Your First Toyota Experience

[Off Duty]

...I was probably 4 or 5 years old and I remember seeing a new early 80s Toyota truck...

The first car I remember liking as a kid was the 82-85 Supra...

I couldn't read much further than this, my Geritol hadn't kicked in yet
Damn I feel OLD~!
My first real buring a desire was for an 83 Toyota 4x4.
Wife and I were only married a few years and and she had a Toyota Corona (IIRC?) when we got married.
Very worthy and dependable car, but nothing to write home about.

Then I got the 4wd bug and started looking around. Decided that I wanted a long bed version. There was no crew or extra cab a at the time.
Found one new on the lot, in beige and at the right price and bought it. Loved that truck!

Kept it until the 1st child was born. No room. Thought about converting it to the Winnebago conversion (precurser to the Forerunner) but in the end, sold it

Bought an FJ40.
I loved it, wife hated it, alas, guess who won?

Bought an 85 (Straight axle) 4runner SR5.
Again, loved it!
Lifted with 35's blah blah....some credent stole it and totaled it up in Georgia!!

Many years without a truck...a few Yotas in between, but nothing to write home about except maybe the Prisim- The GM/Yota coop! That thing would run forever and you didn't have to rob a bank to feed it

Back in the fold a few years back. I now have an 89 FJ62 that I kind of took a hit on. Not exactly "full disclosure" when i got it, but what can you say? Live and learn.

I'm starting to rebuild it the way I want it....for what I want it to do!

Mostly custom interior made to be comfortable yet functional, and eventually a new powerplant (Corvette LSx based -another indestructible entity!).

Love ther shoebox styling:ylsmoke:

 

[ywen]

How many miles are on your truck and how was it treated before you got it? That is definitely not the standard with the Tacoma's. I have owned a 98 Tacoma and a 2001 and both of them drove like they were new the whole time I had them. Never had any problems that were not self-induced.

EDIT: Just read through your diagnosis post for the vibration. That truck should be like brand new with 75,000 miles on it. Was it abused by its previous owner? I would take the problem up with Toyota.

Could have been previous owner abuse. However, after reading about the same issue with newer Tacoma and Tundras, I'm starting to think it's engineering issues. Actually there is a TSB for the Tundra calling for a replacement of the front diff. THe unfortunate part is that these folks have been experiencing repeated front diff failures so very little faith with the Yota front diff design.

http://www.toyotatundraforum.com/tr...ervice-bulletin-front-differential-growl.html

Not sure what Toyota corporate can do for me since I'm the 2nd owner of the truck.

 

[RMP&O]

I learned to drive in an old Datsun Z car! But....

my first car was a late 70s Corrola, iirc...it may have been early 80s. That was over 20yrs ago. I had a few years of driving the Corolla and a few other ultra cheap cars. When I was 17yrs old though I purchased a 1987 FJ60, that was in 1990.

It was the FJ60 that introduced me to road trips. I took it all over the west coast, from LA to Seattle and everywhere in between. I also lost my virginity in the back of the FJ60 not long after I bought it! Unfortunately I only had it a few years though before I had to sell it. After the FJ60 I bought a 1967 Nissan Patrol and have been hook ever since. But I never forgot all the found memories in the FJ60!

 

[jh504]

Could have been previous owner abuse. However, after reading about the same issue with newer Tacoma and Tundras, I'm starting to think it's engineering issues. Actually there is a TSB for the Tundra calling for a replacement of the front diff. THe unfortunate part is that these folks have been experiencing repeated front diff failures so very little faith with the Yota front diff design.

http://www.toyotatundraforum.com/tr...ervice-bulletin-front-differential-growl.html

Not sure what Toyota corporate can do for me since I'm the 2nd owner of the truck.

I'm sorry to hear your first experience with Toyota has been not so pleasant. I have had a few small issues with previous Toyota's but nothing major. Every single domestic vehicle I have ever owned has given problems and headaches, including catastrophic failures for no reason at all. Toyota, while not perfect, has been consistently reliable and tough with every single one I have owned, and that includes a 2nd gen 4runner with 3.0.

