Originally Posted by Tejas

I have been pretty seriously kicking around the idea of getting rid of my 2018 TRD Pro. It's a great vehicle that does well off-road and fits 90% of my daily driving needs. The aftermarket is great, it's super reliable, it holds its value well, and it's a nice middle of the road in size (easy around town and when parking). I can car camp in it (rear seats laid down) and I haven't found a better vehicle in the sand while at the beach. I love the roll down rear window, the long flat roof (with matching rack), and the manual t-case shifter and locker. All in all it checks most boxes.

I hate that they are so popular, I see them everywhere (4Runners in general, not TRD Pros). The motor is just meh and it sucks as a tow vehicle for anything more than 3,000lbs. The interior is dated, the seats aren't very comfortable, and it lacks soul and personality. At the end of the day it'll never be a truck and I prefer a straight axle over IFS (easier to lift and fit bigger tires with less drawbacks).

Getting back into a nicely equipped 3/4-ton diesel will cost another $20K+ over the value of my 4Runner. It'll cost more to insure, fill up, maintain, and it'll never retain it's value like the 4Runner or a Toyota in general. But it'll have gobs of power, it'll tow everything I want/need like a dream, and have plenty of room for people and gear. I like keeping dirty, stinky, wet things out of the cabin, trucks allow for this. That said, they are a dime a dozen and 90% of the time I have no use/need for it's strongest merits (diesel power and interior space/size).

This might be a case of "the grass is greener" and for now I don't "need" the towing capabilities of the truck but I will in the future, that's not debatable. I don't want any of the current mid-size trucks so going that route isn't an option (the same can be said for the half-tons). I worry that if I keep the 4Runner it'll only continue to lose value (most do) and I'll be tempted to keep building it only further increasing the delta between my investment and its depreciation lol.

Do any of you feel the same way about your 4Runner, am I alone here? I find it to be the most polarizing vehicle I have ever owned. On one hand it's fantastic in so many ways and on the other I can't even stand looking at it at times lol (a little over exaggerated lol).

Talk some sense into me or talk me out of keeping it, either way I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and on your own struggle with owning this vehicle.