Almost a Toyota Owner...

[Haggis]

...at least I will be officially come Tuesday.

After much soul searching, angst, and trepidation we decide to let our beloved truck, Haggis, retire to greener pastures.

While He was running in great shape and was serving yoeman duties for the Clan, the PA winters have started getting the best of him and something needed done. Rust was fast spreading in the front fenders and all of the quad cab doors, not to mention both bumpers. Welcome to an area of the country where there's salt on the roads from October to April. Choices were first to run him till he fell apart. But since he's my business truck and image is important when dealing with high end log homes it really wasn't a good one. Second, we really considered fixing the old boy back up, but the costs just didn't seem to justify that route. So, we came to the awful conclusion that we needed a newer truck. Feelings of betrayal and shame have crept into the equation because Haggis has been a huge factor in our lives. He hauled the material and equipment that helped us build our home. His labor helped build our successful log home service company. And he's taken us to great sites and places all up and down the East Coast with nothing but dependable service. Do we get abit attached to our rigs? Unfortunately, yes. So tomorrow we're gonna take one last drive up along the woods of Tionesta Creek and then on Tuesday Haggis gets retired. Please, if you would, give a mighty "Hail and Huzzah" for a brave and noble truck.

So whats his replacement? Well after much thought and debate, we bought this today.....

'06 Tundra Double Cab SR5, 21,000 miles. As we must name our vehicles it has been christened "Fafhrd" to be the partner and companion of our '04 Jeep Unlimited "The Grey Mouser".

Wait! Can you own both a Jeep and a Toyota at the same time without opening a cosmic rift from the schism? Have I just chanced tearing reality asunder? Oh well, we'll find out Tuesday when I pick that Tundra up.

 

[absolute]

Looks great!! Can't wait to see what you have in mind for the Tundra!

 

[BLKNBLU]

...
Wait! Can you own both a Jeep and a Toyota at the same time without opening a cosmic rift from the schism? Have I just chanced tearing reality asunder? Oh well, we'll find out Tuesday when I pick that Tundra up.

Nah! Nothing bad will happen. Just that you'll want to dump the jeep by next spring...:shakin:

 

[mtnbike28]

Holy something

Congrats! That is a great looking Tundra!
It looks so happy you adopted it, it peed all over the parking lot ; )

 

[Martinjmpr]

Wait! Can you own both a Jeep and a Toyota at the same time without opening a cosmic rift from the schism?

What do you mean? Lot's of Jeepers own a Toyota also.

















That way they have something to drive when their Jeep is broke down!


eepwall:

:elkgrin:

 

[Haggis]

Looks great!! Can't wait to see what you have in mind for the Tundra!

Right now the plan is just to concentrate on getting it set up for work. I need to get a topper with some load bars so I can haul ladders and such or I need a ladder rack. I'm checking into the new Bestop Bestrail system that you can configure in multiple ways. I'm thinking ladder rack and soft tonneau combo right now. Also the plastic bedliner has got to go so it will be getting Rhino lined right off the bat. Shortly there after it will get a mild lift so I can fit either 285s or 255s on it. And some blackout rims just to de-yuppify it some.

Nah! Nothing bad will happen. Just that you'll want to dump the jeep by next spring...:shakin:

I'd rather sell one of my kidneys than my Jeep.

It looks so happy you adopted it, it peed all over the parking lot ; )

Not really, it was ascared that Haggis was going to kick it's metro butt all over the dealership parking lot.

What do you mean? Lot's of Jeepers own a Toyota also.

That way they have something to drive when their Jeep is broke down!

I keep wondering if I'm going to have to argue with myself over how junk IFS is and the build quality of Jeeps.:sombrero:

 

[jim65wagon]

Of course you'll argue with yourself; it's you're nature....you'll have trouble with the comfort and capability concept. Just remember IFS is not junk; it's just a different beast. You'll enjoy the newish truck. But for now this is a farewell to the current ride....Time for tribute!

Aah! Haggis in it's natural environment!

At the Elk Rendevous touring the backroads of PA!

At Monongahela 2007, touring the backroads of West Virginia!

You'll have noticed; Haggis has a preference for backroads and woodland settings. I have a rare treat for everyone! Haggis has had adventures over much of the east, and occassionally....you'll find the rare example of
Haggis on the beach!

Don't weep too openly on Tuesday Mark! Recall as we discussed over the phone; even the newly acquired Tundra will not be your last truck. They come along, build memories and good times and then they must depart...

 

[4Rescue]

Congrats on the nice new truck mate. Sorry to hear you have to give up an old friend, but this new one will make you love it just as much. What are your plans for this rig? I think these make great expedition trucks, very comfy to drive long distances and a great relibility track record. Again congraulations.

