Do you recall your first car? Help me make that memory... (1 Viewer)

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This is family risk planning.... don't want him to have a car that can hold all the friends and get into trouble. Actually, if we were ok with more than 2 people in the car, we would get a landcruiser.

Truth be told, I am considering taking an 80 series and making it into a truck. I have a heap of parts for 80's.
 
When I was 17, I had been working and going to high school and sleeping where ever I could find a bed for almost 4 years.

I had met my future Wife in Rubidoux, CA, while I was working at a gas station in Bloomington, CA and a friend told me about a 1955 Plymouth Station Wagon that was for sale for $50.

I scraped up the $50 and bought my first car. Then I found a mattress somewhere (vacant lot, I think) and suddenly I had my own place!

For the next couple of years, I lived in that car, alternating my movable home, between the Riverside, CA (school out) and El Centro, CA.(school in session).

It was my DD (for work and school) and I dated in that car and put a lot of miles on it... my future Father-in-Law sold it for me, for $125, when I enlisted in the Air Force in 1968.

That car gave me my own home and was very reliable! It didn't cost much to keep up or run... it just needed water in the radiator, every few miles. It overheated a lot!!

In those days, you could easily fit 4 young people on the front seat. So, I'm not suggesting you look for a '55 Wagon... especially with a mattress in the back...

...merely walking down memory lane...

Sorry, I've digressed...

My Son-in-Law has a 2003 Tacoma TRD 4X4, with an extended cab and a V-6- it's completely reliable, as is my 2002 Tundra - but, I know nothing about the newer Tacos and Tundras.

Good luck with your hunt...
 
The '05 and later Tacos are fine , just really expensive . If that 1st gen was nearby I'd grab it , looks like it's in great shape and has a new frame to boot . I personally just like the looks of the 1st gen and they have proven to be really reliable with a very high resale value regardless of mileage - getting a decent deal on one is tough . It may be beneficial to look at some of the stealerships and see what they have - if a frame has been replaced they may give some room on price as a lot of folks are scared of that , I think it would be a good thing personally and a vehicle worth buying .
Sarge
 
The tacomas 95-04 really hold their value. I had a 98 and a 01. I wish I had never sold the 01. It was a beast and looked great.

They didn't change to much over the years on the tacos from 95 to 04. The biggest changes were grills and tail and head lights, and interiors but the most noticeable changes are in 01-04 with the newer interiors and grill and hood shapes.
The Trd package for those tacomas were shocks and a rear push button locker. Watch for ones that just have had a sticker thrown on to raise to resell value or just look cooler. Real Trds will have the rr lock button to the left of the steering wheel. And if you really want to be sure it will have the elocker next to the third member on the axle housing.
95-00 can have manual locking hubs in the front from the dealer, after 00 and it was swapped in by an owner, which isn't a bad thing.
98 was the first year for trd
4doors only came in autos
More than 3 inches of lift causes problems with from cvs, really I found about 2in was max for not tearing the boots.
Watch for bad upper or lower ball joints I had 2 friends have them fail and the front end collapsed. Very rare and and has more to do with owner not maintaining vehicle but they should probably be swapped out if boots torn or worn. Toyota parts are best for this.

Could be a way to get the price down by quoting dealer prices for swapping balljoints my guess is 1k plus and do the work yourself. Don't quote me but I don't think any special tools would be required and could be a fun father son project.
They do have frame rust problems but I think for the most part it's in areas of the country that all vehicles have frame rust problems.

Used parts for tacos can be found for a deal used at ttora.com on the forums. When I had mine I got lots of stuff from members there. It's dried up over the last ten years but still some people selling stuff.
ImageUploadedByIH8MUD Forum1423411738.271785.jpg



The taco or many toyota 4x4 can get someone in over their head quick off-road as the vehicle capabilities are greater than most drivers.
Make sure your son knows safety when off-roading as he will likely go without you. Winches are dangerous make sure he knows safety, high-lifts shouldn't be used by someone not very very well informed. I saw a kid knock his teeth out with one years back.
Don't let your friends talk you into driving somewhere not safe.


O yea I forgot one more thing. Many owners wanted a j-stick transfer case instead of the push button type. I'm not sure of the exact differences but one has a 4wd button on the t-case shifter and one does not. Maybe someone else can chime in what to look for or stay away from, I'm not sure how the 4wd button works I didn't have one just the j pattern tcase shifter
 
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Wow. Thanks for all the information!
 
