2003 SR5 V6 good or bad??

[iFORCE]

Don't believe everything you read in Consumer Reports. I just swapped an 04 Explorer for the 06 Sport. The Explorer was the worst car I've had in my 63 years, always in the shop for one TSB related problem or another and I know from the Explorer forums, I wasn't alone. Consumer Reports gives it high marks for reliability.

CR has always given american cars a good write-up. Now they're into this whole.. "we love hemis so we'll give them all excellent ratings".

 

[evlfred]

Yeah CR said my microwave sucks, and it's been great for 8 years now!

 

[seancgn68]

In my opinion, you are much better getting your info from actual owners, like on this site. You'll get the full spectrum of complaints and praises, but I think you will get a more accurate picture of the true quality, than reading "expert reviews". Like any product, there will be great ones, OK ones, and sub-standard ones (although I doubt you will find many Toyotas in this class).

 

[MicaBlue03]

My '03 SR5 V6 has been problem-free

Mine was made about halfway through the model year, after the fuel rail problem was sorted out. I don't have too many miles on it, but have had zero problems.

The situation with Consumer Reports' rating on this model/year was a bit bizarre. It's explained in detail in other threads on this site, but in short I haven't found any reasons for concern. I expect you'll be quite satisfied if the vehicle checks out ok (no damage or bad maintenance) initially.