Long Time No See?

[Nizmo]

Afternoon folks! Been a hot minute since I`ve been on here. Between work and the house things have slipped past!

In my usual fashion, my vehicle shenanigans never stop. Traded in the 2014 Tacoma for a Subaru Outback. It is a little more versatile than the truck was.





I`ve gotten it dirtier than any of my trucks...



Also put it to use this winter for sure!




I also trade in my beloved 2021 Tacoma. It was pretty much 25,000 trouble free miles. However after a couple dealer trips, I could not stand the transmission shutter that these trucks exhibit. So that leads me to my new to me 2022 Tacoma...







So, you`re thinking you traded for the same truck? No, not exactly...



After a several month search I found an illusive 6 speed manual. It had 2500 miles on it when I bought it. Guy had it only a couple months and traded it in. Made decent money on my other truck as well.

Hope you all have been doing well, and it looks like I`ve got some catching up to do!

[Silly Rabbit]

Love the color.

[Stokdgs]

Mi Amigo, Nizmo !
I am glad you are doing great and all is well at su casa !

How nice to see your new rides ! Both, so beautiful ! Hope they bring you much enjoyment !
Am sure you will have much fun working on them, and they have pretty much the newest technology in them to help you..

Not much going on here on the Forum for awhile now.. I have lost track of all the other names this Forum evolved from, before it became this... Last one was - Detail City??? I can`t remember them all..

I have always appreciated the great content you brought to all of us over all these years...Thanks so much for all of it !

I took delivery of a 2022 Ford Ranger Lariat I ordered in November of 2021 this February, and it has been a really nice, mid-sized, truck..
Shadow Black (Like Jet Black), a nice Stone Leather interior, a lot of features I have had to learn and get used to..
I took a break from 6 speed manuals, and this one has the 10 speed auto that so far seems to be just fine...
Decided no more 4-wheel drive, so this truck is 4x2 with a positraction rear end...Gets a little bit better mileage with only one differential under there too..
I have 2,554 miles on it and when I go on the freeway awhile, it will get 25.5 miles per gallon, so that is ok too..
Dumped the factory oil and filter at 1,200 miles and put a new Ford Filter and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Synthetic 5w-30 in it, and the oil level is right where I got it to still...

I still have the Black 2009 Grand Cherokee Limited 4X4 if I ever needed some real 4x4 help....

Well, so happy to see you post up again. I figured you were out there doing a zillion cool things, and look ! You are !!!

Take care, Amigo !
Dan F

[PA DETAILER]

HOLY CRAP! Been awhile!

[Sizzle Chest]

Nice vehicles! Glad you’re back posting!

[Setec Astronomy]

Mi Amigo, Nizmo !
I have lost track of all the other names this Forum evolved from, before it became this... Last one was - Detail City??? I can`t remember them all..

It wasn`t a straight evolution--while it`s true that when PBMA/G bought Autopia Car Care, they acquired Detail City and renamed it AutopiaForums.com; TruthInDetailing was folded in when they bought CMA, and then of course it was all merged back into the original Autopia.org when they bought that. So there are members here that could have joined just one of those 4, or some of them or all of them.

[Accumulator]

Nizmo- heh heh, once again, I turn my back for a little while and voila, there you are with different vehicles!

What year is the Outback?

[Nizmo]

Nizmo- heh heh, once again, I turn my back for a little while and voila, there you are with different vehicles!

What year is the Outback?

It`s a 2019, right before the re-design. It doesn`t have that goofy TV screen in the middle of the dash like the 2020 and up models.

[Lonnie]

Nizmo:
A SUBARU???? There`s more to the purchase of this than just the "versatility"? From the dirt on the sides in the posted pics, it looks like you`ve done some off-roading with it.
Or is it job sites with mud or an unpaved work parking lot?

And the 2021 Toyota truck with its "transmission shutter"? What was (past tense implied) that all about?
The elusive (illusive, sic) 6-speed manual in your newer 2022 Tacoma? I did not know they (Toyota) still offered manual transmissions in trucks?

AND, keep us posted on your detailing exploits!!!

