On the fence about upgrading T4R3 to T4R5

[mikeySA]

Consider a 100 series land cruiser. Might fit nicely between the 3rd and 5th price. I went 3rd to 5th. At times i regret not getting a lc200. Had I known gas prices would stay this low I would have.

The 5th is a nice upgrade. Especially going from limited 3rd with open diffs to a trail edition 5th with rear locker and MTS. Much more trail capable out of the box. And the drive train especially the ifs is much stronger. So you don't have to worry about it. Maybe you wouldn't need as many mods? Mine is pretty mild and goes everywhere i ask it to.

That said, being car poor sucks. Unless you can pay cash, I'd buy something else. Also consider a gx460. Great value. Great platform. Really underappreciated.

I'll start looking at the 100 series, I just didn't like the torsen bar front suspension. It weirds me out for some reason, but then again, I never drove a 100 series before. I did come across a thread in ih8mud; a fab shop created a coilover conversion kit for it which was cool. Except it was $2500 so then it stopped looking cool.

I did look into the GX470 and GX460 but I can't get past the barn door rears. It would have been perfect with the regular hatch style door.

My current tire carrier swings out the same way and it drives me crazy, I wish they had the dual swing outs when I purchased my rear bumper.

 

[Dillusion]

Don't get me wrong. They are awesome to drive and very modern in terms of interior space, performance, etc. But at the end of the day, what you're paying won't justify it, well in my opinion it didn't. Unless you have deep pockets. I've talked to a bunch of previous TRD Pro and 5th gen owners sell theirs because of the amount they spend vs the amount of driving they do and use of the vehicle. And in the end, they didn't break even selling or lost money.

But to each their own. I say go for it if you're financially ready.

I think this is every vehicle. Worst investment you can make.

Unless you get a classic that actually goes up in value.

 

[Road Bull]

You will be sad in the pants if you sell that 3rd.

Shelf this decision for six or so months putting your $600-$700 in would-be car payment into a jar. If you are still feeling the want after adjusting your lifestyle to the new payment plan, then maybe think about buying something new. This way you can get used to waving goodbye to a loan payment ever month. What if you saved up a few months worth of theoretical loan payments and addressed any 3rd gen concerns that you had?

Granted, it has been a loooooong time since I made an auto loan payment but I like to think of money = heartbeats. You are not really spending money when you make a big purchase, you are spending your heartbeats that are represented by money.

But maybe you really want that new ride. I think you'd be better off saving for the mods that you'd like to do to the new ride for however long it takes you to do so. Then, you purchase the new toy and mod with the money you saved up. At least this way you are not paying interest on mods. In the meantime, you have a bad ass 3rd gen to scoot around in.

 

[FZRunner]

I've had a 3rd and 4th (current), and they're both great. In fact, it was very difficult to switch, but I did so for my daughter's safety and comfort. Whether it's a 5th, 4th or whatever, you have to remember adaptability. You to it, it to you. What will you use it for? What makes it better than what you have now, and so on. Nothing you haven't heard before. I wish you luck with your choice. Cheers, G.