New member and possible 3rd gen T4R buyer

[NiSePa]

Hi, my name is Nick. I am from Western Massachusetts but I now live in Montreal, Canada. I currently drive a 2002 Saab 95 Aero but it’s taking a beating on these pothole ridden Montreal streets and it’s getting dinged and dented every time I park it. Too much abuse for a European sports sedan in my opinion. This past winter was the last straw; my car got stuck in snow twice and had to be pulled out, the tow company put a huge basketball sized dent into the passenger-side rear quarter panel, and I blew out a tire driving over a pothole (luckily I didn’t crack my rim). Needless to say I started considering other options.

I need a vehicle that will drive through potholes and mini-craters, deep Canadian snow, and soft Cape Cod beach sand without getting damaged or stuck. I also want a vehicle that won’t break down often, when it does break down it is easy and cheap to fix, and gets decent gas mileage. I am 21 years old and on a student budget so I don’t want to spend more than $8000 on the truck. I do a lot of highway driving for my job so cruise control as well as decent torque/power is a huge plus. Whatever vehicle I end up getting I plan on adding a mild suspension lift and more aggressive tires, though I know very little on this subject (yet. I have always driven cars except for my first, a 1987 Isuzu Trooper II!)

Here are the vehicles I am considering:
Infiniti QX4
Jeep Cherokee
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Land Rover Discovery
Mitsubishi Montero Sport
Nissan Pathfinder
Nissan Xterra
Toyota 4Runner

I have pre-conceived ideas about some of these vehicles such as poor build quality for the Jeeps and poor reliability for the Land Rover but I would like your opinions. I am wondering why you decided on the 4Runner over any of the other vehicles I have mentioned. The 4Runner's the front-runner in my mind because of Toyota's legendary reliability and build quality. My dad’s winter/weekend work vehicle is a (1999?) Mitsubishi Montero Sport and he loves it. The problem is they weren’t that popular so they are pretty hard to find second hand. Did any of you consider any of the other vehicles I have mentioned? Consider any other vehicles I didn’t list? Suggestions? Anything you can tell me about 4Runners or other 4x4s will be a huge help and make my decision a lot easier. I think I’d be looking at 3rd generation 4Runners…

 

[THEREALTOR1]

in 06' I went to the dealership one of my buddy's worked at with all intentions of buying an 01' cherokee they had on the lot. My parents had just bought the same vehicle essentially, and I figured it be easy if I needed parts. The jeep was out on a test run when I got there, and my buddy told me about this 01' 4R they had just gotten in on consignment. He pre-drove both vehicles and said the T4R was incredible compared to the jeep, so I went with the Toyota without ever seeing the jeep. Since then my parents have several issues with the jeep, while knock on wood, my T4 is still running strong as hell.

Trust your instincts, but I think if you do your homework, your decision will be fairly easy.

Welcome to the site.

 

[Lvmyrnnr]

IMO you just can't go wrong with the 4Runner, but then again, you are on the Toyota 4Runner Forum....lol. I got my first one in 2000 and it NEVER steered me wrong, was totally reliable and I would still have it but after 11 years wanted a new one, so I got a 2011 model. I didn't even consider anything else. :driving:

 

[SCRunner12]

Here are the vehicles I am considering:
Toyota 4Runner

Here I fixed it for you. :biggrin2: My girlfriend has an 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee and it sucks. My 4runner is much nicer, comfortable and I trust it much more. If you are tall, the GC front windshield is a bit too angled and the rear view mirror gets in the way. I can't say much about the other vehicles, but with 4runners you know what you are getting and they last forever.