Former truck owners who switched to 4Runner, chime in!

[Shamus]

I've had a couple trucks throughout the years. Biggest perk to not having a truck bed is people can't walk by and throw their trash in it. That and you can run the heat and sleep inside comfortably in the winter.

 

[mnofpeace]

ooh mee mee mee

well, not transitioned, because i still own my 03 F150. i mean, why give it up. a Napa commercial once stated "what's the best thing about an old pickup truck? you can treat it like an old pickup trick"
got something to haul, need to make a run to the county dump, need to carry something really dirty, need to move some trash, need to move something irregular and large...my T4R cant do that, or i dont want it to do that.

solid axles, truck chassis, nobody else wants to drive them at my address...i love em both.

Ill drive them both until they die.

one thing ive noticed tho...the F150 has 150K miles. the '14 4Runner is at 125k...
F150, problems at 75k, 110K, 118K, 122K, 145K across 18yrs of ownership (from new)
T4R, problems at...well, none what so ever across 7yrs of ownership (from new)

So you see clearly which one is build $%^&*I Tough huh.

 

[Ascole]

I used to own a 2005 Tacoma and absolutely hated it. 4runner is more comfortable in the cabin and is easier to drive on longer trips but I’m still not 100% happy with it so now thinking about looking for something else, possibly back to a truck of some kind.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DAW89446]

Question: Has anyone transitioned from a pickup truck to a 5th gen 4Runner? If so, any regrets or things you miss about having a truck vs a 4Runner?

Previous to my ‘18 SR5, I had a ‘02 Tacoma TRD 4x4, purchased new. Short answer, no regrets.

I bought the Tacoma when I lived near Bishop, CA, at the foot of the eastern Sierra Nevada. In addition to being a daily driver, that truck was regularly run on the rugged trails in the Sierra Nevada, Death Valley and western Nevada; the rear differential locker regularly engaged. It was a a super reliable truck and it is still in the family.

Fast forward to 2019. My wife and I are senior citizens. Both of us are arthritic, can’t crawl around in the bed. Living in north-central Nevada since 2008 there isn’t the same kind of topography that challenged the truck and my nerves; but mountainous enough that I wanted a truck based vehicle. Our knees are shot and the 5-speed transmission is getting to be a pain. The bed was always empty, as the camper shell required crawling around back there on painful knees to do anything; if I needed to haul, I used the trailer. Our two dogs fight for lap space in my wife’s lap when we took them anywhere.

I pondered for a couple years what to replace the Tacoma with. We don’t haul, but I do have a small utility trailer and annually bring home at least one ton of heating pellets; as well as occasional runs to the dump with yard waste. I don’t want or need a behemoth SUV like a Expedition or Yukon. I don’t want another pickup truck. I do want it to be a Toyota. A unibody like a Highlander isn’t rugged enough to take me on my favorite hunting trails. We live where there are miles of open maintained dirt roads that criss-cross the region and we regularly use them. I knew that a 4Runner would fit the bill.

So in July 2019 I bought a used ‘18 SR5 at the local Ford dealership. The dealer is part of a Boise, Idaho consortium that includes a Toyota dealer and regularly sent 4Runners here. I bought a silver one. I’m happy. The truck had low miles, had a few options, like 3rd row and navigation. I paid just over $36,000 after tax and license, that is with adding the 4Runner HD floormats, cargo privacy cover, cargo floormat and a net that spans the rear opening.

I spooned on a set of BFG All Terrain T/As as soon as I ripped a sidewall on the trail a few months after purchase. I’m happy with all aspects of the truck. I have taken it on my favorite hunting trails, where I’d before lock up the rear differential on the Tacoma; the A-TRAC works just as good. The ride is good on the highway and interstate. It’s quiet. It’s roomy. The dogs love the back seat and stay quiet in their plush beds. I pull my heating pellets, take trash to the dump. I’ve carried a large gun safe inside the 4Runner from a sporting goods store 125 miles away.

No, no regrets. At my age, it was the perfect vehicle for my wife and I.