1. Welcome to 4Runners.com!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all 4Runner discussion topics
    • Transfer over your build thread from a different forum to this one
    • Communicate privately with other 4Runner owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

1st time you saw a Toyota and thought...one day

Discussion in 'General 4Runner Talk' started by 1/68 Armor Ventre A Terra, Apr 29, 2021.

  1. May 17, 2021 at 6:58 AM
    #61
    Thatbassguy

    Thatbassguy New member? Really??

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2019
    Member:
    #9314
    Messages:
    12,408
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    James
    S/E Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2019 TRDORP, KDSS, MGM
    RSG sliders, Yakima offgrid basket, Pro-Comp wheels, SOS Streamline bumper and skids, Warn VR EVO10S winch + Ultimate Sidewinder, Bilstein 6112 + 5100 + rear lift coils, Rigid Dually SS ditch lights w/Caliraised brackets and OEM style dash switch
    That makes sense.

    But, I also know several people with GM, Mopar and Ford toys who use Toyotas and Hondas as their daily drivers. I figured it has something to do with reliability.
     
    Toy4X4 likes this.
  2. May 17, 2021 at 11:03 AM
    #62
    importman

    importman The mountains are calling and I must go...

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2020
    Member:
    #16870
    Messages:
    252
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Danny
    Carolinas
    Vehicle:
    05 Silver SR5 V6 4X4
    Blacked out, Ironman 3" Nitro Gas Suspension lift, JBA High Caster upper control arms, Differential drop and sway bar relocate, Upgraded to Sport Front Cardone Calipers with Brembo Rotors and Akebono Pads, Added Spoiler, Sony XAV-AX100 with Apple Carplay, USB Jack, Backup Camera, Black TRD Pro Wheels with General Grabber ATX 265/70/17, Rear differential vent extension, Auto Dimming Mirror with Compass and Homelink, Map Light Mod, Tekonsha 90160 Trailer Brake Controller, Recoil SL1708 Sub, Sealight LED Headlamps, K&N drop in air filter, Weathertech floor mats, Homemade rear storage compartment with built in pull out table.
    I would certainly buy a few new vehicles in their first year if I was looking for a new vehicle. But none of them would be domestic. Case in point: back when Nissan's reliability was comparable to Toyota and Honda's, the 1989 Maxima, in it's first year after a redesign, was proclaimed as the most reliable car sold in America. I worked as a Nissan tech at that time and I can vouch for them as well.
     
    Singleminded and Thatbassguy like this.
  3. May 17, 2021 at 12:01 PM
    #63
    Thatbassguy

    Thatbassguy New member? Really??

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2019
    Member:
    #9314
    Messages:
    12,408
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    James
    S/E Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2019 TRDORP, KDSS, MGM
    RSG sliders, Yakima offgrid basket, Pro-Comp wheels, SOS Streamline bumper and skids, Warn VR EVO10S winch + Ultimate Sidewinder, Bilstein 6112 + 5100 + rear lift coils, Rigid Dually SS ditch lights w/Caliraised brackets and OEM style dash switch
    Agreed! On that note, if I was in a position to buy another new vehicle right now, I'd strongly consider the new Z they're about to release.
     
  4. May 17, 2021 at 3:54 PM
    #64
    toy33

    toy33 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2019
    Member:
    #8596
    Messages:
    192
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    T. Batey
    CA: OC LA SD BB
    Vehicle:
    2016 Platinum Tundra 4x4
    Driver Grab handle, Billy 4600 up front, OME 0-2 Sport Shocks in back, CoachBuilder +1 Shackles, AJT accents and fob case, Rear axle breather mod, Meso custom leds, Pass side oem matte clips, Fencing over air ducts, New TRD Pro grill, Black TRD pro led haedlights, Angels baseball steering wheel cover, 'T' Toyota Trucks billet hitch cover. Pro high grade tint all windows, PPF on front hood, grill and lights, led oem black fogs, shorty antenna.
    A coworker in late 80's had a 1989 pickup similar to this. Went with my uncle to a Toyota dealer in Orange CA. and man they looked good. Being a teenager still, there was no way I could afford one, but that was my "one day" I will moment ! Also remember those early celica's ..beauty and sporty.

