Should'a bought a Toyota ...

[Thumper]

My buddy's Chevy van puked it's guts out last year and I helped him shop for a replacement. He wanted a small truck, so of course, I contacted my buddy at the local Toyota dealer. They built a big new dealership a couple years ago, and the old dealership is now where they sell the higher mileage or older cars they take in on trade and would normally wholesale. My salesman (known him for many years) found a nice Tacoma that he said he'd give me a deal on.

I went out to visit my buddy and there wasn't any way he'd be caught in a Toyota as he's a died in the wool Chevy man! Oh well, you know the saying ... "You can lead a horse to water, but ...", well, you know the rest. He's a redneck and lives in a trailer out in the middle of the woods. I joked about all the derelict vehicles he had behind the house (he has about 10 acres) and mentioned it looks like a Chevy graveyard! (they're all his ex-drivers that have blown up over the years and he refuses to get rid of them) Long story a tad shorter, he was looking at an S-10 he'd located, so I drove him there, we looked it over and he bought it.

Well, a month or so ago, he called and was broken down and stranded on the side of the road. The tranny had gone out on him. I grabbed my tow strap and drove out to meet up with him, then turned my 'Yota into a redneck tow-truck. After getting it back to his place and pulling the pan, it was full of crap, so I told him he may want to try changing the filter/fluid and "might" get lucky. If so, he may want to consider dumping the POS while it was still operational! The filter change worked and he's been driving it for a month or so ... well, until yesterday that is. It quit shifting and he limped home in low gear, pulled the pan back off and it's again full of crap. Ok, it's overhaul time. (I didn't have the heart to say "I told you so" regarding the Toyota.) ;)

Now get this ... he's short on money to get the tranny done and needed to borrow a couple hundred bucks, so yesterday I sent him some money via PayPal. Later on, I got a text telling me he had not yet received it, so I got on my computer to check it out. I noticed I had an email from "him", but it turned out to be from some guy telling me he'd received the money, doesn't know who I am and has no clue what the money is for! It turns out he and my buddy have the same exact name/email address except my buddy has the number "3" after his name (which I inadvertently left off when I sent the cash). I emailed the guy, told him of my error and he immediately deposited it back into my account. So, there are STILL some honest people in this world. Now I'm sure PayPal would have straightened it out if I'd contacted them, but that's beside the point. I told the guy I appreciated his honesty and he wrote back that he admired the fact I was helping a "friend in need". Kinda restores my faith in my fellow man in a small way.

Now, if I could JUST convince my buddy to start driving DEPENDABLE vehicles .... :stirthepot

[Nandy]

I like both chevy and toyota. He can probably go to a pull a part and get another transmission lot cheaper than a rebuilt but it is a crap shoot as it can be on it's way out too....

[Thumper]

His neighbor (neighbors out there are about a 1/2 mile apart) is a retired transmission mechanic, so my buddy is going to buy the parts and his neighbor is gonna help him with the rebuild. I think it's just clutches as there was only one very small sliver of metal in the pan.

[Big Skyz]

All I know is that I miss my Toyotas. I replaced the regulator on my drivers side window of my Ford yesterday...for the third time in three years. I told my mechanic buddy I'd see him again next year to fix it again. ;)

[Thumper]

Dang B/S, you're not alone! My buddy has an F-150 (I "think" about an '05?) and he's had BOTH sides go out on his. The passenger side (where nobody ever sits) and the driver's side twice! He's a fanatic about his truck and it has very low mileage for a 10 year old truck and it always looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor. What pisses him off is the fact EVERY TIME they've failed, was during the summer when it rains EVERY DAY. I think he said the window just falls into the bottom of the door and he has to tape plastic sheeting over the opening to keep the rain out! He went on-line and said he doesn't understand why there's no class action suit because there are a bazillion complaints about the same problem.

