3rd Gen 4Runner or '02-'04 Xterra?
- Thread starter MotoXRacer1551
- Start date
theizzardking
New member
yeah they look good if you got a vagina.....:girl:
lol...meh i just always see chick driving them.... that's my only opinion on the looks.
Clemsonfan15
New member
Gotta agree with you. 3rd Gen is more manlier than the Xterra.
Pure 98
New member
LMFAO:lmao::lmao::bravo: tha was f-ing funny. I needed that.
rdgt4r
New member
yeah actually, i go there quite often i've climbed mt.adams 8-9 times and done helen's twice i just love the trout lake area out there good farm country with massive mountains hanging in the sky.. also the lava caves out by adams are crazy there's a secret cave out there that was closed down in the 60's and someone blew the entrance open in the early 90's with some dynamite it's now called dynamite cave and it goes down about 2 miles under the earth and has massive 100ft drops in it with huge caverns 4x's the size of my house, epic man epic.....
anyways if you want to learn how to climb mountains do some laps on adams south spur, easiest and most rewarding climbing in the state!!!!
If you guy's would like to come up and stay for weekend we could take you to baker and some of the other places further north, on the VW page my house is kind of a hub for travelers i've had about 10 groups of people from all over the world either camp thier vw's in my driveway for a few nights or just stay with us for a wile and see what washington is all about.
here's some pics of a good bernie and his girl they stayed with us for about a month, they came from england and bought a bus in boston and did a cross country tour, he's a sports/travel writer and a very very good friend,
we never meet till the day he rolled in my driveway and ever since
we have be good friends. i love it when life works out like that!!
his page
Bernie Friend an award winning sport and travel journalist
Awesome man! you have such a sweet state to do all of that outdoor stuff. I guess I have it decent too as I have Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta in my backyard, Lassen is a easy hike but Shasta on the other hand will be a task but I hope to do it someday. Damn you got me looking at a mid-late 60's bus ha it would be sweet to have and fix up and cruise around in for sure.
Yeah my we love the GPNF its cool but that is so small compared to what is up there and I hope to make a trip up there to kayak and all that jazz this summer. Thanks for the offer of getting us up there in your neck of the woods i just might have to do that! And im totally down to boulder, spelunk, hike, camp whatever up there for sure.
As for Mr Friend that is a Rad story and he is a crazy awesome writer and person you are lucky to have made such cool friends. Plus I totally dig all the busses up at your house. haha.
Spencer
New member
Check this I had a 07 4wd Frontier I bought in 2008 with 30k on it. for about 18900+ ttnl. I absolutely hated it, EH WELL KINDA.
It had a much more powerfull engine which I really loved and I got better gas mileage, consistant 24mpg on the highway..
However at about 45k I was getting this griding sound when I would turn and such, it was the drive shaft, good thing it was under warranty, they had to replace the WHOLE THING.
The quality was ehh, I constantly had this stupid sqeek sound which drove me nuts, pissed me off because I paid 20k..
Got rid of the Frontier to get a 4th gen 4runner. Something didn't work out at the bank because I was 19 and had two vehicles in my name, Frontier and a Beetle.
I said screw it and bought a 4runner in missippi for 4700$ with 195k on the clock.
It drove great, I love everything about it and it was a quarter of the price with 6 times the miles. Quality was definatly higher, oh and it is 10 years older and had been driven with a 3 suspension lift and 3 body lift with 35 for who knows how long..
It had a much more powerfull engine which I really loved and I got better gas mileage, consistant 24mpg on the highway..
However at about 45k I was getting this griding sound when I would turn and such, it was the drive shaft, good thing it was under warranty, they had to replace the WHOLE THING.
The quality was ehh, I constantly had this stupid sqeek sound which drove me nuts, pissed me off because I paid 20k..
Got rid of the Frontier to get a 4th gen 4runner. Something didn't work out at the bank because I was 19 and had two vehicles in my name, Frontier and a Beetle.
I said screw it and bought a 4runner in missippi for 4700$ with 195k on the clock.
It drove great, I love everything about it and it was a quarter of the price with 6 times the miles. Quality was definatly higher, oh and it is 10 years older and had been driven with a 3 suspension lift and 3 body lift with 35 for who knows how long..
Nelsonmd
New member
Aw, sad I missed this thread. I had access to an xterra and could have driven it to compare.
There were some stupid comments on both forums, but in the end, you have to bow to the fact that the 4runner is a class above the XTerra. Higher price point for sure, and you get alot more for the money all around. You can argue about value.
Reliability isn't arguable; look at reliability compilation services like consumer reports, and the verdict is very clear, the 4runner is one of the most reliable vehicles on the road. The Xterra is certainly above average, but not top. It is the same story for Nissan v. Toyota across all vehicles. Toyota and Honda are hands down tops for reliability. Subaru and Nissan are good, but substantially below Honda and Toyota.
Off road is tough since mods come into it, but stock v stock, yeah 4runner wins.
Nice thread revival BTW.
