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Author Topic: Joe's Xterra  (Read 114821 times)

steve c

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #195 on: July 30, 2020, 01:07:35 PM »
Looks good Joe, the only thing I don't like is the non matching Awning LOL  lol
Seriously though, its looking good

Seriously, right?!  It's like he didn't even try!

:D

Looks awesome, Joe.  Makes me want to put mine back on. 
Steve - KK6OFL

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JFanaselle

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #196 on: July 30, 2020, 01:15:54 PM »
I wonder if I can just rattle-can the exterior cover of the awning  lol

JFanaselle

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #197 on: October 19, 2020, 01:41:50 PM »
It is a bittersweet time in the Fanaselle household. The rumors are true.... our Xterra is soon to be no more, and we have acquired a "different brand" of vehicle to replace it. To say that my emotions are mixed would be an understatement. The excitement of a new vehicle is definitely overshadowed by the sudden demise of what has been our adventure machine for the past 7 years. But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and this is actually just the start of the next chapter.

The X had recently started giving me a lot of problems... coolant leaks, transmission operating very hot, stuttering during acceleration, differential leak... the list goes on. And with 120k miles and 10.5 years of service time, the catalytic converters are basically on borrowed time at this point. I've been trying to keep up with new issues as they arose, but the list of stuff that needed to be done was growing faster than the list of things that were completed.

At the same time, my employer made an announcement that I won't be commuting to the office for at least another 6 months, and it left the Mrs. and I with some serious decisions to make about our vehicle ownership situation. The X is just our "fun" car, and I drive (drove?) a 2014 Honda Civic to and from the office 4 days a week, because the payment/maintenance/insurance on that Honda was even less than the fuel costs in the Xterra.

So we decided to make a change, and combine the "commute" car and the "fun" car into single vehicle. We decided that we wanted a pickup, because the idea of a mid-height bed rack to lower the RTT is very appealing for us (the setup and tear down is so challenging when it's 7 feet up in the air, especially for Jessica). We didn't want a full size, because I'll probably be driving it to the office at least a couple of days per week at some point, and we don't need that big of a truck. So we evaluated all of the options within the mid-size space - the Canyon/Colorado, Ranger, Gladiator, Tacoma, Ridgeline and the Frontier. Advantages and disadvantages of each were weighed (for our specific needs/situation), and we ultimately decided that a Tacoma would fit us best. I started the search for one, and holy crap was I surprised to see what has happened to the 4x4 market in the past few months. If you are in need of a new 4 wheel drive vehicle anytime soon, I will pray for mercy for you, because it's slim pickings and the prices are insane.

It took me about two weeks to find the deal that I was looking for. That included multiple visits and emails to several different dealerships (and sometimes dealing with several different salespeople at the same dealership), and countless hours scouring CarMax, Carvana, and AutoTrader for the right truck at the right price. In the end, we finally started working with a salesperson who was eager to earn our business, and he met the terms that we demanded.

So say hello to our new 2020 Tacoma Dual Cab Short Bed 4x4 TRD with the Off Road package. This is actually a used truck, with 8,000 on the odometer, and we picked it up on Saturday. As part of the deal, I sold my Honda to CarMax (for $1500 more than I was expecting), and I traded in the Xterra to the Toyota dealership. As expected, they weren't offering anything for the aftermarket equipment, but they graciously gave me a couple of days to hang on to the Xterra and remove as many items as I could (as long as I had the stock stuff to put back on).

Thankfully, I kept my stock front bumper, rear bumper and roof rack components. I'm also pulling off the skid plates, the rock sliders, and the cargo organizer in the back. The suspension is all staying on the rig, along with the snorkel. I've spent more time wrenching on the X in the past 2.5 days than I ever expected to, and I'm downright exhausted. It's going back to the dealership this afternoon, and no lie... I'll probably cry when I drop it off. I know it sounds dumb, but this Xterra literally changed our lives. It introduced us to a whole new lifestyle that we never knew we'd love so much. It took us to places we never dreamed we'd see, or even knew existed. And it helped us form friendships with all of you... friendships that will no doubt last a lifetime. In fact, we were laughing the other day about the fact that we barely even have friends outside of this group anymore.  lol

