Why is letting go so hard to do...

[Captain Ahab Jr]

I own a rusted out 1994 Toyota 4Runner, had it for over 7yrs and driven it for 120k miles, reaching moon distance on the odometer

It's worth 'not a lot', looks like a 'derelict' but it's part of our family

We've enjoyed many miles together seeing many cool places. Frequently even covering 1000 mile drives across Europe in one day

It's been faultless, I've serviced it regularly, lovingly fitted more new parts than it needed but neglected keeping the rust at bay.

Sadly the the dreaded salty UK winters have taken their toll and I've reached the point of it needing a full chassis up restoration or replacing it with something newer

As I really don't have time at the moment for another project I've agreed a sale which should see it live on as a taxi in Zimbabwe for probably another quarter of a century of reliable running

I own another Gen 1 Toyota 4Runner in immaculate condition and have a brand new replacement in mind, obviously another Toyota truck

This combo will offer the best of both worlds but the frequent pangs of guilt of giving up on my old wreck is making it really difficult for me go through with letting it go.

Any advice gladly accepted and I'm interested to hear if I'm not alone in struggling to let go

[PorscheGAL]

I'm sorry I have no advice about letting go.

I do have a question and please forgive the ignorance: Salty UK Winters? Do you mean salt on the roads? How much risk of ice and snow is there?

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Not an ignorant question in the slightest,

Most of the UK doesn't get enough snow for just ploughing but we do get frosty nights with wet weather so the roads are frequently gritted with a sand/salt mix

My truck when I bought it



Same truck after 7 UK winters

[craigster59]

Sorry to hear, those are great trucks. But if it will make you feel any better we can start calling you "Tiggywinkles" for old times sake.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Sorry to hear, those are great trucks. But if it will make you feel any better we can start calling you "Tiggywinkles" for old times sake.

1st owner founded a wild life sanctuary for hedgehogs and the truck was given to him new by Toyota UK

It's even seen screen time on a TV series

My friends and I refer to it as the 'Bambi Ambulance'

[Jims5543]

I have a 2007 FJ Cruiser, 200k miles and I should let it go. It sits in the driveway on a battery tender and gets driven occasionally. I should sell it. I cannot. I promised myself to keep it as long as I live, so it stays.

I went through this recently with a Weber Grill. The Napolian is remarkable and made me forget it.

There is a lesson to be learned here. I refuse to acknowledge it.



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[porsche tech]

When we retired and moved from Virginia to South Carolina, my wife said it hurt her more to sell her 175K miles Audi A6 Quattro than it did to sell the house we lived in for forty years!

[Seahawk]

I have sold two Toyotas here, a 2003 4Runner and a 1999 Tacoma...both to great folks so the “letting it go” was easy. I owned them both for over a decade.

My daughter sold her FJ we bought her in HS 2008 just last year. She was distraught. Almost 300k.

You’ll have to pry my 1996 LC from my cold dead hands, however.

[Zeke]

Seems like an opportunity to produce composite panels for these coveted cars. When 3D printing gets bigger and faster, parts will be cheap. Even if only the mold is printed.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by craigster59

we can start calling you "Tiggywinkles"

Seriously, this is the first time a post on this bbs has made me laugh in a long, long time.

[BK911]

If you don't need the money, and have the room, keep her until she breaks in half. I would use her whenever the roads are salty. Don't want your other rides looking like that!

[Superman]

We are sad to see our dogs go, and often our vehicles, and for the same reason. They have outperformed many of the people in our lives.

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by porsche tech

When we retired and moved from Virginia to South Carolina, my wife said it hurt her more to sell her 175K miles Audi A6 Quattro than it did to sell the house we lived in for forty years!

I regret selling my Audi.....

Said no one ever....


Tim Hancock can attest to my sentiment.

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[Otter74]

I get it. I have a 1993 Sentra SE-R that I got new when I graduated from high school - it was a gift, and the first and only new car I’ve had. I’ve put 230k miles on it and it’s one of the most reliable things I’ve owned. But I just hardly drive it any more. This winter and last it’s at least been able to get a garage space again while my Fiat (which I’ve had for even longer) was getting a body restoration. I just don’t need it and don’t drive it much, but I’ve never sold it (it’s not worth a lot) because I’ve been convinced that af I did I’d always regret it.

I entertained the idea some years ago of getting rid of my Fiat (an ‘81 Turbo Spider) but I’m glad I didn’t.

I’m astonished at the amount of rust on that 4Runnner after only seven winters. That’s bad even for Michigan.

[fastfredracing]

Wholy cow! That is Pennsylvania/Ohio rust. I did not know you guys got it that bad over there .

[fanaudical]

I'll say it: I have had two Audi's that I regret selling. (One was of C5 vintage like the A6 above - awesome cars.)

I dad both for "too the moon" mileage and many years of great adventures. In both cases, the effort of upkeep was more than I wanted to invest in a "daily driver" and my wife didn't accept my reasoning for making them projects. I eventually made peace with selling those - I "re-homed" them - I found buyers who were passionate about the cars and believed they were going to fix them up. (Maybe that sentiment helps the OP...)

Of course, I also have a couple of other Audi's that I was very glad to see leave the driveway for good...

[A930Rocket]

With you being in the racing world, I thought those holes were to make the truck lighter, to go faster.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

1st owner founded a wild life sanctuary for hedgehogs and the truck was given to him new by Toyota UK

It's even seen screen time on a TV series

My friends and I refer to it as the 'Bambi Ambulance'

The Bambulance?

Dude, we've all seen the UK Man Cave thread.

I'm expecting you to come back to this thread in 5 years after having replaced everything rusty with carbon fiber!

[flatbutt]

Cap'n I can relate. I used to ride a '99 BMW R1100SA. She was the best ride I ever had and we went everywhere together.

After I had my car crash I needed to have the S modded to suit my new physical condition and it was not easy. Add to that the heft of that bike and I had quite a challenge to ride safely, but I did for years to follow.

Then time took over and the weight of the bike became too much and I was dropping her far too much. So. it was time to let her go.

All the miles, memories and the fact that riding her represented a physical monument to overcoming a significant challenge made it very hard to let go. For me it was about safety so logic had a place in the decision. I made peace with the emotion by donating the bike to Gary Sinise's charity.

I miss the bike but I couldn't ride her.

YMMV

[KNS]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

That's some serious rust. I'm curious, did you ever rinse or wash the underside/wheel wells of the car?

I recall watching Edd China working on UK cars and the rust always seems so nasty.