convince me 2nd gen highlander limited for new runner sr5 premium

[eddie333]

If I wanted a comfortable riding vehicle with decent interior room and needed to drive where 99% of the population drive I would probably get a Highlander.

But I wanted to go off-roading, so I got a 4Runner. That's honestly the only reason. I would never have this thing if I didn't use it to camp remotely and drive on beat-up roads. My last ride was a fully loaded AWD Venza (and before that a AWD Matrix), and I LOVED them... But then once I wanted to get into off-roading and remote trips, I picked up the 4Runner.

 

[Land_Shark]

Craft beer? Please. Go buy a Honda Element or something. 4Runner = whisky. Single malt, to be specific. From the bottle.

Get out of here with your sissy east coast craft beer, nancy boy.

Really? Because I learned that 4Runner = antifreeze, siphoned from a tank!

 

[Matteblack]

Thanks to all of you for this hilarious thread! :biggrin1:

 

[Lexusbstrdchild]

Craft beer=pure deliciousness. Call me a beer snob, but once you go down the craft beer road, there is no going back. I think it's a PNW thing. The hipsters drink PBR and and cheap ass Hamms now, I guess drinking that swill somehow is cool? Haven't figured that one out...

 

[Intruder]

The hipsters drink PBR and and cheap ass Hamms now, I guess drinking that swill somehow is cool?

Stuff like PBR and Old Mil have always been steelheaders' beer because they're cheap when you're being a fish bum. Maybe the PNW hipsters want to look like steelheaders? When I'm out fishing or camping I always bring cheap beer.

 

[philsey]

Welll we have to keep this PG... I can assure you I have one. Although [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] might attest to my having brass balls! :heh:

I'm becoming confused .... so if you have the balls, and [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] has the va-j-j, then what the heck does that leave [MENTION=81573]Stifler[/MENTION] with?

Oh, oh, I know :girl:

 

[Intruder]

I'm becoming confused .... so if you have the balls, and [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] has the va-j-j, then what the heck does that leave [MENTION=81573]Stifler[/MENTION] with?

Oh, oh, I know :girl:

 

[Antman]

I'm becoming confused .... so if you have the balls, and [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] has the va-j-j, then what the heck does that leave [MENTION=81573]Stifler[/MENTION] with?

Oh, oh, I know :girl:

If I had a vagina, [MENTION=47340]Titanpat57[/MENTION] wouldn't camp with me anymore....wait that already happened.

Now I'm confused too...

 

[Stifler]

if I had jugs like that I would never leave the house!

 

[JayceeP]

I bought a 4Runner because they look cool, resemble what a "real" SUV should be, are unique, and drive solid. Reliability sealed the deal. Had I come on here openly with these intentions, I would have been relegated to a RAV4 or something else that is boring and mainstream. Nothing about my lifestyle requires a 4Runner, and just because you drive on dirt or in snow, it doesn't mean you need one either. This is why my 4Runner in my avatar is sitting in a parking lot lol.

You also don't need to need off-road capability to own a 4Runner. Buy what you want, just don't complain about it if it turns out to be the wrong choice or wasn't sensible enough.

My only regret is sinking close to 50k into a vehicle but there are worse things to blow money on. Had I bought the bigger house my fiancée wanted, we'd be down 50k in value as the market is soft in my area right now. I look at it as that paid for the 4Runner lol.

 

[3wbdriver]

What's wrong with craft beer?

I thought Craft only made cheese? :doh:

 

[8086bruce]

Not at all how I expected this thread to go when I opened it. Thanks for the pleasant surprise!

 

[philsey]

Not at all how I expected this thread to go when I opened it

That's what the OP must be thinking ...

:blah:

 

[Jhalko]

Yeah I read this thread after the first few posts a couple days ago and when I logged on tonight I thought, "how is another one of those convince me threads still going". That's the beauty of this forum for those that have a sense of humor you get entertainment like this!

 

[dwm2112]

If you even have to ask the 4Runner isn't for you.

Most that need to choose between the two wind up complaining about the throttle response, brake dive, no rear hatch closer, and all that crap.

Get the Highlander and call it a day.

This is the best real advice in this thread. Now returning to the rest of the thread for the entertainment value.

 

[4RnR Grl]

I spent enough years in the Military, I know that ANY conversation can quickly take a right turn. You all crack me up! All in good fun. :moon:

But back to the subject at hand.... I wanted a 4Runner for multiple reasons. I too looked at the Highlander. There were a few reasons I decided on the 4Runner vice the Highlander. Keep in mind I do not ever purchase a vehicle based on impulse. The Highlander was a bit smaller, and it has that damn rounded back end that every other crossover on the market has. It looks like a pregnant roller skate. I wanted the 4WD and the capability of going off road, and getting out of sticky situations when needed. I attend outdoor canine performance events and sometimes you are parking in a giant muddy field. I wasn't sure the Highlander would be up to tackling that. I also needed to fit a 42" dog kennel in the back of the vehicle, while still being able to use the seats. The Highlander was not wide enough. It also has that sloped rear roof which means the kennel would have to be slid in further to the vehicle and the seats would have to be in the down position making them unusable. I wanted a vehicle that was rugged and able to withstand whatever I threw at it. That was the Toyota 4Runner. Combine that with the Toyota longevity... and there you have it.

 

[Biggcrisp]

OP. What did you get?

I moved up to a 4runner from a Highlander. I think the price points are fairly equal though.

