I bid you adieu
 

Well guys, it's been a slice, but it's time to move on. I've had 5 great and memorable years here and with the FR-S...made some friends and had the pleasure of driving what is bar-none the single most fun car I've ever had (and I've had a lot of cars).


We've got a good group here on the forum. Tcoat, Ultramaroon, humfrz, Dadhawk, The Ottawa group, and so many others make it a fun place to spend some time. Things can get a little heated now and then, but overall, a pretty mellow atmosphere for an import forum...just enough "old guys" to keep things level. I will never forget the "cruises" with the Ottawa folks. Keep the flame alive Pbrown.


Angela and I are on ~100 acres here in farm country, and could use a truck. The old one is getting...um...old. Some time this week, I'll be trading the FR-S in for a Tacoma. It wasn't an easy decision...


NOTE: Anyone who still thinks an FR-S is slow, do yourself a favor...stop by your local Toyota dealer, and test drive a 4X4 extended cab Tacoma with the 2.7/4-speed auto combination.


For those who question the winter ability of the FR-S...don't. It's good.
I've posted this video in someone's thread earlier, and I have done so before. There should be a sticky with a link to this:




[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKBdOE2z4O4"]RWD in a Snowstorm - Are we Crazy? - FR-S Long Term #3 - Everyday Driver - YouTube[/ame]




I'll still stop by from time to time, as I am thinking on starting a game of sorts in the off topic forum before I leave, and I have some suspension/brakes/exhaust to sell at some point.

Cheers!

Well since at least 25% of the people here no longer have or have not yet had the car there is no reason to go away! We need all the Canadian rep we can get.

Good on ya, roddy ......... :)

Yep, a 100 acre farm would definitely make good use of a dependable truck ..... ;)

Stop in from time to time to say "Hi".


humfrz

@roddy do hope you keep to your promise to stop in on occasion, in the off-topic areas if nowhere else. Best of luck with the truck!

You'll be back. A couple of years from now you'll see a deal on a used one and pick it up.

That's my DD. I jump in the 86 and it feels like a rocket in comparison

<3

before you go, where is that windy road for 32km is on your profile picture? :bonk:

Please please please pm me the address for that winding road please

Thanks guys, and yeah, I'll own another one some day.


That sign in my avatar is on Hwy 509, which runs parallel (lol, sort of) on the north side of the Trans Canada Highway (Hwy 7) north of the Napanee to Kingston area. The Flinton Rd/506/509 run from Tweed to Sharbot Lake is a 1+hour rollercoaster ride.

I am sure Tacoma will also be fun when and where it is driven for its purpose. Enjoy!

I had a Toyota pickup and Tacoma, good god what a great everyday vehicle also. I so miss my 98

Good times, roddy! Like Dadhawk said, stop by OT when you have time.

Shaky's right, though. I bet you get another one. Enjoy the Tacoma. It's a solid machine. :cheers:

Sorry to hear the FR-S is going, but we all change in our vehicle situations in life. Question though, any particular reason you are looking at a 4 cylinder Tacoma instead of a 6-cylinder one? Especially being a 4x4. I had a '98 Tacoma 2.4L 5-speed manual 2WD extended cab that I loved, or thought I did. Then I picked up a 2013 Nissan Frontier 4.0L V6 2WD King Cab with 6-speed manual this year....way better than 4 cylinder truck for 'small truck' stuff, and quicker acclerating than the FR-S even though it's got a good 1600lbs more weight and worse aerodynamics!

Don't miss the Tacoma one bit compared to it. Fuel mileage is not hugely different than 4 cylinder models, but the truck has more capacity and can get out from under it's own weight with the V6...sucker really boogies and sounds great doing it, and I can confidently chuck it into turns at high speed. I could never go back to a 4 cylinder truck after the V6, unless it was a turbo-diesel that made actual power. I did crazy things with my Tacoma and it didn't complain much, but the 4-cylinder motor was definitely it's weak point unless you only plan to mainly use it like a car for a daily driver.

The main use for the Taco will be a DD. Any towing or pulling I do with it will be around the property or 2 miles up the road to the in-laws farm. As low on power as the 4cyl Tacoma is, it will do a better job of moving a portable wood processor or a wagon load of hay around the property than the FR-S would. If we need to pull something heavy more than a few miles, we can use dad's 3/4 ton Silverado. We heat the house with wood, and between my wife and her sister, there are 20 horses to be fed, so there are always things to be moved around.
I can handle gutless...I also have a Chevy Tracker.

Thank you so very much! Ottawa/Montreal, here I come!

^^ First person in recorded history to be that happy about going to Ottawa!

One last cruise with the Ottawa group before roddy trades in the 86! you're invited Tcoat, i'll invite myself!

I have tried to make it up there 3 times now but have never managed. maybe next year (or when he gets another one at this rate).

Lol, no kidding. However, I'd still take the 3 hour drive to Ottawa over the 2 hour drive into the GTA any time.

Those little Suzukis are great for what they are. Not much for the highway but great little off-road crawlers. At least the original ones were.

A friend of mine had an early one many moons ago. I think it was an SJ410 or samurai, a little tin top. That thing would climb a wall if it could get traction, and go lots of places the full size trucks couldn't get to.
Mine is more like a Suzuki Grand Vitara. It's still pretty nimble, light, and small, but not on the same level as the earlier ones.

