RockyMountainT4R
New member
the4Rdan, Like your copilot.
Calling all stockers'...or would that be the non-'builds'?
- Thread starter mnofpeace
- Start date
SirBarton
New member
I picked up a 2015 Trail as a 2nd car a few weeks ago. I love it. I had a 1990 red 4Runner that I traded in for a LR Discovery and it was the worst mistake I ever made. Had some fun in the Discovery for a few years and then nothing but trouble.
I live in Los Angeles and I take the 4Runner out in to the surrounding mountains on the weekends. Its more than capable as it's set up and it's still nice to drive as a daily driver if I don't want to drive my Prius.
I spend a lot of time reading the mod threads and learning and maybe some day i'll upgrade the suspension, but right now i'm pretty happy being able to do everything I would like on the weekends.
Only "mods" so far are weather tech mats, new tires on order, window tint 15% all around a bed for my dog.
I live in Los Angeles and I take the 4Runner out in to the surrounding mountains on the weekends. Its more than capable as it's set up and it's still nice to drive as a daily driver if I don't want to drive my Prius.
I spend a lot of time reading the mod threads and learning and maybe some day i'll upgrade the suspension, but right now i'm pretty happy being able to do everything I would like on the weekends.
Only "mods" so far are weather tech mats, new tires on order, window tint 15% all around a bed for my dog.
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mnofpeace
Member
That's why i come along and bump it every now and then...just to give folks a chance to chime in when they aren't trying to build out to zombie-apocalypse stages lol...
Should it be a Sticky, i'd be honored, but i don't think so...ill just keep bumping it from time to time every few months...i see so many guys and girls coming in from the outside, i just would like them to feel at home, like others who have made me feel that way.
SirBarton, i know the feeling. I was an owner of a Discovery back in the mid 90s. Thinking i was getting a military level 4x4 that would get me thru these east coast winters, up and down the I95 corridor from Ct. to DC, and just be a tough on-roader when these streets get as bad as they get when the potholes show up. But like you, after about 18 months of happy ownership, it just turned into trouble...in 6-month incriments.
now i am the happy owner of an '14 SR5, super white, 3rd row, and it works just fine for me. ive done some light off roading in this first yr of ownership, and i plan on doing some more. i look forward to the snow, and the roadtrips like the one i took my family on this past weekend.
...who says you dont need 3rd row...one kid in the middle row, the other in the 3rd with the seat in front of him folded down...and boom, youve got two comfy kids looking as if they were riding on a private plane.
cant you tell...I DO love this truck!!!!! :horn:
Should it be a Sticky, i'd be honored, but i don't think so...ill just keep bumping it from time to time every few months...i see so many guys and girls coming in from the outside, i just would like them to feel at home, like others who have made me feel that way.
SirBarton, i know the feeling. I was an owner of a Discovery back in the mid 90s. Thinking i was getting a military level 4x4 that would get me thru these east coast winters, up and down the I95 corridor from Ct. to DC, and just be a tough on-roader when these streets get as bad as they get when the potholes show up. But like you, after about 18 months of happy ownership, it just turned into trouble...in 6-month incriments.
now i am the happy owner of an '14 SR5, super white, 3rd row, and it works just fine for me. ive done some light off roading in this first yr of ownership, and i plan on doing some more. i look forward to the snow, and the roadtrips like the one i took my family on this past weekend.
...who says you dont need 3rd row...one kid in the middle row, the other in the 3rd with the seat in front of him folded down...and boom, youve got two comfy kids looking as if they were riding on a private plane.
cant you tell...I DO love this truck!!!!! :horn:
SirBarton
New member
Yeah it's such a pleasure after the Discovery Fiasco. I have no desire to be a Land Rover mechanic.
Glad you made the thread. It's a very capable vehicle in it's stock form and I like to see what people are doing with it. I also love reading the threads on the more extreme mods, but sometimes I start thinking I need something more than I do.
RUSTY Pilot
New member
Just got a 2016 Black TE. Absolutely love it. It will stay stock for awhile, except for vent shades and a couple other small adds, shocks will get something better when they finally go but not until then. Tires will probably be the first upgrade I do, but I'll at least get a couple years out of these bridgestones. I've had Toyo M/T's and Destination M/Ts on my pickups. Looking for something slightly more tame, but if you want/need an M/T those are about the most road friendly M/Ts out there that do very well off road. The KO2 BFGs I've never been a fan of really. They look awesome but they don't clean out very well in snow (I had them on a work truck). They do drive nicely though.
eliminator
New member
I'm still stock and will likely be running like this for a while. All I've done so far is install a few OEM accessories and applied CQuartz UK paint protection.
