I Finally Did It

After a few months of heavy debating, I decided that it was time to replace Ol' Red. As much as I'll miss her, my '94 Red Isuzu Rodeo is no longer with us. She's been replaced by the best looking SUV on the road: the Toyota 4Runner (pre-2003, that is...the new ones look horrendous). On a whim one night, I decided to go to the Toyota dealership and have a look at what they had available in used cars. I orginally went there looking for a Tacoma truck, but decided against it because it's not what I really wanted. For one, most of the cars I looked at that I thought were less expensive actually weren't that much less and in some cases, even more than the one I ended up getting: a white 2001 Toyota 4Runner Limited. From what I could tell and from what the salesman told me, once you start getting into the used ones that are a couple years old, they all start to come around to be the same price. He was right. The base model 4Runner with 15K miles cost about the same as the Limited that I got that had 37K miles. I got the Limited model because for the same price I got a lot of extra features, but with a few more miles on the vehicle. The one feature that I got that was important that didn't come with the base model was the factory anti-theft devices, namely the car alarm and the transponder chip in the key that allows only the original key to start the car. The only way to get a copy that will start the car is to go to the Toyota dealership and have one made with the factory serial number. Other than that, it comes fully loaded. It's like what one of my friends told me once when I asked why someone would spend 40+ big ones on a Lexus: because they want to. I don't need all the stuff that it comes with, but it sure makes driving a pleasure. Driving was beginning to be a chore and towards the end, I came very close to being so frustrated I was getting road rage every time I went out on the road. It was a combination of having an older 4-cylinder that couldn't always perform when I needed it to and the morons on the road. Now I drive with ease. The car handles better, nothing rattles, and I have the power I've always wanted. I've also got to point out that the Toyota "experience" starting when I first got on the lot to the point when I was getting in the car when they had it parked right in front of the main entrance to the dealership and driving away, I felt comfortable, considering the circumstances. At no point was I pressured and I'd have to recommend Kearny Mesa Toyota to anyone. As most people already know, a Toyota lasts forever. Every Toyota made (with the exception of the Hybrid Prius) is on the consumer reports 2003 breakdown of the most reliable cars to buy. I knew Toyota is a quality, solid vehicle that will last me many years to come and it will hold it's value on the consumer market. I have yet to hear one bad thing about this car.
Some things I really like about it so far:
1. The turning radius is phenomenal.
2. The gas mileage is about 20MPG, which is about what my 4-cylinderRodeo was getting for the past couple of years.
3. It has a special "ETC" power button (I'm not sure what ETC stands for) on the dash that allows you to put the transmission into the most powerful mode, increasing shifting time for better acceleration. I used it last night to try it out from a complete stop. Needless to say, the car moves when it needs to.
4. The seat warmers and the sun roof.
5. The transponder chip in the key allowing only the original key to start the engine.
6. Nothing on the car rattles.
7. Traction and anti-skid control.
8. My spare tire is underneath the car instead of bolted to the rear.
9. In my opinion, the '96-'02 4Runners are the best looking SUV's on the road. The '03-'04 models don't look too hot and the guys at Toyota in the used car department agreed.
10. The handling of the car makes driving much easier.
11. I should be getting LoJack installed within the next few days. Here is proof that it works.

And now for photos: