trovergraywilson
New member
Hey y'all. Been a member for some time and grateful for all this forum has to offer. Was able to do a lot of research and background before I bought my girl and figured it was time to showcase her a bit. Consider this a "Build" Thread as my aim is to keep her almost completely stock/OEM. Never got into wheeling/mudding despite my Southern roots and want to keep the showroom look. I live and work in Chicago, IL and a 3rd gen is one of the best possible cars to have here: AWD/4WD, reliable, easy to park (I street-park near Wrigley Field for work every day), and enough room for the occasional road trip. Wanted to start a thread for some time and finally figured out how to post pictures, knock on wood.
Some background (stolen from my post on the "Why a T4R?" thread). Growing up in NC, my good friend drove a 1995 T4R SR5 LTD, dark red with tan leather interior. We had so many good times in that car. Loved the way it drove, the reliability, even the 2nd gen styling. Remember when a high school classmate got a 1996 T4R new and was green with envy. Had to have one, just took 20 years.
In 2002 (I think), I test-drove a late-90s LTD in Millenium Silver Metallic. Was in rough shape and the interior was torn up but I fell in love. Couldn't afford it and ended up buying an old Pathfinder (Patrick). Patrick made it a few years and developed a lot of engine problems, had to let him go.
In 2008, same story, couldn't afford a T4R and bought an old Isuzu Rodeo (Rita). Big mistake - 2 mos after I bought Rita, the head cracked, gaskets were long gone, and I had to sell her @ auction. Was moving to IL from VA for grad school and bought an old Honda Accord (Adam) outright. Adam was bulletproof and I loved that damn car - 3.0L VTEC V6 coupled with a 6-speed manual. Got me through grad school, a 120-mi daily commute, blizzards, road trips, and the rest of my 20s.
Summer 2015, I started reminiscing and eventually narrowed down my search to a 3rd gen T4R. Lost a few, they never stay on the lot long. Was looking all over the country and tried to be patient (a virtue I've never possessed). Was in Mexico for the holidays and saw a 1-owner, clean Carfax, 2002 T4R LTD in Dorado Gold for sale outside of Lancaster, PA. Every single maintenance record, rustproofed on delivery in 02.2002, perfect upkeep, 148K. My unicorn. Put down a deposit a week later, and 2 weeks after that I flew to PA and bought her. Mind you, this was during the massive blizzard in late January 2016 that shut down most of the East coast with 3 feet of snow, which landed me spending the night in the car on a blocked PA Turnpike trying to get home. I'll never forget sitting there for 8 hours in 15 degree snow, absolutely shocked that an almost-14-y/o car was taking everything in stride. Ended up driving over an access road and up the PA Turnpike in the opposite direction for 30 mi to get to a hotel with a few cars in-tow. Spent 2 days in the middle of nowhere waiting for the PA Turnpike to re-open so I could get home. I'd do it again in a minute. Couldn't be happier, and am real thankful this forum exists because I'm a better, smarter, more informed owner. Plus, I know there are a bunch of other T4R enthusiasts out there that are just as ridiculous as me.
First pics I saw from the dealer. Shameless plug, New Holland Auto is far and away the best experience I've had buying a car. Before I put down the deposit, the sales rep had already sent me pictures of his 1996 Imperial Jade Mica SR5.
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I'll try to keep everything chronological. Thanks for reading.
Some background (stolen from my post on the "Why a T4R?" thread). Growing up in NC, my good friend drove a 1995 T4R SR5 LTD, dark red with tan leather interior. We had so many good times in that car. Loved the way it drove, the reliability, even the 2nd gen styling. Remember when a high school classmate got a 1996 T4R new and was green with envy. Had to have one, just took 20 years.
In 2002 (I think), I test-drove a late-90s LTD in Millenium Silver Metallic. Was in rough shape and the interior was torn up but I fell in love. Couldn't afford it and ended up buying an old Pathfinder (Patrick). Patrick made it a few years and developed a lot of engine problems, had to let him go.
In 2008, same story, couldn't afford a T4R and bought an old Isuzu Rodeo (Rita). Big mistake - 2 mos after I bought Rita, the head cracked, gaskets were long gone, and I had to sell her @ auction. Was moving to IL from VA for grad school and bought an old Honda Accord (Adam) outright. Adam was bulletproof and I loved that damn car - 3.0L VTEC V6 coupled with a 6-speed manual. Got me through grad school, a 120-mi daily commute, blizzards, road trips, and the rest of my 20s.
Summer 2015, I started reminiscing and eventually narrowed down my search to a 3rd gen T4R. Lost a few, they never stay on the lot long. Was looking all over the country and tried to be patient (a virtue I've never possessed). Was in Mexico for the holidays and saw a 1-owner, clean Carfax, 2002 T4R LTD in Dorado Gold for sale outside of Lancaster, PA. Every single maintenance record, rustproofed on delivery in 02.2002, perfect upkeep, 148K. My unicorn. Put down a deposit a week later, and 2 weeks after that I flew to PA and bought her. Mind you, this was during the massive blizzard in late January 2016 that shut down most of the East coast with 3 feet of snow, which landed me spending the night in the car on a blocked PA Turnpike trying to get home. I'll never forget sitting there for 8 hours in 15 degree snow, absolutely shocked that an almost-14-y/o car was taking everything in stride. Ended up driving over an access road and up the PA Turnpike in the opposite direction for 30 mi to get to a hotel with a few cars in-tow. Spent 2 days in the middle of nowhere waiting for the PA Turnpike to re-open so I could get home. I'd do it again in a minute. Couldn't be happier, and am real thankful this forum exists because I'm a better, smarter, more informed owner. Plus, I know there are a bunch of other T4R enthusiasts out there that are just as ridiculous as me.
First pics I saw from the dealer. Shameless plug, New Holland Auto is far and away the best experience I've had buying a car. Before I put down the deposit, the sales rep had already sent me pictures of his 1996 Imperial Jade Mica SR5.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/144040288@N08/26892832584" title="7a6cdd785b6ae5d96641885e515"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7293/26892832584_741b636e76_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="7a6cdd785b6ae5d96641885e515"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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I'll try to keep everything chronological. Thanks for reading.
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