[Coatings=crack]

Nismo! Nice to see you back. Congrats on the new rides. Still eagle talon?


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[Nizmo]

Nizmo:
A SUBARU???? There`s more to the purchase of this than just the "versatility"? From the dirt on the sides in the posted pics, it looks like you`ve done some off-roading with it.
Or is it job sites with mud or an unpaved work parking lot?

And the 2021 Toyota truck with its "transmission shutter"? What was (past tense implied) that all about?
The elusive (illusive, sic) 6-speed manual in your newer 2022 Tacoma? I did not know they (Toyota) still offered manual transmissions in trucks?

AND, keep us posted on your detailing exploits!!!

Heh, yea, took a major jump there. Needed something that sat lower and a good bit of rear storage. Very few car companies that offer a wagon and AWD, so took a chance on a Subaru. Living in farm country sometimes taking a short cut leads to an unexpected dirt road. Yes, it was immediately washed off. I actually did a full light polish with a 3D polish (forgot which one) and sealed with Collinite before Fall last year.

The 2021 Tacoma with the automatic, yea it was a love-hate relationship. Loved the truck, hated the transmission. My work commute is all rural with speeds 45-55. Around 45mph the truck would jerk/buck slightly on a gently throttle tip in. Took to the dealer a couple times and they reset all the adaptives, but it still did it. Dealer test drove other trucks on the lot (as did I) and they all did it. Also the constant hunting for gears was getting a little annoying as well. Transmission is programmed for fuel economy, so it wants to quickly put itself into the highest gear possible. Set out on a search to find a manual. Somehow this one was only 45 minutes away while the others were 2 hours or so. Toyota is actually putting the 6 speed manual into the new 4th gen Tacoma that is coming out in 2024. There are enough enthusiast out there to still offer it apparently.

[Nizmo]

Nismo! Nice to see you back. Congrats on the new rides. Still eagle talon?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks!

I finally sold it February last year. Last time I lifted the rear of the car with a jack the sub frame just about split in half. I was done, no sense in dumping any more money in it after that. Tried a couple salvage yards within a 2 hour radius to find a decent rear subframe, but they were in the junk yard for that reason. Lost a bit of money on it, but lesson learned.

[Lonnie]

Nizmo:
LOVED your write-up on the Eagle Talon. Your body work was (and I assume still is) amazing (then again, Captain Obvious is easily impressed or just plain gullible). You have a skill-set that few individuals possess and you learned as you go by a hands-on process. Not many are willing to even try that, and that includes myself (1960`s female comedian Phyllis Diller`s assessment of her husband, Fang`s mechanical abilities was, "When you put a hammer in his hand, you have two objects with roughly the same IQ!" I say that of my wife telling others about me with the same quote, and she gets "upset"about it because she never likes to degrade anyone, even if it is true!)

Sorry to hear about the demise of the Eagle Talon. It`s a lesson learned by all of us about jacking up an older year-round driven vehicle where road-salt is used in the winter and seeing if the under-frame is any good. Unfortunately it had to be at your expense (no pun intended).
Rotted out, rusted brake lines are another safety hazard few drivers of older year-round vehicles are aware of, especially in states that have no required State Department of Transportation vehicle inspections for continued registration and licensing.

ANYWAY, don`t forget to update your signature within your Autopia profile with your new vehicles, so they are identified properly at the bottom of your ensuing posts in this forum.

[Accumulator]

Nizmo- Ah, glad to hear you got one of the pre-redesign ones. And I`m also kinda glad you didn`t get into a subframe swap on the Eagle.

Lonnie- Yes indeed, checking the underneath is indeed critical. "Sorry, the undercarriage is too dirty for me to evaluate it, gotta pass..." apparently sounds nutty to a lot of sellers (ask how I know ), but it can head off a big mistake.

[Nizmo]

Long time update so to say? The Subaru spent more time in the shop than my garage and to date had over $4,000 in warranty repairs. Final straw was the CVT starting to go. Went back to what I know...



Pardon my garage being an absolute disaster. Too many projects going around!



Since it`s a detailing forum, this is my first wash since owning it. Rinseless wash with Optimum Wash & Wax