So, I have this 1989 Toyota landcruiser that is really awesome, it goes anywhere and everywhere. It will fit my whole famliy, it does everything untill....

I sit here on I-70 waiting for the towtruck. LAME! F'n radiator blew at 75mph. I guess that's the price to pay for old cars with 194288 miles on the odometer. Not to mention I started a job 2 weeks ago that I had to call in to.

Dude Ben, small price to pay for all the thousands of dollars it has saved you in payments. Bummer about having to call in though. Stick another radiator in that thing and get another 3yrs out of it. I love old cars! My Honda cost me $4k 5yrs ago, window won't roll down, ash tray missing, one blinker out, but the amount I've saved by staying out of the credit machine is huge.

+1 to what Adan said.
Don't give up on the Toyota either, replace that radiator and could have another 100k to go.
Sorry about you being stuck, though.

Sorry homey! Glad you're alright and Nova and Emma weren't with you.

On a good note, it could be worse, like that time when the water pump hosing blew on us in KC and left us roadside fixing the thing in that sketchy hood with dudes urinating on the side of their vehicles in broad daylight with police patrolling. Gangsta!

My very first car was an 87 Landcruiser (pre-fancification). Can't even guess how many times I slept in the back of that thing on road trips or at the trailhead on backpacking trips. I'm glad to have a more gas efficient car now, but I do miss the monster every now and again. Hope you're back on the road soon.

Stick to a Japanese car. :)

We drove a 1989 Wrangler for years... she was butt-ugly but extremely reliable. The only reason we got rid of it... kids. So we ended up with a GrandAm (until Bryan had an accident). Now we are back to a Jeep - this time a 2004 Columbia Edition Liberty.

Here's the old Jeep during restoration (I think the canoe might have been worth more at the time - lol)... I sure miss that clunker.



and the Libby on a car camping trip...

Edited by Laurie_Ann on 03/23/2012 10:13:50 MDT.

yeah back home now, trying to figure out if i can still get around this weekend.

anyhow...yeah i bought that thing for $3000, 6-7 years ago and have but maybe $1000 into it in parts (including tires). I really can't complain and would rather pay a mechanic than a loan company. i'm not getting rid of it anytime soon. I was just bored waiting on the side of the road so i thought i'd share my frustration.

well glad we could keep you entertained... lol

that's how I feel about Libby... we did the new car thing and loan once. It was a 1991 Jetta Diesel. I don't think I'd do it again. Used is much better for us. Plus, the first scratch hurts less..lol.

My first car was a 1955 Chevy Bel Air station wagon I bought for $125, and it was in good running condition.

My second car was a 1956 Chevy Bel Air I bought for $300, also in good running condition.

Here is what I have been driving since 2003, and have racked up over 180,000 miles with just one repair (a fuel pump), I do the required maintenance when due.


About 60,000 miles have been towing our camper. Most trips are around 100 miles round trip.



To travel on remote dirt roads we installed a heavy duty axle and springs, and lifted the suspension on the trailer.



We often take our inflatable boat and camper. Camper is our base camp. Here we are getting ready to launch for a Colorado River trip.




Boat and motor in back of SUV. Boat is 10'6" and motor is a Nissan 9.9 HP 4-cycle.

edited to remove dangling dollar sign.

Edited by ngatel on 03/26/2012 13:10:07 MDT.

"racked up over $180,000 miles with just one repair (a fuel pump)"

Dam, that is one expensive fuel pump.

Opps... that's what I get for posting while on a conference call. I'll fix it now, since I have an hour before the next call :)