    dqxKTTvArV0aU03TNtRJR0QYG41AlbY_WINcOX-V_d0bdbc19b4c7125ff82b9b43bbde42b12824e6e9.jpg
     
  5. May 16, 2022 at 3:41 PM
    #65
    1/68 Armor Ventre A Terra

    1/68 Armor Ventre A Terra [OP] 24 Silver ORP w/KDSS

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2021
    Member:
    #21168
    Messages:
    58
    Gender:
    Male
    I thought I’d post on here for my Dad and my Dad’s friend Dave who’s FJ is in the picture above. His Toyota was green. I now have a green ORP and those days as a kid gave me the love of 4 wheel driving. It came in handy in Afghanistan when the power steering and brakes were going out of our hummer and I still drove that sucker over a 10,000 foot switch back pass in the mountains. My dad passed two weeks ago today and everything about working and tinkering around on these Toys reminds me of him. He would have like my new 4Runner and asked me first thing if I had replaced the stock tires.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2022
    BionicRandy, 2Toys, Beachguy and 3 others like this.
  6. May 16, 2022 at 11:04 PM
    #66
    McSpazatron

    McSpazatron New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2021
    Member:
    #19810
    Messages:
    4,612
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2021 4runner OR
    Dobinson IMS Warn Bumper CaliRaised Sliders 285/70 K02s
    Gotta say, this is what got me excited for toyota pick up trucks. 4runner is close enough.

    When I was a kid Datsun ruled the day in terms of cool cars I saw my uncles driving, especially the 510 :drool:

    Toyotas were still considered the car to have, but the square corolla 1.8L just could hold a candle to the square 510s in my eye.
     
  7. May 17, 2022 at 5:50 PM
    #67
    Thatbassguy

    Thatbassguy New member? Really??

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2019
    Member:
    #9314
    Messages:
    12,408
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    James
    S/E Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2019 TRDORP, KDSS, MGM
    RSG sliders, Yakima offgrid basket, Pro-Comp wheels, SOS Streamline bumper and skids, Warn VR EVO10S winch + Ultimate Sidewinder, Bilstein 6112 + 5100 + rear lift coils, Rigid Dually SS ditch lights w/Caliraised brackets and OEM style dash switch
    Sorry for your loss!
     
  8. May 17, 2022 at 7:58 PM
    #68
    Trail Runnah

    Trail Runnah New Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2020
    Member:
    #14189
    Messages:
    2,618
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2013 T4R Trail Edition
    Stock
    So sorry for your loss! Also, that's a wild story about the Hummvee, glad you made it!
     
  9. May 17, 2022 at 9:19 PM
    #69
    2Toys

    2Toys Imperial Star Cruiser

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2020
    Member:
    #15337
    Messages:
    1,080
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Gordon
    NorCal
    Vehicle:
    2019 4Runner TRDORP
    a few goodies
    Sorry for your loss. The circle of life always wins in the end...

    I don't know how I missed these posts last year. It has been great reading.

    My Toyota story begins with seeing a 1977 or 78 Toyota Celica hatchback on a used car lot in 1980. I was a young airman in the USAF that just arrived at my first (and only) permanent station. How I wanted that car. I would go to the dealer's lot and just sit in it and dream. They ran me out of there because they knew I could not afford it as an E-1. Fast forward a bit to 1983 when I bought a 1979 HiLux SR-5 2WD 5 speed. I loved that truck and drove it all over the Sierra Nevadas with a dirt bike in the back. I know every entrance to Yosemite National Park, both legal and not so much. I put so many miles on that truck (20R engine) and never had anything but brakes and tires. I kept that truck until 1989 and was forced to sell it because of my situation at the time.

    Then, in 1985, a coworker in the military bought a 4Runner. I wanted one of those. But it would have to wait. Like others, I lusted after the truck in Back to the Future, and was jealous of Marty McFly and his truck. Our local dealer had a black 4WD HiLux all decked out with the roll bar just like the movie. It was 1986 and my second child was on the way, and there was no way that was happening. I was the lone wage earner, and not much wage at that in the USAF stationed in California. I always had my eye on Toyota trucks. When Toyota firs came out with the 3.0 in the truck, I went right down and drove one. The smile on my face was ear to ear, and I am positive the salesman was drooling over a sure sale at his advantage. Boy, was he pissed at me. I told him it was a nice truck, about time for the V-6, and walked right off the lot. It was still not to be. Yet. A long yet.

    A lot of water under the bridge, and an ex-wife under the bridge, (LOL) and fast forward to 2012. After rebuilding my life, and having a dream car (for me) which was a 2005 Infiniti G-35-6 MT, I was ready to shitcan the 2010 Nissan Sentra I had bought under duress for a daily driver. What a mistake that car was. I was thinking the moment that I bought it that I should have bought a Tacoma. I had been out for dinner right next to a Toyota dealer and saw my next truck, a 2019 Tacoma Sport Access Cab. I bought that truck the next day, and got rid of the Sentra at the same time.

    A couple of years later, after having the scare of my life in a panic stop on a California freeway - (the truck absolutely would not stop), I traded the 2012 for a 2015 Sport Access Cab with brake boost. I still have that truck to this day, about 104k miles later.

    The Infiniti had been wearing on me - it was fun, but buying tires every 20K miles at about $1600 for a set, plus a manual transmission in Bay Area traffic just didn't do it for me anymore. That thing had so much power, the aero package kept it stuck to the road, cornered like a race car, and the highest I ever had it was 150 mph, but I had to get pretty far away to have fun with it.

    Then, I was perusing Toyota's website one weekend in September of 2018... I was playing around with building a 4 Runner... And I decided to go and look for myself because I am a touchy feely kind of person. The internet is okay, but... And my build was a truck already at the local dealer. 12 hours later, my dream truck was in my driveway, and my Infiniti with worn out tires was someone else's problem.

    It took me a lot of years to realize my truck dream, but I am keeping my 4 Runner.
     
  10. May 18, 2022 at 6:43 AM
    #70
    Tmiesowicz

    Tmiesowicz New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2021
    Member:
    #24881
    Messages:
    1,254
    Gender:
    Male
    The better half of New York
    Vehicle:
    2022 sr5 premium 4x4 (sold) 2022 ram classic tradesman 5.7L 4x4 (current)
    When I saw all my favorite SUVS getting smooshed into cross overs (blazer, explorer, grand Cherokee, etc) and that the only box looking reliable vehicle that was still simple was a 4 runner, is when I knew I wanted a 4 runner.
     
  11. May 18, 2022 at 6:44 AM
    #71
    1/68 Armor Ventre A Terra

    1/68 Armor Ventre A Terra [OP] 24 Silver ORP w/KDSS

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2021
    Member:
    #21168
    Messages:
    58
    Gender:
    Male
    @2Toys yours is a great read. I lost a new 91 Toyota 4x4 pickup to my first wife in 92 (WW1). My next Toy was a 99 Periwinkle 4Runner SR5 and that is when the Toyota fever got me. Here are my other two now.D090D7E3-6D0C-484B-9FD8-D333AF08A4DF.jpg
     
    BionicRandy, brownersd and 2Toys like this.
  12. May 18, 2022 at 9:59 AM
    #72
    standard

    standard New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2022
    Member:
    #26512
    Messages:
    83
    Gender:
    Male
    Pacific Northwest
    Vehicle:
    1999 4Runner SR5 4WD
    stock so far, what could he possibly need
    1960-ish Dad bought a Toyota import. It was not fast, but seemed able to climb phone poles. First 4WD I ever drove. One of the learning to drive memory. I looked for an FJ for years but didn't connect the 3 requirements. now i am an apprentice 4Runner trainee, and getting to know a descendant of Dad's ride.
     
