3rd Gen to 5th Gen

[Drummermonkey]

I chose my 3rd gen because it's smaller, taller, and generally a bit more up for getting dirty, from what I've gathered, than what's come since. If I ever had to replace it I'd look into a newer fj. Wouldn't dream of leaving Toyota though.

 

[garbled]

Great topic. History is huge part of the appeal for me. We bought our 96 in 99 and it was my daily driver until my daughter needed something to drive in high school and college. It's the car she learned to drive in and took to college. Plus it gave me a reason to get a new 5th Gen.

I now have the 3rd Gen back (daughter moved to Japan) and I can't bring myself to sell it. The simplicity of the design is really appealing to me and has made it a pleasure to work on and maintain over the years. After 19 years, I still love driving it and know that it has at least another 75-100k left in it (sitting at 247k now).

However, the 5th Gen also appeals to me. The smoother, quieter ride and knowing that the offroad capabilities are there when I need/want them is pretty appealing to the old man in me.

But at the end of the day, we don't really need 3 vehicles and I'll eventually sell it and immediately regret it. That said, I'll never stop admiring those who continue to care for and drive the 3rd Gens (or 1st and 2nd).

 

[willie2323]

I was sitting at the Toyota dealership today buying my mother a 2017 Camry (hate the rear of the 2018 as well as the console) and saw a black 2017 TRD Pro. The $44k sticker had me look at it and that is it. If I were to drop that much green at Toyota, it would be on a new Tundra.

If I were in the shoes of [MENTION=116877]fourfive[/MENTION], then a newer car would be in order. I have a friend who just bought an Acadia. For that much money he should have at least looked at the 4runner IMHO.

The salesman asked if I wanted a ride in the Pro. No thanks, I have $50K+ in tools at home to repair my older cars and trucks....

I picked up a trd pro 4Runner a year ago, thought it would be a nice upgrade and compliment to my 99. Here is the problem for me, YMMV...
I thought the new technology especially in 4wd would be awesome...well with the pro you have soooo many options to pick when in 4wd that it became a nuisance to me. Yea the traction control is very cool but way too many buttons. also the cabin ergonomics sucked compared to my 99. Having all the window controls n such way up high is dumb in my opinion and man that vehicle is awful big in comparison to the 3rd gens. I have been fortunate to not have any trouble with my 99 here in the southwest, thankfully I kept it and when i had enough of the pro, I went to a dealer and they offered me only 2K less than i paid for it...very high demand for those TRD Pro's. I am so glad to be back in my 99 with the simple 4wd. I do have a couple of switches to allow my factory locker to engage anytime and I can turn off my ABS anytime.
willie

 

[BTO]

LOL, "luxury cruiser". I actually like the fact that the 5th gen isn't luxurious.

We've now had our 2018 4R TRD Off Road Premium for a few months now. I can tell you without a doubt the thing is a luxury cruiser on the hwy. Our's has the KDSS suspension and it's really sweet. I amazed how smooth it is and how well it takes the corners for a tall and somewhat heavy vehicle. Love this thing :banana:

 

[jtnumberthree]

The new TRD Runners look killer to me. No way I’ll be able to afford one but I can dream.

 

[T4R2014]

We've now had our 2018 4R TRD Off Road Premium for a few months now. I can tell you without a doubt the thing is a luxury cruiser on the hwy. Our's has the KDSS suspension and it's really sweet. I amazed how smooth it is and how well it takes the corners for a tall and somewhat heavy vehicle. Love this thing :banana:

LOL, you need to drive more cars.

 

[Hepar]

I actually like the looks of the 5th gens. My biggest gripe is with the size. Just too big for what I need. I have to admit though that lately I've been looking more and more at possible new vehicles. Bottom line is that this rig is almost 20 years old and there are some current comforts of a newer rig that I wouldn't mind.

I'm curious to see if either the TJ concept or the FT-AC concept come to fruition and what they will look and feel like.

 

[Bijan]

If anything, I'm getting another 3rd gen OR 1st gen double cab Tacoma....
I kind of want a 5th gen, almost pulled the trigger on a 14 SR5 4 months ago.

 

[fourfive]

The few cosmetic things I don’t like about the 5th gens are...
1. Predator mouth looking front end.
2. Headlights & taillights. They seem to sharply protrude past the body panels.