I hope your problem is resolved to your satisfaction.

...I also lost my virginity in the back of the FJ60 not long after I bought it! Unfortunately I only had it a few years though before I had to sell it....But I never forgot all the found memories in the FJ60!

:elkgrin: Sounds like a memorable experience. There is definitely plenty of room in a 60 series!

 

[RockyMtnFamily]

My parents bought a 1977 Toyota pick up brand new and had an aluminum camper shell put on the back. We took several trips over the years that followed with my 5 siblings and I stufffed in the back of that truck.

I bought my first car, a 1976 Toyota Corolla hatchback, at the age of 17 years old. I took that car all over Utah and Wyoming with my friends over the next year. I had it up to 100 mph on the Highway in Wyoming (downhill of course) and had it up to 97 mph in 4th gear prior to blowing out the rear end near Tooele (West Central) Utah. I had hoped for a 4 wheel drive vehicle and this one had to fit the bill. I had it on some heavily rutted roads in the Utah deserts and mountains and had to be pulled out by some friends in a 4 wheel drive after getting stuck helplessly in the mud. I later sold the car to a friend and his wife and they fixed the rear end and drove it for a year until the engine died.

My sister and her husband bought a 1979 Toyota truck in 1983 and took me and my other brother in law on a trip in the Uinta Mountains of Utah. There were four of us stuffed in the cab of that truck and this planted the seed for me to want one of the Toy 4x4's. I intended to buy a used one in 1987 but my plans for the miltary were dashed after I got a medical discharge.

I later purchased a couple (1981 and 1985) Toyota 4x4 trucks and used them for expedition travel from Arizona to Guatemala. I sold them to some locals down there and caught a plane back.

Several years ago I saved a 1984 Toyota 4x4 Truck from the crusher and drove it all over Colorado for Lanscaping, camping and hunting duty before getting my T100 and selling it at the insistence of my wife.

Last Summer another Toyota 4x4 truck (1982) found it's way into my hands and it currently serves as a wood cutting truck and wanna be rock crawler on my property.

The good times and places these have taken me Oh, the stories they can tell.

Kevin

I currently

 

[laxtoy]

Could have been previous owner abuse. However, after reading about the same issue with newer Tacoma and Tundras, I'm starting to think it's engineering issues. Actually there is a TSB for the Tundra calling for a replacement of the front diff. THe unfortunate part is that these folks have been experiencing repeated front diff failures so very little faith with the Yota front diff design.

http://www.toyotatundraforum.com/tr...ervice-bulletin-front-differential-growl.html

Not sure what Toyota corporate can do for me since I'm the 2nd owner of the truck.

unfortunately, not all experiences from any vehicle manufacturer are going to be all good or all bad, sometimes there is just no way to tell. it comes down to previous vehicle history for a used vehicle, and some years are better than others for new models. i had a 3/4 ton chevy pickup that was bone stock, 350 and a stick, never had an issue, ran great everyday i owned it. i also had an 89 ranger that went until 250k when the manual trans died, but the engine was still strong, and i never had a single other problem. then there was my 92 4runner, which i loved, but it was plagued with electrical gremlins and had the 3.0 v6 and averaged for me about 17 mpg city, which i got about the same out of that 350 chev, but with a lot more power than the 4runner. luck of the draw perhaps, but as many seem to be saying, especially when the vehicle history goes back so far, the overall experience has been positive, especially when faced with the alternative. for example, i had a buddy who bought this cool old 4wd ranger with 60k, an 85 i think, stock with a stick and a v6 that sat most of its life, and that thing died no less than 6 months later. would a highly sought after 85 toy 4wd do the same, i don't know, but most people have very good experiences with them.

 

[jh504]

I think it all comes down to the fact that Toyota has tighter tolerances and overbuilds everything, rather than just trying to get by to increase the bottom line. That equals to a much better percentage of reliability than the sloppy building methods of our own domestic vehicles.

So, not perfect, but closer than all the rest.

All of my current Toys have over 100,000 and I wouldnt hesitate to drive any of them across the country.