Hi all,
Been lurking for a while - thought I'd introduce myself.
Currently, I'm waiting for all of the pieces to fall into place before I pick up a 4Runner TE. NONE appear to be available in the local area, BTW.
I'm buying the 4Runner because we have a daughter (now 2yrs old) and we have THREE cars, but only ONE that she can ride in. That's getting old, and frankly, I feel bad about owning three cars between me and my wife, especially since I ride my Vespa to work most days.
Here's the plan:
We're keeping the 2000 Passat Wagon (until it poops the bed). (Which could be any day - but hopefully it'll go for another couple of years).
I have to sell my baby - a sweet 2000 BMW Z3 2.8 COUPE with only 31,200 miles on the clock. That's the downpayment.
Darn kids. 
(LMK if you are interested! LOL)
And I'll probably give away my first love - my 1994 Toyota Xtracab 4x4 that I've had since new. Only 97K miles on it. If I give it to my cousin, I can always borrow it to haul!
The 4-Runner will be our secondary / fun vehicle. Weekend road trips and camping, and for me to drive to work when the weather is bad. I'll also be towing a homebuilt teardrop camper from time to time. It's probably around 1100 LBS, so I hope that I won't have too much issues with sag or power. (our Passat can tow it with minimal fuss).
That's it! When I get the truck (within the next 2-3 months, hopefully) I will become more active on the boards.
I'm thinking about using the ZAG.com/AMEX purchasing program. I figure that with the rarity of the TE trim package, I'll do better with that than negotiating with the dealers. Wish me luck!
Great forum, by the way!
-Raj
PS, if you have any up front advice on the 4Runner purchase - feel free to chime in.
Been lurking for a while - thought I'd introduce myself.
Currently, I'm waiting for all of the pieces to fall into place before I pick up a 4Runner TE. NONE appear to be available in the local area, BTW.
I'm buying the 4Runner because we have a daughter (now 2yrs old) and we have THREE cars, but only ONE that she can ride in. That's getting old, and frankly, I feel bad about owning three cars between me and my wife, especially since I ride my Vespa to work most days.
Here's the plan:
We're keeping the 2000 Passat Wagon (until it poops the bed). (Which could be any day - but hopefully it'll go for another couple of years).
I have to sell my baby - a sweet 2000 BMW Z3 2.8 COUPE with only 31,200 miles on the clock. That's the downpayment.
Darn kids. (LMK if you are interested! LOL)And I'll probably give away my first love - my 1994 Toyota Xtracab 4x4 that I've had since new. Only 97K miles on it. If I give it to my cousin, I can always borrow it to haul!
The 4-Runner will be our secondary / fun vehicle. Weekend road trips and camping, and for me to drive to work when the weather is bad. I'll also be towing a homebuilt teardrop camper from time to time. It's probably around 1100 LBS, so I hope that I won't have too much issues with sag or power. (our Passat can tow it with minimal fuss).
That's it! When I get the truck (within the next 2-3 months, hopefully) I will become more active on the boards.
I'm thinking about using the ZAG.com/AMEX purchasing program. I figure that with the rarity of the TE trim package, I'll do better with that than negotiating with the dealers. Wish me luck!
Great forum, by the way!
-Raj
PS, if you have any up front advice on the 4Runner purchase - feel free to chime in.
