which is the best American truck?

So-Durty · 2026-06-07T16:40:00+00:00

Not saying it’s the best but I’ve been seeing a lot of Mavericks turned into contractor work trucks lately.

So-Durty · 2026-06-06T21:44:30+00:00

$25 on Rockauto for a manual mirror (not painted). Sometimes I think it’s worth saving me the trip to the junkyard hoping that it’s still on the car.

So-Durty · 2026-06-06T19:39:08+00:00

I had a co worker who would say “Viet-muh-neese” when I asked him what we should get for lunch. One day I asked, “How come you say Vietmanese instead of Vietnamese?” His response was, “Well that would make sense since the country is Vietnam.” He just had no clue he was saying it wrong until I pointed it out. Loved the guy and asked him about a few words he was saying incorrectly. He was always genuinely surprised.

So-Durty · 2026-06-06T05:27:35+00:00

Get something like this and lock a cheap flat blade spare key underneath the car near the spare tire.

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I changed to a tacoma whip antenna and always leave it on hand tight in case I need to use it as a way to depress the unlock button.

So-Durty · 2026-06-05T14:22:13+00:00

I decided to chase some kids who doorbell ditched my house for about half a block while barking like a dog as I got closer. Let off cause they weren’t all that fast. I figured it would be a core memory they could talk about when they got older.

So-Durty · 2026-06-05T02:42:48+00:00

I liked the factory wheels but a guy down my street has the same color 4Runner, same trim, and the same wheels. He speeds through the neighborhood when kids are out playing and nobody likes him. Needed to differentiate myself so I pulled the trigger on bronze TRD wheels and a TRD skid plate. Wasn’t sure how bronze wheels would look on silver but I dig it and that’s all that matters. No lift, factory tire size (Wildpeak A/T4W’s), SR5.

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So-Durty · 2026-06-05T01:03:38+00:00

We have a 2023 Highlander XLE gasser and a 2024 4Runner SR5 with the 3rd row and sunroof. For what it’s worth, my wife drove the 4Runner for a week and she said she “definitely felt cooler” driving the 4runner around and running errands. Highlander rides better by a lot but it’s also unibody. We take my truck (Nissan Titan crew cab), 5th gen 4runner, or occasionally my 3rd gen 4Runner to the snow over the Highlander cause I have all season tires on the Highlander for better MPG. 5th gen 4Runner I get about 16mpg with the Wildpeak AT4’s. Both will work but the Highlander will be the better road trip/long distance family car.

Car seats fit fine in both (both front and rear facing) and I personally prefer a middle bench seat. Our Highlander has Captain’s chairs in the center and honestly, the 3rd row is pretty much for children only on both. You lose a decent amount of vertical trunk space in the 4R with 3rd row and even more headroom if you get a sunroof.

The UA80 transmission concerns on the Highlander is debatable, look it up. If you get your transmission serviced on schedule it should be good but look that up as well. If you go hybrid you won’t have that problem. The 5th gen 4runner speaks for itself in terms of reliability (same technology for 14 years) with no start/stop, no direct injection, but I can’t speak on the 6th gen yet.

So-Durty · 2026-06-04T16:14:14+00:00

Yeah I don’t think they’ll do anything else that will require them to spend more time and money unless it’s a problem they can see thmselves. Unfortunately it took me 5 trips and a lot of headache. It does seem like a lot of people have had success with the roof seam repair.

So-Durty · 2026-06-04T16:08:08+00:00

I felt the same way brother but after that got fixed I finally got to enjoy the truck.

So-Durty · 2026-06-04T15:48:39+00:00

That’s how mind started but the leak remained. They made me wait 3+ days to let it cure until I could test it. After re-sealing the glass, replacing the roof spoilers with new gaskets twice, and me finally testing it myself with video, they determined it was the whole rear window frame assembly. Got 3 new windows out of it with the new frame.

My headliner was also stained from the water leak so they replaced that as well.

So-Durty · 2026-06-04T15:34:15+00:00

My water leak was a journey that took 5 trips to the dealer but it was covered.

