In the Spring of 2001, I sold my Jeep and bought my own Tacoma: a 1998 SR5 4x4 extended cab. I had no idea this decision would span 2 decades of Toyota/Lexus ownership: 53 vehicles from 1999 to 2017! Fresh out of the Army, I became a police officer in Oregon. The 2wd Tacoma was not going to cut it in Oregon winters. We set off to the local Toyota dealer and traded in the 1999 with 99k trouble-free miles for a new 2001 4WD model. This marked a moment when the enthusiasm for the brand and loyalty took deep roots. We now had matching Toyota vehicles, and this initiated a pattern of owning matching pairs of Toyotas.
In late 2003 while visiting our parents in Texas, we were involved in a an accident in my 1998 Tacoma. At over 70mph, the crash was violent and loud. The Tacoma rolled and slid down the freeway for what seemed like minutes. When we came to a stop on the driver’s door, my wife and I climbed out the passenger door uninjured. It was at this moment I went from a Toyota owner enthusiast, to a Toyota believer. Not only had our Toyotas taken us reliably all over this great country, but when it mattered, this one protected us. In late 2003 while visiting our parents in Texas, we were involved in a an accident in my 1998 Tacoma. At over 70mph, the crash was violent and loud. The Tacoma rolled and slid down the freeway for what seemed like minutes. When we came to a stop on the driver’s door, my wife and I climbed out the passenger door uninjured. It was at this moment I went from a Toyota owner enthusiast, to a Toyota believer. Not only had our Toyotas taken us reliably all over this great country, but when it mattered, this one protected us.
I replaced my 1998 with another Tacoma, and shortly thereafter joined an online group of Tacoma enthusiasts called TTORA (link: http://tctmag.us/ttora). This led to making friends that remain friends even now. It also planted the bug of modifying for off-road; a passion that remains to this day.
Several years and many Toyotas later, I would become known in some circles as the Toyota Geek.Eventually my reputation would land me a position at PSC Motorsports, a performance off-road steering company in Texas. This was an important step for me, and it led to my first Easter Jeep Safari, where I would gain an interest in the FJ Cruiser. I spent the week bothering the crew marketing the FJ Trail Teams Edition, asking questions they were not prepared to answer.
After my return from Moab, I had my sights set on something, but it was blurry. What I could see was a future with Toyota, whatever that amounted to, involving participation at Toyota off-road events. Several years later, I started a little Toyota-based outfitting company. Considering I already held a full-time job, I was unsure how I would take this on, but I did. I invested in products to sell, a website, andsoftware. I sold lift kits, winches, bumpers and such to forum members and friends. I spent nearly every weekend at someone’s house installing parts. I probably lost money, but I didn’t care. I enjoyed being deep in Toyota off-road goodness. I eventually mellowed out and learned how to turn a profit, but it never felt like work. I still had a full-time job, and this was still my hobby, but it gave me a little extra spending cash to pick up project vehicles.
For one project vehicle, I put Dana 60 axles under a Tacoma and built a full-on rock crawler. In 2002, Iturned my 2000 Tacoma into a 1-ton full hydro-steering, locked and armored Toyota trail rig named Supertaco. Eventually it would meet its tragic end at the bottom of a 30-foot ravine. I learned 2 things: when in doubt, throttle out, and there is no such thing as bulletproof.
I was contacted by a close friend, who worked for Toyota. He asked if I had heard of FJ Summit: anevent in the mountains of Colorado. I hadn’t, but soon I was off to the second annual FJ Summit in Ouray, Colorado. I got into town, set up a booth, got some food, rented a room, and went to bed. At 2:00 in the morning I sat up in bed and it hit me, I’m working at a Toyota event. I had never been this close to that previous vision. I was contacted by a close friend, who worked for Toyota. He asked if I had heard of FJ Summit: anevent in the mountains of Colorado. I hadn’t, but soon I was off to the second annual FJ Summit in Ouray, Colorado. I got into town, set up a booth, got some food, rented a room, and went to bed. At 2:00 in the morning I sat up in bed and it hit me, I’m working at a Toyota event. I had never been this close to that previous vision.
FJ Summit would grow to become one of the largest Toyota off-road events in the country. Every year you could find me and my family there, smiling ear to ear. FJ Summit was one of many Toyota events we attended annually, but Summit started a tradition that would lend itself to expanding our already sizable Toyota collection. After our first Summit, I decided to build something that I had not seen before. I converted my 2004 Sequoia into a well-equipped off-road vehicle, to include bumper, winch, lift, tires, sliders, etc... There simply was nothing on the market for that platform, so I reached out to some folks I met at Summit. I obtained help in the way of bumper and roof rack from ARB. The guys at Toytec aided me in piecing together some parts that might lift a Sequoia. In the end, it all came together and several of us learned a thing or two about Sequoias. Going forward, we would do a new build every year.
Our builds range from simple bolt-on to “what were we thinking?” kind of projects. We resurrected a 1987 4Runner from a junk yard one year, and another year, we transformed our 2003 4Runner limited 2WDinto a 4x4 loaded trail machine. A few years ago, we nearly backed out of Summit because 3 months out, we had not found a build vehicle. For the tenth annual Summit we built 2: a 2015 4Runner TE and a Lexus GX470.
With an 8-year long full-time engineering job, I kept my little Toyota Company small enough to manage, but big enough to get us to every major Toyota event in the country. To this day, I stop at every Toyota dealer in every town I go to from Oregon to Connecticut and even China, not because I have any business there, but because no matter where I am, it feels like home. With an 8-year long full-time engineering job, I kept my little Toyota Company small enough to manage, but big enough to get us to every major Toyota event in the country. To this day, I stop at every Toyota dealer in every town I go to from Oregon to Connecticut and even China, not because I have any business there, but because no matter where I am, it feels like home.
I’ve taken time to learn everything I could about the history of Toyota. Eventually I found myself fielding calls for Toyota-specific questions from all over the country. Through a mutual friend, I received the opportunity to hang out with Ivan “Ironman” Stewart. I read “Lexus Story” twice and even bought myself a vintage Toyota sewing machine. I would go to events like SEMA and Texas State Fair and hang out in the Toyota booth for hours. One might think it’s a bit fanatical to have a guest room decorated with copious amounts of Toyota memorabilia, which also happens to be Toyota Gray, and one might be correct. Is it fanatical to be so deeply passionate about something that has been such a big unfailing part of your life? Itruly don’t believe my fondness of the brand is disproportionate given the fact I’ve never been let down by a Toyota, from customer service to reliability, and I’ve even been able to walk away from three serious accidents without a single injury.
Two decades into this obsession with no end in sight, we have owned 53 Toyota/Lexus vehicles and presently own seven. I often joke that I bleed world standard and my heart is made by Aisin. I was convinced I had a passion for Toyota beyond anyone else I had ever met, but I had no idea others might just see it as a sickness until our State Farm agent brought it up. We keep track of every Toyota purchase, and we maintain a photo scrapbook. The number of Toyota vehicles we have owned is simply a side effect of the passion. At this rate, more than 100 would not be a stretch. I’m in no rush to close this chapter in my life. The real gem in this relationship has been and always will be the people, places, and experiences my Toyota ownership has brought me.
Either by chance, fate or wizardry, I found a vehicle brand that gave me many reasons to enjoy ownership. I have made many friends and memories along the way and I’m certain this is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m just a West Coast kid who found a tiny slice of the American dream. I guess I really can say “I love what you do for me, Toyota.”
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