So how did this minitruckin' thing happen to a person like me?
I didn't have friends with those minitrucks that had adjustable suspension, smooth body lines, draggin' body panels, bangin' sound systems, big stickers, custom paint and custom interiors. I didn't grow up around those minitrucks that broke down and left their drivers stranded.
An acquaintance once asked if I wanted to "hit a switch" and I said no. I was a very precise person, taking calculated risks and always thinking of the consequences. I didn't like ambiguity or confusion; I liked predictability and stability. This attitude infiltrated many aspects of my life, yet, I am a minitrucker, and have been for years and years.
My 1999 Chevy S-10 truck was stock for about three months. I had it lowered as a "Happy 17th-to-myself." Three days later came the Flowmaster exhaust. I didn't even really ask mom and dad if I could do this to my basically new truck, because I knew the answer would include some combination of warranty, responsibility, and reliability - terms teenagers don't understand, even the cautious ones.
My brother and I got into it at the same time, after going to a few big local truck shows. I will never forget the excitement of pulling in to the parking lot of that first show, which was Resolutions 2001, and seeing so many cool trucks. Lifted, lowered, primered, full custom - I was beyond fascinated before even reaching the show. This excitement, combined with some "I'll do it if you do it" classic sibling peer pressure, was enough to fully squelch our doubt and launch us wholeheartedly into the "minitruckin' scene."
About a year and a half after lowering my truck, on the day I graduated from high school, I got back my bagged truck. As I drove it for the first times, I felt so....well. . . unsafe and scared wouldn't be too far off. In fact, I made it home the first night, only to blow an airline in the driveway. I remember my brother and I stared at the truck as if it was a newborn. I didn't know how to treat this new thing, and certainly had no clue what I was doing. Heck at 18 you barely know how to drive! Despite a few moments of modifiers remorse (yes, I just made that up), overall, l I have no regrets four years later.
The bottom line just may be that sometimes you don't know enough to know what you're getting yourself into. You don't know enough to even know of the consequences or risks. You just think something is cool, and go with it. Had I known enough to really think it through, would I be a minitrucker today? Probably! How about you - how did this mini truckin' thing happen to you?