From '04 Sport to '14 Trail Prem

BenSD

New member
Last october my '04 sport with 170,000 blew its head gasket. That was a very expensive repair I certainly wasn't anticipating, especially since I was planning on getting a new car in '14.

When the '14 4Runner was debuted last spring, I instantly disliked the new look. I even called my wife into the room to look at the photo and she had the same reaction. When I saw a '14 on the lot last november, it was a different story. There's something about the small details that makes the aggressive front end work in person, but doesn't translate well to photos. I think it's because the front end is so 3 dimensional in person, but it looks weird in 2D.

This past Friday I went to my local dealer with full knowledge that they didn't have the exact one on the lot I wanted. I just wanted to test drive a trail premium, and figure out when they would have one on the way. They called around, and there were only 2 gray trail premiums in the southern California region. One was spoken for up at Longo Toyota, but my dealer was able to track one down in Long Beach, and swapped them with a 4R on the lot.

The 4Runner arrived later that day, and I'm stoaked. I absolutely love the new front end, and the interior is certainly a big step up from '04. I can now fit in it with a moonroof, and the softex seats are very nice. I had some initial doubts about the sliding cargo tray, but for my purposes, it's very ideal. I often pack the back full of gear on trips, and it allows me to reach the stuff that's up against the back seat.

My '04 has Bilstein 5100's for about 2" of lift and 265/70/17 tires. I plan on doing a 3" lift (Icon?) and some 285 tires on my '14, but that'll have to wait until next year. Friday was a very expensive day for me, and I bought my wife a Corolla in early December... so it's been a hectic past couple months.

Anyway, thanks for the information everyone. I've been checking this forum daily, and I look forward to the new suspension and tires for my truck next year.

14trail.jpg
 
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So, let me get this straight; you get a new TE premium and she gets a corolla? Ben, buddy, get yer priorities right! Ha! JK!

Longo is where I bought my first toyota. Congrats. I like the grey color too.
 
ahhhh you stole the gray 4runner i was trying to buy... haha. I wanted one in gray and Longo's price is not cheap (and apparently they don't trade with other dealers). congrats though, it looks awesome!
 
So, let me get this straight; you get a new TE premium and she gets a corolla? Ben, buddy, get yer priorities right! Ha! JK!

Longo is where I bought my first toyota. Congrats. I like the grey color too.

Well, to be fair, I get a new TE Premium, and she gets a used '12 Corolla. :-) She had an older car that was on its last leg and wanted something small, inexpensive, and reliable. Oh, and she also hates jewelry. What more can I ask for?
 
Well, to be fair, I get a new TE Premium, and she gets a used '12 Corolla. :-) She had an older car that was on its last leg and wanted something small, inexpensive, and reliable. Oh, and she also hates jewelry. What more can I ask for?

2?

:jk:
 
ahhhh you stole the gray 4runner i was trying to buy... haha. I wanted one in gray and Longo's price is not cheap (and apparently they don't trade with other dealers). congrats though, it looks awesome!

That's too funny man. I guess it's a case of the early bird gets the worm. I wasn't even intending to buy a car that day, but once they said they found one, I knew that if I didn't take it, it might be a month or more until I found another one.
 
Well, to be fair, I get a new TE Premium, and she gets a used '12 Corolla. :-) She had an older car that was on its last leg and wanted something small, inexpensive, and reliable. Oh, and she also hates jewelry. What more can I ask for?

Well, mine doesn't care too much about jewelry but like boots and nice cars... had to get her a new MDX once I started modding mine... corolla FTW!
 

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