In 2005 when Angie and I got married, she drove a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee and I drove a 1992 Jeep Cherokee. We were not hard core Jeep people, but we liked to explore. Fast forward to 2006 when I returned from deployment and we found a used 2007 FJ Cruiser in Titanium Silver at a dealership in Denver, our Toyota enthusiasm began.
Shortly after buying our first FJC, Angie purchased a 2007 V8 4Runner Sport. We loved both Toyota trucks and explored quite regularly. At this point though, we were just into these trucks for their exploration potential…we had no idea how deep the rabbit hole would go.
On the 5 ½ hour drive home from Ouray following the first FJ Summit (July 2007 for those keeping track), we discussed the best ways to upgrade our truck and become more involved in the FJC community. The result of that conversation was FJC Magazine, and purchasing our 3rd Toyota: the 2007 TRD FJC. From 2008-2012 the FJC was our only Toyota vehicle (Angie sold the 4Runner in 2008 and started getting into faster vehicles). In 2012, when our baby Alana was on the way and we realized the FJC wouldn’t cut it for 2 little ones, we purchased the GX-470. This was to be our new family explorer, and served us well for the next couple of years.
Last year when we realized we’d driven the FJ less than 500 miles in the previous 12 months, we made the ultimate decision to sell her. Luckily Kayla, the fiancée of Truck editor Bob, was interested and took her off our hands. You’ll see plenty more of our original TRD FJC in future issues. Following the FJC sale, we purchased Toyota vehicle number 5: the 2006 Toyota Tundra. This truck was meant to compliment the GX and become a work truck, so we could get projects around the house and at our cabin done in a more timely manner. We would also build the Tundra up a bit, so she could have plenty of fun exploring Colorado mountains.
As it turns out, the ’06 Tundra was nice…but didn’t meet our needs quite the way we expected. The lack of available aftermarket accessories for the first gen full size truck left us looking for more, and seriously considering a late model Tundra. After spending a little time with the Toytec Tundra (see January 2015 cover) in Vegas, and talking with several owners, we again decided to change directions. We would sell the ’06, sell the GX, and put all of our effort into a new 2015 CrewMax Tundra.
In February we welcomed Toyota Truck #6 to the family when we headed down to Larry H. Miller Toyota Scion of Colorado Springs to sign the papers. The team at LHM did a fantastic job in locating and delivering our perfect truck. See the following article on the first 2000 Miles on the 2015 CrewMax to learn how this journey will continue.
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