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nanook

Is it only a california thing. . .?

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So does that mean when I purchased my brand-new Tacoma Prerunner this spring, in Illinois, I really missed the boat, eh?



"Prerunner" as used by Toyota means something different than "prerunner" as used by SoCal desert racers (or wannabe desert racers). SoCal desert racers jack the front end up inches higher than the back end (for improved clearance? I dunno, I don't get it ;)), add fiberglass front ends for weight reduction (with minimal fenders so those big tires will fit)... and then drive them around town. :S:D

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I know the concept is pretty foreign to people, but the truck was never 4wd. Most trucks in SD arent, as there is no real reason to have 4wd. The truck you were looking at was an F-250 diesel, which would not be used in the desert (except to haul stuff out there and back). Its far too heavy and will not generate the kind of power you would need out there. The truck would be used in a more utilitarian fashion, thus an even lift.

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Ahh - I see! Doesn't really sound apealing to the eye, actually. But you know what they say about beauty in the eye of the beholder!

Around here, we have a small community of kids that think it's really cool to put huge, meaty tires on the back of something like a Neon. And I'm talking tires like you might put on the back of a Chevelle that'll do low 12 in in the 1/4 mile. It looks really, really bad. Not to mention it must make the car handle like a pig with three legs. To each his own, I suppose!

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"Prerunner" as used by Toyota means something different than "prerunner" as used by SoCal desert racers (or wannabe desert racers). SoCal desert racers jack the front end up inches higher than the back end (for improved clearance? I dunno, I don't get it ;)), add fiberglass front ends for weight reduction (with minimal fenders so those big tires will fit)... and then drive them around town. :S:D


The rear has less lift to soften out landings. The suspension sits compressed in a static condition and expands when it is airborne. Since there is no weight over the rear, the suspension is softer and it makes the front of the truck sit upright. This is unique to Fords for the most part. I never was a fan of it due to the decrease in vision and the excessive spongy feel in the rear end. It can also create a problem if you want to use your truck to haul something. If you're not even using your truck in the desert, its a real disadvantage. Fiberglass is used because it is far cheaper and easier to replace than sheet metal.

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The WCC sticker should have given away that the guy is a poser from the get go.

I hate those stickers. If I ever have a bike with a part from WCC, then I might *think* about getting a t-shirt or something like that, but until then I'm not going to join that crowd.

Every time I see one of those shirts/stickers I want to say "Hey fucktard, I actually own a bike and ride the shit out of it, what about you pussy?"
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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I know the concept is pretty foreign to people, but the truck was never 4wd. Most trucks in SD arent, as there is no real reason to have 4wd. The truck you were looking at was an F-250 diesel, which would not be used in the desert (except to haul stuff out there and back). Its far too heavy and will not generate the kind of power you would need out there. The truck would be used in a more utilitarian fashion, thus an even lift.



that's what I've been trying to tell the dealer. It's useless as an off-road truck. He was trying to sell it to me as an off-road application. It can't even be used as a "pre-runner". The truck was obviously raised for looks only.
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"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

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As a rule of thumb, never ever EVER buy a user modified vehical used. Ever.

Even though its at a dealership.

1. You don't know the quality of the work and parts.
2. You don't know what they did to it after the fact.
3. The engine and tranny are probably hurting now as well.

If you want a truck like that, do it yourself so you know its done RIGHT.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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As a rule of thumb, never ever EVER buy a user modified vehical used. Ever.

Even though its at a dealership.

1. You don't know the quality of the work and parts.
2. You don't know what they did to it after the fact.
3. The engine and tranny are probably hurting now as well.

If you want a truck like that, do it yourself so you know its done RIGHT.



...and in Wisconsin, at least, the dealerships cannot legally sell a vehicle that was modified from stock. I see modified trades go in all the time, in mint condition. If the mods are easily reversed, they do it and re-sell. If they are major mods (like most lifts), the vehicle never even sees the lot. Straight off to auction they go.
It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

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If they are major mods (like most lifts), the vehicle never even sees the lot.



Most modern lifts can be removed and you can put the truck back to nearly stock. Since sometimes you have to grind off a mount on the transfercase, but since the mid-late '90s most of the lifts have been nearly bolt on, thus they unbolt on ok as well.;)

That doesn't mean that the owner went yahoo'n with the lifted truck and didn't fuck up a LOT of other stuff.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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Yea, basically most dealerships look at modded vehicles (lil' imports too) and don't even bother. If it was a trade, it goes to auction. If it's at auction, it goes to the "small lot dealers(crooks)" usually really cheap.
It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

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You're right on - When i was selling cars for a Dodge dealership out in western NY, the owner looked at heavily modded trucks with such disdain. Very few got favorable treatment, most he gave low-ball trades on and they went right to the hoop. But once in a great while he would see one that was done right and would keep it. But that was very rarely

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What drives me nuts are the yuppies who buy these big-ass trucks and they never carry anything heavier that a Starbucks coffee cup. We get that crap alot around the Chicago area. So no, it's not just a Cali thing, it seems to be a Yuppie thing. Some people will buy whatever the media tells them to.




You guys getting the H2 invasion yet? We got them all over the f-ing place here. What's the point in having one of the those if you just drive around town. What really pisses me off is when they purposely take up two parking spaces just so someone wont ding the door or scratch it.

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Oh yeah - We got it bad out here. H2s, and any flavor of high-end-gas-guzzling SUV you can imagine. People with absolutely nothing better to do with thier money, and these trucks will never, ever leave a paved road. They will take up two spaces, (Diagonally no less-) and drive like they are the only people who have the right to be on the road. Yeah, I live in the middle of status-symbol-land. (10,000 square foot McMansions and all!)

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