I tried to wait for the 2005 V8s, but I just couldn't, and I went and bought a 2004 SR5 V8 last weekend.

Funny thing is, all week I was talking with the salesman, and we were dealing on a 04 SR5 V8, w/third-seat, in Titanium. When I got there on Saturday to finalize the deal, I find out the truck had sold the day before while the salesman was out.

So I'm now the proud owner of an 04 SR5 V8, w/sunroof, in Stratosphere Mica. I was on the fence on the third-seat thing (very few around here, and only good for someone under 5' tall), and I really liked the blue better than the silver. Plus, I got it for 500 under invoice, and about 500 over KBB trade-in on my Camry. So a little over 29K before trade, after incentives, I felt was a decent price.

After driving it for a week, I can't tell you how much I love this truck. Solid, plenty of power, quiet, well you all know what I mean.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice, and I will be hanging out here more often now.

--Mike

I was dreaming, planning, researching, and test driving Dodge Ram 3/4 ton diesels for close to 9 months. Yes, some have driveline vibrations no one seems to know how to cure. yes, Dodge is well known for bad dealer service for warranty (that's how they reduce warranty costs! :FOS: Yes, some report great mileage while others report lousy mileage; another one of those Dodge quirks.....but I was willing to take all that for their great Cummins diesel.

Told my wife I would consider a gasser only if it's Toyota or Nissan like their Titan. Then I learned about Titana's quality control over at Titantalk.com......brakes warping at 3,000 miles, headliners falling on your heads, water pouring in mysterious leaks, paint bubbling, factory spray in bedliner peeling off, bad dealership service, etc. In it got so bad dealers are literally giving their early 2004 away are firesal prices. It was reported in the newspaper and trade journals Nissan sent over 200 engineers from Japan to Canton Miss., where they're built to find out what the heck is going on and do we need to whack some heads in...

Well, afte dealing with--or being jerked around by several Dodge dealers two weeks ago and their usual run-around, and I was ready to buy that day or within the week, Wife-zilla told me to go back to our local Toyuota dealer where I took her to get her Matrix. Just take a test drive....she said...so I took a test drive on the 4Runner SR5 V8......great salesman and after a tiny bit of haggling--I had checked Edmunds and the costs for each option, signed on the dotted line.

Wow, the thing works, it has everything I want and nothing I don't want (well, maybe those stupid step bars could be dumped and it feel pretty snug compared to those Barcalounger seats in the Tahoe Captain's chairs...) but it comes with that Toyota quality......

So I reasssed my needs....1) another SUV to replace my retired '96 Tahoe with 270,000 miles on it, and 2) super dependable and long life --that's what I wanted the Cummins for and not for towing, 3) go anywhere dependability as we travel a lot, 4) buying a pick up would add to my cost to get a bedliner and camper shell to make it an SUV, 5) the Dodge won't fit in my garage and the 4Runner would.

Now two weeks and 950 miles later, I too have that "Oh What a Feeling"---that strange feeling of not having to visit the dealer 4 times in the first month to fix the bugs in my Tahoe or before that my Mustang. I can actually believe that I can buy a car and drive it off the lot....

I do get razzed at work for buying a 4Runner after spending so much time and effort being that close to getting a "real man's truck"--a 3/4 ton diesel.....in fact some of the guys are offering to buy me one of those urethane scrotums --"truck nutz" to hang off the back of my trailer hitch---"to replace the set you had before Wifezilla snipped them off". :xnuts:


Oh well, I'll have the last laugh when they ask me for a ride to the shop to pick up their trucks.....
:bowdown: :bowdown:

That Stratosphere Mica sure looks nice, doesn't it? Much better than the SIlver...and forget those 3rd row seats, they're for short midgets or squirrels and not for human beans.

Congrats. If you like 4-R now, wait til you'll take it off-road, you'll love it then. It is truely incredible machine.

haha, congrats on your new ride. I don't think there is a member out there that could fault your for not waiting.

And if there is, tell them to stuff it because your happy now with your truck :arrow:

Hahhahaha... that's funny. I guess it's all a matter of perception. In my mind, a 4Runner is a "real man's truck", but keep in mind that my last SUV was a Ford Escape.

Now that I own a 4Runner, I feel like I'm driving around with "truck nutz" hanging off my trailer hitch every day

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I too was all over the board looking at different new vehicles. I had been hot and heavy on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Hemi, but then found out that to get the Hemi, you need to order the Limited, with the 1,200 Hemi package, and another 1,900 options package. It was more frilly stuff than I wanted, just to get a bigger engine. Plus being a new model, and Jeep's rep on quality in the first few years of a new design, scared me away.

Yes, I do love the Stratosphere Mica color. It was funny, when they parked the new 4Runner next to my old Camry to change the plates, I realized that they were exactly the same color. I guess that's why I bought the Camry. ;-)

As to offroad, well, I will probably stick to well traveled trails and gravel roads. I have a Jeep Wrangler (sorry, it was my first love ;-) ) with 6" of lift, 37's, and enough scratches that I don't care about dragging it through trees and brush. But hopefully the 4Runner will be the tow vehicle to get the Jeep to the trails. After using the Jeep as a daily driver for a couple of years, I can appreciate driving a nice, stock, well mannered vehicle.

Oh, and I agree with Hitman, after driving a 4cyl Camry for three years, the V8 4Runner has all the "balls" I need. My wife still wears the pants in family though, she drives an Expedition.

Later,
--Mike

Did you try concentrating on baseball?




Enjoy your new 4Runner

right in the rear cargo area above the wheel wells are two small storage bins with lids. Too small for anything useful. Can't hold more than a couple of travel pack tissue containers....so

My cohorts (Those manly men with the diesels) at work figured it out....those tiny bins are for the Martha Stewart popourri caches so the car will smell nice and sweet in lavender and cinnamon...goes right along when I drive the 4Runner to get my double latte cappucinno with sprinkles on my way to the flower and teddy bear show.......

Good thing I have a good sense of humour......:goinposta

Welcome both mjfrank and olliebear, reading both of your posts, I am starting to get new car fever.

To mjfrank, I think the third seat is something I would forgo. I doubt people would really like it back there. Also, I like price of 29K and a V8. Enjoy.

To olliebear, my first thought is you know how to maintian a car if you got 270,000 miles on a Tahoe. I think buying the V8 over the V6 is a good choice for someone like you, ie keep it till it drops dead. Enjoy.

Now I have to get over this new car fever, I mean my 4Runner is fine, right???:arrow:

hahhaa agreed - congrats

Congrats to you both. 4-Runners do that to you. I saw it, I wanted it and my husband bought it! But I did drive and still do drive (from time to time) a 93 Dodge Dully Cummins. I just use the 4-Runner for the grocery store. That little black cargo net sold me.

:awais: :chair: :soapbox:

I actually found a good use for those 'tiny' bins. I keep my 7-4 trailer harness adapter and some spare fuses in one, and some bungie cords for loose loads in the other.