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Hola from NM!

2K views 23 replies 22 participants last post by  fensterer 
#1 ·
Hello all
First I want to say that there are some of the friendliest, most knowledgeable people on this forum. It’s a very welcoming group…thanks for that.

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Toyota fj cruiser Toyota


Now about me.
I purchased my Fj about 2 months ago and while looking for tires, I found this forum. I could tell right away that I was going to be in trouble…
I have an AT 2009 Brick with 18K miles on it. I’m a little baffled as to why it had so few miles, but it’s in perfect condition. Maybe church on Sundays and groceries once a week?
I have always been a Jeep guy, and owned several of them over the years. My 2003 Cherokee was getting a bit long in the tooth with 170K miles on it, so I figured I would finally trade her in. I went to the local Jeep dealer and test drove several of their new Wrangler Unlimited models. I had driven them before, so it wasn’t a new experience for me. They are adequate, capable vehicles. On the way back into the lot I saw the Fj. I had seen them around and had always liked their quirky, retro look. On a whim I asked about it and took it out for a test drive. After literally 10 minutes I was hooked. It was superior in just about every way. It handled better, it rode much better, it had better creature comforts, it had more power, and it was much roomier inside. It’s hard to describe, but it just “felt” right.
We got it back to the lot and I was a bit shaken. I had come there planning on buying a Wrangler, and now I wasn’t sure. I went home that night and spent the next week researching the Fj. What I found was surprising. It pretty much surpassed the Jeep in all areas, and in those it didn’t, it tied. I went down the next day and worked out a deal on my new Fj. I haven’t looked back yet.
So I have been lurking on here a while and soaking up info like a sponge. I have already started down that dangerous slope of modding. Nothing crazy, but I’m on the path.

My done list includes (in no particular order)
Daystar 2.5” lift:
I am not a rock crawler guy. I will use my Fj primarily for hiking and duck hunting on the weekends, and hunting trips 2 or 3 times a year. I need ground clearance and the need for larger tires, but I won’t be climbing rocks any higher than a foot and a half or so and snow/mud much deeper than 2 feet. The rest of time it will be my DD, so I didn’t need or want to go with a full blown lift. So far I have loved it. My buddy and I put it on in about 4 hours. It improved the ride overall and actually took some of the rigidity out of the ride.

LED Lights:
I changed out all of the interior and side mirror bulbs for LED’s. Much better. Removing the mirror from the outer housing just about gave me a stroke though. I was sure I was going to break it or the clips. Again major kudos to the forum. I never would have been able to do it without you guys.

Center Console:
I added a Tuffy lock box. It’s a definitely heavy-duty. It was more than I really needed, but it works well and gives my passenger someplace to sprawl.

Shifters:
I ordered the ”Stealth” AT and transfer case shifters from Ellis. Waiting on those to show up.

My to do list includes:
Horn:
I was surprised at how weak and happy the horn sounded when I first used it. My girlfriend actually laughed.
I was like WTF? I thought there was something wrong with it. As soon as I could I searched the forum and found out that it was normal. I just ordered two dual tone FIAMM Sound Blaster horns. I debated between those and the Hellas. I wanted a little deeper sound so I went with the FIAMM’s .

Wheels and Tires:
I fell in love with the new Level 8 Pro wheels that Discount is previewing on here. I want to throw a set of 285/70/17 Falken Wilderness AT’s on them. That’s going to give me plenty off road capability. It’s also going to be a major chuck of money, so I’m saving my pennies up.

Sliders:
Again I’m not a rock guy, but I love the way the All-Pro sliders look. It’s also going to give me a nice step for getting into my roof rack, keeps door nicks at bay, and makes me look tough. Ha

Roof rack:
I’m really torn on this one. I was set on the Baja, but when I saw the new/old redesigned roof rack that All-Pro is working on, it made me hesitate. I really love the look of it. This one is on-hold until I see where All-Pro ends up.

So again thanks for the info and friendliness. I’m glad I found you guys!
 
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#2 ·
Welcome!
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
Welcome from Colorado.
 
#7 ·
welcome
 
#9 ·
Welcome!!
 
#14 ·
Welcome! Let the indecisiveness begin..
 
#19 ·
Welcome aboard from southern NM!
 
#20 ·
Great looking rig. Welcome to the forum.
 
#21 ·
Welcome.... good looking FJC
 
#22 ·
Congrats and welcome!

cheers,

dale
 
#24 ·
Welcome and congrats from a fellow Albuquerquean (well, I live in Texas now but looking forward to the day I return to NM scenery and Green Chile!) I too was a Jeep guy for a decade then on a whim drove my '03 Wrangler into American Toyota and bought an '08 Silver FJ. 5 years later, bought a '13 TT but then had to sell the '08. :( Love these things, happy modding! ;)
 
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