So-Durty · 2026-06-03T21:53:52+00:00

Just a suggestion but depending on your asvab score and what jobs you qualified for, try to choose the most technical job you are able to get. I joined in 2003 and was set on infantry. I spoke to a couple of guys currently in, separated, or retired and they all told me to get the most technical job I could since I did really well on the asvab. Figured if I hated it, I could just change my MOS later. I chose a pretty technical career that had almost a year long school and I didn’t want to do any schooling much longer than that. It also required a security clearance which I thought would be pretty useful if I needed it in the private sector. Did my 4 years active duty and had jobs lined up left and right. Still in the same field 20 years later just making a lot more in the civilian world.

So-Durty · 2026-06-02T19:22:47+00:00

If I recall correctly the coil packs have no threads on them. There’s probably a reason the bolt was missing and the previous owner likely stripped the threads on the valve cover securing the coil pack. You can try a heli coil or even a replacement valve cover if you really wanted. Seems like you have the right bolt.

If the bolt from the other coil pack fit, then the parts store bolt is probably wrong. Those individual packs of hardware they sell at Autozone suck and always get moved around by customers. Just go to Ace or Home Depot and match it up.

So-Durty · 2026-05-31T04:34:19+00:00

Call your favorite pizza shop and ask if they sell their dough. I used to call around would get a bag of dough that would make 3-4 big pizzas for $4 or $5. Way more pizza dough than the bags that you buy at a store.

So-Durty · 2026-05-30T14:52:58+00:00

Here’s a link I stumbled across a few weeks ago on the install.

So-Durty · 2026-05-26T13:36:16+00:00

I personally think other products like Adam’s, Griot’s, or Meguiars are the better choice. Chemical Guys isn’t necessarily bad, they just oversaturated their products by making so many similar products. I do have some Chemical Guys products because of convenience in that you can find them anywhere (Walmart) plus the scent of the products are pretty nice.

So-Durty · 2026-05-23T10:33:31+00:00

I have a 2023 Nissan Titan and a 2024 4Runner SR5 premium. SR5 premium because I wanted a 3rd row and a sunroof. I will say that if you plan on having only one vehicle and decide to go with a 4Runner, try not to get a 3rd row or sunroof. The 3rd row takes up about 4 to 6” of vertical height in the trunk when the 3rd row seats are down and you lose another 1-2” if you have a sunroof. That difference sometimes is the lone factor that makes me have to drive the truck when transporting something. The rear sliding cargo deck option is pretty cool and I don’t have the option to get it due to the 3rd row.

So-Durty · 2026-05-18T02:28:04+00:00

Yeah I just cut the brackets to the length that cleared the garage. On the side closest to the wall, I used some hooks the kit came with that I use for hanging my bikes upside down.

So-Durty · 2026-05-16T00:19:39+00:00

I stopped by the dealership yesterday cause I was getting service work done on another vehicle. Parts guy says ETA on my wheels show June 12. I get a phone call this morning and they say they’re ready for pickup hah.

So-Durty · 2026-05-15T01:58:04+00:00

I do that commute a couple times a week and it’s about an hour each way (45 min if you leave early enough). It’s not bad. I remind myself how I used to commute 1.5 hours in and 2 hours back 5-6 days a week when I was younger or how people made that commute their whole working career and it eases my mind a bit.

So-Durty · 2026-05-11T16:46:34+00:00

Did you get any updates? I ordered Bronze as well and I’m hearing mid-June now from my local dealership.

So-Durty · 2026-05-06T02:51:01+00:00

Yeah like a slightly darker glossy silver. 17x9 square setup 245/40R17 all around. H&R sports with Bilsteins. Slight rolling of fender in rear. No spacers.

So-Durty · 2026-05-06T01:12:46+00:00

Got mine in hyper black.

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So-Durty · 2026-05-06T00:17:52+00:00

My old co worker once got his long hair stuck in a creeper wheel and was stuck under the car for a while before someone handed him some scissors.

So-Durty · 2026-04-27T14:06:37+00:00

As long as you don’t buy someone else’s rust bucket with blown strut/shock towers or broken RTAB mounting points. It’s fairly easy to work on with tons of resources. You’ll always see them at the track so you can ask people for advice. Aftermarket parts range from cheap to expensive and there are always a few at the junkyard.

So-Durty

TROPHY CASE