Buying a 4runner,V6 or V8?

[prolead1]

Hey guys,newbie here.I had a 93 4runnner for 7 years which I ended up selling due to rust but I loved that truck.I now have a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 and realize how much I miss the Toyota.

I am looking at buying a 2006-09 sport.I have test driven the V8 but not the V6 yet.my old V6 was a bit sluggish.Is one motor more dependable,noisy,less maintenance,etc?

I have found an 09 Sport V6 and a 08 Sport V8,similiar miles and price.They are quite a ways from me or else I would have test drove both.
I really don't tow except for a motorcycle once in a blue moon.I live in New York.Is the V6 responsive?I/ve heard the V8 is bulletproof.
Thanks for any help.

 

[Timberline]

There are gobs of V8 vs V6 threads here already....

We're also shopping for a T4R. I have a Tundra with the 4.7L V8 and was originally planning the same engine for our 4Runner. I never much cared for Toyota's V6's but I heard so much good about the new 4.0L V6 that I had to give it a try. I was very pleasantly surprised with the power and haven't been as impressed with an engine as this one in a while. Now we're looking for a V6 Runner since any "heavy lifting" will be done by the Tundra.

I like that the V6 gets a little better gas mileage and doesn't have a 90k timing belt replacement like the V8. Although to be fair, ~$800-ish timing belt/water pump every 90k isn't what I'd call a maintenance hog like some other vehicles I've had. The V6 is an aluminum block and that's a negative for some people. I'd guess that most who have concerns over the aluminum block are old enough to remember when GM had piss poor run of aluminum block engines back in the 80s (?).

It's really hard to argue against the V8 though and frankly if I didn't have one already, it's all I would consider.

Take a look here Toyota 4Runner History 2009 for change history of the vehicles over time.