another 4runner

kristin & i have enjoyed our new 4runner so much that i went out & got me a used one this weekend while in dallas. when we bought the new 4runner the deal was that kristin would learn to drive the a4 (standard) & when i wanted to go biking i would take the 4runner. this was back when i wasn’t even doing triathlons & mountain biking only.

well, it’s been almost two years since kristin & i made that agreement & she has yet to learn to drive the a4. i’ve since put a bike rack on the a4 which has worked well but there have been a few times when i would have liked to have put 4 bikes on a rack & gotten in with some buddies & gone somewhere out of town for some riding – you can’t do that with an a4.

knowing that ’08 is going to be a year full of tri racing & that our new pup (payton) who when fully grown will weigh between 85 & 95 pounds & wouldn’t fit well in an a4 i knew it was time to make the purchase & get a SUV of my own. it worked out well because i’ve actually always liked the 2nd generation body style of the 4runner more than the new one & i trust these vehicles so much that i’m not scared to be driving a vehicle that is out of warranty – that’s something i can’t say about my a4 which two months after going out of warranty had the check engine light come on. $45 in parts & $155 in “labor” to replace an oxygen sensor & a gas cap later & i knew right away that driving a german car without a warranty was going to be a bad move.
i’ve been looking online for almost a month now & because 4runners are such popular vehicles in austin it’s been hard to get to one before someone else did. the resale value & along with the number of miles on these trucks is wild. anyway, i think we got a good deal & if i can sell the a4 quickly we’ll be in a good position & best of all NO MORE CAR PAYMENT!