But I'm excited to start a new chapter with our new vehicle, and looking forward to getting it ready for the trails. We are going to keep the mods modest (remember, I'll be driving it to work), but it needs a few things pretty quickly. I need a bed rack and some sliders, skid plates, and nicer tires. Suspension stuff is TBD, but I'll probably end up with a 1" to 2" lift and nothing more. I might even just stick with 32s this time around, to preserve some fuel economy. Keep an eye on the for sale thread, as I'll get some stuff posted up soon.

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CAWoody

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #198 on: October 19, 2020, 01:56:02 PM »
Joe, I think you made a wise decision.  Welcome to the Taco side. :D  Like you, my truck is a daily driver and as you have seen i have some serious commutes to jobsites.  I have the leveling kit and was able to fit the 285's with no rubbing.  Still running factory skids with no issues, but had to add the White knuckle sliders for protection.  One thing you will find, is the factory cloth seats suck.  On longer trips the sweating makes the seats very itchy.  With us plus size models sweating is inevitable.  I highly recommend looking into the Katzkin leather,  best thing I bought for it.  You need any help find parts for the Taco, let me know, I've looked at everything.

I can say, after two years I still miss the X.  That beast went everywhere.
Be careful when you follow the masses..... sometimes the "M" is silent.

ultrapc40

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #199 on: October 19, 2020, 07:11:29 PM »
I am just glad it wasn’t a Honda Ridgeline.

FrankB

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #200 on: October 19, 2020, 10:04:04 PM »
Nice truck Joe.

I'm sure that you'll still be welcome around here.  I say that based on the fact that no one seems to have thrown me out, even though I traded my Xterra towards a 2020 Honda Pilot AWD back in January.  Of course, that could just mean no one paid any attention when I mentioned it back then.

I know what you mean about the 4x4 truck market right now - I've been looking on and off at the idea of a second vehicle, one that has real 4WD and some ground clearance for when I want to go out to the desert.  Prices are crazy.

JFanaselle

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #201 on: October 19, 2020, 10:08:08 PM »
I'm sure that you'll still be welcome around here.  I say that based on the fact that no one seems to have thrown me out, even though I traded my Xterra towards a 2020 Honda Pilot AWD back in January.  Of course, that could just mean no one paid any attention when I mentioned it back then.

I'm sure the public stonings are just on hold due to COVID-19. We'll be banished sooner or later!  lol lol

FrankB

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #202 on: October 19, 2020, 10:18:04 PM »
I'm sure the public stonings are just on hold due to COVID-19. We'll be banished sooner or later!  lol lol

I still have an SCCX sticker on a magnet, so I may just show up at a gathering with that on the back of the Pilot.

FrankB

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #203 on: October 20, 2020, 02:58:59 PM »

Celt

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #204 on: October 20, 2020, 08:48:24 PM »
I'm sure the public stonings are just on hold due to COVID-19. We'll be banished sooner or later!  lol lol

 Well you have not shown up with your "new" vehicle on a trip yet.........
Isaiah 6:8

Celt

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #205 on: October 21, 2020, 06:09:50 PM »
I am just glad it wasn’t a Honda Ridgeline.

  Buhwhahahahhaha!!! I wonder if a "Hood Bonnet" would fit on one of those things?
Isaiah 6:8

Ghost65

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #206 on: October 23, 2020, 10:08:56 AM »
  Buhwhahahahhaha!!! I wonder if a "Hood Bonnet" would fit on one of those things?

El Oh El... ;D

Congrats Joe...welcome to the dark side!

Now you need one of these...

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KD6DCI

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CAWoody

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #207 on: October 24, 2020, 07:07:05 PM »
I want one of those stickers.  Where`d you get it?
Be careful when you follow the masses..... sometimes the "M" is silent.


Celt

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Re: Joe's Xterra
« Reply #209 on: October 25, 2020, 12:27:49 AM »
Drop the Chalupa......
Isaiah 6:8

 


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