The "Upgrade"


F250...I mean, I love it. We have been though a lot. We rode out several hurricanes, including Harvey. She's been in the family since she left the dealership in 2002. She's...beautiful. 

But this suspension...I just cant anymore. Friends wont go anywhere with me, my body hurts after long trips, I dread driving it.

I need a new daily driver.

I've always loved the tough, off-road SUVs. Small lift, beefy tires, roof rack that I would never use but it looks really cool. More importantly, coilover suspension. 

What better SUV for this than the 4Runner. In a sea of soccer mom inspired vehicles the 4Runner has stayed pretty true to its roots. 

So my thought process went something like this...

*search Toyota dealership*    *Find awesome 4Runner*    *$80k... immediately no*

Ok so used, no problem. I typically don't buy new anyway.

*Car search website, 4Runner, 2010-2018*    *why are these still $40k...with a ton of miles*

Ok, ok. Look. If I'm going back to 2010, why not just go a little earlier and get a V8

*Car search website, 4Runner, 2003-2009*    *Ok, now we are getting somewhere, but so many miles...clearly HARD miles*

You know, a few years earlier and I could get arguably the best 4Runner ever...

*Car search website, 4Runner, 1996-2002*    *WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOURE SUPPOSED TO BE UPGRADING, GO BACK TO 2010+*


And the process repeated for quite some time like this, all while continuing to research and learn about generations 3, 4 and 5 trying to narrow my search. I had many conversations where I said something like "I just want...a gen3, with 150k miles or less, 1 owner, and stock so I can do all the work." The response to this was quite literally "lol" or "Good luck, it will be $20k" or "Those are out in the world but they are the Unicorns"