PennSilverTaco's BS thread!

My name is Charlie, and I am the proud owner of a 2010 Toyota Tacoma that my parents bought brand new for me as a present of sorts when I finally got my learner's permit in 2009.

I also have Asperger's Syndrome, which is a high-functioning form of autism. Some people who know a lot about autism spectrum disorders can tell that I'm on the spectrum, but the vast majority are shocked when I tell them I have it. I was diagnosed in 1998 at the age of 9.

People are surprised because many of them lump all people with autism into one perceived stereotype, and are shocked that someone who is on the spectrum can do all the stuff that I've done. I have a driver's license, a college degree, a good job, and a ton of friends. When I hang out with my guy friends (some AS, some not), we do the same things a bunch of bros without AS would do. We get drunk, go to strip clubs, talk about cars and women, and happily engage in locker room talk about sex and bodily functions when there are no adults or women present. Some AS people I know are very socially awkward when it comes to romantic relationships and life in general. I won't go into explicit detail (literally or figuratively) on a public forum, but I can proudly say I've had quite a bit of fun with various women over the years.

Obviously, since I own a Tacoma, I know how to drive and thus have a driver's license. I have four close friends with Asperger's, and three of them have driver's licenses and their own vehicles. Sadly, none of them have trucks of any kind. Two drive 4-door sedans, and one has a 5-door hatchback. The 4th one is working towards FINALLY getting his learner's permit. I told my friend that when he gets his permit, I would take him to the DMV course after hours and teach him how to parallel park in my truck.

I got my learner's permit when I was 20, in August 2009. My dad bought the Tacoma in September 2009. In 2011, at the age of 22, I finally took the driving test in the Tacoma. I failed the first time because I couldn't parallel park correctly, and finally passed it on the third try in May 2011.

Anyway, I have wheels and a license. I also graduated from Bucks County Community College with an associate's degree in journalism. I actually plan on becoming an HVAC technician, but even now, I am still not 100% what I want to do for a career. Leaning more towards HVAC though...

Right now, I have a great job at a bar/restaurant/music venue called Puck, owned by a friend of mine. I started out as a regular customer back in 2010, then made friends with the owner. A new general manager was hired in 2011, right around the time I got my driver's license. My Tacoma played an indirect role in my first meeting with my future boss (a story for another day, available upon request). If you'd told me ten years ago I'd be working at a bar and actually kind of enjoying it, I'd laugh at you. I started out as the general manager's personal assistant and errand runner, and then after about a year of working at Puck, I was put on the books as a bar back. For those who don't know, a bar back is bartender's assistant who also performs duties like bussing tables, cleaning bathrooms, and picking up various bar supplies. It's not glamorous, but it beats the s*** out of retail! Two other employees at Puck, who work as both bartenders and barbacks depending on where they are needed, own pickup trucks (a 2011 Silverado 1500 and a 2013 Silverado 1500, respectively). However, they both have full-time jobs outside of Puck and can't be around all the time. Puck is my only job right now, so I can pretty much be available at a moment's notice. I am lifelong fan of Chevy trucks and hope to own one someday in addition to my beloved Tacoma, but my Tacoma is also much better for navigating congested streets and narrow alleyways of Doylestown than a full-size Silverado.

My truck at one of Pennsylvania's state-owned liquor stores, loaded up with about TEN GRAND worth of hooch (the guy in the picture is Matt, one of the bartenders at Puck):


It's worth noting that the "powers that be" recently lumped all autism spectrum disorders together in the DSM-5 and did away with Asperger's Syndrome as a diagnosis. I do not agree with this, especially since autism can go hand in hand with intellectual disabilities like mental retardation.

Anyway, I joined this forum for the purpose of learning more about 4Runners and getting my story out there...

The awesome moderators at TW gave me my own thread!

I'm also on the following forums:

Tundras.com

AstroSafari.com

 

Obviously, that's my Tacoma on the left, and I just happened to park next to a 4Runner TRD Pro when I went to Staples to run an errand for my boss this past Wednesday...

 

My dad was in the Navy for 25 years (1982-2007). He joined right out of college and retired as a Captain. When he was in the Navy, we moved a lot. My dad was stationed at NAS Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Washington from 2000-2002...

I went to Oak Harbor Middle School for 6th and 7th grade...

