About to buy another 4th gen 4Runner

[wvuviv30]

I used to have a '04 with the V8 back in '07-ish and I liked it a lot. However I own a small sound production business and I bought it for towing a small trailer well business boomed a little and ended up needing to buy a bigger trailer, but instead ended up buying a 3500 Express Diesel cargo van.

Anyways, I am looking to buy another 4Runner; and I have been researching the V6 models.

One thing that I am stuck on is the transmission; I see that in '05 the trans was upgraded from the 4sp to 5sp. Should I be overly concerned about the 4sp behind the 4.0L V6?

 

[TRDCal]

No, I'm sure it would be like every other automatic out there minus .5 mpg on the highway.

 

[eli_lilly]

I used to have a '04 with the V8 back in '07-ish and I liked it a lot. However I own a small sound production business and I bought it for towing a small trailer well business boomed a little and ended up needing to buy a bigger trailer, but instead ended up buying a 3500 Express Diesel cargo van.

Anyways, I am looking to buy another 4Runner; and I have been researching the V6 models.

One thing that I am stuck on is the transmission; I see that in '05 the trans was upgraded from the 4sp to 5sp. Should I be overly concerned about the 4sp behind the 4.0L V6?

No way - the 4 speed behind the 4.0 V6 is an Aisin transmission, IMHO the best tranmission manufacturer ever. I ran a Jeep Cherokee's AW-4 bone dry on I-95 and still towed a trailer behind it, afterwards. The AW-4 is a very, very early version of what is in the 3g+ 4runners. "Like an effin tank" is all you need to know.

-E

 

[JohnnyT]

Why not the v8?

The transmission is better matched to that engine. My v6 transmission had a drone/rumble that drove me to get a v8. Best decision ever.

I drove several other used 4th gen v6's at dealerships and they all had that drone.

 

[flnycus]

Get the v8! smoother and hardly any difference in mpg. Plus i might be selling my 2006 v8 sport with 50k miles on it

 

[97BlackAckCL]

Honestly, my 4 speed 03 trans shifted smoother than my 08 trans does, both V6 4.0's.

 

[wvuviv30]

Yes I know the V8 sounds all mighty and all... but if I need to tow or haul anything heavy, I have a '06 Chevy Express cargo van with the Duramax diesel (soon to have a Tuner/Programmer and it has a rebuilt HD trans).

I did have a '06 Tacoma 4x4 with the 4.0v6/6Speed manual for a minute but I had to sell it due to a divorce. I didn’t have any complaints about this engine.

The V6 will be good enough for my everyday driving/around town. Yes it would be awesome to add the URD SuperCharger (Gadget lives 20 mins from me as well). I know I do want to add a small lift of 2"-3".

 

[wvuviv30]

I bought a 4Runner, I ended purchasing a 2005 V6 Limited.

Exterior: Natural White
Interior: Stone leather
Mileage: 118k

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