Introducing me and my 4Runner

[CathyG]

I`m 16, I live in Phoenix, AZ and I have an 86 4Runner. The guy who had it for the first five years installed an aftermarket alarm system and a few other things(gauges we think) himself and now my wiring is kind of crazy. The horn doesn`t work and up until I found this weird switch my passenger side window didin`t either. I also have a slow transmission fluid leak. The guy who owned it for the next 15 years after that was a mechanic who treated it really well. I had it for two weeks when the clutch stopped working and he fixed it for about $1000 cheaper than a shop would have. But he also forgot to replace some stuff to stop the leak. It has had problems starting due to an electrical drain but I found this little device that cuts my battery from the rest of my electrical system if it starts to get below the level where my engine will start. My dad ordered it but I haven`t gotten it yet. Right now I just have to make sure to drive it everyday for at least 15 minutes. I get around 17 miles per gallon out of it so that makes me happy. I love my 4Runner. I train dogs and the cargo area is perfect for dog crates. I`ve done some light 4 wheeling and this truck is awesome. So enough talk here`s some pics.

 

[CathyG]

 

[CathyG]

It`s on a slope so it looks like it has some major rear end sag but it doesn`t really have that much.

 

[4RunnerRon]

Nice Runner! What kind of dog training do you do? I assist with dog training at my job, but it's not the typical obedience stuff. I'm an agitator for police dog training (searching and protection work). It's wayyyy too much fun!

(the pic is not of me, but you get the idea)

 

[CathyG]

I eventually want to go into police dog work(narcotics, protection, etc.) but right now I do basic OB. I only have a few clients and I normally end up referring them to a few good books and tapes. Once they get the basic structure of how a dog is trained I set them loose and just work with behavioral and training problems as they come up. I don`t tend to make a lot of money but with me in school and a competitive marching band(lots of practice hours) it works out for the best. I`m kind of limited in what I can do with our dogs since they`re not coming with me when I move out. Have you ever checked out Leerburg.com?:awais: There`s a great discussion board with mostly working dog people(shutzhund, ASR,French Ring, etc.) but also some active and former K9 handlers and trainers. The moderators do a pretty good job of keeping inexperienced people out of threads they shouldn`t be in, like police K9.

 

[zeppelin]

I just realized that your car is older than you are.

 

[CathyG]

I just realized that your car is older than you are.

It also has almost 200k miles on it. It`ll qualify as a historic vehicle in another 5 years.

 

[8ac1v1c]

That's a good lookin truck - cargo should be no problems now.

 

[Only4Gold]

Very nice machine! You are lucky to have such an incredible truck of the past...I see very few of those these days in such a great condition as yours. Enjoy it, and appreciate it!

 

[4RunnerRon]

I eventually want to go into police dog work(narcotics, protection, etc.) but right now I do basic OB. I only have a few clients and I normally end up referring them to a few good books and tapes. Once they get the basic structure of how a dog is trained I set them loose and just work with behavioral and training problems as they come up. I don`t tend to make a lot of money but with me in school and a competitive marching band(lots of practice hours) it works out for the best. I`m kind of limited in what I can do with our dogs since they`re not coming with me when I move out. Have you ever checked out Leerburg.com?:awais: There`s a great discussion board with mostly working dog people(shutzhund, ASR,French Ring, etc.) but also some active and former K9 handlers and trainers. The moderators do a pretty good job of keeping inexperienced people out of threads they shouldn`t be in, like police K9.

Never checked out the site, but I attend all of the trainings with the K9s at my department, so I get lots of experience. Congrats on the 4Runner... it should last you a long time!

 

[CathyG]

Very nice machine! You are lucky to have such an incredible truck of the past...I see very few of those these days in such a great condition as yours. Enjoy it, and appreciate it!

In Arizona we don`t have salt on the roads in the winter, humidity, extreme cold, or a lot of rain so cars tend to not develop rust or wear down really fast. You see a lot of cars that would be completely rusted in the midwest with no rust out here. But my car was also owned by a mechanic for 15 years so it`s been taken care of. :bigok: