Is the 4Runner becoming the new fan boy vehicle?

[ayeyothisiskyle]

(my wife coaches robotics and stuffs it full of robots, tools, and kids)

Only in 2018 will anyone read that and just go. "oh, okay" haha. Is it like battle bots little league?

A lot of factors have come together. The first is Instagram. Lots more people out in the popular spots. If you haven't been to a national park lately - holy shit have they changed in the last 10 years.

I'm guilty of being an Instagrammer, but its pretty nuts how many people are jumping on the offroad scene. I think its because the guys that drove fixed up coupes and sedans got a little older and needed a bigger car. They also can't keep a car stock and when they see their friends with RTTs, rotopax and VTX wheels rolling 20 deep on the trail with drone footage and a dope-ass beat, they want to be part of that group.

I got the truck because I got a job in Mammoth Mt, so 4x4 was a must and a hybrid accord was not going to cut it. That MPG drop is killer... 50mpg > 18mpg :bored: I also got it because I have always wanted a 4runner since I started driving in high school. The friggin back window rolls down! I was a car guy since I was young and I used to drive a slammed BMW that would pop off road reflectors on occasion, so modding vehicles isnt new to me.

 

[90Duck]

More importantly - it's a LOT cheaper than something like a Tahoe. In years past the 4runner was smaller and more of a direct competitor with a chevy blazer, nissan pathfinder, ford explorer and Jeep cherokee. Today - all of those are crossovers that are very similar to a Highlander or Subaru. While 8 of 10 owners followed suit and bought the crossover versions, there were maybe 2 out of 10 who still wanted a truck with extra seats instead of a car with big tires.

Adding to that was move of GM's BOF SUV's to high dollar minivans. They no longer come with low range in most models. And base price on the cheapest Yukon with 4x4 is $54k. A base model silverado 4x4 is $39k. So there's a minimum of a $15k jump from a crew cab 4x4 truck to an SUV. You used to be able to buy a base model Tahoe/Yukon for $40k. Not anymore. Typical MSRP is more like $80k. And they have terrible resale value. As a result lot of prior suburban/tahoe owners are buying 4Runners as a replacement.

So I think those factors come together to push a few more people for a lot of different reasons into a 4Runner.

This is a very true statement. I was actually surprised how relatively affordable a 4Runner was in comparison to other options we were considering. We purchased our Pilot EX-L new in 2003 for $32k. Using an online inflation calculator, that same $32k in 2003 would be $44k in today's dollars. Our 4Runner TRD ORP was $37k, a relative bargain in my mind.

 

[90Duck]

Only in 2018 will anyone read that and just go. "oh, okay" haha. Is it like battle bots little league?

It is actually high school kids, FIRST Robotics (founded by Dean Kamen, most famous for inventing the Segway). It's intended to give kids some real hands on experience in the whole STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) world. They design, build and then compete as teams with other schools against other teams in a randomized pairing at tournaments, with the goal of qualifying for the world championships (which her team has done the last two years). She's an architect by training, so definitely a bit of strange twist, just like this post. :focus:

 

[Mr.Allison]

Some of us love them SO much

Some Of us LOVE them so much we have 2. I have a 1999 & a 2015.:lalala: I live in a cul-de-sac that has 5 houses. and there are 4 T4R's in there. They are almost Bomb proof. arty: and da Chit.

 

[Jernik]

Jetboy mentioned price and nailed it. When we were looking in '14 to replace our '04 Grand Cherokee, the price of the 4R was only beat by the Nissan Xterra. Another GC with features we wanted was $10k more than our TEP (Xterra was another $8k less even for Pro-4X). The 4R has proven to def. be worth the extra coin over Xterra for our needs.

4R... best bang for the buck out there, IMO.

 

[Offroadimus_Prime]

Interestingly enough..

I see an average of 5 TRD Pro's here in the DC area a day. Many of them are bone stock. Mine gets a lot of attention as the east coast isn't nearly as offroad friendly as the mid west or pnw .. The thing to keep in mind though is with the popularity comes more companies making cool shit for the rigs, if they weren't popular it would be much harder to get shit made for you that you may not be able to make for yourself.

 

[tls3601]

Some of what has happened is “poserish”, is that a word? I used to go down to Cars and Coffee in Scottsdale to check out some very sweet rides. Sadly what has happened down there is old dudes with lots o cash, a new Ferrari and body by cosmetic surgery 30 something chic on their arms. Most have NO idea where the drain plug is or even what a drain plug even is! But because they have said object they are now “cool”. I see this as just plain pathetic and really hope our love of the 4Runner does not lead to the hey look at me poser attitude. Having spent a load of time and money to restore my 40 I feel gives me more ownership of the vehicle as I personally do most all the work myself. I have also been saving for a long time for my future Pro. Opinions?

 

[Bishop98]

Ok, my two vehicles are a '16 WRX and the '18 4Runner, so I guess I must fit the demographic profile you are noting. I bought both of them because they satisfied both my needs and wants in a vehicle.

Living in a mountain/ski town, all wheels driven is pretty much a need over the want, so both vehicles check that box.

The WRX is at a sweet spot of performance, fuel economy, practicality and price. Unfortunately, they don't make a hatchback WRX anymore, so it's not great for the dog. My wife loves it too, which helps.

We drove a '04 Honda Pilot for 15 years until we finally killed the transmission. It did its fair share of family hauling duties, but we also used if as a tow vehicle for our raft. In '16 it made the long haul pulling the boat from Bend to the Grand Canyon, and that started to signal the beginning of the end of the transmission. We had been contemplating lots of different choices for a replacement, from Sprinter van to crossover suvs to full sized pick ups, but when the tranny went out and we were forced into choosing a replacement sooner than anticipated, we both immediately turned to the 4Runner because it is an actual truck. It checks all of the want and need boxes in terms of room to haul (my wife coaches robotics and stuffs it full of robots, tools, and kids), ability to tow on some horrible access roads, and the occasional high clearance/4wd camping/trailhead access capabilities. My wife loves it too, which helps.

Ironically, as mentioned by others, the modification bug has bit me on both of these cars, largely because of internet forums like this one and the easy availability of parts and tutorials on YouTube. One of my ideal weekend scenarios is just tinkering with both vehicles in the garage, then taking one or both out for their very different specific capabilities.

I'm just happy that there are still interesting vehicle choices that can be had like the WRX and the 4Runner that aren't quite so mainstream, although there are certainly a lot of them on the road here. I also really appreciate forums like this one where there is so much experience and sharing of ideas. Good stuff, and I guess you can call me a fan boy, although at 51 that's a bit of misnomer.

PS: not a lot of waves from other 4Runners (it happens occasionally), but the WRX peace sign wave is a real thing. It does span all generations of WRXs

This summed it up for me. I had a 2004 WRX wagon and now a 2015 WRX along with a 2017 4runner. I'm also a Subaru Ambassador. The wave is real. :hello: :lol:

 

[off-road runner]

Nikon stage umteen 6' lift/ 2' spiderlax spacers/ 6 gun fluted shooters/ 385/85/20 ultratracs. Strap a hi-lift to the obi-one rack with plastic bumpers. Never took it off-road before... never gonna after.

 

[lukeskywalker]

I think that once something is discovered in today's hyper connected world, it becomes gobbled by the mob (after maybe 4-5 years?), until the next thing comes, and it dwindles away to irrelevancy and boringness.

Our era is exposing what happens when hyper gratification is uncontrolled. It will probably change drastically when the next recession hits (which will probably happen in the next couple years).

This may not be the case of the 4runner, but it's indeed the case of people aiming their lives to mimic the 'ideal' they see on instagram or youtube. Maybe the 4runner for so many matches the perfect blend of 'off road freedom' and city life practicality. With the rise of 'research everything to death before making a decision', people have probably done their due diligence and settled on the 4runner.

It's the Mumford and Sons of vehicles.

:drummer:

 

[Toffees]

Try hiking anywhere within an hour of Seattle and you'll change your mind. Even the strenuous hikes Mailbox Peak (9 miles, 4k elev. gain) have overflowing parking lots

Probably just dogging though

 

[PatrickBateman]

Some of what has happened is “poserish”, is that a word? I used to go down to Cars and Coffee in Scottsdale to check out some very sweet rides. Sadly what has happened down there is old dudes with lots o cash, a new Ferrari and body by cosmetic surgery 30 something chic on their arms. Most have NO idea where the drain plug is or even what a drain plug even is! But because they have said object they are now “cool”. I see this as just plain pathetic and really hope our love of the 4Runner does not lead to the hey look at me poser attitude. Having spent a load of time and money to restore my 40 I feel gives me more ownership of the vehicle as I personally do most all the work myself. I have also been saving for a long time for my future Pro. Opinions?

What’s wrong with being successful and having a shit ton of money to buy whatever you want?

 

[tls3601]

What’s wrong with being successful and having a shit ton of money to buy whatever you want?

I guess definitions of “cool” have changed.

 

[FamousAv8er]

Some of what has happened is “poserish”, is that a word? I used to go down to Cars and Coffee in Scottsdale to check out some very sweet rides. Sadly what has happened down there is old dudes with lots o cash, a new Ferrari and body by cosmetic surgery 30 something chic on their arms. Most have NO idea where the drain plug is or even what a drain plug even is! But because they have said object they are now “cool”. I see this as just plain pathetic and really hope our love of the 4Runner does not lead to the hey look at me poser attitude. Having spent a load of time and money to restore my 40 I feel gives me more ownership of the vehicle as I personally do most all the work myself. I have also been saving for a long time for my future Pro. Opinions?

r/gatekeeping

 

[Liquid_G]

It could very well be my part of the country too, I see them all over in Phoenix and Denver.

I'll agree they are everywhere in PHX. Been out there twice in the past year (thinking of moving there) and was surprised how many I saw. Hardly ever see that many here in the midwest, and if you do its usually a Limited.

