My fiancee has promised that if she can get a ridiculous wedding band, I can sell my 2WD Tundra that I hate and get a 4Runner. I have to wait until we get married, but come mid-April, I'm going to be finally buying my 4Runner after lurking around here for 6 months.

I'm hell bent on getting a white 4th gen. I'm leaning towards the V6 and tempted to hold out for one with a Sport package. I've already planned out 4 weekends of maintenance and mods for after I get the truck (yes, this is real life).

My question is: if you could go back in time to 2 months before you bought your 4Runner, what would you be doing/researching?

I see you're from Charlotte... Welcome!

Honestly, I don't really know how to answer your question. I wanted a 4th gen since they came out in 03' but couldn't really afford one until I bought mine in 06'. It took one road trip in one to know that it was what I wanted. At the time I owned a 350Z and I borrowed my cousins wifes' 4th gen to take to Orlando. The search started as soon as I got back.

When I found mine, it was sitting next to an identical one with a V6. So I bought the V8. Looking back, I'm happy I got white, happy I bought a 4WD, and happy I got the V8. Even happy that it was an SR5, because at this point every every bell and whistle that I would have paid extra for in purchasing another trim package would have been replaced with the exception of maybe a pretty but non-functional hood scoop.

I see that you were originally ISO a 3rd gen. What changed your mind? If you have particular questions about 4th gens, I'd be glad to try and help. I don't think you'll be disappointed either way. This is easily the best vehicle I have ever owned and probably will ever own. We have one of those 1st gen Tundras in the family as well. It's okay, but it's not my 4Runner.

Good luck with your search. Let me know if I can be of any help.

Make sure you go drive both a V6 and a V8. I was on the fence and after driving both I decided to get the V8.

Even though you can't buy a 4Runner for a few months I would definitely go drive a couple so you can see the different options, trim levels, etc. Read through this website to see the changes by year:

Toyota 4Runner History 2003

When I was looking I made a list of must haves and went from there. Mine included:

• 2006 or newer (after mid cycle refresh)
• 4WD
• Sport Edition
• Galactic Grey or Shadow Mica
• No Leather (not a big fan of Toyota leather)
• Under 70k miles

And then I setup a couple of searches on Autotrader. One showed me basically any 4WD 4Runner that came on the market within 50 miles. The other showed me my exact wants within 500 miles. And then it's just a matter of how patient you are and finding what you want. The more needs you have the longer it will probably take to find it. It took me about a month I think and I ended up flying to Kansas City and driving one home to get what I wanted. Very happy I got everything I wanted.

Do drive the V6 and V8 and decide for yourself. They're both great engines but both have potential flaws that can be very costly to fix. Let's not turn this into a V6 vs V8 thread so I'll just say do a search and you should find lots of info. For me I drove both engines and I would have been fine with either. The one I found ended up being a V6 and I'm just fine with it. If it had been a V8 I would have been fine with it too.

Hope you're kidding about your fiancee wanting a ridiculous wedding band in order for you to acquire a 4runner...anyways, what I'd be doing would be the same thing as I actually did - looking for a pre '06 Black V8 limited. I'm very happy with my decision. The V8 for me was non-negotiable, it is so great to have a healthy 8 cylinder in a mid-size SUV...alas, those days are long gone. Now all you get is a noisy V6 in the new runner, but I digress.

I too planned out my maintenance and mods within the 1st month. To date:

Quick detail with Clay and Cleaner Wax until I can properly Porter Cable it.
Wetsand/buff headlights
DS 2.5/1.5 and alignment
Clamp inner CV's with West Marine clamps
Cooper Discoverer AT3 (excellent)
SCS Stealth 6 Wheels (also excellent)
Changed front and rear diffs with M1, tfr case this weekend
Oil/Filter change
Replace all three wipers
Replace 5 burnt interior bulbs
Add Pioneer Avic Navi with Sirius and iPod hookup

With 112k, this thing runs, drives and feels brand new. I am amazed at the quality it still holds 7 yrs on.

I feel like giving the thumbs up to anyone else on the road with a 4th gen but I'd probably get too many strange looks.

This is interesting because I'm just now coming to this same conclusion. The only reason I'd want a Sport is for the hood scoop. I don't want to deal with XREAS as I plan on replacing shocks/springs. I think I'll probably try to save a little coin and go for an SR5.

