How did you choose a 4Runner?

But it did what I expected: I got through the snow when my father couldn't, I had my share of fun, and the girls loved the extra room :p

But after dating my wife (girlfriend at the time) she gave me the confidence and the plan on what I could afford for a new vehicle. Once I new that I had a car stuck in my mind and no one could talk me out of: 98 or 99 Jeep Wrangler.

Now all things consider that vehicle was fun: you can go over speed bumps at full speed and not feel them, take on a dirt trail like you put on all after market offroading kits, etc. But with the fun came a problem. This problem which I took to Jeep 4x's still was not fixed, and to add the lack of room, plastic windows, being cold till I had it warm, I hated it. Granted it was fun, but it sucked more.

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So even though I had Hella foglights, speaker kits, and running boards installed I turned it in after owning it for a year or less for a Honda CR-V.

That CR-V people, while yes it's small, not that fast (4 cylinder), and not really a off roading vehicle, I have nothing bad to say about that car. If you do not have that much money, but want a car that is affordable, can handle snow and any other bad weather, get the Honda CR-V.

So you ask, why did I get rid of it: well like I said it does not scream truck. So after owning a Jeep Wrangler and a Blazer I needed more of a truck like vehicle. So after two years with the CR-V and 57k miles I turned it in for a 2000 Honda Passport that I bought in 2001.

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Now people, this truck is not bad, but the one I bought I say is a lemon. This truck had a leak, the stearing wheel shaked, and then had this re-occurring problem that Honda could not figure out. After driving it for a period of time it would stall when I reached a complete stop: and starting it was almost impossible.

So after going to Honda so many times, having my wife come and give them Hell I finally threw in the towel and pleaded with my wife for a new car. She agreed under one condition, that she is there and if the deal is not right we walk.

So here I am with the new car bug, and I am researching: mostly Toyota's. Why? Well my mother and my sister both owned Toyota's and you know how many bad things they had to say about it? ZERO! With my car history that says a lot for I can only say that about the Honda CR-V.

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Also, one of the guys mentioned to me that the 2003 Toyota 4 Runner got rated as the best SUV for the year. So what I did was make a list of what I had to have, what I wanted but was not necessary, and what I did not want if at all possible. Then I took the 4 Runner descriptions for Limited, Sport, and SR5 and did a comparison. The one that hit my list right on the dot was the Sport.

So after a wonderful test drive, watching my wife in action doing deals with the salesman, I left that night with my baby: 2003 Toyota Sport Edition 4 Runner.

Three months later my other baby is born :D
 
Great story... now im just trying to figure out why its on 25 different posts :confused: :biggrin2: lol
 
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We have a character Length?


Thai... if i may make a suggestion... get rid of the character length... :D
 
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Our 1st SUV was a Nissan X Terra. Not enough power. Traded it in for the S/C version. Still not enough power, & was a lemon. Looked at all kinds of SUV's.

FX45 -
CONS
looks too much like a car - especially like a station wagon,
dubious off roading capabilities - a bit out of price range.

PROS
Great gadgets, speed, handling

BMW X5 4.4i
CONS
way too expensive, dubious off roading capability, still not 'tough' enough looking as a serous off road vehicle.

PROS
It's a BMW. Great handling, good speed (not quite as fast as FX45)

Nissan Pathfinder
CONS
Body style sucks - it's outdated inside & out. Really kinda cheap interior considering asking price. Not quality of any of others we're looking at.

PROS
More hp than Xterra. Uhh - that's about it.

Durango
CONS
It's a Dodge. Hella expensive for the HEMI version. Kinda wierd looking

PROS
HEMI has 340hp. 3 rows of seats (03 4 Runners didn't have that option) DVD entertainment available.

Grand Cherokee
CONS
Cheap interior. Stupid 3" NAV. tacky. Solid front axle. Dated. Overpriced to get the leather & NAV & 265hp high output engine

PROS
Jeeps are serious off roading vehicles. Nice 265hp V8 engine


READ NEXT POST FOR WHAT MADE US CHOOSE THE 4 RUNNER
 
Then we checked out the 4 Runner.

I was not too stoked about the V8, couldn't understand why it had less hp than the V6, and only 235hp at that. Surprised when we got to the dealership and V8 was basically same price. Test drove both, realized immediately the smoothness of the V8 in both acceleration & braking. Loved the acceleration - very quick compared to the typical SUV. Loved the X-REAS suspension, handled very well compared to the typical SUV. Loved the interior, NAV, JBL system, etc. Serious off roading vehicle with al time 4wd! All for under $40k?

Then, I thought - "Hey - I wonder what products TRD has for the 4 Runner" I looked, and they had just announced a S/C that could add 120hp to the 4 Runner, all under Toyota warranty!

Now I've got a serious off road capable SUV, that can out accelerate every other SUV except the Porsche Cayenne, and has all the fit & finish, gadgets, etc. matching the best of every other SUV out there. Tell Durango, BMW, & Infinity to kiss my 375 hp 4 Runners A$$! (when I actually get it....)

That sold me. Not to mention my buddy has a 1st gen, with 285,000 miles. THe only thing he's ever done is change the oil!
 
early last year my wife test drove the highlander and didn't like it, so the sales person told her to look at the 4runner.

we both starting looking at the 4runner and fell in love with, so last september we got the 4runner.

frank

03 limited v8
XREAS
 
Burnin M

Well, you've learned two very important lessons in life.....when shopping for an SUV, test drive the Toyota First! =) You can save a lot of time.

