“Excuse me sir, do you mind if I take a look at your FJ Cruiser?” That was the moment Christi, my wife, told me that she knew I was going to buy an FJ Cruiser.
In July of 2010, I had shed about 72 pounds and because I want to stay happily married, I’m purposely leaving Christi’s numbers out of this, but her numbers are impressive too! We decided it was time to get a vehicle that was more suited to our lifestyle change; the two door coupe just wasn’t cutting it for camping and mountain biking!
We created a list of priorities for our new vehicle.
1. Dependability
2. Offroading
3. Camping
4. Towing
5. Comfort
We then started to look at Toyota’s and Jeeps and compared what each had to offer. We spent plenty of time test driving and researching different models from both manufacturers. Based on the research we did and our priorities for a new vehicle, the FJ Cruiser was the best match. The problem was that none of the Toyota dealerships we visited had any FJ’s on the lot to test drive or look at. I then came across a very friendly individual with a brand new FJ Cruiser in a random parking lot and I asked if I could take a look at his FJ. Christi immediately knew I had my heart set on one.
Enter Reign:
Reign was born of a passion. This thing we do, we embrace, we love. Spending time with friends and family in the great outdoors, camping, wheeling, laughing and enjoying what mother earth has provided us and what so many take for granted. Reign is here, Reign is now.
Work Hard|Play Hard… A motto Christi and I have started to live by since we decided to shed the weight. It was no surprise when we started to build this FJ Cruiser that would become known as Reign that it would follow the same motto.
Reign was purchased in July of 2010 and I immediately started working on prepping her for camping and offroading. I joined the FJ Cruiser Forums and started reviewing other members’ builds and reviews. I reached out to some local folks that where organizing an event in Texas that is very close to the Austin area: Pandora Adventures.
Wheeltoberfest 2010 was on the calendar as Reign’s first real trial by fire. This would also be our first trail pin stripping and a crushed rear fender flare! What Christi and I love about the FJ Cruiser seems to extend into the community at large as well:
Great, down to earth people sharing a common interest and looking to have a great and exciting time safely.
The Pandora Adventure Tribe has really helped us fit into the off road community and they give back so much more. Pandora Adventures organizes events year round that bring people together and create even better communities of friendship.
We built Reign to be a hybrid of sorts, to be able to have the tools to tackle any obstacle we present including bringing us back home after our demanding challenges have been conquered.
More Photos!
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To get your copy of the April 2011 issue of FJC Magazine:
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