I took the plunge!
After spending yesterday thinking about it, I decided that I should go take one more look at the Trail Team edition FJ Cruiser that I had a refundable deposit on. As soon as I saw it... it hit me (again) - I had to have it.
After all, it is extremely functional, practical, absolutely beautiful, and isn't expensive.
It is now sitting in my driveway. :) Unfortunately, my new FJ didn't come from the factory with the roof rack. I just don't get it. I think the FJ's look weird without a rack on top and should be standard equipment. Fortunately, the dealership ordered one for me and is giving it to me free of charge. It's supposed to come in this week. I can't wait. It looks naked without it. Doesn't look as rugged.
First impressions - the FJ drives really smooth. It's comfortable. I have to admit, like every review I've read on it, the "blind spots" are a little scary. Fortunately, the huge side mirrors take care of this. I think the reason some people feel uncomfortable about the so-called blind spots is because they are used to turning their head to check the next lane. If you do that in the FJ, you'll definitely feel nervous. However, once you build the confidence in relying on the side mirrors, the problem is solved. This is what I felt when I first drove it from the dealership. Now, I'm fairly comfortable using the side mirrors. For more peace of mind, I'll probably go buy those little stick-on mirrors for each side mirror. After less than one day of ownership and less than 40 miles :), I love it.
This truck is going to be great for my golf clubs, dogs, and construction-ruined streets of Las Vegas. Also, I can't wait to try some new fishing spots on Lake Mead where I always see other people with 4x4's fishing.
I'm ecstatic that I took that plunge and got 'er done. Pictures coming soon.
-skim
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Blog #2 - FJ Cruiser?
Well... ever since the FJ Cruiser came out, I've been really interested in that retro-looking beast. I just love the way it looks! I don't know what happened, but a few weeks ago the FJ popped into my head and from then on, everywhere I looked, there was an FJ Cruiser. In fact, last week at SXSW, it seemed like every other car in Austin was an FJC.
Have you every seen that commercial with that guy who has a VW Beetle growing on his forehead and getting bigger and bigger as the day progresses? Well, that's definitely been me with the FJ.
Last week while doing more research online about the FJ Cruiser, I fell in love... I came across a picture of the Trail Teams edition. What a sweet look! I had never seen that before online or on the road.
Meant to be or just coincidence? This past Friday, after work, I was having a drink with a co-worker and guess what pulls up... the Trail Teams edition FJ Cruiser! All white with black TRD wheels, fogs, and just mean looking. I was hooked. On Saturday, my wife decided to humor me and went to the Toyota dealership with me. They had 2 there - both pre-ordered. One was in the sold section and the other was on the roof of the dealership waiting for it's new owner who was smart enough to have pre-ordered it. The sales guy told me that they already had a backup buyer for it and a backup to the backup. Depressed but still determined, I added myself to be the backup of the backup of the backup. My sales guy then proceeded to try and sell me one of the other colors. But, I had my heart set on that white one. While leaving the dealership, I immediately sms'd google to get the phone numbers of the other dealerships around town.
I started calling around and was getting the same responses - "Nope", "have one but it's reserved for someone", "I can add you to the backup list", and "good luck!" Apparently, Toyota only made 3200 of these Trail Team editions and each dealership was only allocated anywhere from 1 to 5 total. Once they were sold, they were gone.
A little later in the day, I tried one last dealership... Fletcher Jones Toyota. I was skeptical since they didn't have anything listed on their website. I called and asked for the Internet Sales dept. Justin, in Internet Sales, answered the phone and I asked my question, "Do you happen to have any of those Trail Teams edition FJ Cruisers?" He started by telling me that those were hard to come by but he would check for me. After hearing some keyboard clicking over the phone, he says... "Wow... it looks like we may have 2!" I almost fell over. I asked him to double-check and he did... they had 2 and they weren't pre-ordered. The wife and I jumped into the car and headed right over. When we got there, it turned out they actually only had 1. Good enough for me. Turns out, it was fresh of the truck that day. It still had the protective film on it from being transported. Took it for a test drive and dropped a deposit to hold the car (it was getting late and I had to meet some friends for a Las Vegas Wranglers hockey game). Yeah!