Second, Well Duh!!! O'course the 4runner is the best!!! =)

Enjoy it,
03RR
 
After I got out of college in 1991, I bought a used 1990 Corolla from Hertz. It was a great car, and served me well until fall of 1996. I had just paid off the car when, 28 days later, some dumb*ss in a big jacked-up chevy pickup decided to rear end me while I was stopped at a light. He didn't even give me the courtesy of slamming on his brakes and screeching into me. Just "Whump!" He completly crushed the trunk, right up to the C-pillars, shearing it off just above the bumper.

As the old saying goes, "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade!" I'm a structural engineer and visit a lot of construction sites. I also do a lot of camping out in the mountains of central Nevada, so I figured it was time for a 4WD vehicle. Having had a great experience with my first Toyota (except for the end), I decided to get my 1996 4Runner SR5.

I enjoyed the heck out of my '96 4Runner. I took it camping and hunting, on road and off, through mud and snow, and commuted daily to work. It was an expensive purchase, and took until the beginning of 2003 to pay it off.

Can you guess what happened?

Yup, nine months after I get the truck paid off, I get rear-ended in stop-and-go traffic on the freeway by a teenage girl on her way to school. Again, no braking until she plowed into my stopped truck at 35 mph. Her Chevy Tahoe sustained some front-end damage, but not too severe. The insurance company totalled my 4Runner because the repaire costs were over $8000. They gave me $12,000 for the truck
 
I remember when I was a kid my Uncle having an early 80's Toyota pickup with almost 300,000 miles on it. He always told me how great a truck it was and how it would last him forever.

My first car back in high school was a 1991 Toyota pickup. It had belonged to my brother before me, so he had fixed it up and made it into a cool little ride.

I had that truck for about three years when I realized I wanted a car, a Honda Civic. Well, I didn't get that car, my parents instead got me a Toyota Tercel. I wasn't too happy with that, but they were paying for it while I was in college, so I couldn't complain.

After five years in my little Tercel, I finally decided it was time to get a car that I wanted. My brother had owned two 4Runners in the past and I had loved them. I was always seeing pickups that reminded me of my 91.

So finally 4 months ago I purchased a used 1999 4Runner. And I am so happy I got it. :) I know I will have this truck for a long time. I've always treated my Toyota like crap, but yet, they still keep going strong. I know I will be a lifetime Toyota owner.
 
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I had a '92 Explorer and wanted to replace it with another SUV. the Explorer was very reliable mechanically but body rot gave it an early demise. That and a bunch of aggravating little deterred me from looking at another Explorer. My main priority was reliability.

Initially I didn't consider the 4Runner because I looked at them several years ago and they were too small. I'm a fairly big guy and there just wasn't enough leg, hip, shoulder room.

Checked out the Pathfinder, not enough driver leg room.
Checked out the Pilot, reliable but compared to others in it's class it seemed a little chintzy. Honda makes you buy an MDX to get decent options and interior finish.
Checked out the MDX, also very reliable but too expensive.

Checked out the Highlander, which was nice but it was sitting next to a Sequoia in the showroom which made it look tiny so I wasn't sure if it would do. I was interested in the Nav unit and the only thing they had with a Nav at the moment was a 4Runner Limited. I took it out for a drive and that was it. I gave up a little cargo space from the Explorer but it is well worth it.
 
hmmm, long history with toyota starting with my dad who drove only cressida's and then moved up to the lexus ES300 as his final car before passing away in Feb-2001.

01. hand me down phoenix LJ (grandma's)
02. cosworth vega (only had it a week didnt like it)
03. mazda rx7 red (had it for while before getting #4)
04. 82 celica fastback blue
05. 84 cressida burgandy
06. 87 cressida burgandy
07. 91 cressida light blue (last year for this model and last RWD version, replaced by avalon)
08. 87 2WD pickup brown (wife)
09. 91 cressida white (wife)
10. 91 paseo green (wife)
11. 94 4runner burgandy (couldnt stand FWD avalon)
12. 97 protege brown (dont ask why i got this)
13. 98 4runner burgandy
14. 02 tacoma v6 xtracab silver (wife current)
15. 04 4runner sport v8 silver (current)

had the 91 cressida's at the same time.
# 1-4 was done within a span of just over a year.
# 7-10-12-13-14-15 where brand new, the rest was used.
# 1 was back in late 82 when i was 16yrs
 
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THAT HOOD SCOOP!!!!!



seriously, I've been looking for a truck for years since 1990. But trucks are not enough room for people. So only choice is an SUV. But the watered down SUVs nowadays are for .... how can i put this..... grocery buying....

never even considered a domestic. Looked at pathfinder and 4runner then test drove V6 and V8... and I don't know what those magazine reviewers are smoking, but the V8 is way better... not only the engine but also the tranny is great... My daily driver was a 300HP subaru... that weighed next to nothing... I don' t miss it one bit...
 
Ive always been a sports car type person. My last car was a BMW 325i, which was fun to drive, but is absolutely useless in the snow. After getting stuck everytime it snows, a few expensive repairs and not being able to fit anything into the trunk, I decided it was time for an SUV. My choices were:

1. Jeep Grand Cherokee-shitty reviews, poor reliability.
2. Pathfinder-Like the power but it doesnt looks as good as the 4-runner, and I like the way the 4-runner has fatter tires and looks more off-road capable than the pathfinder.
3. Xterra-I sat inside one of these and couldnt believe how cheap the interior is. Also to get the supercharger and leather you gotta drop a lot of money.
4. Yukon-Too big, too played out, guzzles gas.
5. 4-Runner-Looks awesome, solid ride, amazing customer satisfaction, reliable.

I drove the 4-runner twice and fell in love and bought it the next day.
 
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