04 T4R Sport vs. 05 T4R SR5 - Help

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oscar2471

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Hi, I'm a newbie to this forum, so sorry for the dumb question. I'm in the process of buying a T4R and I am presented with two options, and could use some input. Here the options:

1) 04 T4R Sport Edition with 19,000 miles - lease turn. This vehicle has a hood scoop tow package and standard Sport Edition. Bumper-to-Bumper warranty is up in June 1, 2007.

2) 05 T4R SR5 with 2000 miles (dealer vehicle). This vehicle does not have the hood scope but does have runner boards, tow package and is practically brand new. I was told that it has the same suspension and brakes as the sport (which I'm not sure is entirely true). Also has 17" wheels. Bumper-to-Bumper warranty is up in Jan. 1, 2008. It seems it
 
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Hi, I'm a newbie to this forum, so sorry for the dumb question. I'm in the process of buying a T4R and I am presented with two options, and could use some input. Here the options:

1) 04 T4R Sport Edition with 30,000km - lease turn Toyota Canada - Toronto. This vehicle has a hood scoop tow package and standard Sport Edition. Bumper-to-Bumper warranty is up in June 1, 2007.

2) 05 T4R SR5 with 2000 miles (dealer vehicle). This vehicle does not have the hood scope but does have runner boards, tow package and is practically brand new. I was told that it has the same suspension and brakes as the sport (which I'm not sure is entirely true). Also has 17" wheels. Bumper-to-Bumper warranty is up in Jan. 1, 2008. It seems it
 
The SR5 cannot have the XREAS suspension or larger brakes so the salesman is lying to you. SR5's come with 16'' rims while sports have 17'' rims and larger front brakes standard. Other significant differences are color keyed heated side mirrors, different seat fabric, and color keyed grill on the sport. It would also help to know which engine each vehicle has when looking at the price. The 2004 SR5 either has a 4 speed (V6) or 5 speed (V8) transmission while the 2005 has a 5 speed regardless of the enigne. In addition, are both 4Runner's 4WD?
 
The SR5 and SE are identical mechanically (engine, drive train, etc) but there are differences that may or may not be important to you. The rims on the SE are unique to the SE. The side mirrors are color matched on the SE and they have heated glass. The SR5 has a black mirror and non heated glass. The seat fabric is different on the SE than SR5. The SE has a telescopic steering wheel that is not available on the SR5. The SE has the XREAS suspension and the SR5 doesn't and isn't an option. If you're planning on lifting the truck dramatically, I wouldn't worry about the XREAS as you'll have to remove it for a large lift.

Don't get me wrong, the SR5 has many standard options. The SE just gets more things is all. I'm assuming you're looking at the V6 engine since you mentioned the transmission differences between the two. Some people have said they don't like the 5 speed V6 as it seems to "hunt" for the right gear. I can't comment on it as I've get the 04 with the 4 speed.
 
I merged your two threads together. Please don't make multiple threads, it makes it harder for other members to follow along.
 
In your gut , what do you really want ????


I personally would go for the Sport . I would also run a carfax on it ( dealer can do that for you ) and run it through Kelly blue book or Edmunds to see where the value is at.

I like the little things the sport offers both cosmetic and mechanical. (Love the Scoop)
 
LV4R said:
Don't forget the 05 has VVT-I which boosted power. Just something else to think about :D
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I think you missed something.

oscar2471 said:
They are both V6 4x4.
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Besides the cosmetic differences (grille, wheels, hood scoop, seat color, etc), there are a few minor differences between the SR5 and Sport. The Sport has larger front rotors and heated mirrors, to name a few. I know that the 06 and 07 Sports also have telescoping steering wheels (SR5's do not), though Im not sure if that was the case in '04.

Personally I would lean towards the SR5 because of the 5 speed transmission.
 
I think the dealer is overcharging you on the extended warranty. You said that the difference is $2,800, but after extended warranty it's $1,000. The Platinum extended warranty should cost about $900 for a zero-deductible, 100K, seven-year warranty. Your dealer is charging you twice what they should. Check this thread for more information.

On this one element alone, I'd be very suspicious of the prices the dealer is quoting. Go somewhere else and see what you can learn. You can always come back to this dealer, but armed with better information.
 
The warranty was a Canadian quote (toyota dealer). The 04 T4R is from a Canadian dealer and the 05 T4R is from a Us dealer. If the Platinum Extended Warranty is adveristed in the US at $1350 US that'S about $1550 cdn, with tax your at $1650, they are over by a couple hundred dollars, but I did not try to get them down, yet.

I'M not sure which is the better deal. I like the hood scoop and some of the other options defrosting mirrors etc...on the Sport but is that really worth it, for the difference in price.

Thanks
 
Happy Holidays! How could you go wrong; it's a Runner.