Well, I test drove a couple and going from an 06 doublecab tundra to a 3rd gen leaves you feeling a little squished. I like that the 4th gens are a little roomier. Also, the 3rd gen interior feels just a bit too dated to me. I like the interior of the 4th gens a lot better. I like that 4th gens are more powerful. and I like that it's easier to find them with around 100k miles on them.

I'm fency about the V6/V8 thing. The full-time 4WD and the timing belt pulls me away from the V8 a bit. At the same time, I can't see a V6 pulling the same weight getting much better mpg. Are they both pretty equivalent?

Thanks!

Like any 4th gen owners will tell you, you can't go wrong with either engine. I know that V8 owners love their V8's. There are many satisfied V6 owners and then there are some that regret not getting the 8. I would have probably found myself in that latter boat, had I not purchased one from the jump.

The fulltime 4WD thing, I thought might be an issue, but I absolutely love it now. The design and function of the drive-train and diffs perform amazingly. It's not like the older fulltime 4WD SUV's that were notoriously hard on tires. I find that my tires wear evenly, even without regular rotations and I get what you would expect, if not better, life expectancy from tires. It's a great feeling having sure traction on tap at all times. I find myself in awe all the time when I pull away from an uphill stop on a wet road and never break traction which would surely happen in any other vehicle. Also, I never have to mess with switching around in and out of 4WD when I'm driving and head into snow or whatever. Honesty the only downside that I've seen is that if you feel like horsing around and breaking traction to show your ass, light the tires, do some donuts, or some mess like that, then you have to re-think your approach.

The timing belt thing? Yeah, I'll agree, I'm not a fan of it. Especially considering that it's an interference engine. So it's definitely something to consider. A costly piece of preventative maintenance due every 90K miles. I don't mind having it done for that little piece of mind though.

The fuel mileage thing? When you're in this class of vehicle, you're gonna have to concede that they're not gonna be great on fuel economy. I always felt that mine was decent in stock form for what it was. A hefty SUV, with a V8 and full time 4WD. Now? Not so much. I think that the data has shown that there isn't really a huge difference in MPG between the 2 engines. Not enough for me to care anyway. You're right, both pulling the same big un-aerodynamic truck body.

Both equivalent engines I'd agree. I'm just a sucker for the torque and smoothness of the 8 cylinder. I'm pulling these big ass tires with stock gears and I don't feel like I'm hurting for any power or torque. I've driven 1GR trucks (4R, FJC, Taco) since owning mine. I know I made the right decision for me. But like everyone has said. Drive both and make the right decision for yourself. If you have no interest in an 8, then just get a 6.

Good luck on your search. Hope you get a good one!

You will get great 4Runner advice here so I wont add to what is already posted above. But if I may impart some friendly marriage advice to you...don't fall into the trap of having to buy ridiculous anything in return for being able to buy something for yourself...don't even start going down that path as there will be no return. Buy the 4R you want now, on your own, with your own money, no questions asked, no consultation needed.

Only thing I would do over again is get an SE for the bigger brakes or TE for the e-locker, but I'll just have to do the brake mod so it's no big deal.

in regards to J.A. advice, I would concur. Seems kinda wacked (***** whipped even) to be in that situation. But to each, his own I say.

GL

get a v8.

AMEN! Couldn't have said it better myself! By the way, welcome, I'm in Charlotte also, so when you get the runner, hit me up if you need a hand with anything. One more thing, go with a DJ, you and your guests with thank me later...hahaha. Congrats!

I agree 100% on not buying something ridiculous just to buy something yourself. No woman should ever request certain ring sizes or carat weights from someone who's potentially going to marry her - what type of message does that send to you??

What she wants to do, show all her friends how big her ring is and make herself look better through material things? Proceed with caution my friend you could be headed down a slippery slope.

I didn't spend much on the wedding band and ring, nor are they overly huge and my old lady was freakin ecstatic...that's the real litmus test.

Skip xreas

First of all, thanks for all the great advice, particularly on the cylinders.

Secondly, I thought I might weigh in on my joke since its getting as much attention as my actual question. My fiancee is very grounded. We agreed to treat ourselves after the wedding to something material as our gifts to each other. She wants to get a nice ring, I want to get a nice T4R. That's all there is to it. I guess my joke painted a poor picture.

i am also getting a 03-05 4th gen hopefully by the end of the month, and comments like these get me very excited to get mine