I think I read that you wanted to get him the truck so it would limit the passengers he could carry. But from what I have seen the 4 runners with the 3.4 motor can be found for a better deal sometimes and they have a classic toyota 4x4 look as well.

After reading this thread I was thinking back to my highschool days alittle over ten years ago in my 98 ext cab tacoma and I once got 9 people inside of it so the truck might not always limit the number of people. I think we were going to the sec baseball tournament or a willie nelson concert or something like that but parking cost money so people wanted to ride together. Me being a young male didn't think that having a vehicle way above capacity half full of cute girls could ever lead to anything bad.


I feel bad doing this to him but if you do get your boy an ext cab tacoma, lift up the rear fold up seats ...... those spare tire tool compartments that fit flush with the floor make a very good hiding place for things young men dont want their parents finding......:beer::smokin:
 
alabamatacomaguy said:
I think I read that you wanted to get him the truck so it would limit the passengers he could carry. But from what I have seen the 4 runners with the 3.4 motor can be found for a better deal sometimes and they have a classic toyota 4x4 look as well.

After reading this thread I was thinking back to my highschool days alittle over ten years ago in my 98 ext cab tacoma and I once got 9 people inside of it so the truck might not always limit the number of people. I think we were going to the sec baseball tournament or a willie nelson concert or something like that but parking cost money so people wanted to ride together. Me being a young male didn't think that having a vehicle way above capacity half full of cute girls could ever lead to anything bad.


I feel bad doing this to him but if you do get your boy an ext cab tacoma, lift up the rear fold up seats ...... those spare tire tool compartments that fit flush with the floor make a very good hiding place for things young men dont want their parents finding......:beer::smokin:
Click to expand...

I couldn't find the "narc" button, so I clicked 'Like' instead.
 
Hahahaha. yeah, boys will be boys. At least he is sticking to a mid size. You can stack lots of folks in an old full-size pickup too. ;)
 
Don't do it! First gen 4x4 v6 5 spd TRDs are one of the best trucks ever made. It'll be like taking that first hit of smack. He'll be ruined for life! Get him some jalopy. He'll probably wreck his first car anyway.

My first car: 1973 Baja Bug
 
I guess I am cheap. I don't spend 10k on my own cars, so having issue dropping that here. Maybe I should go with the 4runner and weld the back doors? :)
 
Older style pickup with a 22re?
 
I think you are really overthinking the "he'll pile a bunch of people" into it thing. If you dont TRUST your kid...dont buy him anything.

While I am here...this was my first car... OH NO! 4 doors! I hardly ever carried around a bunch of people. Maybe because they were too embarrassed to come along...but actually it was because I would have rather just went in my friends cars. That said, THAT is what you have to worry about. If you trust your son, trust he may be best off in whatever (safe) car you have him in and TAUGHT him how to properly drive then in the hands of one of his dimwit friends!. If they cant take his truck, theyll take someone elses piece.



and second car. (damn right) Nothing teaches you to be a good driver like a no ABS 5 liter 5 speed pony in Ohio winters! Never wrecked it either.

 
63' Chevy Impala 4 dr, it was a tank, drove it too many places I shouldn't have. The back seat was so big that----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. And that's the story.
-Jim
 
Mudder said:
Older style pickup with a 22re?
Click to expand...

This. I wanted McFly's truck from Back to the future soo bad when I turned 16, but that wasn't an option. I bought my mini truck in 1999 and I have put close to 200k miles on it over the years. An early 90's xtra cab 22re 5spd would get my vote as well, that is if I were voting. Should be able to find a good one for a few grand and have a few pennies to get him some tires and a few other goodies to get him started.
 
iwashmycar said:
While I am here...this was my first car... OH NO! 4 doors! I hardly ever carried around a bunch of people. Maybe because they were too embarrassed to come along...but actually it was because I would have rather just went in my friends cars. That said, THAT is what you have to worry about. If you trust your son, trust he may be best off in whatever (safe) car you have him in and TAUGHT him how to properly drive then in the hands of one of his dimwit friends!. If they cant take his truck, theyll take someone elses piece.

Click to expand...

Nice. My first car was an '89 Corsica. That thing was a ginormous turd until it was totaled 6 months later.

10k is a pretty good price from what I have seen from a TRD Tacoma. So you are probably going to have to go a different route. I am pretty sure the lawyer that bought my 98 4runner is willing to sell. Lift, manual hub conversion, rock sliders, manual. I think he just refreshed some suspension and WP/TB. Not sure what he is asking but I would guess about 4k.
 
Sounds nice....
 
Pre-runner. All the look of a 4wd without the front driveline.
 
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