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L Toups previously said:
insted of being adopted by the Land Cruiser guys. (no offense)
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Absolutley none taken. First off,
every club is different.
TLCA used to be, in general, very xenophobic, and frankly many clubs had the (often deserved) reputation of being snobbish. Kind of like a Ferrari club or something where everybody stands around and compliments each other on their fine taste in vehicles, or brags about how much they spent (usually for someone else to get their hands dirty), or just bags on other makes/models. One of the issues some clubs also have is the fracturing of the club into cliques- keeping mutual respect between those who off road and those who don't is a delicate management issue that affects many clubs. You get one group that is purist/resto, another group that just tears the vehicle up, another group that writes obscene checks for outrageous buggies and then the fringe guys that either can't afford to be crazy or have never wheeled, both of the latter usually being too intimidated to participate or ever fully feel welcome.
A few years ago, TLCA leadership (primarily Nick Stone), recognized that TLCA was stagnating in it's own forced seclusion, and many changes have occured: TLCA changed their mission and criteria for membership, Roger Brown now writes articles in Toyota Trails specifically for the truck/4Runner crowd, several leaders got trucks and Tacomas to see how the other half lived and actually enjoyed it, and a club (the Toyota Trail Riders) was formed with the distinction of being the first TLCA Club organized that did not have a single Land Cruiser in it.
TLCA has made the commitment, but like I said, not all local clubs are so inclined to openess. Houston TLCC (and LSLC for that matter) to my knowledge are both genuinely open and the hospitality is real. Forgiving the antiquated website, those I have met and wheeled with are real good guys and I think if you give them a chance, you will discover that on your own. Be prepared for IFS jokes and cautious, curious stares -but get on the trail as soon as you can, because that is where the comaraderie comes from. Suddenly the jokes are less pointed, and the first time you help fix a broken birfield you will be calling the shots and making the good-natured jokes.
After all, one of the big selling points of the FJC was the "Heritage" of the FJC and the historical-retro feel of being tied into Toyota's history of great off-road vehicles.
Sorry for such a long post, but I really love Toyotas and would like to see all Toyota off road enthusiasts pull together instead of splintering under different models. Considering the shared platform of the Prado, it seems absurd for one group to segregate themselves from another because of wheelbase, color & trim items... what is seperates the 4Runner form the FJC.
Seeing as how the sport/hobby of offroading is under attack from many fronts, I personally believe we would all be better off if we could focus on our similarities instead of our differences and come together in larger groups.
Some of the best trips I've had were with an eclectic group of vehicles... when you're hundreds of miles out in the boonies the manufacturer/brand/model doesn't really matter as much as the comaraderie and shared interest of enjoying the outdoors.
Rest in peace little buddies
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