They are planning a cruise for Sept 24 over on the Ottawa FR-S thread.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...=5626&page=756

Thanks roddy! I'm actually from Toronto and have no plans to go to Ottawa on the 24th. but i'm planning to drive from Toronto to belleville, tweed, flinton, ompah(509), sharbot lake, Kingston then back to Toronto. I need to feed my desire of winding roads as there is none in Toronto. :slap:

Lapping at Calabogie Motorsports Park in an FR-S versus 4x4ing in the Calabogie area with a nice truck. Hard to lose with those two choices!

That is one of the best runs in Ontario. Do your self a favor...when you get to Sharbot Lake, head south on 38 to Verona, and turn off on Desert Lake Rd. It is only 20-30 mins to do that road, and it is in the middle of nowhere, but worth the drive...makes the 509 look like a straight line.


A little closer to you, there is another good series of roads. Take Rd 23 North from Peterborough to the 507/648/county Rd 10 run. That will take you up to the Southern edge of Algonquin Park. I've done this run, and it is fun as well. Also in this area is the 504, CR 3, Hwy 118, and some others that look good on the map, but I haven't had the chance to try them out myself.


Have fun, and be careful. The 509 has a lot of elevation changes, decreasing radius corners, blind corners, and sudden corners at the top/bottom of hills as it threads its way through the rocks and around small lakes.

On that note.
 

Cruise September 24th. Might be on that road.

Cheers Roddy.
 

It has been a pleasure Roddy. The cruises (perhaps a misleading word) we have done together have been epic to say the least. Would like to personally thank you for the enthusiasm and assistance you provided when helping with the organization and promotion of these events. The car has been a great experience by itself. The people, like yourself, I have met during ownership has been a fantastic bonus. Keep in touch my friend, BTW. You can bring the truck to the cruise on the 24th. We'll use you as a separator between us and the po po.

Turn your 100 acres farm into a race track!!! so u dont need to sell your FRS!!!

JK!! Take care!

Thank you too.
 

Even with the Mustang crowd, I have not experienced the comradery that comes with these cars. Having only met me once, you invited me into your home, gave me a place to wash the car after the drive up to Ottawa, and led me up to the cruise night at M&M. That meant a lot to me. Your efforts in putting the "cruises" together have been far more important than mine. It takes a lot of time and effort to stick everything together and be the glue that holds it there. For that, I thank you.
If I brought the truck, I'd be so far behind I wouldn't see the coppers 'till I passed them and 20 twins on the side of the road (chuckle). I could bring the Mustang, but it's only fun in the straight sections, and there aren't many of those. I had the Mustang on the 509...once. Handles like a truck. *sigh*...I miss the FR-S already, and it's still sitting in my garage.
If you haven't finalized a route for the 24th, I could make one last suggestion...bit of a drive, but take a look at the map of Prince Edward County. Maybe some folks from the West could make the drive too. BBQ at my place and a lap of the "island".

LOL, the thought has crossed my mind. As it is, I already cut and maintain a couple kilometers of trails between us and the neighbors.

Have you considered possibly picking up a clean 2003- 2006 Tundra (either the 4L V6, or 4.7L V8 ) ?

Its the Lexus of trucks. There are some good deals out there, original owners , possibly second order , but you can find clean ones with say 50-75k miles , for $13-15k (at the time it was a $29-31k new vehicle). Adjust for todays inflation / market values, its closer to a low $40k range truck. The size is in between a Tacoma, and a true full size pickup (say a F250). Another great thing about it is the 2wd versions V8-access cab Tundras, are about 4500 lbs (versus a V6 Tacoma is about 4100 lbs). Good solid strength to weight ratio. New 2007+ Tundras weigh 5300 - 5700 lbs.

New trucks are crazy pricey.... upper end Ford/Chevy/GMC are like $50-80k . That's a nice down payment on a house... many locations in the USA.

Meant to say, but the 4L V6 version (2005- '06) Tundras are harder to find. It's a truck, its better to have more balls, then not enough gumption (Torque) when you need it. That 1st Gen Tundra won several awards when it first debuted in 2000.

I did think about a Tundra, and checked out a really nice '13 with low miles and the 5.7. Really nice truck, great price, but only 2 wheel drive, and a long box. I've lost a lot of faith in the domestic manufacturers over the years. The Dodge/Ram is a rust bucket...I've seen them with bubbly rusty looking box sides by the time they are 5 years old. No thank-you. I was brought up on GM products, but the Chev/GMC just don't appeal to me . The only other truck I really considered was an F150 reg. cab shortbox 4X4 with the 2.7 EcoBoost or 5.0.

To me, Tacoma is the best looking truck. I wish I had one. Please post a picture when you have it.

They're a good looking truck. The 3rd gen Tacoma is growing on me, but I still prefer the look of the 2nd generation trucks like the one I got. Nothing special...4 cyl/auto, access cab 4X4 in a plain white wrapper.

If you can get a '11- '15 Tacoma, with the specs you want at a fair price, go for it. Peoples tend to want bank for their Tacoma's , so that's why I recommended the 1st Gen Tundra .... really better bang for the buck. I recommend finding a dealer near you (may have to be private party) , with ideally a '05 or '06 Tundra for a test drive. They have balls, given strength to weight ( 280 hp / 325 torque , and weigh 4500 lbs for a access cab 2wd). Plus they have a good size bed ( most Tacoma's have a shorty bed, very dinky .... most people don't opt for the long bed option) , not as deep as a new Tundra , but deep enough for most jobs and very similar length/width.