I needed a new family car in 2018 and since the 4Runner hadn't updated I bought a Macan.

If there's no new 4Runner or Land Cruiser in the next 2-3 years, we're getting a Cayenne.

Toyota is losing money from its loyal customers and don't seem to give a damn.

They got my money. Porsche doesn't interest me. You obviously like them, so it's good that you have an alternative that's acceptable to you.

I want to point out that in the past I've owned

1983 FJ60
1997 FZJ80
2001 3rd gen 4Runner
2007 FJ Cruiser

I currently have a

2008 Tacoma
2013 FJ Cruiser
2013 4Runner

And I had a 2007 70 Series wagon when I lived in Australia for a while.

The fact that Toyota isn't motivating me to buy anything from them anymore should be a bit concerning to them.

Well, I can only imagine that they’re in re-design mode right now. Hopefully they come up with a worthy successor. Regardless, I’ve had such good experience with Toyotas for so long that perhaps I’m a bit more forgiving when their stuff is viewed as dated or old. I’ve said before, reliability is the trait I value most highly in a vehicle, and Toyota has seen to it that at least I don’t need to shop around for that.

I cannot think of a bigger way to piss away your money than on a Porche unless of course you are buying a BMW.

So much for superior engineering...

Porsche Intermediate Shaft Bearing issue
Most models of the 996 generation of the Porsche 911 (excluding GT3 / GT3 RS / GT2 & Turbo models) sports car were afflicted with a vulnerability in the intermediate shaft (IMS) that drove their engines' camshafts. Failure of the ball bearing within the IMS leads to varying degrees of engine failure. In general, after an IMS bearing failure, the engine internals are contaminated with debris from the failure that requires the engine to be stripped and rebuilt. In severe failure modes, cam timing may be affected, leading to valve-piston impact, necessitating a rebuild or replacement of the entire engine.

Rear Main Seal Leaks
Though it seems a small percentage of 997s actually have the problem, this model is unfortunately notorious for rear main seal (RMS) leaks. The problem seems to happen more with manual transmission cars, and can have disastrous consequences.

I have been daily driving my Porsche for 8 years now (95,000 miles) with zero issues (including race track use). I also drive her during New England winters (with dedicated snow tires) and there is ZERO rust on the car...as opposed to my 4Runner after just three winters.


Yes Porsche has had the issues you mentioned with some of their models...but I don’t know of any car manufacturer that doesn’t have any.

I have been waiting and waiting for the Bronco as a replacement to my 08 4th gen LE. It has been the best vehicle I have ever owned but I need something updated.

Since it was only $100 and refundable I jumped right at 8pm EST Monday night and reserved both a First Edition and Outer Banks before really digging into the specs or prices.

Looks wise I say Ford knocked it out of the park. I really love the 4 door.

Options wise there are some real limitations that are annoying. Like you cant get the touted manual with the v6 or the Sasquatch package.

The laughable towing capacity of 3500 will probably end up being a deal breaker for me and Ill likely cancel my reservations. I need to be able to tow my boat drop it in the water.

I thought the Bronco was going to be a truck but its really just a toy like a Jeep. I dont know what Ill do now.... maybe a Gladiator Rubicon?

Isn't there only 40hp or so difference between the 4 and 6? I'd stick with the 4 mated to a handshaker

Dude. 996 and 997? The newest one of those cars is 15 years old.

Toyota had frames self destruct on their Tacomas, they hid engine sludging issues on their 4 cylinder engines, and denied they had a defective T/O bearing design in their Tacoma and FJ Cruiser 6MT. They still can't get a hold on their rusting issues, especially on Japanese made cars and trucks.

Reliability/quality is the most attractive thing to me in a vehicle - even more so the older I get.

That said, I completely understand people buying Porsches and countless other makes/models. At its core, I believe the reason is that life is to be lived. I've never owned a Porsche, BMW, Audi, Corvette, Mustang, Challenger, Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc. But I still know they all have their fun-to-drive appeal. I was once a more sports-car-oriented guy (1984 Supra - yeah, I know, but it was decent for its day), so even though I didn't experience many cool cars, I understand that crisp handling and performance is fun. I think one of the trade-offs of engineering a car to take advantage of its parts is that sometimes, those parts fail. It's the cost of fun/performance, IMO.

As LandCruiser pointed out, you can pick apart Toyotas too, and any other manufacturer. Toyotas have historically fewer problems, but they do have them. Nobody is immune. It's just that Toyota, by and large, sells reliability, while Porsche primarily sells performance. You don't buy a Porsche because you want it to last for 300k, you buy it because it's fast.

....and Toyotas cost 1/3 of what a Porsche does

Not the Lexus cars and SUVs that directly compete with them.

I don't care what any magazine or article says about it. I'll be a believer in its capabilities when I see one on the trail doing the stuff I do. I'm sure they'll do fine, I'm just not selling my 4Runner for one.

On the plus side FJ prices will be going down with all the FJ owners selling theirs for the latest and greatest retro truck.

I wonder how much insurance Ford baked into the price of the New Bronco.
I can see Bobby from Brooklyn trying to "rock climb" on the rocks and cliffs in the Palisades Park only to flip the thing over and get squished like a bug.

"Its in Ford's TV commercial so anyone should be able to do it right?" says the 4 Lawyers who have been hired by Bobbies girlfriend and Bobbies Mom.