  13. May 18, 2022 at 12:47 PM
    #73
    Singleminded

    Singleminded New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2020
    Member:
    #15483
    Messages:
    1,724
    Vehicle:
    2020 4Runner Limited
    OEM LED foglights
    The first time I got excited about Toyota was when my dad bought a new 1985 Supra. To me, the exterior styling had all the allure of a Porsche -- especially in that red! -- while inside I felt like I was piloting some kind of luxury jet fighter. Rowing through the 5-spd, I thought I was ready to challenge Mario Andretti. Loved that it was tail happy. Amazing to think how slow it was by today's standards. Back then it was the fastest thing I'd ever driven. To this day it's one of the handful of cars I miss most. It and our MGB hooked me on traditional sports cars -- light weight, front engine, rear drive, manual trans. This isn't the actual car, but it looked exactly like this. Sweet.

    @Thatbassguy , I saw your post about also having an 85 Supra as well as an 87 MR2. Nice! My dad and I test drove an MR2 around that time and he ended up going more practical with a Maxima. But that MR2 was a hoot! Would love to have a minty one now!

    IMG_4754.jpg
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2022
  14. May 18, 2022 at 1:23 PM
    #74
    JustATallDude

    JustATallDude New Member+

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2020
    Member:
    #14030
    Messages:
    230
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
    Gibson Single Exit Exhaust - Magnuson Supercharger - Sprint Booster - GTR Ultra2 Highs - Evil Headlights w/ Morimoto LED - Anzo Black Smoked Tail Lights - LED Interior Lights - A-Pillar Phone Mount Mod - CTH Side Mirrors - Eibach TRD Pro-Lift Springs - Falken Wildpeak A/T3s 285/70/17 - FSW F246 17x8.5 - Lasfit LED Turn Signals - DDI Seat Jackers - Apex Overland Front Recovery Points - Big Red's Turn Signal Mod and AMD Mod - R4T Blackout Turn Signals - BlackVue DR590 Dashcam and more to come...
    I'm a younger guy so I never got to see the cool 80s-90s Toyota's just the boring beige ones so they were never that interesting to me. However I absolutely fell in love one day when I was going for a drive down our main strip and I was being must've been a 15 or 16 white TRD Pro and I saw that rear window roll down. Then once I got my job selling them 4 years ago now, i was really really impressed with the lineup they were offering. I've looked a lot more into the brand now and it's history and I gotta say they're my favorite out there. I'm really looking for something fun and would love an old 2WD Toyota Pickup for a v8 swap or 3rd gen Supra.
     
  15. Jun 8, 2022 at 6:53 AM
    #75
    4runGirl88

    4runGirl88 Get a little mud on the tires!

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2019
    Member:
    #11817
    Messages:
    451
    Gender:
    Female
    Vehicle:
    2018 Black SR5 Premium (AKA Black Betty)
    I had a thing for bad boys and Toyota trucks back in the 90s. Went to high school with a girl who drove her mom's 4runner. I thought the 4runner was the coolest vehicle on earth, and envied her.

    Without realizing it, my first car was a 1985 Chevy Nova which I believe was based off the Corolla...?
     
  16. Jun 8, 2022 at 6:56 AM
    #76
    MyWyfsRnnr

    MyWyfsRnnr Have you seen the mall?

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2019
    Member:
    #8958
    Messages:
    852
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Chris
    Citrus Heights
    Vehicle:
    2018 4Runner TRD
    Prinsu, Blacked-out taillights, tinted fronts, BudBuilt Sliders, BudBuilt Skids, OME lift, 275/70/17 KO2's, LED interior, C4 Fab Diff Skid, Dvr Grab Handle, AnyTime Backup Camera, Badge Overlays, Wet Okole Covers
  17. Jun 9, 2022 at 5:42 AM
    #77
    Thatbassguy

    Thatbassguy New member? Really??

