computer isn't super high on my priority list.
I've learned a ton from forums like this one, as well as this one, so hopefully this can be a source of info for others as well.
A bit of background- I wasn't much of a wrench guy until a bought an '85 CJ7 back in college, and well, that sort of forced me to become a wrench guy. It would have been parked more than driven if I didn't fix it. My roommate had one as well, so we learned together. My cell phone voicemail message used to say, "Either I'm under my Jeep fixing something and can't reach my phone, or I'm driving it and can't hear my phone ring, so leave me a message and I'll call you when I get off the concrete." Well, I went through that Jeep, did an engine swap, sold it; bought an '98 XJ that was my mildly built DD. Had OME suspension, axle swap, rear disc conversion, intake swap, yada, yada, yada. Bought an '88 MJ for a wheeling truck, did a SOA conversion on that and had it rolling on 33's for awhile, but sold it because we needed the money. Ended up with a '99 TJ on 33's for my wifey, she'd always wanted one, so we bought one before we had kiddos.....so when the kiddos came, out went the TJ and in came the Subaru.
Fast forward a bit, the kids and all our camping crap don't fit into the XJ any longer, so we sold that and started looking at Toyotas. Wound up with an '03 DC Tacoma that we still have, but is primarily the wife's kid hauling rig.
So a few weeks ago, I ran across an ad in the local paper of all places (who reads the paper anymore?
) It read like this: 1999 4Runner, 215k miles, needs work $3500." So I called and asked her to expound on the "needs work" part. She said it needed brakes, a windshield, tires an alignment, and a few other odds and ends. I did some research, it also needed it's 2nd timing belt project. I asked her if I could stop by and look at it, so I did, and the For Sale sign she had in the window said $2500!? I called her back asked her about it, she said she figured it needed at least $1000 in work, so that was the price difference. I haggled her down a bit more because of the timing belt, and we had a deal! She took the cash and gave it to her bank for a deposit on her 2007 4Runner, and I drove our new 4Runner home for $2200!
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