Muscle Car to 4 Runner

G

GTOto4R

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I have now test drivin the 4Runner V8 Sport several times and really like it. I drives better than any SUV that I've tested. Here's the thing, I currently own a 2004 GTO which I love and have always owned muscle cars but I need the SUV now to tow my boat, Home Depot etc etc. The 4R V8 feels realy nice and hope that it would be a satisfiying substitute for the GTO.
Will I get tired of it and get the need to go back to muscle ? Has anyone else gone through this ? Yes I'm and old motorhead going on 55 and don't know if I can get it out of my system not driving a stick every day. I have owned manual transmission cars for the last 30 years. Anyone interested in a 2004 GTO 13,500 miles.
Thsnk for the input !
 
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I just went from an 05 Mustang GT to a 06 4Runner Sports Edition 4x4 V6 and couldn't be happier. This new 4Runner has a good mixture of sport car, suv, and luxury car features. I haven't regreted my decision at all. I say go for it!
 
Yup, I think you'll regret it. I'm just like you (but younger), driving manual transmission muscle cars all my life. My 4Runner is great, but it's no substitute for rowing your own gears while feeling the torque and hearing the sweet sound of a dual exhaust (I believe your GTO has a true dual system, although both tips are on the same side, correct?).

Keep the Goat and get a 4Runner also, if you can manage. Otherwise, you'll end up going back to a muscle car after a while. I've been through it all before.
 
Well, let's see. I went from from 16 yrs of nothing but F-Bodys, to a Trail Blazer in '04 (which I really didn't like) and now I have the 4R (got it in '05) and love it! You'll be okay in a 4R! ;) BTW, my last car I sold in '04 and it was a Camaro SS (LS1) very mild set up (342 RWHP & 12.40@111 on radials in the 1/4 with my A4 and full weight). :bigok:
 
If you're like me, you'll never get rid of that need for some american muscle. But as far as SUVs for a replacement, I would have to say that the 4Runner Sport with the V8 (which I have) is a decent substitute... it's relatively fast, handles relatively well, and gives you plenty of reliability along with the "fun to drive" factor. And while the Toyota will hold it's value fairly steady, this latest version of a GTO (if you can even call it that), will most likely not. Not to knock your choice of cars (since it hauls A** and I can respect that), but the new GTO certainly doesn't evoke much emotion from real Goat enthusiasts. If you replace it with a 4Runner and give Pontiac some time, I'd think that they'll give it another go at hitting the mark on a car that actually looks and resembles the iconic GTO from the 60s and 70s. Perhaps after the new Camaro debuts, Pontiac will follow suit to join in the Camaro/Challenger/Mustang wars. And in the meantime, pick up some old muscle car to tinker on. You'll enjoy the daily driving of a 4Runner, but still have something to fulfill the muscle car bug. For example, I have my 68 Camaro sitting in the garage right next to the 4Runner. They're happy together and I wouldn't have it any other way. :D
 
You are talking apples and oranges. If you think a SUV can fill the void of power, you are mistaken. When you have "The Need for Speed" an SUV is not going to satisfy that need but you can have a sporty SUV. What I mean is you can do some minor mods and the SUV can be a little more livable. A nice sounding exhaust can help. I came to a point in my life several years ago when I realized that NO car could satisfy my "Need for Speed", that I could afford, so I turned to the ultimate performance vehicle, the "Motorcycle". For a little over $10K you can get a vehicle that has more performance then the most expensive exotic car ever made. There are several motorcycles that are capable of 9 second 1/4 miles and speeds near 200 mph. We are living in wonderful times for extreme needs for speed.

Koz
 
How heavy is the boat & trailer? You should look at the Grand Cherokee SRT8. It can tow 3500 lbs and has a lot more 'muscle' than the 4Runner.
 
GTOto4R said:
Yes but the SRT8 costs almost $20k more.
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The GTOs are trimmed nicely. So I figured you were in the market for a Limited. The Limited and SRT8 are close in price.
 
No , it will be a white Sport V8 with the Borla option and cloth since I may eventually change out the front seat for some Recaros.
 
GTOto4R said:
No , it will be a white Sport V8 with the Borla option and cloth since I may eventually change out the front seat for some Recaros.
Click to expand...

You'll definitely get some of that muscle car fix out of having a Borla-equipped V8 4Runner. I have the same setup and it sounds great (and hauls bananas). I don't know how Recaros would fit in the 4Runner, or if you'd want to give up the power adjustments of the stock seats, but they probably would look good. I'm about to go with some aftermarket leather for mine. You could do the same for about a $1000 bucks. Maybe go with black seats and white stitching for a more sporty look?
 
Agree with the post suggesting keep both...completely disagree with the post suggesting the 4Runner would be anywhere close to a suitable substitute.

I love my 4Runner, but when it comes to the pure thrill of driving and the rush of pulling up next to and away from one of those "2-fast-2-furious" wannabes, nothing beats pure american muscle. I try to take my 1966 Cutlass convertible and its 455 cubic inches (that's 7.5 liters!), dual exhaust, 4-barrel carb, and limited slip 12-bolt Oldsmobile rearend out once a week and the thrill is hard to top.

http://photos.yahoo.com/tampascl
 
I'm an old motorhead from way back (owned some original muscle cars when they were new). I love my 4R but there's no way it's a good substitute for a muscle car from any era. If you've gotta feel the power, bang the gears and like to slide out the rear of the car around corners (on dry pavement :D ), then you're going to be unhappy.

The 4R is a great vehicle and fast enough for what it is, but in the end it took owning both a fast car and the 4R to scratch that itch.:runaway:
 
TampaSCL said:
Agree with the post suggesting keep both...completely disagree with the post suggesting the 4Runner would be anywhere close to a suitable substitute.

I love my 4Runner, but when it comes to the pure thrill of driving and the rush of pulling up next to and away from one of those "2-fast-2-furious" wannabes, nothing beats pure american muscle. I try to take my 1966 Cutlass convertible and its 455 cubic inches (that's 7.5 liters!), dual exhaust, 4-barrel carb, and limited slip 12-bolt Oldsmobile rearend out once a week and the thrill is hard to top.

http://photos.yahoo.com/tampascl
Click to expand...

I counldn't agree more. Look at my sig. try going from a Corvette Z06 (performance numbers in the exotic car range 0-60 4.2 1.06 lateral g's, 3150 lbs., 405hp 400 TQ all stock) to a SUV.

My reason for change was towing my snowmobile and more importantly my wife having our first child.

As you can see in my sig. I tryed to have both in the Audi S4, however the S4 is no SUV (as far as hauling baby stuff like portable playpins, strollers, etc.) and as great as the S4 is, it is nowhere close to a Z06 performance wise.

I am also a speed/adreneline freak and there is not day that goes by that I don't miss my Z06. Everytime I see one I almost cry.

Luckily, I am a pilot, so I fly in the summer months and ride my snowmobile in the winter months. So that, for the most part takes care of my speed/adreneline issues.

I'm hoping someday to have a used Z06 sitting next to the 4-Runner as a weekend track car.

As far as the SUV's go, you can not beat a
4-runner for handling. It is the only SUV (except for the Lexus GX-470) out there that has a suspension set-up that (for an SUV) really limits body-roll and stays relatively flat during cornering.

From my own personal experience with the XREAS system, it shines more on long sweepers rather than switch-backs. switch-backs can still get it swaying a bit if really pushed, but in a nice long sweeper even at 80 MPH, it stays pretty flat. You run out of tires before suspension on XREAS equipped 4-Runners.
 
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