Today I ordered Blizzak DM-V2 Winter tires and 4x OEM 17x7.5 steel rims.
Tomorrow I'll be ordering a long list of off-roading ARB bits like a Seal Repair Kit, D-Shackles, Winch Cable Dampener, Deflator Kit, Snatch Strap, Tree Protector, Receiver D-Ring Shackle Bracket, and Viair 400P automatic.
My plan is to venture off road, but primarily on the hundreds of miles of "decent" dirt backroads in my neck of the woods.
I tend to keep my vehicles for the long haul, so lots of time left to mod.
Today I ordered Blizzak DM-V2 Winter tires and 4x OEM 17x7.5 steel rims.
Tomorrow I'll be ordering a long list of off-roading ARB bits like a Seal Repair Kit, D-Shackles, Winch Cable Dampener, Deflator Kit, Snatch Strap, Tree Protector, Receiver D-Ring Shackle Bracket, and Viair 400P automatic.
My plan is to venture off road, but primarily on the hundreds of miles of "decent" dirt backroads in my neck of the woods.
I tend to keep my vehicles for the long haul, so lots of time left to mod.
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ncboxer
New member
Have a 2014 Black Limited. Stock and anticipate staying stock. Added tint, mats, & cargo liner. Considering adding a canvasback setup due to almost daily trips with my dogs.
Not much of an off-road driver. Live 7 miles from the beaches of southeastern NC. Torn between taking it on the beach or not. Neat freak is an understatement. I wash & detail once/week & clean the interior weekly. The thought of salt water & sand on my 4Runner makes me a little uneasy.
Love this vehicle! Had a 2007 4Runner & foolishly traded it on a Range Rover Supercharged. Pretty much everything on it broke at 75k miles. Traded it in with the engine light on for a Yukon Denali. Nice truck, great V8 engine. Too much of a gas guzzler & too big for my needs. Traded it for my 14 4Runner two months ago & never been happier. Always regretted trading my 07 & plan on holding on to this one for a long time.
Great to find this thread. Love to see all the mods in the forum too, truly wonderful diverse group of owners.
Not much of an off-road driver. Live 7 miles from the beaches of southeastern NC. Torn between taking it on the beach or not. Neat freak is an understatement. I wash & detail once/week & clean the interior weekly. The thought of salt water & sand on my 4Runner makes me a little uneasy.
Love this vehicle! Had a 2007 4Runner & foolishly traded it on a Range Rover Supercharged. Pretty much everything on it broke at 75k miles. Traded it in with the engine light on for a Yukon Denali. Nice truck, great V8 engine. Too much of a gas guzzler & too big for my needs. Traded it for my 14 4Runner two months ago & never been happier. Always regretted trading my 07 & plan on holding on to this one for a long time.
Great to find this thread. Love to see all the mods in the forum too, truly wonderful diverse group of owners.
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boyfester
New member
Can't believe I haven't seen this thread before. Yep, I'm bone stock too and have had my 2014 TE for almost one year. The only additions I made were a Yakima roof rack to carry extra fuel and water. But when driving around town, I take it off cause I hate the wind noise. I beat up the stock skid plates on Cleghorn Road a few months ago and a rock dented in the small removable plate that gives access to the oil pan. I missed puncturing a hole in my pan by less than an inch. I was unhappy at first but then thought afterwards, the skid plate did it's job. I bent it back into shape on the trail but bought a stronger skid plate from RCI when got home. The only other thing I made was an awning which attaches to the roof rack. It cost me about $30 with parts from Harbor Freight and Ace Hardware.
I'm still running the stock OEM Bridgestone Dueler tires and have been very impressed with them so far. They're quiet on the street and do remarkably well off road. Sure they've got slices in the sidewalls but even the AT and MT tires do that. I sliced one of them in the Mojave Desert in March, put the spare on and got a new Dueler tire from America's Tire for $8 when I got back to civilization (thank you America's Tire insurance plan). A couple of months later I got a flat again and was thinking it was time for some BFGs or Coopers but it ended up being a nail. Got it patched up and I'm still running that tire.
