I haven’t been very good to the Stormtrooper 4Runner lately. Alright, that’s not entirely true, since I installed new suspension recently and did a lot of upkeep/repainting (more on that in the coming weeks). But truthfully, in the last 7 weeks I’ve driven the truck once. It sits outside alone in the cold, staring longingly into the woods wishing for a more eventful life. In the same way that I occasionally stare longingly at the Stormtrooper 4Runner wishing I had more time to spend using it for what I bought it for.
As much as it can suck, projects sometimes fall to the wayside. Life and things of a higher priority simply get in the way of what isn’t your primary vehicle. And not just that, but your finding out that a specific project requires more time, effort, and maintenance than you care to invest at that given moment doesn’t exactly help.
Suddenly you find yourself out of love with a vehicle you once were head-over-heels for. It hits you all at once, and you can’t shake the feeling that you could be better investing that time, money, and effort elsewhere.
That’s the case with my 2005 Toyota 4Runner. The truck I once promised to keep forever, I’ve lately found myself thinking about getting rid of in favor of something I can enjoy more frequently. Since buying a 5th gen 4Runner to soak up my ~100 mile daily commute (introduction coming soon), the 4th gen truck has done little more than sit. And so, I find myself browsing the classifieds ads, hunting through Craigslist and other For Sale sections in an effort to swap it for something else. But it’s not so simple. I bought the truck to be an off-road weekend toy and barely used it as such last year. This year is likely more of the same, possibly even less. Who knows about next year. But deep down I know I’d miss it in some way, shape or form if I sold it. So here I am, at a crossroads.
And so I bid everyone’s help. What do you do to fall back in love with a project? Use it for its intended use (which I sadly cannot do as of late due to the weather)? Modify it in some other way for the sake of spending time around it and bringing up memories? Put your tail between your legs and sell it and move on? For the first time I find myself in such a position of questioning a project vehicle’s future in my life, and am seeking the advice of those who have been in the same position in the past.
Sound off in the Comments… and help me reinvigorate my love for a truck I once loved.