There were some stupid comments on both forums, but in the end, you have to bow to the fact that the 4runner is a class above the XTerra. Higher price point for sure, and you get alot more for the money all around. You can argue about value.
Reliability isn't arguable; look at reliability compilation services like consumer reports, and the verdict is very clear, the 4runner is one of the most reliable vehicles on the road. The Xterra is certainly above average, but not top. It is the same story for Nissan v. Toyota across all vehicles. Toyota and Honda are hands down tops for reliability. Subaru and Nissan are good, but substantially below Honda and Toyota.
Off road is tough since mods come into it, but stock v stock, yeah 4runner wins.
Nice thread revival BTW.
On that forum they were saying they could fit bigger tires, anyone have an opinion on that?
My buddy has a 04 Xterra and he said he was going to have to get a 2inch lift to fit 265/75/16's
Xterra's are nice trucks, my buddy can't keep up with me off road but that's mainly because he has crappy tires.
My buddy has a 04 Xterra and he said he was going to have to get a 2inch lift to fit 265/75/16's
Xterra's are nice trucks, my buddy can't keep up with me off road but that's mainly because he has crappy tires.
JohnsD90
New member
Gotta disagree there, If we remember correctly X's are owned by women and posers, no offense but for the most part niether of those groups are that automotively inclined, where as 4runner people are more automitivley inclined and will less likely complain about how the steering is unreliable because the belt sqeals at full lock.
I completely disagree about Xterra owners being posers. Most of the Nissan guys I knew were hardcore. A lot more hardcore than the guys on this forum. If anything, I see a lot more 4Runner posers than Xterra posers. On that note, I will say that Toyota owners seem more educated and (for lack of a better term) classier than most Nissan owners I encountered.
That being said, the 4Runner is all around a much better vehicle in my opinion. The 3.3L in the WD22 Xterras was extremely anemic. The 4.0L in the 05-current Xterras was a lot better power-wise, but the rest of the Xterra felt pretty cheap. Particularly the 4WD system.
I owned a 99 Frontier with the 3.3L, an 05 Xterra with the 4.0L and now my 4Runner and the Runner is definitely the highest quality of all three.
That being said, the 4Runner is all around a much better vehicle in my opinion. The 3.3L in the WD22 Xterras was extremely anemic. The 4.0L in the 05-current Xterras was a lot better power-wise, but the rest of the Xterra felt pretty cheap. Particularly the 4WD system.
I owned a 99 Frontier with the 3.3L, an 05 Xterra with the 4.0L and now my 4Runner and the Runner is definitely the highest quality of all three.
ryankmasuda
New member
I've owned a 2002 xterra v6 5 spd 4wd and I've owned a 94 4runner and I now own a 99 v6 4wd automatic. I can say that the 4runner is by far a better car overall. The one thing that I miss about my xterra was the rear stadium style bench seat. The 4wd on the xterra didn't seem as solid as either of my 4runners. The interior of the xterra felt cheaper, the plastics had a lower quality feel. The xterra also has the textured plastic on the outside that fades quickly and turns white-ish gray. Mine began fading after 2 years. The 5spd manual felt slightly more powerful then my 99 5spd auto but then again I could shift at higher rpms and I also seemed to go thru gas quicker in my xterra. Road noise on the inside was louder and the quality felt slightly cheaper or less then the quality of my now 99 4runner. I did get in a head on collision and the xterra exploded and I did walk away with a broken collar bone and some cuts so I can say I feel semi safe in one but I'd never own another Nissan unless it was a Nissan Skyline.
since we are going all vw how about one of these?
Hey, LizardKing, Where was this pic taken?
FormerBroncoman
New member
I am in a similar choice predicament now. Gen3 SR5 with 215,000 lift kit, 35s. Warn winch, bumpers for $4000 or a 03 Xterra with 143,000 for $3500. This vehicle will be. DD as well. I camp in the Blue Ridge and OBX. Just wondering if the price to engine life is worth it. I really want the Gen3. But, I have a 1990 Bronco with 218,000 and it is all but dead. So I'm a little scared of high mileage trucks. How many miles can I expect from the Gen3?
Herculean T4R
New member
buy Gen 3 4runner.. I own a 2005 Xterra and a 1999 4runner.
I love my Xterra, which has 93K on odo. Has been hassle free. But I think my 4runner with 178K will oulast my Xterra.
I love my Xterra, which has 93K on odo. Has been hassle free. But I think my 4runner with 178K will oulast my Xterra.
Hepar
New member
How much do you drive everyday? A 3rd gen with 35's with a lift, bumpers and winch will be a bit of a pig to drive.
Nissan engines are done around 160 - 200 K miles. I got two cousins who got a 96 sentra and a 99 pathfinder. Both started giving blue smoke from the tail pipe around 170K. Both of those even started burning engine oil too! Compared to my 265K, 210K and 227 K toyota's, no blue smoke!
I heard Nissan trucks have a solid drive train like the ring gear and pinion. In Australia, they use toyota engines and nissan drive train.
I heard Nissan trucks have a solid drive train like the ring gear and pinion. In Australia, they use toyota engines and nissan drive train.
