My Dream Vehicle (realistic that is)

As of late, I've spent quite a bit of time on Youtube watching clips from a BBC show called Top Gear. It is mainly a show on which they review cars. However, it's British and therefore hilarious. They also take on "challenges" which vary in style, but frequently go something like: buy a car meeting some requirement (a porche, a supercar, a van, etc.) and then put it through a series of tests to see who got the best deal.

Oh, I should mention that there are three presenters (what we would call hosts in America) and they are Jeremy Clarkson, Richard "Hamster" Hammond, and James "Captain Slow" May. The challenges are competitions between the three of them. The interaction between all three of them is what makes this show hilarious.

Anyhow, I tell you all of this because it has caused me to return to one of my old hobbies. I enjoy cars. I like driving them. I like reading about them. I like looking at pictures of them. I like playing racing video games. I want one.

The vehicle that I most want to own is a Toyota Tacoma. Keep in mind that this is my realistic dream vehicle. The main reasons that I want one are as follows. First, it is a truck and thus has a little bit of height to it. Useful for dips and speedbumps. This also means that I have room for cargo. They can come in a 4x4 which is great for fun as well as practical for Utah winters. They can come with four doors. That means that I can take people with me when I go somewhere or other. Lastly, they are made by Toyota, which means that they are safe as far as crash ratings and such go. The Toyota badge also means that it will last forever.

Now, I'll tie the beginning and the end together rather neatly. I just watched clips from Top Gear in which they tried to destroy at Toyota Hilux, which is essentially the European version of the Tacoma. First they drove it down stairs and carelessly around corners. They even drove it directly into a tree. This merely bent the "bonnet" (hood for us American types) and took out one head light. Next, they tried to drown it. They left it on the boat ramp at low tide and let it sit while the tide came in. The truck was completely submerged and not seen again until five hours later when the tide had receded. They cleaned out the silt that had pretty much filled the whole of the vehicle and it still ran.

They drove it through a small shed like building that they claimed was the Top Gear produciton offices. Next, they used a crane to pick it up and drop it onto pavement from about twenty feet in the air. Then they dropped a "caravan" (camping trailer) on it from about 20 feet. They then hooked up the wrecking ball and had a go at it. Ok, so they swung at the tail gate which is fairly non-essential for the actually mechanics of the machine, but still, the tail gate didn't break. Finally, they drained the "petrol" (gasoline) and set fire to the interior and truck bed. Afterwhich, it was shown driving into the studio. It was invincible.

On a later episode of the show, they put it on top of a 23 story housing building that was being demolished. I'm not talking about the slow laborious taking apart of a building. I'm referring to the sudden implosion caused by lots of explosives. The truck survived and was again shown driving under its own power into the studio. Throughout all of this, they did not use any replacement parts and only used simple tools, (wrenches, pliers, and the like) no power tools, or high-tech mechanic's tools. The only thing they did replace was the "wind-screen" (wind-shield) because the first one was lost at sea. They had to replace that in order to continue driving it around.

Anyhow, I want one. I want a late 90's one, and I want to raise the suspension some and put 33" tires on it. I want the 3.4 L V6 engine with the 4x4 drive train. I've looked on KSL.com classifieds and such and it should cost me between $8,000-$10,000. I can't wait.