 

[RedSled]

Some of what has happened is “poserish”, is that a word? I used to go down to Cars and Coffee in Scottsdale to check out some very sweet rides. Sadly what has happened down there is old dudes with lots o cash, a new Ferrari and body by cosmetic surgery 30 something chic on their arms. Most have NO idea where the drain plug is or even what a drain plug even is! But because they have said object they are now “cool”. I see this as just plain pathetic and really hope our love of the 4Runner does not lead to the hey look at me poser attitude. Having spent a load of time and money to restore my 40 I feel gives me more ownership of the vehicle as I personally do most all the work myself. I have also been saving for a long time for my future Pro. Opinions?

Lighten up Francis, your no more entitled than anyone else, we all do what works for us.

 

[STX4Runner]

A lot of factors have come together. The first is Instagram. Lots more people out in the popular spots. If you haven't been to a national park lately - holy shit have they changed in the last 10 years.

The second factor is that the market has basically all moved away from the 4Runner. It really has no direct competitors. It's half way between a JGC and a Wrangler. More importantly - it's a LOT cheaper than something like a Tahoe. In years past the 4runner was smaller and more of a direct competitor with a chevy blazer, nissan pathfinder, ford explorer and Jeep cherokee. Today - all of those are crossovers that are very similar to a Highlander or Subaru. While 8 of 10 owners followed suit and bought the crossover versions, there were maybe 2 out of 10 who still wanted a truck with extra seats instead of a car with big tires.

Adding to that was move of GM's BOF SUV's to high dollar minivans. They no longer come with low range in most models. And base price on the cheapest Yukon with 4x4 is $54k. A base model silverado 4x4 is $39k. So there's a minimum of a $15k jump from a crew cab 4x4 truck to an SUV. You used to be able to buy a base model Tahoe/Yukon for $40k. Not anymore. Typical MSRP is more like $80k. And they have terrible resale value. As a result lot of prior suburban/tahoe owners are buying 4Runners as a replacement.

So I think those factors come together to push a few more people for a lot of different reasons into a 4Runner.

There's a lot of things that have become popular that I simply don't understand. Like going to overland expos. I can't for the life of me figure out why I would want to go to a park and compare camping gear. And then pay something like $100 to camp in the park in a spot smaller than my driveway. As compared to actually going on an adventure somewhere. I like going camping and off roading. I also like having bbqs at my house. Maybe I'm missing the point on how much fun it is to go camp at the city park? But obviously quite a few people turn out - so there must be something to it.

For me - I think it's all great - except for the crowding in the back country. Some of my favorite remote areas are getting loved to death. And that's a bummer. Fortunately - most people are still too lazy to hike more than a few hundred feet from a parking lot. I don't think that will ever change.

The overland expo stuff is just (modern) human nature. If you can get together and compare your gear/stuff/cred someone will monetize it and make an event out of it. I'm not a Dave Ramsey reader, but he said it perfectly. "We buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like."

I don't get camping on 100 SF of mud next to 5,000 other people either, but apparently it works for a lot of people and satisfies that urge.

When I was growing up we went camping on vacation (back when camping vacations were for poor people and weirdos). Never went to Disney, never went on a cruise, to Hawaii, Alaska, etc, and I loved it. Now that car camping has been turned into "overlanding" and you can drop as much on gear as a down payment on a house AND brag about it on the internet, game over.

 

[T4R2014]

Some of what has happened is “poserish”, is that a word? I used to go down to Cars and Coffee in Scottsdale to check out some very sweet rides. Sadly what has happened down there is old dudes with lots o cash, a new Ferrari and body by cosmetic surgery 30 something chic on their arms. Most have NO idea where the drain plug is or even what a drain plug even is! But because they have said object they are now “cool”. I see this as just plain pathetic and really hope our love of the 4Runner does not lead to the hey look at me poser attitude. Having spent a load of time and money to restore my 40 I feel gives me more ownership of the vehicle as I personally do most all the work myself. I have also been saving for a long time for my future Pro. Opinions?

Come on now, that's a bit harsh. Just because you don't like turning wrenches doesn't mean you're buying a car to look more cool. I highly doubt these guys are dumb or pathetic if they can afford these cars. Hell, lots of these types of guys might have a pristine old 4Runner sitting around in their garage. Don't be so quick to judge LOL. Imagine what they are thinking of you.

 

[916T4R]

I definitely notice more of 5th gens out and about but it could be just cause I own one and notice them now. Do see a lot of modded ones, but I like that. Shows people are into what they drive. As opposed to it just being an appliance. For me, I hadn't owned a 4x4 since my cj-7 in high school and I needed a bit more space than my sedan offered for road trips and hauling my teenage kids and all their gear to sporting events. I have always been into working on cars, modding, and having fun in them. Spent almost twenty years in older BMW's doing track events and rally's but life evolved and so did my needs for a car. as many have stated the size, practicality, and price point of the 5th gen couldn't compare. I cross shopped a lot of stuff cause at heart I think I am still a car guy as opposed to a truck/suv guy. But the 4r won out cause I liked the idea of working on it myself, doing some off-roading, and was tired of the costs of tracking cars. If money weren't a thing I would still have my M3 and the 4r. maybe some day again...

 

[HOJeepster]

Yes, 5th gens are 100% fan boy.