High-Mileage Milestone for my '98 Toyota Tacoma

The big day was December 23, 2015

A Good Truck and a Good Dog from December 2015

While there are all sorts of ways to draw attention in these heady days of social media, the old-fashioned way would be to make some conversation with folks in person. I now understand from experience that mentioning the astounding high-mileage on my Tacoma pick up can easily perk up people's ears. Recently one such remark was made by an Uber driver who was proud of his high mileage SUV - Did you say 400,000-miles or 40,000-miles on your Tacoma? I told him that the 450,000-mile mark was at hand, and he came to realize that I was at a far greater level of accomplishment with my truck than most would imagine.

Besides my always regular and routine maintenance like oil and filter changes, so far I have avoided major issues with this one-owner 1998 Five-speed Four-cylinder truck. Some Tacoma truck owners from similar years have reported major rust issues in the frame which has hurt the longevity of their vehicles, while others have reported very similar high-mileage marks as mine. When it comes to wear and tear maintenance, I can report seeing a bit more activity regarding spark plug and wires, starters, batteries and of course tires in the past two years. Perhaps all of these products are not made like they used to be? Or maybe this Tacoma was just made better than most. Either way these expenses occurring due to high-mileage are becoming a little more expected as I cruise towards the 500K mark.

My Father and I getting our 2015 Christmas Tree

It is ironic that this latest milestone (450K) occurs at Christmas time, since that is roughly the same season when I purchased my 1998 Tacoma. My pick up truck hauled my family's Christmas tree again this year in 2015 without fail. Of course, having a trusty truck means that hauling all sorts of stuff for friends is a possibility, and this month I moved boxes, chairs, ladders, hoses, and even a snow shovel. Most of the time though I am routinely hauling my dog in a kennel box in the back of the truck, plus a cooler and a small container of tools, rope, gloves and other truck accessories.

I won't say that the 450,000-mile mark is just a bump in the proverbial road, but with this truck, who knows?! I am thankful for those who perform maintenance service on this vehicle, and its always fun to see them take some notice of the mileage, and share the positive feeling that only a good old truck can bring. It is said you can't keep a good man down, and I for one believe that to be true, but in this case I could substitute my '98 Tacoma into that saying too.

To view past blog entries for my Trusty Toyota Tacoma click 400,000 miles - 350,000 miles

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