Cheers

Dave

 

[DaveInDenver]

I keep wondering if I'm going to have to argue with myself over how junk IFS is and the build quality of Jeeps.:sombrero:

Nah, you'll forget all about that Internets wisdom regarding IFS the first time you pull into a camp site at the end of a rough dirt road and your beer doesn't explode when you open it. The Dodge served you well, provided you with good memories and those will live forever. Cheers to Haggis.

 

[Haggis]

...Time for tribute!

Thanks Jim.

It was Jim's Tundra that finally convinced me to give this one a go. Queen Elizabeth's Revenge and Haggis have shared many a backwoods mile together and each has proven to be a great truck. Am I worried about the IFS? Not at all, I've been down some great trails with a few sweet Toyotas from this here ExPo and don't have any hang ups about any one brand. It will be hard to switch to a new truck though after having been driving a 2nd generation Ram for the last 13 yrs.

The advantages of the Tundra;
*More rear interior room for kids that have gone from toddlers to teenagers. My 14 year old daughter is pushing 5'-9" already and is still shooting up. Leg room in the Ram was tight to say the least. This is why we went with a double cab instead of the access cab like Jim's.
*A much tighter turning radius. Ram's in crowded parking lots and tight turnarounds on forest roads can get interesting at times.
*Much better gas mileage. I'm looking at a gain of around 4 to 5 miles a gallon better than the Ram.
*One sweet engine in that 4.7. I looked at a couple of 2500 3rd gen Rams and came away totally unimpressed with the Hemi. And though it might be against ExPo chicness, I have no desire for a diesel. Having spent all my life around diesels of every stripe from Internationals, John Deere, Detriot, Kobuta, Duetz and the '89 Dodge Cummins the company still owns; I don't want one as a day to day driver.
*The Tundra is a more refined truck and Michelle actually is looking forward to driving it. While she loved Haggis for what he was, she didn't really enjoy driving it.

The Disadvantages of the Tundra;
*The Tundra is a more refined truck and seems too carlike to an old school domestic pickup driver. Some of us actually like the feel of a hulking piece of American iron rolling on solid axles.
*The Tundra only seats five people, while the Dodge sat six. We don't need to haul six all that much, but when my neice and nephew are up it nice to have everybody together for the ride.
*Look at it, it's such a nice friendly truck. I'm gonna miss the snarling menace that Haggis projected as cars moved out of his path. We'll do the best we can to add some ridgerunner grit to this ex-suburbia truck. Poor Fafhrd is about to enter redneck boot camp.
*For now I'm not going to have the rear Detriot and front E-Locker that was in Haggis. But the Tundra does have the limited slip in the rear. The one in the back of Jim's truck seems pretty tight and has never failed him so it shouldn't be any real problem. We don't do the mud runs any more and while Haggis was the Clan's deep snow specialist that's what we kept a log skidder for.

All in all we plan on spending the next 8 to 10 years with our new Toy. Then I'll post up a tearful thread on how much we're gonna miss that old Tundra.

 

[Haggis]

Congrats on the nice new truck mate. Sorry to hear you have to give up an old friend, but this new one will make you love it just as much. What are your plans for this rig? I think these make great expedition trucks, very comfy to drive long distances and a great relibility track record. Again congraulations.

Cheers

Dave

Well the first priority is to get it set up for work. Within the next two weeks the plasitic bedliner will be gone and the bed will be Rhino or Linex lined. After the beatings the Rams bed went through the Rhino lining in it did an excellent job of saving the bed. Next will be a rack system or cap with racks so I can haul ladders and secure my tools. Then I'm going to use Jim's Tundra as the guideline and put a mild lift on it and some new shoes (flat black rims of course) and meats. Consider that phase one for this year. I've got a trip to Newfoundland planned for June and don't want to blow the funds for that on this new truck. After that, I'll see about a good deer basher/winch bumper for the front, some sliders and call it good. Since we don't see extreme wheeling that should serve us and the Tundra just fine. Then we'll drive the snot out of it in as many backwoods and cools spots we can find and go have some fun.:elkgrin: Oh, and let's hope it hauls as many tasty critters home as Haggis has. Deer blood is great for rejuvenating faded Rhino linings. That's a free ridgerunner tip for vehicle detailing.

 

[Rexsname]

Can you explain the new trucks new nick-name? I can't even figure out how to pronounce it..


REX

 

[Redline]

Wow, a 2006 with 21k, almost new

 

[Haggis]

Can you explain the new trucks new nick-name? I can't even figure out how to pronounce it..


REX

Fafhrd (pronounce Faph-herd) and the Grey Mouser are amongst my favorite characters of fantasy literature. It's from a famous series of stories by Fritz Lieber about two rogues, swordsmen and theives, that despite their darker nature always end up doing good in their world. My Jeep got the Grey Mouser nickname first as it is always trying to swindle money out of me for more stuff to add to it. So naming the new truck Fafhrd came naturally. Fafhrd is a big burly, but civilized, barbarian. While the Grey Mouser is a diminutive thief.

 

[mtnbike28]

time left...

less than 24 hours....