Oh my gosh, I love this post! Toyota for me too! Man, Nightshade. My 87 4Runner. I loved her! I bought her to do my spotted owl surveys with. She would go anywhere! 4 low, narrow brushy roads (her paint was awful, but beautiful). 80mph on the highway if it was flat. 30mph on the highway if it was over lookout pass, haha. I sold her because she needed more tinkering than I knew how to do deep in the woods all alone. I still miss her.
I got her to keep some miles and wear and tear off my first love, Lucy. My 98 Tacoma. I've had Lucy for 10 years and put over 150,000 miles on her. She has 318,000 now and still runs beautifully. A bit of a sag in the back, and that flawed frame has had to have some welded supports...yikes. I got Lucy when I got out of a bad relationship. When I needed something to prove to myself I had worth. I'd been told I was too dumb to drive a manual. So I sold my new wrangler and bought a manual truck, deciding I'd either learn, or starve. For me, my freedom machine has to have 4wd, be able to sleep in the back, have roof racks for my Yakima topper, and really, gotta be a manual for me to be really happy. Lastly, Lucy is all manual, windows, locks, etc. music plays from a USB cord plugged in...though that cord broke so currently music-less.....
Oh my gosh, this is awesome. I so wish tumbleweed had manual locks and windows. If there was a conversion I’d do it. So stoked to hear about your trucks. Those old 4 runners were pure gold!!! Thanks for sharing!
I had a ‘03 Honda Pilot that was just a unit. It took abuse and never complained. I sort of fell in love with Honda’s after that one and moved into Ridgeline. Truck guys make fun of it but it does everything I ask of it hauling wise and drives like a car over my long work trips. Honda’s reliability is why I come back.
Love this… a friend and I were talking yesterday about Tundras, vehicle quirks, and what gives something character. I always love listening to people talk about a car they love, especially when it’s something I haven’t owned or considered owning. It gives you a fresh perspective.
I may have to respond with a post of my own. Putting the sentiment in words deserves pictures.
I hope you do! I’d love to read it! Cars have been such a critical part in so many of the places I’ve been both here and abroad. A well engineered vehicle is just such an amazing machine.
Growing up in Oklahoma, I dreamed of a life in the mountains. When I was 19 my dad surprised me with a '92 Ford Bronco 2, and I saw this as a sign from the universe to point my wheels west. Definitely my freedom machine. It took me (and friends) on month long road trips, a summer working in Yosemite, a summer in Yellowstone, camping trips to New Mexico, Oregon, Washington. I felt like nothing was impossible or out of reach. It's the truck that finally landed me in Missoula in 1996, where I met my now wife, and we started our life together. So, in many ways, this truck helped set a course for everything after. Thanks for your post!
Oh my gosh, I love this post! Toyota for me too! Man, Nightshade. My 87 4Runner. I loved her! I bought her to do my spotted owl surveys with. She would go anywhere! 4 low, narrow brushy roads (her paint was awful, but beautiful). 80mph on the highway if it was flat. 30mph on the highway if it was over lookout pass, haha. I sold her because she needed more tinkering than I knew how to do deep in the woods all alone. I still miss her.
I got her to keep some miles and wear and tear off my first love, Lucy. My 98 Tacoma. I've had Lucy for 10 years and put over 150,000 miles on her. She has 318,000 now and still runs beautifully. A bit of a sag in the back, and that flawed frame has had to have some welded supports...yikes. I got Lucy when I got out of a bad relationship. When I needed something to prove to myself I had worth. I'd been told I was too dumb to drive a manual. So I sold my new wrangler and bought a manual truck, deciding I'd either learn, or starve. For me, my freedom machine has to have 4wd, be able to sleep in the back, have roof racks for my Yakima topper, and really, gotta be a manual for me to be really happy. Lastly, Lucy is all manual, windows, locks, etc. music plays from a USB cord plugged in...though that cord broke so currently music-less.....
Oh my gosh, this is awesome. I so wish tumbleweed had manual locks and windows. If there was a conversion I’d do it. So stoked to hear about your trucks. Those old 4 runners were pure gold!!! Thanks for sharing!
I had a ‘03 Honda Pilot that was just a unit. It took abuse and never complained. I sort of fell in love with Honda’s after that one and moved into Ridgeline. Truck guys make fun of it but it does everything I ask of it hauling wise and drives like a car over my long work trips. Honda’s reliability is why I come back.
Love this… a friend and I were talking yesterday about Tundras, vehicle quirks, and what gives something character. I always love listening to people talk about a car they love, especially when it’s something I haven’t owned or considered owning. It gives you a fresh perspective.
I may have to respond with a post of my own. Putting the sentiment in words deserves pictures.
I hope you do! I’d love to read it! Cars have been such a critical part in so many of the places I’ve been both here and abroad. A well engineered vehicle is just such an amazing machine.
Growing up in Oklahoma, I dreamed of a life in the mountains. When I was 19 my dad surprised me with a '92 Ford Bronco 2, and I saw this as a sign from the universe to point my wheels west. Definitely my freedom machine. It took me (and friends) on month long road trips, a summer working in Yosemite, a summer in Yellowstone, camping trips to New Mexico, Oregon, Washington. I felt like nothing was impossible or out of reach. It's the truck that finally landed me in Missoula in 1996, where I met my now wife, and we started our life together. So, in many ways, this truck helped set a course for everything after. Thanks for your post!