On Sunday, car dealers here in Las Vegas is closed... it's the weirdest thing... when I find out where it came from, I'll write something up on it. Tomorrow is Monday and the dealerships are open. I'm planning on taking delivery of my all new FJ Cruiser Trail Team edition. I'm excited. It really is such a cool ride.
Anyway, I plan to take some pictures of it once I bring it home (and there is daylight). Until then, here is a link to the introduction at the 2007 SEMA Auto Show:
SEMA2007
- skim
Have you every seen that commercial with that guy who has a VW Beetle growing on his forehead and getting bigger and bigger as the day progresses? Well, that's definitely been me with the FJ.
Last week while doing more research online about the FJ Cruiser, I fell in love... I came across a picture of the Trail Teams edition. What a sweet look! I had never seen that before online or on the road.
Meant to be or just coincidence? This past Friday, after work, I was having a drink with a co-worker and guess what pulls up... the Trail Teams edition FJ Cruiser! All white with black TRD wheels, fogs, and just mean looking. I was hooked. On Saturday, my wife decided to humor me and went to the Toyota dealership with me. They had 2 there - both pre-ordered. One was in the sold section and the other was on the roof of the dealership waiting for it's new owner who was smart enough to have pre-ordered it. The sales guy told me that they already had a backup buyer for it and a backup to the backup. Depressed but still determined, I added myself to be the backup of the backup of the backup. My sales guy then proceeded to try and sell me one of the other colors. But, I had my heart set on that white one. While leaving the dealership, I immediately sms'd google to get the phone numbers of the other dealerships around town.
I started calling around and was getting the same responses - "Nope", "have one but it's reserved for someone", "I can add you to the backup list", and "good luck!" Apparently, Toyota only made 3200 of these Trail Team editions and each dealership was only allocated anywhere from 1 to 5 total. Once they were sold, they were gone.
A little later in the day, I tried one last dealership... Fletcher Jones Toyota. I was skeptical since they didn't have anything listed on their website. I called and asked for the Internet Sales dept. Justin, in Internet Sales, answered the phone and I asked my question, "Do you happen to have any of those Trail Teams edition FJ Cruisers?" He started by telling me that those were hard to come by but he would check for me. After hearing some keyboard clicking over the phone, he says... "Wow... it looks like we may have 2!" I almost fell over. I asked him to double-check and he did... they had 2 and they weren't pre-ordered. The wife and I jumped into the car and headed right over. When we got there, it turned out they actually only had 1. Good enough for me. Turns out, it was fresh of the truck that day. It still had the protective film on it from being transported. Took it for a test drive and dropped a deposit to hold the car (it was getting late and I had to meet some friends for a Las Vegas Wranglers hockey game). Yeah!
On Sunday, car dealers here in Las Vegas is closed... it's the weirdest thing... when I find out where it came from, I'll write something up on it. Tomorrow is Monday and the dealerships are open. I'm planning on taking delivery of my all new FJ Cruiser Trail Team edition. I'm excited. It really is such a cool ride.
Anyway, I plan to take some pictures of it once I bring it home (and there is daylight). Until then, here is a link to the introduction at the 2007 SEMA Auto Show:
SEMA2007
- skim
Sunday, March 9, 2008
My first blog...
Better late than never?
What is this blogging thing all about? I'm still trying to figure it out. What entices people to want to put their thoughts online and open to the world?
I recently came back from my very first SXSW in Austin. After listening to several sessions and talking to a few bloggers, I was inspired to dive in and figure out what this blogging thing is all about. After all, what better way to understand something than to just dive right in. It was comforting to hear other bloggers say that they still weren't sure what it was about blogging... but they enjoyed it and that's all that mattered. I'm always game for trying something new.
Oh well... so here's my very first blog... better late than never!
- skim
What is this blogging thing all about? I'm still trying to figure it out. What entices people to want to put their thoughts online and open to the world?
I recently came back from my very first SXSW in Austin. After listening to several sessions and talking to a few bloggers, I was inspired to dive in and figure out what this blogging thing is all about. After all, what better way to understand something than to just dive right in. It was comforting to hear other bloggers say that they still weren't sure what it was about blogging... but they enjoyed it and that's all that mattered. I'm always game for trying something new.
Oh well... so here's my very first blog... better late than never!
- skim
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
