Graduating next week!!!

twitchee2

twitchee2

Member
So I am finally graduating with a degree in mechatronic engineering from Chico St next week!! I cant wait, excited and scared to move on to the real world.

Anyway my sister totaled her 4th gen 4runner in December ( she was completely safe and unhurt but the runner was totaled) and my parents were generous enough to get her a replacement, 07 sport edition 4wd. Well after that they told me when I graduate they would help me "upgrade" mine.

I am not going to sell the runner but ill use it as the beater, its got 198k on it. i plan on fixing everything that it needs and keep it nice and sound for my family to use, for me to use, go on excursions with blah blah. Now im not sure what i would want to get to replace it. Im thinking I might grab a new generation taco double cab trd off road. I think it would be really practical for me.

I have a few of interviews lined up the first week after i graduate to hopefully start my career and to begin saving up to buy a house. I was thinking a tacoma instead of a 4runner would probably be more of a wise choice as I jump out into the real world. Any thoughts on this?
 
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Congratulations man! I just finished my first year at The University of Iowa today!

Just my opinion, is there anything wrong with the 4Runner? 198k is far from beater status for these vehicles. I'd vote for keeping the 4Runner/modding it for now and avoiding car payments :)

Cheers!
 
I echo Loyal_Toyota's sentiments... I would keep yours, 198K doesn't seem bad at all and for a fraction of the price of upgrading to a new rig, you could get everything on your 4Runner up to speed and whatever you wanted...

Congrats on graduating! Big adventure ahead! :)
 
Personally I find my 4runner very practical in the real world. If I was going to spend Taco money on another vehicle I would get a cheaper commuter car, and save/use the extra for maintenance, repairs and upgrades on my 4runner. In fact thats why I bought a tC.
 
Stick Figure said:
Personally I find my 4runner very practical in the real world. If I was going to spend Taco money on another vehicle I would get a cheaper commuter car, and save/use the extra for maintenance, repairs and upgrades on my 4runner. In fact thats why I bought a tC.
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I like that idea too. But if you do go the Taco route, I wouldn't argue. I miss mine all the time.
 
I've never owned a Taco, but the made in the USA vs the 4Runners made in Japan scares me a bit. Around 30 of the 60 vehicles I've owned were Toyota but none of them USA built ones. Has anyone done the research on if the country of origin effects the build quality of the Toyotas?
 
Congrats...I'm graduating here in a few weeks too. Will be selling my 4runner and upgrading to a Taco. Those new tacos are hard to beat. What model/trim are you looking at?
 
Stick Figure said:
I've never owned a Taco, but the made in the USA vs the 4Runners made in Japan scares me a bit. Around 30 of the 60 vehicles I've owned were Toyota but none of them USA built ones. Has anyone done the research on if the country of origin effects the build quality of the Toyotas?
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I DD a 2010 Tacoma and not to sound whiny or anything, but honestly, I can tell the difference. So far, the backlight on my factory radio went out, just discovered a small roof leak, there was some surface rust on the rear axle and frame when it was brand new, and a funky A/C switch. Other than that though, the Tacos are nice trucks. The truck itself looks absolutely fantastic, but you can tell the difference in build quality in my honest opinion. But hey, I may just be too picky. Haha

Anyway, congrats on graduating OP and sorry for the digression. :)
 
Thanks for the all the good wishes guys!! Interesting things to think about, seems like alot of the people like those trucks. my buddy has one so i think im gonna go drive that for a couple days and see what i think.
 
Well its offical, got my grades and I passed everything!! Start my first day of work tomorrow, excited for that.

Ive been doing some thinking on the subject of a new truck. I'm leaning away from Toyota for this one. I think I want to keep the 4runner and fix everything it needs and use it as a beater/toy/part time dd. Then get a 03-05 2500/3500 manual 4x4 cummins quad cab truck. My reasoning behind it is, for the money nothing can compare. MPG, power, towing, reliability of the drive train and knowing me and my taste, my toys are only gonna get bigger. boat, trailer queen, toy hauler etc. And lets face it, the 4runner cant really tow. I have towed my jetski trailer up and down the state and it can do it yes, but the grapevine is a chore and half with my trailer only at 1800-2000lbs. seems that I'm always going over it when I go meet friends at the lake or the delta.

What other trucks would you consider? Ive looked at the newer tundras with the 5.7, duramax + allison, cant really get a reliable ford in that price range with decent miles unfortunately. What do you think? I'm looking in the $18-19k range
 
My dads buddy has a '01 double cab tacoma trd maroon in pristine shape! I love everything from the orange lighted interior to the painted bumper, cant wait till he sells it my dad. I say getchu one!
 
twitchee2 said:
Well its offical, got my grades and I passed everything!! Start my first day of work tomorrow, excited for that.

