Newbie Looking to buy first 4Runner

[j.robinson389]

Hello all,

I have been reading this site for few weeks now and thought I might as well post my own question.

I am about two weeks away from having my first child and so that means more than a few changes coming to my wife and I. One of them being that my regular cab Chevy pickup isn't going to cut it in the future for vacations. Both of us drive small sedans (Corolla and a Sonata) for our daily drivers, but when it comes to going on vacation we are looking for a bit more space. We like to camp on lakes and we pull a 3,800lb boat when we do, so even though my truck will do in a pinch we want to pick up something that we can still tow the boat with and replace her Sonata. I can't live without a pickup so my truck is going to stay.


So here is my question, and I know it's going to be a little biased here, but please be honest. With the reading/research I've done it seems that the 4Runner is the best combination DD that's still capable of towing, and gets respectable fuel mileage. I want 4WD even though I never offroad, but with snow and slippery boat ramps it is nice.

I'm thinking a 4th Gen V8 4WD 4Runner seems to fit the bill quite nicely. What do you think? Are there any better SUVs out there with better towing capabilities in this price range? I think if I'm patient I would be able to pick up a nice 4th Gen for around $15k.

Specifics:
1. Will I regret the all-time 4WD on the V8's?
2. How reliable is the V8, what are the known problems?
3. Is it an interference engine? Timing Belt or Chain?
4. Let me know any other things that necessary to owning a 4Runner.

This all said, I haven't gone out and test drove anything, so this may change I'm just thinking out loud right now. We would like to buy it sometime in 2014, so we have some time to wait for a good deal.


Thanks in advance,
Jake

 

[541joseph]

With where you live I don't think awd you will regret the v8 is just as reliable as any other toyota engine and is pretty perfect. It is an interference engine with a timing belt. One of the easier belts to replace just time consuming. And it is nescasary to off road it one time after you buy it (IMO of course)

 

[ebg18t]

Having 4wd at some boat ramps is very important. My larger boat currently weighs about 9500# (triple axle) and more than once we have needed 4wd to get up some of the slick wet ramps. Luckily we very rarely move it as it stays in the slip 95% of the time.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Given the heavy trailer you intend to pull, I think the V8 model is a good option. The MPG won't be as good as on a V6 model but it shouldn't be as bad as your pickup, probably close to the same.

V8s do need a timing belt changed at 90k, I believe.

The full time 4wd will cost you some MPGs but the plus side is that there's no ADD so that removes a potential failure point.

If you're not fully committed to the 4runner, you might want to at least take a look at a 1st gen Sequoia as well. Same 4.7 V8 but it has the same multi-mode 4wd as the V6 4runner (IOW, it has a 2wd option as well as full-time 4wd with a center differential you can lock.) It's a little bit bigger than the 4runner but not that much - IMO the 1st gen (2001-2007) Sequoia kind of looks like a 1 1/4 scale version of a 3rd gen 4runner.

I think the newer of the 1st gens (05-07) have the same 5 speed auto as the V8 and later V6 4runners. Earlier Sequoias have the 4 speed.

One thing I noticed around here, Sequoias were significantly less expensive on the used market compared to a similar year/mileage 4runner. Just something to think about.