1. How did you come to the decision of buying this car?
I bought this purely for nostalgia purposes. My grandfather in San Jose, CA bought this truck new to tow their camper. Both he and my grandmother got to use it for that purpose for a few years until she had to start fighting breast cancer which later took her life. Since he wasn't using it much, he would always lend it to my family when we came out over the summer to visit (we live in Atlanta). Most of my fondest memories involve seeing family in California and exploring the state, all in that truck. When I became old enough to drive, this truck was my transportation every summer. Then around 2017 or so, he truly had no use for it and it was just taking up space. He knew I loved it and offered it to me first. I didn't need a truck per se, but I needed that truck. It was a chance to keep some of that family history for myself and I couldn't pass it up. Plus it only had 37,000 miles on it... half of which were most likely done by myself and my parents during those summers.
2. What has your ownership experience been like?
As I expected, this thing is nearly bullet proof. The only issues I've had relate to its age. Some rubber seals are giving way which led to a water leak that I'm still trying to fully address, the rear shocks blew out a while back, and the front end needs to be rebuilt. The starter motor also likes to give me issues but only when I'm attempting to go to the Petit Le Mans.... seriously. Otherwise, I just put oil and lots of gas in it and it treats me well.
3. What is your fondest memory with this car?
I have a lot of fond memories with this truck both as a young passenger for family road trips and as a driver. The two I love the most are when I was finally old enough to drive it for the first time and when I drove it home. I'll elaborate on the latter though. In June of 2017, I flew out, gave my grandfather a check for it, loaded it with a whole bunch of estate stuff for my mom from my late uncle, slapped a Hooniverse sticker on it, and started driving it home. But first, I drove to Pacifica, CA and stood in the Pacific ocean for a bit. More on that later.. Then over 6 days I went from San Jose to Los Angeles and then to Las Vegas where I picked up my dad who had flown in. After spending a night in Vegas... which was really weird, we drove east to Albuquerque (hitting the Grand Canyon along the way), then to Dallas, TX to see the town I was born in. The last leg from there saw a detour to New Orleans before heading home. Other than getting to spend a lot of time with my dad, it was so much fun to just see parts of the country I've never been able to see. Driving through NV, Arizona, and New Mexico were the highlights because the terrain there is just beautiful when you're used to nothing but trees like we got on the east coast. I had always wanted to do that kind of drive anyway, so doing it with my dad and a special truck was a dream come true. And I wasn't even done. Just a day later, this time with my mom, I then drove the rest of the way. We arranged a quick overnight trip to Savannah, GA to get all the way to the other side of the country from where I started. It was a relaxed night in a cool town. But before heading back, I drove out to Tybee Island, parked at the beach, and stood in the Atlantic Ocean. I literally drove from the Pacific to the Atlantic with that truck. Was it worth an extra 9 hours of driving just to say I did that? You bet your ass it was.
4. Why do you love cars?
I've loved cars for as long as I can remember. I love the way they look, sound, smell, and feel. I love em when they're racing, I love em at car shows, and I love how they can be an extension of your personality. I met most of my friends because of cars in some way or another so the social aspect of it is also something I love. I also love spending time in them more than anything. Like all those road trips with the truck back in the day or the trips I'll take with my Mustang, it's this feeling of adventuring into new territory with a mechanical companion of sorts that keeps me hooked. I kind of treat cars as people, so even when I'm driving alone, I don't feel alone. It's the only reason I bothered acquiring a then 15-year-old truck with terrible gas mileage and crapped out paint and then driving it all the way to the other side of the country.
Ed: You know Greg because you've read his stuff on Hooniverse.
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If you would like to participate, just answer the above four questions and submit one to three photos of your daily driver to milhousevanh at geemail. Thanks and have fun!
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