Thanks for the invite GeriCurl... here I am.

Hello, my name is Jon and I'm an FJ-Aholic. I know some of you from the FJ Forums site. I actually sold my FJ a couple of months ago due to needing a three level lumbar fusion. That surgery costs $70,000 for those considering it. Ugggggh. So currently I am driving a 2007 V8 4Runner Sport. I got a good deal on it and it is still in the Toyota family. Reducing debt and cutting my payments significantly down was something I had no choice really but to do. I plan on keeping in contact with everybody and hopefully being a part of the community.

It is my goal to have another FJ sooner than later if I can make it work money-wise. Maybe somebody will be selling a high mileage model or something in the next few months and I'll look into picking another one up. Mine was a 2008 Trail Teams and I sold it in March (2 years old to me) with all of 5,000 miles on it. It was like brand new. I loved it, and I miss it all the time. I never could have imagined how much I'd miss that thing. I've never really had a vehicle that I truly just loved (every other vehicle I've driven for the last 20 years has pretty much just been tolerated). But the FJ was something different. It was like an old friend and the most reliable friend I'd ever had.

The 4Runner is a nice vehicle, but I don't feel like I'm in an offroad vehicle. It almost feels like a sedan in how smooth and easy it is. I miss the sort of bare bones minimalist nature of the FJ. It had everything I needed and nothing I didn't. Simple as that.

Just to finish up, I am in Orem, am an elementary school teacher, have a spine made of metal now, and look forward to getting to meet you all in the near future, if for nothing else, so that I can get my FJ fix by going out and watching you conquer some rocks in them. My heart needs it.

4 runners rock:



Welcome!

Sorry to hear you sold your FJ. My FJ was the first vehicle I truly enjoyed as well. All the others were point a to b types.

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the welcome guys. I agree on the Point A to Point B. No car or truck I ever had really inspired me or made me come up with excuses to go for a drive or go out and wax the truck.

I am hopeful to find one again. I am socking money away to put a down payment on a home and pay off my medical bills. But I am also hoping that when I sell my house I'll get a few bucks that I can put toward an FJ, even if it is in hard condition and I can work on it and enjoy it. I think I'll keep the 4Runner for a while because it works well for my kids (ages 6 and 18 months) and they seem more comfortable and it's easier for me to lug them up in there since my back is hosed.

Here's my 4Runner. Not really offroad worthy just yet. I'm hoping to change that some in the near future. It's good in the snow though.



Here's a mockup of my back... so kind of the cushier ride the better for the next 6-8 months while my fusions heal!

Jon,
Welcome to the forum. 4Runners are great vehicles! Don't dismay....another FJ will find its way back into your heart!

Good luck on your back as well. Whew.........that looks pretty nasty. Care to share the story?
Bob

Welcome Jon, good to have you on board.

You'll have that FJ back in no time. I look forward to meeting you.

Welcome! I had to sell my first FJ also. It was sad because like you, it was the first car I really loved. It took me a year and a half but I did end up with another one. So keep positive and it'll all come back to you.
Hope to meet you soon.

Welcome! I've had a few 4runners in my day.

Thanks again everybody. You are a very cool bunch. I've met Kalen before... he probably doesn't remember me, but we went up American Fork Canyon once. I was the guy with the Trail Teams that had to leave early because of back problems (surprise surprise). It was just before you guys went up that one road and you smashed the heck out of the bottom of your door. Yikes.

As far as my back goes... I was lucky enough to play baseball and soccer starting at age five, and then other sports (mainly basketball and football) and I just wore the discs out... by the time I was 34. I am now 36 and already have 10 screws in my spine.

I did herniate a disc down low and fractured my spine when I was 9 years old on a water slide. I made it quite a few years without surgery and played baseball and softball for 30 years and the doctor said just torquing it over and over while hitting probably didn't do me any favors, but having a spine just wear out at such a young age is pretty weird. It seems like there should be some horrific accident story or something. All I got is wiping out on a waterslide, but that wasn't that bad. It hurt for a long time. I then herniated the disc again in high school overswinging at a ball, but that resolved. This time the pain just took hold and wouldn't let go for 2 and a half years. It was time to just get it fused. I'll be back to having fun soon though.

I sold my FJ and my Brute Force. I bought the Brute Force with 2 miles on it. I sold it with 3. My back went totally beyond repair about a week after I bought the thing and I was shoveling snow. It has been a depressing couple of months, so it is always nice to find a group of people that share a common interest and hopefully get to meet up with you for some fun. I'm still going back and forth on whether or not to lift the 4Runner. If I do it will be hard for me to get in and out of, so I worry about it. But if I do.... I'll be able to handle some more of the terrain that I am interested in dealing with.

Hey Bambam,

I do remember going up there last spring. Sorry to hear about your injury but hopefully you are on the right track now.

Get better and back in the saddle soon!!

And yes, I did mash the bottom of my doors on a rock...no more though with the sliders!!

Glad to see you made it to the site. The 4-runner doesn't have "cruiser" in the name so we're gonna have to kick you out...



J/k

You should plan a run that you would feel comfortable doing, if it's too soon (understandably) I'm sure there is a BarBQ on the horizon.

Welcome.
I at least have the cool accident story for mine I am 14 months post op on mine. Good luck with it and if you have any questions about it let me know I consider myself an expert.

Skibumm, I will be hitting you up for info for sure! I need some advice from somebody who is a bit farther out and knows when and what I should expect.

Nice to hear you remember me Kalen. You're a funny guy, and I had fun with you guys. Pete sold his blue FJ. I can't remember the name of the guy who had the TRD. He was cool too. I think he had those little kids that were total troopers and loved offroading. They seemed like a cool family. I think I met your brother as well. Is that who you brought with you that day? He was a super nice guy as well.

I am glad to hear you got your sliders. Last time we talked you were trying to get some hooked up and you were looking at bumpers. I look forward to seeing your FJ again and hearing its war stories!

When's the next BBQ? I can help plan something if anybody wants to. I am off from May 28th until August 1st, so I can help out however. Let me know what you think, or direct me to a post that is already discussing it.