Can't get a Runner...might get a Jeep. :Cry:

L

Lewis&Clark

New member
Can't get the runner I want. No one has inventory. Prices have gone beyond the stratosphere. Dealers won't even trade with each other. I've tried out of state dealers, and most won't/can't/aren't setup to do out-of-state deals.

Every dealer I've talked with -- 17 at this point -- don't even know when or if they'll get any more into their inventory. Base models are relatively easy to come by, but not the trims needed for the family.

I don't have time on my side. I need a new car in the next few weeks.

It's looking grim.

Today, just down the road, I can get a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee L. Right now. With far more factory pricing incentives, and a dealer who will negotiate the base price to begin with.

It's an extraordinarily beautifully made SUV and I'm sure it's more than capable offroad. But it's not my long-beloved 4Runner...

Someone talk me out of this ;-)

:argue:
 
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Your problem is the time constraint and location. I don't have anything helpful to offer except try and wait longer. Things will get better but not soon. Have you thought about a fly and drive? Fly out and drive back.
 
dflowerz said:
Your problem is the time constraint and location. I don't have anything helpful to offer except try and wait longer. Things will get better but not soon. Have you thought about a fly and drive? Fly out and drive back.
Click to expand...

Exactly the problem. I'm in California too, and there's more inventory here than just about anywhere.

I've called dealers in Washington state, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, and Vermont to look into flying out and driving back. Most of them either would not take a deposit to hold a car or weren't setup to even sell to out of state buyers.

The loop-hole is they can sell you to as long as (1) you handle registration and taxes in your residence state on your own -- fine; and (2) they're issuing the title unencumbered. But I plan/need to finance about 70% of the purchase, and no bank or lender is going to allow an unencumbered title (meaning the dealer would only issue it to direct to me and not with a lien in the bank's name).
 
My one other possibility is a couple models to be found on Vroom and Carvana. But Vroom has deteriorated tremendously and has countless lawsuits against them, not to mention their BBB accreditation was revoked and they were downgraded from a B to an F rating in less than a couple years. Too much risk there for me. Carvana...ehh....maybe. Not the best pricing. CarMax too has one, and it's even local. But it's thousands of dollars beyond market price.
 
If there is a dealer with an allotment that you are looking for it may be reserved. Tell the sales person to call you if the deal falls through.


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Which model/features are you looking for?

Here's one St Louis dealer with 32 on the lot: Attention Required! | Cloudflare

There seems to be a bit more in the STL area as well.

I live in Illinois but bought mine in St Louis, and they didn't seem too concered with the titling issue. However, that might be because STL dealers have a working relationship with the Illinois DOT based on their proximity and the amount of customers in the bi-state/metro area.
 
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There's quite a bit of inventory, visit CarGurus.com and search nationwide - there are over 4500 results found from model years 2019 to 2022. Then start calling.

(edit) Looks like all models are available somewhere.

That's how I found my current 4Runner, though I was lucky I bought mine right before the market went crazy.
 
Lewis&Clark said:
My one other possibility is a couple models to be found on Vroom and Carvana. But Vroom has deteriorated tremendously and has countless lawsuits against them, not to mention their BBB accreditation was revoked and they were downgraded from a B to an F rating in less than a couple years. Too much risk there for me. Carvana...ehh....maybe. Not the best pricing. CarMax too has one, and it's even local. But it's thousands of dollars beyond market price.
Click to expand...

We looked at Carvana and Vroom. Decided against them and went Carmax. It was a seamless transaction for our 2019 TRD Offroad with 8k miles. Would definitely recommend them. Did the 24hr test drive- very cool to be able to take the car home and crawl all over/inside it.
 
xyzzy said:
There's quite a bit of inventory, visit CarGurus.com and search nationwide - there are over 4500 results found from model years 2019 to 2022. Then start calling.

(edit) Looks like all models are available somewhere.

That's how I found my current 4Runner, though I was lucky I bought mine right before the market went crazy.
Click to expand...

My constraints are perhaps unreasonable, but they are what they are. 2021 or 2022 preferred. Will consider 2020. Not considering anything older.

And to satisfy the family, I'm looking for the Limited. And to satisfy my own requirements, 4wd only. Those are the things that limit me the most. As I said above, it's relatively easy to find a base model or a couple trims above it. But not the others.
 
bigdaddy2021 said:
We looked at Carvana and Vroom. Decided against them and went Carmax. It was a seamless transaction for our 2019 TRD Offroad with 8k miles. Would definitely recommend them. Did the 24hr test drive- very cool to be able to take the car home and crawl all over/inside it.
Click to expand...

