4runner to tow a 4runner

J

jasonlee

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I'm thinking about crossing the border to Arizona or Nevada to purchase an 05 SE V8 4x4 when they come out. ( to get side bags so i dont have to wait for a special order) But seeing as how i want to break it in as nicely as possible, i dont want to drive it back to LA where i live.

1) Since the v8 4x4 is full time, i have to have all 4 wheels off the ground right when towing?

2) I've visited a bunch of rental (enterprise, uhaul, etc.) sites, all of them who do have car trailers specificy that their equipement can only handle 4k lbs, which is too light for my purposes. Anyone know of anywhere that rents out equipement that can handle towing a 4runner?

3) i really dont feel like paying to have the car trucked to me. I would rather do it myself, only cause it's cheaper.

4) i'm under the impression from reading the brocheure that a 4runner can tow another one. This is correct right? if so, i'll rent a new one from the dealers.

thanks in advance,

jason
 
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jason - sure you could tow another 4runner, but you would probably want to do it on a trailer that has brakes, which would require some special wiring. would probably be easier if you rented an american full size pickup that is specifically meant for towing and already has the wiring.

but i would agree with faeylyn, just drive it back. if you are worried about driving too much at a constant speed, take the more scenic side roads. don't worry too much about treating the truck perfect, it is not worth the stress.
 
jasonlee said:


4) i'm under the impression from reading the brocheure that a 4runner can tow another one. This is correct right? if so, i'll rent a new one from the dealers.
jason
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you've got to take some pics of that as that would be an interesting sight to see.
 
Correct, if you tow you need all 4 wheels off the ground.

The easiest plan is to just drive it home. If you're paranoid about break-in, then vary your speed a bit during the trip and alternate from 5th to 4th every few miles -- keeping your speed down so as not to rev the engine beyond the break-end point.
 
I agree

It is not worth the stress. Just drive it home, get off at every fifth overpass/exit to vary your speed.

I bought my new '02 Sport and had to drive it 500 miles home through rush hour DC traffic. No sweat.
 
The specified break in period is a bunch of BS. My dad broke in his (now mine) 4Runner by beating the crap out of it right off of the lot. We have NEVER had a problem with it (Besides the stupid MAF sensor failing at 35 k miles) There are plenty of others who do this also. There is an article floating around explaining it. Ill try to find it,
 
just drive it

I second (or third) the motion to drive it home... Here are some good reasons to drive it:

1) If you tow the vehicle, you get all of the bugs and rocks that go over your vehicle and hit the nose of the towed vehicle, probably doing more damage to the paint and windshield than if you drove it.

2) You would have to mod your current vehicle to include a trailer brake controller, and even then with the weight of the 4runner plus the weight of the trailer you are getting close to the weight limit of the vehicle (most heavy duty car trailers weigh in around 1800 lbs)

3) If you strain things too much, you have to fix your current 4Runner before you can sell it

4) Coming down through the mountains out of Nevada into Arizona, if someone cuts you off, you might damage both vehicles.

I'd say drive it. Stop for dinner, stay overnight, get off on more overpasses that you would like... Make it a sight seeing trip on the way home...
 
I don't think it is worth all of the trouble. I drove mine home on a major highway and was going anywhere from 65-75 mph. The dealer is about 30 minutes from my house. I have had my truck for over a year and have not run into any trouble because I didn't break it in properly!
 
How much is shipping to SF from AZ? I know AZ to LA is only $200-$250.

I've driven new cars from AZ to LA with no problems straight off the lot and the vehicle still runs fine so if you don't want to pay for shipping nor want to deal w/ towing, it might be best to just drive it.

Also, If you're gonna tow the 4runner, make sure that the tow vehicle is properly equipped to handle towing the 4runner. Also make sure the brakes are great on the flat bed too. If you've never towed before, I suggest you drive SLOW and make sure you leave atleast double the stopping distance as it's better to play safe than be sorry.

Good luck
 
Since you are a California resident you will be required to pay the fees/sales tax on your new vehicle purchased outside the state when you go to register it at the DMV.

Unless you plan on driving around for awhile with an out-of-state plate - you should just go ahead and purchase the car in-state.

Yes, I know - whose going to know. As a former member of a certain state organization (CHP) - I would look for new cars with out of state plates during regular commute times and simply cross reference the name of the registered owner to the DMV database and more often than not - I would find a match. It is a costly ticket.
 
Bill42 said:
Since you are a California resident you will be required to pay the fees/sales tax on your new vehicle purchased outside the state when you go to register it at the DMV.

Unless you plan on driving around for awhile with an out-of-state plate - you should just go ahead and purchase the car in-state.

Yes, I know - whose going to know. As a former member of a certain state organization (CHP) - I would look for new cars with out of state plates during regular commute times and simply cross reference the name of the registered owner to the DMV database and more often than not - I would find a match. It is a costly ticket.
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I think the reason he's going to another state is so he can get the side airbags. Toyota equips their cars with certain options in certain regions and it's pretty difficult to find a truck with a specific option if Toyota decides that the region you're in doesn't want the options.

Wow, you were part of the CHP? That's pretty awesome!

Anyway, in response to the first post, I too would just drive it home. There's no "speed limit" in the break-in period so, you can go on up to 75-80 if you want, just keep the revs low and vary your speed. I took it up to 75 on my test drive.
 
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Yeah, I got that. Just letting him know that it will cost him extra. Depending upon where he goes to purchase the car he may have to pay for registration and sales tax twice. A steep price to pay don't you think?

I am in the exact same boat. I have on order an 05 4x4 v-8 SE with roll over side curtains. I hope to receive it in Dec/Jan. Who knows, maybe I'll have to purchase mine out of state too;)
 
first thanks for all the replies guys, i really appreciate it. Seeing as how everyone thinks i should sack up and just drive it, i probably will but will take it extremely slow, like drive an hour, park an hour; it's probably not necessary, but i just hate even having a reason why something i did affected any equipment purchase of mine, especially a 35k dollar one.

i'm not too concerned about getting double-taxed. I read a lot of the stuff on the DMV california website and i dont really see any problems. But as said, i'm not doing this to avoid taxes but to get the options i want w/o having to special order the car.

for the mean time, i have to go to work on the MTA in los angeles. I was hoping the v8 would somehow come out earlier like Threxx and mjfrank had said, but mjfrank was incorrectly informed and threxx hasn't gotten his car yet.

i really hope this vvt-i is worth waiting for. I could care less about the 40 more horses, but better mpg would be nice. i wish they would post EPA numbers already.
 
jasonlee said:
i probably will but will take it extremely slow, like drive an hour, park an hour; it's probably not necessary, but i just hate even having a reason why something i did affected any equipment purchase of mine, especially a 35k dollar one.
.
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This is a truck man! like every car, they are made to be driven. it seems a little bit weird that your gonna be that sensitive about driving it from az to cal. and since you live in LA im sure your truck will have plenty of door dings in it in no time what so all... so just dont let all that added stress ruin you. enjoy the ride and playing with all the runners gadgets!!!
 
Hey, if you're going to buy in in NV and come back on the 15, take a side-trip through Afton Canyon? It's like a mini Grand Canyon. It's not really for off-roading. More for the view. There's lots of sand there though. Make sure you don't stop in the soft stuff.
 
If it's any comfort the long drive back will probably be a better breaking in than stop-start traffic around LA - much more reliable way of bedding in the brakes as well - nothing worse than having to jam brakes on hard when the rotors and pads have not bedded in yet.
 
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