Anyhoo, if I had to do it all over again, hindsight being what it...

I would trust the overall return on investment with the Runner and load it to the gills, minus the nav (Pioneer's AVIC is better). If your buying capacity limits you to the '04 or '05 year runs, then find the most loaded one you can find and buy it. You also have to know what uses you might have for the truck in the future, i.e. towing and offroad. IMHO, the highest appointed vehicle should get the nod.

I need more money! :driving:
 
WHOA! hang on here...firstly Canadian 4Runners are configed differently. So limited, sr5 and so on are different specs then the US. I think we have less choice here.

Here is what to do. Visit "toyota.ca" and search toyota used vehicles. You should be able to find the point where they allow you to D/L the 4Runner (cdn) brochure for the years you are comparing. Then print them out and basically go thru them line by line (in the summary table at the end) and see exactly what is included/excluded.

Skip carfax. My peers have tested it with known cars (full writeoffs, $22,000 damages, minor accidents etc) and it just doesn't work. If you do order one, use it to identify the dates of registry which appears correct or line your bird cage.

I can't attach the brochure pdfs, they are >2MB. If you can't find them after a good search pm me and I will email them to you directly.


J
 
Thanks for the advice Jacal,

I did the comparison, and the only items that I regret not having on the 05 SR5 that the Sport has are the hood scoop, which I did not like at first but has really grown on me a lot and the X-REAS Sport Suspension (which I'm not sure I would notice having or not). The chrome on the bottom of the front bumper and on the rear bumper I think look nice as well, but the other options are nice to have but I would not really care if I had them or not. O yes, power seats would also be nice, but again not a priority. However I will say it shocks me that the auto companies are asking for $30K+ for T4R and they don't come with powerseats, surprising? Should be standard, for that kind of money.

I really like that hood scoop, its hard to justify not buying a practically new T4R or a hood scoop.
 
oscar2471 said:
Thanks for the advice Jacal,

I did the comparison, and the only items that I regret not having on the 05 SR5 that the Sport has are the hood scoop, which I did not like at first but has really grown on me a lot and the X-REAS Sport Suspension (which I'm not sure I would notice having or not). The chrome on the bottom of the front bumper and on the rear bumper I think look nice as well, but the other options are nice to have but I would not really care if I had them or not. O yes, power seats would also be nice, but again not a priority. However I will say it shocks me that the auto companies are asking for $30K+ for T4R and they don't come with powerseats, surprising? Should be standard, for that kind of money.

I really like that hood scoop, its hard to justify not buying a practically new T4R or a hood scoop.
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Well if the hood scoop is your main concern, go with the SR5 and buy yourself a hood scoop. At least you get the newest vehicle your money could get you. That's what I always go with. If i had money today and i wanted to buy another car, i would always go for the newest possible.

Let's say if i had about $35-40k price range today. At that price range, I could get a cloth RX350, an IS250 basic, an ES350 basic, a used LS430, used GX470 (a 2nd GX wouldn't be too bad), a used 400H, maybe some 2nd hand BMWs or Benz, or a semi-almost loaded brand new 4Runner. Now obviously it's kinda hard to choose, right? Either you take the basic Lexus, or a used Lex or the (semi) loaded brand new Runner? I would probably choose the Runner IF the options on the 4Runner are really important and mandatory in my search criteria. If not, I would go with the Lex w/less features.

I'm on a lease with the 4R right now. Before I got it, I almost ended up with an 07 cloth RX350. I thought really hard, and thinked really hard if the little monthly price difference would be worth it. I decided with the 4R because it's more practical and it won't be my, as many of you might call it, my "weekend or showoff" car.

In other words, if the X-REAS isn't too important with you but the hood scoop is, go with the SR5 and replace the hood with a hood scoop one. ;):
 
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Does anyone know how much a hood scoop would cost? Also, is the X-REAS sport suspension worth the extra dollars? How much better is it than the normal suspension of the SR5? Will I notice a difference, if so in what way?

Thanks
 
oscar2471 said:
Does anyone know how much a hood scoop would cost? Also, is the X-REAS sport suspension worth the extra dollars? How much better is it than the normal suspension of the SR5? Will I notice a difference, if so in what way?

Thanks
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I think the hood is $3-400, plus another $100 in parts for the scoop and cost of paint. Member Koz has a scooped hood on his Limited. And the last time I looked, member Luxury was selling a scooped hood and scoop parts.

X-REAS will mainly affect the amount side to side motion and keeping body roll to a minimum. I've read two people say that their SE is more fun to drive than a C5 Vette and a 350Z. I don't recall them saying it was better than the sports cars, just felt more "fun" to drive. I would recommend driving both (with and without X-REAS), you'll be able to tell the difference more than an internet description.
 
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