Friday, October 3, 2014

New Beginnings: Tacoma & Me



Welcome to the new Battle Born Tacoma blog page featuring my truck build and our adventures in the Battle Born Tacomas truck club in Las Vegas, NV. This is a picture of my daily driver Toyota Tacoma at Pipeline Trail off of Horizon Ridge in Henderson, NV.

Now that you've seen the Tacoma as she sits today, it is only proper to begin from the very start. This post will illustrate my truck from the day I first got it from Findlay Toyota in Henderson, NV.

The truck has come a long way since day one, but I was not always fortunate enough to be driving my dream vehicle. It all started when my first off-road machine, an Isuzu Trooper, began to fail. My first vehicle was given to me when I turned 16. It was a stick shift 4x4 that was highly capable in the dirt. Not the shiniest truck on the block, but it went places. One night I took the Trooper out to the desert and it was long after the sun had already set. Daylight was no more and I was the only truck in sight. Traveling at about 35 miles per hour, the dirt road suddenly turned into a paved pathway. Not knowing that the pavement lead to a different direction, I quickly tried to get back on the dirt and overcorrected. The tires caught grip to the pavement sending the vehicle into a half roll. My Isuzu soon ended up rolling over the driver's side and landing onto the roof; I was upside down and realized that I made a mistake.

Eventually, help arrived and the Trooper was put back on all four wheels successfully. Fortunately, I was not injured in the event. However, the Trooper was substantially damaged. After it was determined that it was salvageable, the Trooper was out of the shop and I drove it around for another two years. Living up to its name, the Trooper had been through everything. One day it gave up on me and the engine failed. It was time for a new vehicle and I was determined to not settle for something that would not make me happy. I was looking for something that had the capability to go off road and had a bed that I could haul things in as I ride a dirt bike on the weekends. I also wanted a vehicle that had a lot of aftermarket parts already manufactured for it so I could easily modify the truck. This next truck would be mine for years to come, so I patiently waited for the truck of my dreams.

After a month passed of searching everywhere for my dream truck, the day finally came. I received a call from the dealership saying that they had certified preowned Toyota Tacomas on the lot. I was excited, but I was also on a budget. I had nothing else to do on that day, so I had intended on just looking at what they had to offer. I arrived at the dealership, and sure enough, all of the trucks were out of my price range. They were nice and the test drives went well, but the circumstances were not in my favor. Feeling envious, I was about to leave the dealership without a vehicle. Then a moment happened. The salesman told me to hang out in the lobby just a bit longer. He said he might have a deal for me. There was a Toyota Tacoma in the back that they had not showed me yet. They pulled it around and it was perfect. I knew it was the one. It was a newer truck with a lot of miles on it. It had been taken care of properly and was still in immaculate condition. It stood out to me because it was white with black fenders. White and black are my two favorite colors because they compliment each other so well. It was also a two wheel drive truck which is what I was looking for. Two wheel drive trucks are better for suspension upgrades because you do not have to work around four wheel drive parts when upgrading. With proper negotiation, this truck could very well be mine. After hours of trying to make a deal, it was finally agreed upon that I could take her home. The best feeling came over me and I was lucky enough to finally be in my dream truck. It was much newer than my first vehicle, fast, had a smooth ride, and plenty of power. This was the start of the Battle Born Tacoma prerunner build!

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