The Highlander was a nice, low maintenance, crossover. Oil change was the only real maintenance required. They will last several hundred thousand miles, yet I still would classify them as "disposable" at that point.

I was actually at the dealership to purchase a Sequoia when I made the switch to a 4runner. The Sequia has the V8. However, it doesn't have a solid rear axle. It reminded me of a larger version of the Highlander, which by the way is a larger "beefier" version of the Camry car.

I would say the 4runner fits in between the full size Sequoia and the Highlander.

Here is the real world difference: the Highlander is a disposable vehicle (built to be driven a number of years and then thrown-away). The 4runner is considerably harder to keep maintained. It has multiple maintenance points. It will also cost more to maintain a 4runner. Yet, if properly maintained, the 4runner could easily hit a 1/2 million miles under very grueling conditions. There are a few older gen 4runners driving around my area that still appear to be in pristine condition. I know that the majority of 4runner owners don't understand this concept and will not properly maintain them. Thus most 4runners will also be "thrown-away".

 

[DizzyV6P]

I was also looking at a Highlander vs. my 4Runner. I was coming from a Toyota Sienna minivan. I got tired of being cut off, tail gated, and driving an AWD that doesn't work. I have a mountain cabin that really needs a real 4WD vehicle. After sliding downhill....backwards on a steep hill outside my cabin, I vowed to get rid of the Sienna AWD. My wife's Subaru Tribeca didn't even slip going up that hill. Talk about ripping up my man-card.

I was suspect of the Highlander's AWD capabilities. I could find no reviews or statements even on car forums about it. As a previous owner of a 1997 4Runner Sport, I had a good idea of the 4Runner. I tested multiple large SUV's with 3rd row back seat because I needed a third row at the time. I even wrote it up a review for my car forum and published it. In the end, my 3rd row needs changed and I switched my search to a mid-size SUV. It came down to a Durango and the 4Runner. Yes, laugh, but you have to admit, a Durango has that sweet V8. Unfortunately, it will also fall apart at 3 years/36,000 miles.

Don't get me wrong, I miss the power everything of the minivan. But my needs were a REAL 4WD. So I went with the 4Runner. I even threw on a superbumper on the back (based on my experience of being rear-ended 3 times even while stopped at a red light). I don't get cut-off anymore and I don't get tailgated. People tend to move out of the way when I'm racing along in the left lane. My boss calls my 4Runner an "Urban Assault Vehicle" (He drives a Volvo..nuff said). Do I miss the power rear lift gate? Sure....but I like having my man card back even more. There's nothing like intimidation on the road to have people give you a wide berth. I'm still not sure about the Urban Assault Vehicle comment.....seriously, have you all seen Antman's 4Runner?????

 

[91'4bee]

This thread is hilarious and I like it :wave:

OP, You asked this on a 4RUNNER FORUM... Its 4runner all the way! There is no question. You cant have fun in a Highlander. I mean it is snowing heavily where I am right now. I just got done doing a 2 hour drift sesh with a bunch of my buddies and of course I didnt have to worry about going over parking bumps and getting stuck. I pulled out so many people today its awesome. Heck we got yelled at and told to leave an area we were in and the person who told us to leave got stuck...Who do you think pulled em out? :rofl:

I couldn't do this in a Highlander and think I look cool...but its your money, you could spend it on something boring, or spend it on something practical and awesome! :banana:

 

[NoDak]

I was also looking at a Highlander vs. my 4Runner. I was coming from a Toyota Sienna minivan. I got tired of being cut off, tail gated, and driving an AWD that doesn't work. I have a mountain cabin that really needs a real 4WD vehicle. After sliding downhill....backwards on a steep hill outside my cabin, I vowed to get rid of the Sienna AWD. My wife's Subaru Tribeca didn't even slip going up that hill. Talk about ripping up my man-card.

I was suspect of the Highlander's AWD capabilities. I could find no reviews or statements even on car forums about it. As a previous owner of a 1997 4Runner Sport, I had a good idea of the 4Runner. I tested multiple large SUV's with 3rd row back seat because I needed a third row at the time. I even wrote it up a review for my car forum and published it. In the end, my 3rd row needs changed and I switched my search to a mid-size SUV. It came down to a Durango and the 4Runner. Yes, laugh, but you have to admit, a Durango has that sweet V8. Unfortunately, it will also fall apart at 3 years/36,000 miles.

Don't get me wrong, I miss the power everything of the minivan. But my needs were a REAL 4WD. So I went with the 4Runner. I even threw on a superbumper on the back (based on my experience of being rear-ended 3 times even while stopped at a red light). I don't get cut-off anymore and I don't get tailgated. People tend to move out of the way when I'm racing along in the left lane. My boss calls my 4Runner an "Urban Assault Vehicle" (He drives a Volvo..nuff said). Do I miss the power rear lift gate? Sure....but I like having my man card back even more. There's nothing like intimidation on the road to have people give you a wide berth. I'm still not sure about the Urban Assault Vehicle comment.....seriously, have you all seen Antman's 4Runner?????

outside of the 4runner, FJ, LC, all the 4wd/awd of Toyota's are really hybrid awd/4wd. they mostly run fwd mode then move power accordingly.

comparing the awd of the sienna to the Subaru Tribeca is not even a close apples to watermelon comparison. the awd in the Tribeca is the same league as the outback 3.6 & legacy 3.6. the best awd system Subaru has is reserved for the wrx sti.

I would say the Tribeca is about comparable to the 4wd of the LE FT 4WD.