Finally! Was worried something terrible would happen before I got there.




And do you know what annoys me more than anything else with this truck? This spot. I can't count how many things I've lost down this hole. Everything easily falls into this space between the seat and console, but I can't get it. My hand can sort of fit, but not well enough to open fingers and grab stuff. So it ends up sliding under the seat and I have to wait till I stop and get out to get whatever fell down in there.

 

That does seem like a deal breaker

What about something like a long sock filled with stuffing and fit between the seat and console?
That, or one of those long flexible 4 claw grabbers you'd find at the hardware store.

Congrats on the near trouble-free 300,000.

 

Clearly should have traded it in long ago!

Yeah, something like those insulators that lay along the base of a door to keep the cold air out would work. In the end, the less I eat while driving, especially the kind of road food I shouldn't be eating anyway, the less it's an issue. But occasionally I'll be about to get out, keys in hand, and reach over to grab something from the passenger seat, and the keys fall in there. It's really a very, very small deal, but because of how often it happens it causes more frustration than you might expect...

The truck is definitely starting to feel its age, and while I'm working a job I absolutely love but am realizing more and more I just can't afford anymore, a lot of maintenance has been deferred. I have no problem driving back & forth the 120-ish miles each way to the town I still call home, but I'm feeling a little hesitant to head down to the desert this spring if I feel like I can afford the trip. Things just don't feel as nice and smooth as in the past. Hopefully I can really dig into the truck before anything major goes wrong.

 

Zach,
Congrats on hitting 300,000. Now set your sights on 400,000.



Andreas

 

Thanks! Not sure I'll catch up to some of you. We'll see. Mostly I'm guessing it's the towing I've been doing the last 5 years that's shortening its life.

 

I'll be at the 300k mark in about 600 miles, on original 3.4, 5 speed, and drivetrain.

 

Congrats on the 300,000, Zach! My 99 is up to 351,000, and my pickup is at 372,000 now. Yeah, I've had 3 timing belts, rear axle seals, rear brake shoes and so forth, but in general, the rest is factory. I keep the u joints and double cardan lubed up real good, and it's payed off well. The pickup's been through 4 sets of u joints so far, but they can't be lubed, so I'm not surprized at all. Both 4Runners have the factory drive lines and u joints, so I really wish the pickup could be lubed. Not all that expensive really, just annoying. I didn't have to go to work any more, which is what really put the wear and tear on the pickup drive line. Hour's drive each way, in the heat of the Arizona desert will take a toll, let me tell you!

Anywho, here's wishing you get to the join the 500,000 club
Pat☺

 

Thanks. My u-joints are still original, so I need to watch them close.