I'd jump on the CarMax one. We've driven it twice. Don't love the exterior (blue) but the redwood interior and the trim spec is exactly what I want. Unfortunately, it's more than $6K over what the same truck does sell for elsewhere.
 
Lewis&Clark said:
My constraints are perhaps unreasonable, but they are what they are. 2021 or 2022 preferred. Will consider 2020. Not considering anything older.

And to satisfy the family, I'm looking for the Limited. And to satisfy my own requirements, 4wd only. Those are the things that limit me the most. As I said above, it's relatively easy to find a base model or a couple trims above it. But not the others.
Click to expand...

The limited is AWD so you have that covered.
 
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Lewis&Clark said:
I'd jump on the CarMax one. We've driven it twice. Don't love the exterior (blue) but the redwood interior and the trim spec is exactly what I want. Unfortunately, it's more than $6K over what the same truck does sell for elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Ouch, yeah, that’s a tough pill to swallow.
The possible pathways i see:

1. Rent a car to cover your needs while you wait for more Carmax inventory to match exactly what you want.
2. Find the 6k and grab whats in front of you.
3. Do another assessment of needs/wants that might allow you to expand to other model/trim options.

For our process, I would add, we had to look for about 2 months to find our TRD off-road since we wanted Crawl control, KDSS, no sunroof, cloth interior, no sliding tray, and the rear locker(among other things) with no “premium” model doo-dads.

We also wanted a pre-2020, for the exclusion of a simple keyed ignition. We’re not fans of push-to- start, RFID keyfobs. This 2019 rig is basically a modern version of the 1986 first-gen i had in college.

Different wants/needs than other folks but we have already been very remote in Utah and wanted a KISS model for reliability, since we plan on going even further off-highway.
 
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I loved my Jeep. It was a 1995 ZJ but I’m sure there are nice Jeeps today, too. Just don’t compromise. If it’s too expensive, don’t buy ANYTHING.


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Toyota announced they will be producing over 800,000 cars in January 2022, which is a record total. Reportedly hundreds of thousands of nearly completed cars waiting for chips to install. When that inventory gets dumped onto the market, things will start correcting back to normal.
 
I know here in NH they issue temp plates which can make it easier. I bought mine in Massachusetts and it was a sucky experience. I had 2 cars and I had sold them both already. But one was being shipped to California and we had no pickup date and the guy was okay with me driving it a few more days. It took a week from when I bought it to when I was actually able to take delivery.

And to be honest I think the new Jeeps look nice too. But I would never expect them to even be remotely as reliable as a 4Runner. I have never known anyone in the last 25 years who has had a 100k mile chrysler product that's been anything close to a Toyota ownership experience. Drive them a few years and dump them. Might as well lease.
 
For the difference in price, I’d go GX.

I’m currently dealing with a similar challenge. Only looking for a 22 Pro to replace my 19. Hate lime rush and don’t really want another black. I have a modest amount of bolt ons that I’d like to transfer to the 22, but I’ve been starting to lean toward the special edition Nori Green GX. It’s 5k more than the Pro and my local dealer will not sell above MSRP, which may not be the case on a Pro. I’d really miss some of the off road features because I have effectively used them all, but I’m tired of boring black. With the 22 GX now equipped with CarPlay, it’s a tighter decision. My reasons for upgrading - CarPlay, upgraded headlights (though I have retrofit bi xenon), multi terrain camera and safety sense. The GX checks all the boxes, sans multi terrain in the special edition trim.


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Ever think that there is a reason WHY Jeeps are plentiful and 4Runners are hard to find?

We had a Cherokee and it was the worst 4x4 we've ever had==out of a dozen. Marginally better than my Subaru BRAT. Never used off-road, just on road. Repairs cost more than the payments did for the year we had it! We've had 2 RAV4, 1 Scout, 2 4WD Toyota p/u, two Pathfinders, 1 Frontier, 1 Xterra, 1 Jeep, Subaru Brat, 1 Ramcharger, and 2 FJ40s. In over 20 years as a Wildlife Biologist for the FEDs, I've driven another dozen different rigs=all American made.For what it is worth, our 2019 SR5 Premium is the best rig we've had except MAYBE my 1985 SR5 pick-up.


Seek and you shall find!


FWIW: Wife loves her AWD RAV4, also.
 
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