4Runner: An Introduction

4Runner: An Introduction

The 4Runner was purchased in June 2015 with approximately 90,000 miles on the odometer, while we were living in New York, just about to move to New Jersey.  Living in Manhattan meant not having a car, which was an entirely new experience for us and one we'd prefer not to repeat! 

The 4Runner was chosen for its Toyota reliability as well as enormous space for the dog and our triathlon gear (and any other gear we may have for other activities).  Plus, I've always wanted a 4Runner.  It seemed to be a natural successor to Trusty Truck, a 1991 Toyota Pickup with a 3.4L engine from a late model Tacoma, which I owned prior to moving to New York.  At the time, we were finishing up binge watching the entire Parks and Recreation series on Netflix and the 4Runner became known as "Johnny Karate".

Ready for a road trip to Syracuse!

The original plan for the 4Runner was not to become an overlander.  Rather, it was to simply be a grocery-getter that would be capable through the winters of the northeast.  While we lived in New Jersey, it served its purpose well.  It is an overly capable grocery-getter as well as a great triathlon support vehicle.  Many road trips were taken, include a girls' trip through Vermont and to Montreal, a jaunt to Niagara Falls with the dog and cat, and as a support vehicle at Ironman 70.3 Syracuse.

For the first year of ownership, we ensured all major maintenance items were caught up.  Within that time, life dictated a move back to California, which necessitated a three-day cross county road trip.  The trip had us stopping in St. Louis, MO, and Albuquerque, NM, essentially 1,000 miles driven per day.  We hit some nasty weather in southern Illinois, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.  Neither the 4Runner nor the dog had any complaints!  I wish there had been more time to really enjoy the trip and make a few more stops along the way.

Moving to California also meant the 4Runner could no longer be the only car in the family (the 911 notwithstanding; we're talking about practical daily drivers here).  A car was purchased for the wife and the 4Runner became my primary vehicle.  Plans of building an off-roading or overlanding rig started dancing in my head.

After 14 months of ownership, we finally hit the big milestone of 100,000 miles.  Coincidentally, this is when the fun began.

And so the adventure begins….