If you've been following my recent thread (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/so-cal/208426-marcs-once-month-adventure-thread.html), I've been allowed to go off-roading with my friends once a month and I've held my wife to that promise since purchasing the rig last year. We've gone to some pretty hairy places causing many a dent underneath making me realize that extra protection (sliders, lower link skids, etc) and 285s for some added clearance are needed soon. All in all, I've been very impressed with this rig in its stock form. Crawl Control is amazing both uphill and downhill and the locking rear diff is superb! I really haven't used the Multi-Terrain Select mode though. Here is a small collection of photos of some of the places we've been.
Calcite Mine Trail - Anza Borrego DSP, CA
Cleghorn Trail, San Bernardino NF, CA
Pilot Fuelbreak Trail (2N17X), Silverwood Lake, CA
Silurian Hills, CA
Macedonia Canyon Road, Mojave Desert, CA
Afton Canyon, CA
White Rim Trail, Canyonlands, UT
Pucker Pass in Long Canyon, UT
Black Bear Pass, CO - This is coming back down the front side as they still hadn't plowed the top.
Red Mountain Mining District, CO
Ophir Pass, CO
Ship Rock, NM
Jacoby Canyon, Big Bear, CA
White Mountain Trail - Big Bear, CA - New skid plate here
Sandstone Canyon, Anza Borrego DSP, CA
I'm still running the stock OEM Bridgestone Dueler tires and have been very impressed with them so far. They're quiet on the street and do remarkably well off road. Sure they've got slices in the sidewalls but even the AT and MT tires do that. I sliced one of them in the Mojave Desert in March, put the spare on and got a new Dueler tire from America's Tire for $8 when I got back to civilization (thank you America's Tire insurance plan). A couple of months later I got a flat again and was thinking it was time for some BFGs or Coopers but it ended up being a nail. Got it patched up and I'm still running that tire.
If you've been following my recent thread (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/so-cal/208426-marcs-once-month-adventure-thread.html), I've been allowed to go off-roading with my friends once a month and I've held my wife to that promise since purchasing the rig last year. We've gone to some pretty hairy places causing many a dent underneath making me realize that extra protection (sliders, lower link skids, etc) and 285s for some added clearance are needed soon. All in all, I've been very impressed with this rig in its stock form. Crawl Control is amazing both uphill and downhill and the locking rear diff is superb! I really haven't used the Multi-Terrain Select mode though. Here is a small collection of photos of some of the places we've been.
Calcite Mine Trail - Anza Borrego DSP, CA
Cleghorn Trail, San Bernardino NF, CA
Pilot Fuelbreak Trail (2N17X), Silverwood Lake, CA
Silurian Hills, CA
Macedonia Canyon Road, Mojave Desert, CA
Afton Canyon, CA
White Rim Trail, Canyonlands, UT
Pucker Pass in Long Canyon, UT
Black Bear Pass, CO - This is coming back down the front side as they still hadn't plowed the top.
Red Mountain Mining District, CO
Ophir Pass, CO
Ship Rock, NM
Jacoby Canyon, Big Bear, CA
White Mountain Trail - Big Bear, CA - New skid plate here
Sandstone Canyon, Anza Borrego DSP, CA
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mnofpeace
Member
Great pix boyfester,
this is exactly why i started this thread, and why i keep bumping it every few weeks. It shows the newbies, myself included, that our trucks are super capable even before the credit card starts flowing with parts, add-ons, & mods...
and so...my monthly bump to boost my ego and welcome new 5th gen members who may feel a wee bit left out that their trucks are not yet koolER...
:bump:
...and show those Jeeps what you are made of sir :usa2:
this is exactly why i started this thread, and why i keep bumping it every few weeks. It shows the newbies, myself included, that our trucks are super capable even before the credit card starts flowing with parts, add-ons, & mods...
and so...my monthly bump to boost my ego and welcome new 5th gen members who may feel a wee bit left out that their trucks are not yet koolER...
:bump:
...and show those Jeeps what you are made of sir :usa2:
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This is an awesome thread... Thanks OP! Have been looking for one like this.
Im with a lot of you. I had a 2008 Tundra that I sank sooo much money in. I loved it, and enjoyed it. But it was mainly because I wanted my truck to be something more.
I bought my 4Runner with everything I wanted, so off the lot I had the perfect vehicle SR5 Premium. With that said, I am a tinkerer and I love the outdoors and camping. This forum has amazing ideas and fun projects, but for the most part, I am keeping mine stock.
I have added WeatherTech's, I plan to add some window tinting, maybe vint visors, hard wired radar detector - but thats really it.
who knows... maybe some small fun camping/outdoors projects as well!
