Lifelong 4Runner Fan

When I was a toddler my Dad had a 1995 Toyota 4Runner, and I thought it was the coolest car ever. Every weekend we would drive down a dirt road to go fishing, hiking, or wheeling. I was hooked. Not to mention, I got to sit in the front seat because there was no airbags. I was heart broken when he sold it, but my grandparents had a 1996 Toyota 4Runner that I fell in love with. Whenever I would go visit, I’d ask if I could have the car. They would always say, “Maybe someday when you’re older.” When I turned 16 I thought, “Yes, I’m going to get the car of my dreams!” A big fat nope. My other grandpa gave me a 2009 Toyota Camry in gold . . . eww. But I couldn’t complain with getting over 500 miles on a tank of gas.

When my brother is got his license, I give him my car before I moved to Colorado to start college. A year went by, and I made friends who, you guessed it, built 3^rd generation Toyota 4Runners, which hooked me even more. I looked tirelessly for a 4Runner of my own. When winter break came along, I flew home to California and was surprised to find my 4Runner sitting in the driveway with only 40,000 miles. And yes, I did cry out of excitement. The next day, I began tearing it apart, looking for new tires, a lift, and all the fancy gadgets I could put in it. Turns out all of those things are pretty expensive.

Fast forward to the present and after working full-time and being a full-time student, I’ve completed almost everything I want to do except a SAS. That is my next big project I’m saving up for. My dream is to be able to drive my 4Runner to a trail and drive home. I’m even learning how to weld, so I can build my own bumpers and cage when the time comes for that. In just a couple of years, I went from not knowing how to change a tire to being able to build and work on my car with no help. Although rock crawling and racing are some of the most expensive addictions around, my biggest goal at the top of my bucket list is to build an Ultra4 car and start racing myself.