Hi guys,
First post here, but long time reader. I have to share a memory that I think will let you understand the mood I am in right now.
The Red 4Runner
The first manual car that I drove when I was a teenager was a brand new Generation 1 Four Runner in Red. I was a kid at the time and an older cousin working in mines just decided to show up at a family party at my grand-parent’s farm with a brand new flashy Toyota truck. I was mesmerized by it more than my grandpa watching Dolly Parton on TV …and believe me, he liked her.
So the beer was flowing and the food was great, but I could not stop myself looking at the truck outside every few minutes, which was accumulating fresh snow since a Canadian snowstorm was at its peak. For sure, my cousin noticed me getting boners looking at his new truck.
So after 2-3 beers, my cousin got bored and decided to bring me for a ride on the farm’s trail all over the property. It was the first storm of the season so it was quite easy to move the truck around. But what I did not know is that he would let me drive his new truck, patiently showing me how to clutch, shift and engage obstacles. All of this …at night … in wooden trails during a serious snow storm with some Duran Duran music playing on the radio. Most of the people today would say that it was irresponsible, but I can tell you that back then …it felt like paradise. To this day, I have no better car related memories and I have tons of cars stories. So long story short, I always secretly loved the 4runner since.
So forward like 20 years and I bought a brand new Tacoma TRD Offroad in 2006. I drove the truck like I stole it for 4 years …never had a SINGLE issue with it. I finally traded it for a sport car in 2011 (WRX followed by an Audi S4 in 2014), but still missed that Tacoma since.
The Test Drive from Hell
But this spring I decided to go back to the truck world since I bought a boat last summer and would really like to haul it around. So in my mind, I was already sold to the new 2017 Tacoma. But to be honest, I was nervous about the power/transmission issues that I was reading all over the place, so I decided to go test it out myself to make my mind.
I will cut my story short not to put you asleep on your keyboard, but the 2017 Tacoma test drive went to hell … and quickly. First, my 14 years old son could not fit nicely on the back seat, he was too tall. But the worst was to come. After 6-7 minutes in the test drive, a loud gear crunching noise exploded from behind the truck. I stopped as quickly as I could on the side of the street and we investigated. It was coming from the back differential. The salesman called someone to come pick us up. He felt like shit and so did I. It was a pure bad luck, but the Tacoma vibe was gone for me.
The Love Story
So going back home with my tail between my leg, I started considering giving a try to the 4Runner. I initially wanted a pickup for the bed, but I thought that I could probably be able to do all the same with a strong trailer. The following day I was at my dealership again and tried out a 4Runner Trail edition … BOOM … love at first sight. I LOVED everything about that truck, from its rough look to the light luxury, the big dial, the manual 4WD shifter … wow
I finally found the exact model I wanted 150 miles from where I live. A 2016 Trail Edition Premium with KDSS in white. The dealership wanted it out of the lot and fast since Toyota Financing was no longer financing them starting April 1st (in Canada). When it happens, it is very difficult for the dealer to sell those since they can no longer loan them, and the bank rates are so high that most people will just go for a 2017. So on March 31st in the morning, I called them and started to negotiate HARD. I finally got the truck for 43500$ Canadian which was 33930$+tx USD on that specific day. I could not get a better deal. I even took delivery the same night.
I am the happiest man on earth right now. You will see me around since modding season is on
First post here, but long time reader. I have to share a memory that I think will let you understand the mood I am in right now.
The Red 4Runner
The first manual car that I drove when I was a teenager was a brand new Generation 1 Four Runner in Red. I was a kid at the time and an older cousin working in mines just decided to show up at a family party at my grand-parent’s farm with a brand new flashy Toyota truck. I was mesmerized by it more than my grandpa watching Dolly Parton on TV …and believe me, he liked her.
So the beer was flowing and the food was great, but I could not stop myself looking at the truck outside every few minutes, which was accumulating fresh snow since a Canadian snowstorm was at its peak. For sure, my cousin noticed me getting boners looking at his new truck.
So after 2-3 beers, my cousin got bored and decided to bring me for a ride on the farm’s trail all over the property. It was the first storm of the season so it was quite easy to move the truck around. But what I did not know is that he would let me drive his new truck, patiently showing me how to clutch, shift and engage obstacles. All of this …at night … in wooden trails during a serious snow storm with some Duran Duran music playing on the radio. Most of the people today would say that it was irresponsible, but I can tell you that back then …it felt like paradise. To this day, I have no better car related memories and I have tons of cars stories. So long story short, I always secretly loved the 4runner since.
So forward like 20 years and I bought a brand new Tacoma TRD Offroad in 2006. I drove the truck like I stole it for 4 years …never had a SINGLE issue with it. I finally traded it for a sport car in 2011 (WRX followed by an Audi S4 in 2014), but still missed that Tacoma since.
The Test Drive from Hell
But this spring I decided to go back to the truck world since I bought a boat last summer and would really like to haul it around. So in my mind, I was already sold to the new 2017 Tacoma. But to be honest, I was nervous about the power/transmission issues that I was reading all over the place, so I decided to go test it out myself to make my mind.
I will cut my story short not to put you asleep on your keyboard, but the 2017 Tacoma test drive went to hell … and quickly. First, my 14 years old son could not fit nicely on the back seat, he was too tall. But the worst was to come. After 6-7 minutes in the test drive, a loud gear crunching noise exploded from behind the truck. I stopped as quickly as I could on the side of the street and we investigated. It was coming from the back differential. The salesman called someone to come pick us up. He felt like shit and so did I. It was a pure bad luck, but the Tacoma vibe was gone for me.
The Love Story
So going back home with my tail between my leg, I started considering giving a try to the 4Runner. I initially wanted a pickup for the bed, but I thought that I could probably be able to do all the same with a strong trailer. The following day I was at my dealership again and tried out a 4Runner Trail edition … BOOM … love at first sight. I LOVED everything about that truck, from its rough look to the light luxury, the big dial, the manual 4WD shifter … wow
I finally found the exact model I wanted 150 miles from where I live. A 2016 Trail Edition Premium with KDSS in white. The dealership wanted it out of the lot and fast since Toyota Financing was no longer financing them starting April 1st (in Canada). When it happens, it is very difficult for the dealer to sell those since they can no longer loan them, and the bank rates are so high that most people will just go for a 2017. So on March 31st in the morning, I called them and started to negotiate HARD. I finally got the truck for 43500$ Canadian which was 33930$+tx USD on that specific day. I could not get a better deal. I even took delivery the same night.
I am the happiest man on earth right now. You will see me around since modding season is on