Ive been doing some thinking on the subject of a new truck. I'm leaning away from Toyota for this one. I think I want to keep the 4runner and fix everything it needs and use it as a beater/toy/part time dd. Then get a 03-05 2500/3500 manual 4x4 cummins quad cab truck. My reasoning behind it is, for the money nothing can compare. MPG, power, towing, reliability of the drive train and knowing me and my taste, my toys are only gonna get bigger. boat, trailer queen, toy hauler etc. And lets face it, the 4runner cant really tow. I have towed my jetski trailer up and down the state and it can do it yes, but the grapevine is a chore and half with my trailer only at 1800-2000lbs. seems that I'm always going over it when I go meet friends at the lake or the delta.

What other trucks would you consider? Ive looked at the newer tundras with the 5.7, duramax + allison, cant really get a reliable ford in that price range with decent miles unfortunately. What do you think? I'm looking in the $18-19k range
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your never gonna beat that cummins, and those dodges where great trucks, i have an 01 as a work truck, and its a beast. duramaxs are great, but super spendy and spendy to work on... but that allison auto trans is in a league all its own, -simply the best out there. i would not buy a new tundra, they are not built up to par with other fullsize half ton trucks, if you want a truck in that range look at the nissan titan, nothing will come close to those as far as durability/reliability and performance/options. fords are good trucks, they just have their own quirks that can be a PITA to deal with and kinda stupid designs on some things. also do not look at any ford newer than 08, for those if you have to do anything other than an oil change you are pulling the cab off the frame to work on that motor. the new dodges are not quite as bad, but you still have to pull the cab to do some of the more major things, but the new cummins TD with 800ftlbs from the factory is hard to argue with...
 
Congrats on the engineering degree. My dad graduated from Chico State.

My 2cents: be slow to buy a house. Everyone seems to rush into it in my opinion. Most of my coworkers bought houses and are trapped, unable to move for their careers. I personally know 3 engineers who had to short sell their houses for a total loss. Even now, 1/3 of all US mortgages are under water. There is no evidence the market has bottomed out and the US may be swinging towards a full depression, especially if the Euro breaks apart. Sorry but just wanted to warn you.

I have a 10 year plan to buy a house. Save for 10 years then buy with a lot down.

.
 
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brianemc2_42 said:
Congrats on the engineering degree. My dad graduated from Chico State.

My 2cents: be slow to buy a house. Everyone seems to rush into it in my opinion. Most of my coworkers bought houses and are trapped, unable to move for their careers. I personally know 3 engineers who had to short sell their houses for a total loss. Even now, 1/3 of all US mortgages are under water. There is no evidence the market has bottomed out and the US may be swinging towards a full depression, especially if the Euro breaks apart. Sorry but just wanted to warn you.

I have a 10 year plan to buy a house. Save for 10 years then buy with a lot down.

.
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I'll add my own unsolicited two cents also. Don't buy a house for all the reasons Brian listed above. You need flexibility in your first 3-5 years of your career to be able to find the right company. Even if this company is great it's still a good idea to play the odds that you'll move jobs at least once in that time period. I bought my first house in 2004 in Cleveland and still on it now even though I moved to Columbus in 2008. It's been a thorn in my flesh for most of that time as a rental since then. I'd also recommend waiting a bit(6 months) before buying your toys unless you have the cash to pay in full. There's a lot of guys on these forums that have been able to buy toys from other guys that went overboard with monthly payments and had to sell cheap if their financial situation went bad through job loss, family status change, etc. Other than that, congratulations on graduating.
 
the kid said:
your never gonna beat that cummins, and those dodges where great trucks, i have an 01 as a work truck, and its a beast. duramaxs are great, but super spendy and spendy to work on... but that allison auto trans is in a league all its own, -simply the best out there. i would not buy a new tundra, they are not built up to par with other fullsize half ton trucks, if you want a truck in that range look at the nissan titan, nothing will come close to those as far as durability/reliability and performance/options. fords are good trucks, they just have their own quirks that can be a PITA to deal with and kinda stupid designs on some things. also do not look at any ford newer than 08, for those if you have to do anything other than an oil change you are pulling the cab off the frame to work on that motor. the new dodges are not quite as bad, but you still have to pull the cab to do some of the more major things, but the new cummins TD with 800ftlbs from the factory is hard to argue with...
Click to expand...

I also second the titan, nicest full size truck available!
 
brianemc2_42 said:
Jase did you delete your comment or was "removed" ?

.
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Brianemc2 - Had a few Anchor Steams last night and wasn't paying attention. I must have accidentally deleted instead of editing.

This time I'll just say congrats on graduating with an engineering degree; it's a useful degree in this terrible economy.

You're a young guy, so I wouldn't be in too big a hurry to accrue large amounts of debt. I'm 30 and I have friends who are going to have to work the rest of their lives to pay off the debt they have now, let alone any future debt.

Obviously, everybody has a different financial situation, so if your parents are willing to help you out with a new truck, then go for it. T4rs aren't particularly great at towing, and I've driven a couple of Cummins and they're awesome engines. You really can't go wrong in the years you mention.

Good luck!
 
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