Wildfires have devastated swaths of Los Angeles County, and while it’s still far too early to know the true toll of these fires, we’re able to see some glimmers of hope and resilience. Maybe that’s too much to put on a now slightly melted Toyota Tacoma, but here we are. Anyway, one thing that showed true resilience in the face of these fires was one Redditor’s 2013 Tacoma.
Jagrjones posted a handful of photos and a video that shows what’s left of his family’s house and truck. Unfortunately, their home was reduced to little more than charred rubble, but the truck hung tough. Through a video posted to YouTube and a handful of pictures on Reddit, we can see that the truck is definitely worse for wear. Pretty much every rubber or plastic part of the truck – from the lights and bumpers to the mirror caps and fenders – was partially or totally melted, and the previously white truck was left covered in ash with a sort of yellowish hue thanks to the Eaton Fire. However, once Jagrjones got in his truck, it fired right to life as if nothing had happened. Toyotas, man. You can’t kill ’em. He even added that all of the lights still work – even if they’re a bit misshapen now.
“Even the Eaton Fire can’t kill a Tacoma. Let’s go places,” Jagrjones said in his YouTube video while turning on his 79,000-mile truck.
Apparently, the keys were actually lost in the house fire, but Envision Toyota of West Covina was able to make a brand new key for the family at no charge. The Redditor says he has owned Tacomas for over 20 years, and he’d always been “happy with their versatility, reliability, and serviceability.” I can imagine this incident only cemented that feeling further.
Some folks in the comments section of his Reddit post on r/cars mentioned that he should definitely still check the wiring before driving it around since some componentry may be damaged. Jagrjones responded saying that they’re going to have it looked at by a professional and have the tires replaced just in case.
He also said that having the truck fire right up “totally made my day,” which is very understandable considering everything he and his family had just been through. For right now, it seems like he’s going to keep the Tacoma and its “battle hardened look” intact, saying in another comment that “The kids love it! Its the old ladies that are getting scared!” I’m so envious of this dude’s disposition. It’s truly inspirational.
