WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR CLASSIC TOYOTA GIVEAWAY?

We've been hard at work finding and building out the perfect rig for you all since our Adventure Camper Giveaway ended in December. We recently secured a Classic 1987 Toyota Pickup and started getting together all the bells and whistles to create a one of a kind Overlander for our next winner to take home!

The idea for this rig was to build out something smaller in size with better off-road capability, giving you the ability to access even more of those tough trails and remote campsites!

And of course, we wanted to be sure this pickup would have everything you need to camp in comfort while out in the elements.

But…

NOT EVERYTHING GOES AS PLANNED

After looking for months, we flew out to Texas to buy this truck from what we thought was a reputable dealership and paid a whopping $20,000- Definitely felt the Toyota tax on this one.

OUCH... THAT'S PRICEY

We spent so much on this pickup because we were under the impression it was restored and ready to go, and we'd be able to dive straight in. It was advertised to have no rust, new paint, new upholstery, and a new drivetrain with only 7,500 miles!

We didn’t have the time for a major overhaul and believed this truck would only need some after market gear and upfitting to turn it into the classic Overlander we were looking for.

THE WORST DEAL WE'VE EVER MADE

After handing over our hard earned cash we quickly learned we had been taken advantage of by this “reputable” dealership. 

As soon as we started the drive home the problems started to roll out, and this “ready to go” truck quickly turned into a major time consuming project. This was way more than we had anticipated.

SECOND GEAR LEFT THE CHAT within the first 50 miles of driving, and that ultimately led us to needing to tow the truck the rest of the way back to our shop. Once the transmission was out we found chunks of metal inside- The clutch doesn’t lie. This transmission is likely to be original and has nowhere near the 7,500 miles described to us.

THE “NEW ENGINE” BEGAN SMOKING WHITE within a few hundred miles, and now that we’ve dropped the transmission my gut tells me this engine is not “NEW”. 

A HUGE CRACK IN THE DASH WAS HIDDEN under a glued down plastic cover and the entire dash will need to be removed and restored.

There are multiple other things which need to be addressed, and it all adds up to be the worst car deal I have personally ever made. The dealership will not take our calls which left us (AND YOU) with the short end of the stick. 

OUR BUDGET HAS BEEN BLOWN OUT OF THE WATER

Despite these issues, this truck is still a good base with a clean body, great paint, and no rust. We plan to continue building this rig out, but our funds have been stretched significantly.

This project started with a total budget of $35,000, and now we are getting closer and closer to the $50,000 mark. Costs like these are a giant hit to a small business like us with limited resources. 

In addition, our current shop is over 90 minutes to the nearest town which makes it incredibly difficult to get parts and take on a project of this magnitude. We are actively searching for a new home base to make projects like this more manageable for the future.

That being said, these things take time.

HOW WE'RE MOVING OUR MISSION FORWARD

Our mission here at Expedition Ranch is to BUILD unique rigs, give anyone the chance to win and EXPLORE in them, and to PROTECT our public lands we enjoy so much. 

We are working hard to turn this Classic Toyota into the the perfect rig for a lucky winner, but its going to take some time. 

In the meantime we will be launching another giveaway this Spring to keep our mission moving forward!

WHAT SHOULD WE GIVEAWAY NEXT?

We’ve been thinking about some 2 wheeled adventures- Think street legal dirt bikes or adventure bikes!

Our top contender is a premium dirt bike such as the Husky 501S. A bike like this gives you the option to tear up the streets, single track, or open desert! For those that already have a camper this works as the perfect “deployable vehicle” to explore once you set up your camp.

We’ve considered other dirt bikes as well as larger Adventure bikes, but we want to hear your feedback before making a final decision.

Click on the link below to vote on what you would like to see for our Spring Giveaway!

THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THIS! We couldn’t do it without you!

-James and Remy