WARNING: This post deals with me – a rational, 40-year-old adult with a wife and kid and responsibilities – having childlike emotions over a car. You may find that dumb. That’s your perogative. Here it is anyway.
As a young man, I was always enamored of the 4Runner. To my teenage self, Toyota (objectively) made the best vehicles in general, and the 4Runner was simply the best of the best. My first vehicle was a hand-me-down Grand Prix that had only slightly less power than a 30-year-old bug. It was dying even as I adopted it from my older brother, and within one school year, it was shot. Something, something “motor trouble,” was all I knew. There was smoke involved. At the time, I had a job and was ready to buy something of my own, and I wanted a 4Runner. This was 1997, and the 3rd generation 4Runner had only just been introduced. My father took me shopping to a few lots, and on one, we found what I wanted – a 1996 beautiful red 4Runner, with a lift, extra-large tires, and only about 20k miles on it. Unfortunately, as a part-time high-schooler, it was WELL out of my budget. I asked my dad for it, and he said he’d think about it.
The next day, he picked me up from school in my new vehicle, a 1991 Ford Explorer in the ugliest brown/tan two-tone that one could imagine. It was a good vehicle, and more importantly (according to my father), it was within my budget to help pay. While I eventually begrudgingly learned to love and appreciate it, it was always my “not-4Runner.”
That was my first disappointment re: my hopes to own a 4Runner. My second happened in 2002 in college.
The 3rd gen was still going at this time. I was fronting a band, and the bassist in the band had wealthy parents. He had wrecked his car the previous night and was asking us all during practice what he should get. I just casually said, “I’d get a 4Runner dude, you can haul your gear, and they’re sexy.” His response was literally, “I’ve never heard of a 4Runner, is that a Jeep?” Three days later, he drove up to my house in a brand new 2002 pristine white off-the-lot fully-loaded 4Runner that his parents had paid cash for. I steamed in envy and silently stewed over how I could best steal it from him while framing our drummer.
That year, I bought the closest thing I could get to one that was within my means – a candy-apple-red manual windows, short bed, standard cab Toyota Tacoma, with about as much power as my previous Grand Prix. But I learned to love it, and I’ve had it ever since. It’s 20 years old with only 100k miles on it (I don’t drive a ton as a full-time father), and it’s in beautiful condition.
But now in my backyard is something new (for me).
My uncle was a mechanic and was always coming across deals. For awhile, he owned a 1999 green 4Runner that he barely drove, which he sold to my brother several years ago. However, my brother decided he didn’t want to deal with an old vehicle, and offered it to me for $500. Five hundred dollars.
It has over 200k miles, legit rust on the rear bumper, a leaky sunroof (that’s been caulked to prevent damage), and a rattle over 45 MPH. Even so, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect ride. The interior is in amazing shape for its age, and it’s been well-loved for at least half of its life. It’s going to be well-loved for the rest of its life. This will be its story. I figured the first thing to do would be to name it. She’s obviously a beautiful woman. I’ll let you know what I come up with after I give her a good bath.
After that, my intentions are rather grandiose for a father who barely has time to practice piano anymore – I am going to fully renovate and refurbish it mostly on my own (with assistance from a few people in my life who “know what they’re doing”), and I will chronicle my work.
Right up front, I have five starting issues (that I know of) which I will deal with:
- Battery. Doesn’t work. Dead as a doornail. Easy fix.
- Sunroof Leaks. There’s a sunroof, and it leaks. It has a caulk job preventing the leak currently, but if you happen to hit the button by accident to open it (which according to my brother, is rather easy), you break the seal, and goodbye interior! I’m not sure yet if this will require me to take the entire sunroof system out to repair, or it’s a simpler job where some new weatherstripping will suffice. This is an example of a thing I will learn.
- Rusty rear bumper. It’s real rust, it’s eaten through a portion of the bumper. I will likely start with just a salvage yard bumper off a Tacoma or 4Runner – doesn’t have to be in perfect condition, just needs to not be rusted through.
- Broken driver-side mirror. It’s shattered. It has electronic components. No idea what’s involved. At least it’s black, so a replacement doesn’t have to be paint-matched.
- Over 45 MPH Rattle/Vibration. This is the only one so far that concerns me. I have no idea where to begin with this. It could be fuel-related (bad injectors), it could be frame/chassis-related (which terrifies me), it could be wheel/axle/etc-related (bad alignment, tie-rod-ends or bearings, CV joint, all kinds of things), it could be shocks/struts-related. I DON’T KNOW. This will be my first true dive into “what the hell is wrong and how can I fix it?”
That’s what I know for the start. After that, I plan on making a few upgrades (proper cup holders in the center console, a better modern stereo, and maybe just some other cheap cosmetics), and we’ll see where we go. Wish me luck!
Some “Beauty” shots