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2019
    Member:
    #9314
    Messages:
    12,408
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    James
    S/E Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2019 TRDORP, KDSS, MGM
    RSG sliders, Yakima offgrid basket, Pro-Comp wheels, SOS Streamline bumper and skids, Warn VR EVO10S winch + Ultimate Sidewinder, Bilstein 6112 + 5100 + rear lift coils, Rigid Dually SS ditch lights w/Caliraised brackets and OEM style dash switch
    I still miss mine, and kick myself for selling it occasionally. They held their own back then, though they couldn't quite keep up with the V8's. They made up for it in the corners. :D

    With IRS, limited slip, and 4 wheel disc, they were pretty decked out for the time!

    My ex drove an '80's Nova for a bit. Yes, it was a Corolla, just like the Geo Prism. That was probably one of the last carbureted motors Toyota produced. It was a good little car.
     
  18. Jun 9, 2022 at 9:01 AM
    #78
    BionicRandy

    BionicRandy New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2021
    Member:
    #24510
    Messages:
    831
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Randy
    TX Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Black SR5 aka the Batmobile
    Lots of goodies
    Great stories. My first Toyota love was in ‘72. My mom worked at a Monsanto plant and dad worked at an Amoco plant outside Alvin, Texas. My mom had a late 60s boat Pontiac Bonneville. It was metal flake gold with metal flake gold vinyl seats. lol Dad had a Chevy half ton pickup. One day dad traded the Bonneville in on a brand new reddish orange 72 Toyota Corolla (Corona?). My mom loved that Bonneville, HATED the Toyota. She was furious so dad bought a new Hilux the same color. BUT he kept the Chevy for pulling his boat, kept the boat, dirt bikes, Harleys... Mom said peace the fuggout and took off to San Diego & traded the Toyota for a 73 Formula Firebird :yes:and I stayed with dad. In the summer of 79 I got a job driving a tractor discing soybean and rice fields for $25 a day sunup to sundown. I was 13 with no license, but it was all back country roads, so I learned to drive that truck to get to work (dad taught & approved) and fell in love with it. I learned to double clutch to get a smoother shift into 2nd hehe. In July 79 Alvin, Texas had the world record 43 inches of rain in 24 hours and the beautiful red Hilux with the turn signals on the front fenders drowned in a horrible way. I had a few various clunkers in high school, then the first new vehicle I bought was a 1986 Toyota pickup. I have strayed a few times, but won’t ever again! Toyotas forever.
    I have owned:86 pickup, 90 Tacoma, 07 4Runner, 10 Tacoma, 11 Tacoma, 2x 12 Tacomas, 04 Sequoia, 12 Rav4, 12 Tundra, 12 Lexus CT200H, 99 Tacoma, 12 4Runner (current) and I am trying to work a deal on a 06 Highlander Hybrid right now. I have the Toyota bug BAAAAAD! If you busted my head open with a stick, Toyotas would fall out. :D Edit: and I LOVE all of your trucks too. ALL of them.
     
  19. Jun 9, 2022 at 10:11 AM
    #79
    glwood54

    glwood54 Stop making me buy stuff!

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2019
    Member:
    #10964
    Messages:
    5,536
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Gary
    Albuquerque, NM
    Vehicle:
    2019 OR, KDSS, RSG sliders, Eibach shocks, 265/70 Falken Wildpeaks
    Wow! My son owned that exact same Cressida, down to the white color. He loved that car. It had the straight six engine, and was a tank!

    He actually replaced the straight six engine in a co-worker's Cressida, so he knew it inside and out. Thanks for the photos.
     
  20. Jun 10, 2022 at 5:25 PM
    #80
    brownersd

    brownersd You are the weakest link, buh-bye!

    Joined:
    May 15, 2019
    Member:
    #9894
    Messages:
    466
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Sean
    Humble, Texas
    Vehicle:
    2020 MGM 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium
    No worries mate... Yes, it was an AMAZING vehicle. I still miss it up to this day!

    Cheers,

    Sean
     

Products Discussed in

To Top