The wood shop/science teacher drove a red 1988 Toyota 4Runner 5-speed that he'd bought new... He told me the story mentioned in the title when I was in 7th grade, sometime in 2001-2002, during an after-school tutoring session. The truck was at least 13 years old by the time he told me this story; but by 1st gen 4Runner standards, even in the early 2000s, this thing was in good condition. I think it only had like 120K miles on it too. The paint was a bit faded, and there was some surface rust, but it ran and drove great, the A/C (still R-12) worked, and, I mean...it was a 1988 4Runner. That should tell you everything you need to know...

It DOES NOT snow that often on Whidbey Island and the surrounding area... In either February or December of 1996, according to the teacher who owned the 4Runner, they got a record blizzard. He had to drive somewhere (probably for food or water), and he rolled the 4Runner. Something like $8,600 in damage when all was said and done... It was 8 years old by then, and the fixed it!

 

Thanks! Like I said, I'm not gonna take over the other two forums like I did TW. I hope you don't think that LOL...

 

I just copy/pasted this story from TW. Figured you 4Runner guys would be interested in it too...

Just read the story...

I'd imagine the encounter would not have gone much better for the Benz driver if I'd been driving a 4Runner!

Also, the most shocking part of this whole story is that the guy who hit me is a repeat offender. He killed somebody while driving drunk in 1980s (he was 70 when he hit me; would have been about 45 at the time of first DUI). He was convicted, did his time, and got his license back. I'm honestly glad that he did some easily repairable damage to my truck instead of nailing a pedestrian.

THE SHORT STORY:
A 70-year old snowbird from Florida in a 2002 Mercedes E320 made the dumb decision to drive drunk on a rainy Wednesday night. I had the misfortune of crossing paths with him at about 9pm right after I finished my shift at a pizzeria, where I'd taken a second job as a delivery driver to make some extra money. I stopped at a 3-way intersection with the intention of turning left. I signaled, looked both ways, and made the left. I probably should have waited a few more seconds, but it was dark and pouring rain. I could see part of the Benz's front end, but he was just sitting there, so I turned. Before I was all the way through the intersection, the moron decides to floor it, and he did this to my truck:



$2,600 in damage to my Tacoma, but his Benz had frame damage because he hit me so hard and was more than likely totaled...

THE LONG STORY:
This happened at about 9pm on October 28, 2015. From July through November of that year, I worked as a pizza delivery driver to make some extra money. I had just finished my shift and was driving to my primary place of employment to say hello to some friends of mine who I work with. I was on a one-way street and I stopped at a 3-way stop with the intention of turning left. I signaled, looked both ways, and found the intersection to be clear, so I turned left. It was at this point that I noticed a silver or beige Mercedes E320 sitting at the stop sign to my left. Without warning, the driver of the Mercedes accelerated, and I knew he was going to hit me before he actually hit me. He slammed into the left rear corner of my truck and I did not feel a thing. I was not injured or even that shaken up, just extraordinarily pissed off. I put my baby in park, jumped from the cab, pretty much freaked out upon seeing the damage, and started screaming and swearing at the old man before I even saw him and thus didn't know it was an old man. The left rear fender was smashed and the rear bumper was almost ripped off. I started swearing at the other driver, because I'd just been rear-ended the previous March and he'd just destroyed the shiny new bumper that someone else's insurance company had paid for! My truck's original bumper was kind of beat up from everyday use and occasionally backing into things, so getting rear-ended worked out. My words to this elderly alcoholic were "Are you f***ing kidding me? I just got this out of the shop from someone rear-ending me!" or something like that.

The jerk who hit my truck was a 70-year old man, and he insisted that I had run the stop sign. I suspected he might have been drinking but didn't confront him on it, and I insisted that the cops be called. Ironically, HE CALLED THE COPS! The responding officer asked for my license, registration, and proof of insurance, and got the same information from the old fart. He also asked if I'd been drinking, which I of course hadn't, and then he focused on the other driver. Another cop showed up, and the next thing I knew the old fart was in the back of a police SUV being taken to the local hospital for a blood test.

Despite the fact that the driver was drunk and my insurance company insisted I was totally 100% NOT at fault, he insisted that I had run the stop sign and his insurance company believed him. My insurance company ultimately ate the cost of fixing my truck, waived the deductible, and didn't raise my rates. My truck was fixed in December at a cost of about $2,600. I do not have rental coverage so I had to share my mom's car for the three days my truck was in the shop. In mid-November, I got sick of my tailgate not opening all the way, got fed up, and had my body guy remove the rear bumper.