Im with a lot of you. I had a 2008 Tundra that I sank sooo much money in. I loved it, and enjoyed it. But it was mainly because I wanted my truck to be something more.
I bought my 4Runner with everything I wanted, so off the lot I had the perfect vehicle SR5 Premium. With that said, I am a tinkerer and I love the outdoors and camping. This forum has amazing ideas and fun projects, but for the most part, I am keeping mine stock.
I have added WeatherTech's, I plan to add some window tinting, maybe vint visors, hard wired radar detector - but thats really it.
who knows... maybe some small fun camping/outdoors projects as well!
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arelendsee
New member
Resale Value of stock vs modified
I may have missed it, but I didn't see in any of these posts, one other very significant advantage to keeping your T4R "stock" and that's is a higher resale value when compared to modified rigs.
Don't believe it? Do some research and find out for yourself. Or ask yourself this question - If you were shopping for a used 4R, which would you prefer, one that's been modified or a stocker?
Even for those who like to enhance/modify their rides, which would you prefer? If I were the modifying type, I'd still choose a stocker. It's akin to working with a fresh canvas, instead of working around someone else's work.
Unless anyone thinks I'm against the modifiers, know this - I believe these guys and gals contribute a tremendous amount to the development of future 4R models. We all benefit from their pioneering spirit and should appreciate them accordingly!
I may have missed it, but I didn't see in any of these posts, one other very significant advantage to keeping your T4R "stock" and that's is a higher resale value when compared to modified rigs.
Don't believe it? Do some research and find out for yourself. Or ask yourself this question - If you were shopping for a used 4R, which would you prefer, one that's been modified or a stocker?
Even for those who like to enhance/modify their rides, which would you prefer? If I were the modifying type, I'd still choose a stocker. It's akin to working with a fresh canvas, instead of working around someone else's work.
Unless anyone thinks I'm against the modifiers, know this - I believe these guys and gals contribute a tremendous amount to the development of future 4R models. We all benefit from their pioneering spirit and should appreciate them accordingly!
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SirBarton
New member
I traded my 1990 4Runner Sr5 for a 2004 Land Rover Discovery. Worst car decision I ever made. The LR engine dumped oil out the bottom at 40,000 miles and probably rang up $8000 in under warranty fixes. I sold it private party to a guy who wanted to wrench on it and picked up a 4Runner Trail. Couldn't be happier to be back in a 4Runner.
I drive a prius during the week in Los Angeles and my 4Runner is my weekend fun and adventure cars. It's new so I keep it pretty clean, but I bought it to get it dirty.
SirBarton
New member
Yes! I take mine out about once a month too. Your pics are inspiring. I'm mostly stock at this point, but i'm about to put on AT tires.
I'm going to update my skid plates but that's about it for now. I'm not a rock warrior. I just want to drive some interesting back roads.
Blitzkrieg
New member
My condolences to you on the Land Rover. My buddy bought one years back because at the time they were the urban chic vehicle de jour and that thing was the biggest POS for the money I've ever seen.
60's technology Olds aluminum V8 motor, electrical system designed and installed by three monkeys and a ride that could only be described as "unique".
He started having electrical issues at about the 4 month mark. It was in the shop twice and they could not figure it out so they started replacing things like the ECU and MAP.
He traded it in after eleven months and took like a $5K loss but was happy to be rid of it.
SirBarton
New member
I wish i would have traded it in at 4 months. The suspension and body were solid but anything requiring oil or electrons bit the dust.
Over ten years I replaced 5 power window motors, 1 seat motor, ABS pump twice and went through maybe 6 batteries because something was always draining power. Despite the money I wasted on it, the happiest day I had recently was watching it being hauled away.
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cmilviper
New member
I had an 04 Discovery in dark gray/tan leather interior for several years. As I look back, I really enjoyed that truck. I had several issues with it as well, but loved it!
mnofpeace
Member
I tell you, there are a few on this board who have that same story, present company included. i had a hunter green Disco I-1994, and i love it. when it ran, it was a tank...in snow, dirt, mud, whatever...and then it didnt. i fell in love with being called 'Mr.' at the dealership and being served breakfast when i brought it in for scheduled maintenance that i could barely afford. that dayum thing left me stranded at least 3 times during my ownership. when i traded it in for my pick up, the dealer looked underneath it and said "these daggone LRs just leak everywhere..." i gave it up just as it was about to really get interesting.
SR5 w 3rd row, and i couldnt be happier.