[Big Skyz]

There are countless complaints and it's the 05's that have the most window problems. I think I will just keep some packing tape in my truck to hold the window up the next time it breaks. This last time my fishing partner just happen to have some in his day pack and it saved the day. I thought him having packing tape in his pack was about the oddest thing I'd ever heard of a guy carrying in his outdoor day pack. He explained the tape was for taping cardboard around his shins to use as snake proof gators in rattle snake country. I stood corrected the cardboard was even more odd. ;) The crazy thing is it would probably work, but sure would look stupid. All that aside I got to look downright classy running around the last two weeks with packing tape holding up my window while waiting for the new regulator to arrive. I should sue Ford for mental anguish and use the winnings to buy a new Tacoma. :D

[Thumper]

I have an '07 with 28,000 miles I'm "giving away" to the dealer (trade-in), but I'm waiting for them to find the exact truck I want (2016). I told them persactly what I wanted and that I wouldn't take anything else ... if they have to special order it, fine ... I'm in no hurry. I'm leaving tomorrow for L.A. and will be gone until the 17th, so if you want it, come on down! I'm sure you'd be willing to pay more than the dealer! ;)

This is the exact truck I'm trading .... it's barely broken in! (Cappy'd buy it, but it doesn't have enough doors.) ;)

http://onlytruecars.com/data_images/gallery/02/toyota-tacoma-pre-runner-4x4/toyota-tacoma-pre-runner-4x4-03.jpg


http://toyotanews.pressroom.toyota.com/images/toyota/photo//2005072_17_05_Tacoma_ACab_PreRun_V6-prv.jpg

[BarryBobPosthole]

You change vehicles about as often as I change socks.

BKB

[Thumper]

Ha! That's about the longest I ever kept one. Of course, I used to run high mileage when I had my business (35,000-40,000 miles/year). I bought this one when I closed my business, so I didn't put any miles on it. Then I started driving a truck and it would sit while I was on the road three weeks at a time, then I'd return home for 3 days before hitting the road again. So, still no mileage. THEN, the end of '09, I went into the hospital and all hell broke loose. Heck, I couldn't even drive for a few years after that, so it sat even more. I just started driving it a few years ago ... hence the low mileage. Before, the longest I ever kept a vehicle was 4 years and I'd trade 'em at around 150,000 miles ... I've had this one going on 9 years now, but only have 28,000 logged. I just got the "itch" and want a new one.

[BarryBobPosthole]

They have some really nice Tacomas. That 278 hp 3.5l looks pretty good too.

BKB

[johnboy]

Sounds like the same engine I had in the RAV. Best thing about that vehicle. Smooth and lots of power. Almost as nice as the 3.5l in my Maxima.

[Thumper]

They have some really nice Tacomas. That 278 hp 3.5l looks pretty good too. BKB

Yeah, my '07 has the 4.0L with 236 HP and pulls like an ox for a "small" truck. I usually wait a few years when new technology comes out, but Toyota has been testing this 3.5L engine for about 6-7 years I think. This is the first time it's been in a truck. I was a little concerned about the pulling power after dropping a half liter (to 3.5L), but with the new technology, the horsepower actually jumped to 278. I drove one of 'em, but in the few minutes I spent with it, I honestly couldn't tell the difference. The torque is pretty much the same with both engines (don't remember the figures), so that may be the reason. The plus side is the fuel mileage jumped up by 2 mpg.

I really don't do as much towing as I used to, but I've always ordered the towing package on all my trucks anyway. I don't have mountains here so the small truck has never been a problem for me, even when I was towing my 24-foot Stamas. The towing cap. actually went from 6500 lbs to 6800 lbs with this new engine, PLENTY for my needs these days. If I did a lot of heavy towing, I'd buy a Tundra, but I just don't need it ... except to pull my buddy's Chevy maybe. (Ha! Sorry, I couldn't resist) ;)

Heck, I just putz around like an old man these days anyway, so it's all I need. Sometimes I just need a fix and crave that "new car smell". ;)


Oh yeah P-hole, you mentioned earlier about how often I buy new trucks. Before this one, I'd rotate, a new car for Lynn every 4 years and a new truck for me every 4 years ... we'd trade every 2 years, so it "seems" like I'm constantly trading. With the '07. I just bought Lynn a new car every couple years and kept my truck since it had no miles on it. Now, when I had my company, I had 5 trucks on the road at one point, so I was constantly buying/trading. I'd normally always keep the newest one as my driver and rotate it into the "fleet" when a replacement was due. I started with 5 Chevies, but since employees can destroy an anvil, I eventually had to buy an extra truck as a "floater". One would go in the shop and I'd put the floater on the road ... then just keep rotating them. The floater stayed at my mechanic's shop at all times and I'd simply go in at the end of every month and pay my tab. When I switched to all Toyotas (in 1990), it seemed even the employees couldn't break them, so I no longer needed the floater and cut the fleet back down to 5. A few years later, I ran into my mechanic at Sam's and he asked what I was doing these days. When I told him nothing has changed, he said he thought I'd closed the business because he never sees me anymore!

