Potential new owner from Ohio

[Desmoface]

Happy holiday's everyone!

I've been lurking for a while as I'm looking at new vehicles and the 4runner is near the top of the list.

What brought me here is I'm on my 3rd F-150, my first one was great, no issues. My 2nd one, a 15 had a major issue where the door's wouldn't close/latch when it got below freezing. Imagine getting into your brand new, $50k truck at 7am, dark and cold, and your door won't latch/close. Driving to work holding your door closed on your brand new $50k truck isn't cool.

Call the dealer, he says your door latch probably froze - I'm like, "I kind of figured that out." Anyway, multiple dealer visits and Ford finally admits there is a problem, the dealer orders the parts to fix it but they are back-ordered. After several months of this I call Ford's home office in MI and tell them they are taking the truck back and giving me a loaner until it's fixed or I'm invoking the lemon law. Strangely the parts mysteriously appear at my dealer a couple hours later.

Anyway, my current '18 F-150's 5.0 is burning oil at an alarming rate; the fix? Ford will replace the engine. So, I've given Ford enough of my $. My lease is up soon so I'm shopping.

I really want to buy American, so I'm looking at a nice Silverado Trail Boss, beautiful truck, but upon researching, I'm finding that they are having all kinds of issues as well; electrical, frames rusting, valves gunking up due to direct injection, tranny problems, Active Fuel Management/Cylinder De-Activation issues, etc. Ram? Well, I won't even go there, LOL. Enough of this trash - I went and test drove a 4runner.

Anyway, thinking about picking up a Venture, wife kind of digs the red, I like all of them. Can anyone comment if the rusting frame issue impacts the newer 4runners? I ask because I live in Ohio and they use salt/brine, and lots of it. Thanks in advance.

Steve

 

[loopyear]

Hey, I can't comment on the rusting since we barely even know what snow and ice are over here.

But! I will say that my family always bought domestic vehicles for decades and saw no end of issues. We all switched over to Toyota/Honda (incl a 3rd Gen T4R and 2x 5th Gen T4R) and the difference in reliability is unbelievable. Not sure what you use your truck for, if you need the bed the Tundras are great, too, as long as you don't mind the large footprint and turn radius!

 

[Desmoface]

Hi Loopyear,

We just love the size of the truck; it's comfortable, especially when we travel. With a tonneau cover we can throw our luggage in the bed and we are good to go. It's sad, American auto manufacturers really need to step up their game.

Thanks for the response.

Steve

 

[Overlander367]

Had American vehicles for years, changed to Toyota a while back and it is now all we buy. If dependability is what you are looking for, look no further, I live in the south so not too concerned with rust, sorry I cannot confidently chime in on that issue.

 

[WRTR5]

Happy holiday's everyone!

I've been lurking for a while as I'm looking at new vehicles and the 4runner is near the top of the list.

What brought me here is I'm on my 3rd F-150, my first one was great, no issues. My 2nd one, a 15 had a major issue where the door's wouldn't close/latch when it got below freezing. Imagine getting into your brand new, $50k truck at 7am, dark and cold, and your door won't latch/close. Driving to work holding your door closed on your brand new $50k truck isn't cool.

Call the dealer, he says your door latch probably froze - I'm like, "I kind of figured that out." Anyway, multiple dealer visits and Ford finally admits there is a problem, the dealer orders the parts to fix it but they are back-ordered. After several months of this I call Ford's home office in MI and tell them they are taking the truck back and giving me a loaner until it's fixed or I'm invoking the lemon law. Strangely the parts mysteriously appear at my dealer a couple hours later.

Anyway, my current '18 F-150's 5.0 is burning oil at an alarming rate; the fix? Ford will replace the engine. So, I've given Ford enough of my $. My lease is up soon so I'm shopping.

I really want to buy American, so I'm looking at a nice Silverado Trail Boss, beautiful truck, but upon researching, I'm finding that they are having all kinds of issues as well; electrical, frames rusting, valves gunking up due to direct injection, tranny problems, Active Fuel Management/Cylinder De-Activation issues, etc. Ram? Well, I won't even go there, LOL. Enough of this trash - I went and test drove a 4runner.

Anyway, thinking about picking up a Venture, wife kind of digs the red, I like all of them. Can anyone comment if the rusting frame issue impacts the newer 4runners? I ask because I live in Ohio and they use salt/brine, and lots of it. Thanks in advance.

Steve

Main reason many people buy the 4runner is because of its reliability and practicality. You can take it on adventures during the weekends and commute during the weekdays without issues. The amount of rust that your car accumulates partially depends on the owner. If you wash the car often and make sure the undercarriage is clean, you shouldn't have much rust. I also suggest undercoating it when you buy it to maximize its lifespan.

 

[MtnRover]

Can't go wrong with the 4Runner. Have 135,000 miles on my 2014. Still looks and runs great. Consistent oil changes and maint. got me this far and expect to go well over 200k. Paint still in great shape. Mountain off roading and many trips down the beach hardly show.

 

[Desmoface]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the replies, the deed is done. Picked this up a week or so ago:

 

[thennen]

Sweet truck! I'm a fan of the Venture trim. Congrats from a fellow Ohioan, I think you'll really enjoy the 4Runner. I'm on my third one (1988, 2001, now 2019), with a combined 600k+ miles and never a regret. I already have 60k miles on the current one. As for rust, there are a lot of threads on here about prevention, but I think the newer frames are much better. I do suggest rinsing off the salt regularly.

Enjoy!

 

[Desmoface]

Hi Thennen, thanks! Lord knows NE Ohio loves it’s salt, LOL. I was thinking about trying to apply some fluid film but it looks like a lift would make the job a lot easier.

Sweet truck! I'm a fan of the Venture trim. Congrats from a fellow Ohioan, I think you'll really enjoy the 4Runner. I'm on my third one (1988, 2001, now 2019), with a combined 600k+ miles and never a regret. I already have 60k miles on the current one. As for rust, there are a lot of threads on here about prevention, but I think the newer frames are much better. I do suggest rinsing off the salt regularly.

Enjoy!

 

[revox92]

Welcome to the gang! That's one nice 4Runner. Enjoy

 

[Desmoface]

Thank you

 

[VENTURE21]

I was Dodge Ram and Jeep for years. The 2500 got replaced with a Tundra Crewman in 17. I just picked up a Silver Venture to potentially replace the TJ.. With being in PA I know all about rust.. Look into Fluid Film. It was too late for the 2500, but the TJ is holding out well. The Tundra still looks brand new underneath. Areas that constantly get washed off from road spray I will coat with bedliner. Enjoy the 4runner,

 

[damncajun]

Welcome from NE Georgia

 

[Desmoface]

Thank you.

Welcome from NE Georgia

 

[Gaswain13]

If keeping it for the long haul in ohio fluid film is a must. I've used fluid film religiously on my 2000, scrap of dirt/grime and spray on fresh in October before salt season. Spray inside frame, inside body panels, any where water can accumulate. Probably the only reason I still have a decent frame.