ChumpChange
Queen Peanut Butter
- Location
- W.Mass
Long story short, I drive a Tacoma now. Bought it relatively cheap at a relatively reputable used car dealership. It's a 2006 SR5. Access cab, 6ft bed, V6, 4x4. Completely stock, very very clean inside and out. Pretty sure it's a one owner truck, I grabbed it with like, 127,xxx on the clock.
The previous owner, for some reason, didn't follow through with the frame recall. The frame has been repaired, and the repair is sound, but I know that at some point in the future, the problem will rear its ugly head and I'll have to make a decision. Before that happens though, I'm just gonna drive it, and maintain it as best as I can, and enjoy it. Since the future is uncertain, I won't dump money into it. My driving history tells me that I'll put between 10,000 and 14,000 miles per year on it.
I'm somewhat active on a Tacoma forum, but to be honest, I just can't engage over there. I mostly use it to read and learn, but that's about where my involvement ends, generally. Now that I'm back here, I figure I'll start a thread...even if all I do is use it as a maintenance log.
So, here it is, in all its "old man truck" glory. These are the pics I took at the dealership the day I test drove it. "It"...hell, it doesn't even have a name yet.
The tires it came with got me through vehicle inspection and just barely got me through winter, but I don't think they'll pass inspection in May. They also suck. Firestone Destination LE. Decent highway tire, especially if the highway is perfectly clean and dry. I know the back end of this truck is lightweight, especially with the plastic bed; but I've broken these tires loose so many times, even while driving like an old man.
To remedy the situation, I've got a full set of 5 pizza cutters in the garage, which I'll have mounted in a few weeks. Stock size is 245/75/16, I'm going 235/85/16. From what I've read, this is as tall as you can go on stock suspension...and only because of the reduced width. Sumitomo Encounter A/T. Very affordable at just under $160/ea, very good reviews on things like on/off road performance, snow performance, treadwear etc., and an aggressive look without being overly aggressive. After all, it's a daily, not a wheeler. Also, at 17/32", these have the deepest tread of any tire I was considering. They're load range E, so I know the ride will be a bit more rough, but that's ok. I ran E's on my X and didn't mind the change.
About the only other things I've done are to build a 3 kayak rack for the bed, machine an adapter to use a MT bike grip as a shift knob, and a nice free mod to allow me to run the factory fog lights solo. From the factory, you can only run the fogs with the headlights on, and they turn off when you turn on the high beams. This lets me run the fogs whenever I want - solo, parking lights, headlights, high beams.
The previous owner, for some reason, didn't follow through with the frame recall. The frame has been repaired, and the repair is sound, but I know that at some point in the future, the problem will rear its ugly head and I'll have to make a decision. Before that happens though, I'm just gonna drive it, and maintain it as best as I can, and enjoy it. Since the future is uncertain, I won't dump money into it. My driving history tells me that I'll put between 10,000 and 14,000 miles per year on it.
I'm somewhat active on a Tacoma forum, but to be honest, I just can't engage over there. I mostly use it to read and learn, but that's about where my involvement ends, generally. Now that I'm back here, I figure I'll start a thread...even if all I do is use it as a maintenance log.
So, here it is, in all its "old man truck" glory. These are the pics I took at the dealership the day I test drove it. "It"...hell, it doesn't even have a name yet.
The tires it came with got me through vehicle inspection and just barely got me through winter, but I don't think they'll pass inspection in May. They also suck. Firestone Destination LE. Decent highway tire, especially if the highway is perfectly clean and dry. I know the back end of this truck is lightweight, especially with the plastic bed; but I've broken these tires loose so many times, even while driving like an old man.
To remedy the situation, I've got a full set of 5 pizza cutters in the garage, which I'll have mounted in a few weeks. Stock size is 245/75/16, I'm going 235/85/16. From what I've read, this is as tall as you can go on stock suspension...and only because of the reduced width. Sumitomo Encounter A/T. Very affordable at just under $160/ea, very good reviews on things like on/off road performance, snow performance, treadwear etc., and an aggressive look without being overly aggressive. After all, it's a daily, not a wheeler. Also, at 17/32", these have the deepest tread of any tire I was considering. They're load range E, so I know the ride will be a bit more rough, but that's ok. I ran E's on my X and didn't mind the change.
About the only other things I've done are to build a 3 kayak rack for the bed, machine an adapter to use a MT bike grip as a shift knob, and a nice free mod to allow me to run the factory fog lights solo. From the factory, you can only run the fogs with the headlights on, and they turn off when you turn on the high beams. This lets me run the fogs whenever I want - solo, parking lights, headlights, high beams.
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