I had the same results when I went to all Honda motors on my pumps. I'd trade them only because they'd start looking like crap over the years. Before I switched to Hondas, my pump motors would blow up after about 2 years and I'd just buy new ones.

[Big Skyz]

Email me a price, yea never know...

[BarryBobPosthole]

I'd never heard of the 'Atkinson Cycle' before. Apparently invented in the late 1800s. Pretty interesting stuff! Google it and check it out.

The more things change the more they stay the same!

BKB

[Thumper]

I'd never heard of the 'Atkinson Cycle' before. Apparently invented in the late 1800s. Pretty interesting stuff! Google it and check it out.

The more things change the more they stay the same!

BKB

Yeah, I read up on it. I'd never heard of it either. The only odd-ball thing I remember is the Wankel. I had one of those in a Mazda once and they ran like a bat out of Hell! I can't remember why they didn't make it ... or heck, for all I know, they may still have 'em! I don't pay much attention to Mazdas these days.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I still remember the jingle.....piston engines go ping ping ping, Mazda engine goes hmmm,mmmmmm"

BKB

[Thumper]

Email me a price, yea never know...

Ha! I'll have to figure out what they paid me for it! Here's how the deal went down. I walked in, told my salesman EXACTLY what I wanted (options, color, etc) and NOTHING else will do, so don't try to slip me into something "on the lot". I then told him I'd give 'em my truck in trade, plus $15,000 cash ... and that does NOT mean $15,000.52 ... $15,000 even plus $2000 to put toward tax/tag/title and all that b/s, so work the deal backwards from that figure. We scratched the deal out on a piece of scrap paper, he got with the Sales Manager and came back with some figure $19K OTD, so I started to walk. He went back to the SM, told him I was leaving and all of a sudden the figure was accepted. I left my $2000 "earnest money" and left. ;)

I talked to my salesman the other night and told him we're leaving town (Lynn's working 'til noon, then we're out'ta here) until the 17th. So far they haven't found the truck I want, so they may be ordering it for all I know. I guess I need a contract with all the add-ons to figure what they actually gave me in trade. To be honest, I HATE buying cars. I always figure if they accepted a deal, I'm still getting screwed somehow! But, I can only blame myself, I gave THEM the figure I was willing to pay, all they had to do is meet it, so who knows? I may have screwed myself for all I know.

Here's our "deal" (we've worked together so many years, we've gotten a bit "informal"!) ;)

Those are my initials next to the 15K figure to make it official.

6016

And here's the earnest money:

6017

[BarryBobPosthole]

I think Troy was just thinking of what driving to Florida in December to pick it up would be like!

BKB

[Big Skyz]

Fly to Florida, either way it would be nicer in December weather wise than here. :)

[Thumper]

Well, you may have to stay a while 'cause you may not make it home. I might need to mention, my trade is not 4WD although it does have posi-traction (TRD Sport). I haven't needed 4WD since I quit using my truck for business. I assume you only drive 4WD up there. (?)

[Big Skyz]

Oops never mind then. I have no use for a non-four wheel drive. I wouldn't make it a month without one.

[Thumper]

Oops never mind then. I have no use for a non-four wheel drive. I wouldn't make it a month without one.

Yeah, that's what I figured. ;)

Otherwise, it's loaded with all the options. I just don't need 4WD anymore.

[Big Skyz]

We exist two completely different worlds in that regard!

[Buckrub]

Average (mean) elevation of Montana - 3,400 feet.

Average (mean) elevation of Florida - 6 feet.

[Big Skyz]

Yup, I live at 3800 and all of my hunting is at 4000-8000 feet.