My insurance company (USAA) took the drunk's insurance company to court, and it was a ruled a 50/50 draw. My rates DID NOT go up, and my insurance company waived the deductible. I have no idea how his insurance company handled his claim, but I know mine saw things my way and didn't pay one cent towards his Mercedes. By the way, I'm pretty sure the Mercedes was totaled. It was an older Mercedes, 13 years old at the time, and he hit my truck so hard that I think his frame got bent. He had trouble opening the driver's door immediately after the accident.

Fast-forward to April 2016, and I find out I'm being called to court as a witness, to testify against this guy. I found out from the prosecutor during a phone discussion that this drunk old fart had KILLED somebody while driving drunk in the late 1980s and was convicted. Obviously, he did not learn his lesson. The important thing is that nobody was hurt or killed, AGAIN!

Anyway, the drunk driver was found to have a BAC of .10 to .16 at the time of the accident. He later plead guilty and was sentenced to 40 days in jail and a 1-year suspension of his driver's license, in addition to having to pay a fine and court costs. I didn't have to go to court. The guy's Mercedes was registered in Florida, and he had a Florida address and a Florida driver's license, so I guess Pennsylvania and Florida have reciprocity? He was also ordered to pay restitution to me, and I will be putting some of the money towards front and rear dash cameras for my truck so if something like this happens again, the other driver won't be able to lie about it.

You know that saying about what a "female dog" karma can be. This is a perfect example...

My Tacoma was pretty much...

At least compared to the Mercedes!

DON'T DRIVE DRUNK!!!! Take an Uber or a Taxi!

By the way, the car in this picture looks EXACTLY like the one the SOB who hit me was driving:

 

As my Australian friends would say, "Goodonya"! Glad you weren't hurt! - Ted

 

Welcome aboard from an old geezer, and good luck with your problem. My only problem is old age (84) and more aches and pains than anyone needs, but I'll keep on driving as long as I can find a blind examiner to renew my license. - Cheers, Ted

 

So, my name is Charlie, I have Aspergers Syndrome, and I own a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. As such, I am primarily on TacomaWorld.com

Click HERE or HERE to learn more about me, my life, and my truck.

One of the moderators on Tacoma World, which also runs this site, gave me the okay to start a thread to showcase my 4Runner pics on this forum. I will also be starting a similar thread on the Tundra website

I have tons of pics of 4Runners, Tacomas, Tundras, and other Toyotas. It will take me a while to find all of the 4Runner pics, so I'll start with my most recent ones taken during a family reunion in Northern California...

 

October 4th, 2017:

Monterey, California

 

October 6th, 2017:

Pacific Grove, California

I think this one might be a 2WD base model...

 

October 8th, 2017:

In the parking lot of the Rocky Point restaurant, on Highway 1 in Monterey, California...

 

October 11th, 2017:

Pacific Grove, California

 

October 11th, 2017:

Pacific Grove, California

 

October 11th, 2017:

Pacific Grove, California

 

This is my favorite one. It just looks mean!

 

April 29th, 2017:

Raceway Park

Englishtown, New Jersey

 

April 29th, 2017:

Raceway Park

Englishtown, New Jersey

1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5

 

October 29th, 2017:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

This belongs to a guy I know who owns a bar right around the corner from the bar where I work...

 

November 1st, 2017:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

First picture of a 4th gen I've added!

 

November 5th, 2017:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

Subbed for all the sweet T4R pics!

 

Glad you did, because you are in for a treat! I just found a bunch of 4Runner pics going back to 2014!

 

September 23rd, 2017:

Raceway Park Fall Swap Meet

Englishtown, New Jersey

 

August 6th, 2016:

Carlisle Truck Nationals

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

August 2nd, 2014:

Carlisle Truck Nationals

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

First 2nd Gen to be featured in this thread!

 

April 22nd, 2017:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

August 6th, 2016:

Carlisle Truck Nationals

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

August 5th, 2017:

Carlisle Truck Nationals

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

August 6th, 2017:

Carlisle Truck Nationals

Carlisle, Pennsylvania