Should I Buy?

[wiseguy]

New to this board, any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Currently own a 2003 Tundra, but the other day an 02 4runner Limited passed me and my desire to own a third generation Runner was rekindled. Living in Colorado, there is a strong demand for 4Runners. With that in mind, the one I am considering buying is an 01 Limited, 64,000 miles, and with 10 months left on the Toyota Certified warranty. Asking price is $18,000, but seller did indicate some flexibility on price. Haven't gone to see it yet, still contemplating if I should go for the vehicle I have always loved or stick with my Tundra which only has 29,000 miles on it.

Please give me your opinions and any suggestions on things to check out when I go take a look at the vehicle this weekend. Many thanks in advance.

 

[KL4RUNNA97]

WELCOME!!

since my friend has a 05 tundra and i have a 3rd gen 4runner my question for you is how often do you give people rides and how often do you use your truck bed?

from experience the tundra really doesnt have that much space for people to sit so the 4runner would be a better choice if you give people rides often

another is that if you dont use your truck bed that much the 4runner usually holds all i need, if i needed more space i just put down the rear seats and put a mat or something so the interior doesnt get to dirty.

another thing you might want to look and compare is MPG, if you need help with finding your MPG on both cars i have a great website for you to check out (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm)
thats the website

HOPE THIS HELPS!!!

 

[wiseguy]

Thanks for the thought provoking questions. I can't say I haul people around or use my bed often with my Tundra, except to carry my 3 dogs. MPG isn't a big factor as the Runner should get only about 2 miles more per gallon. My driving motivation is that I always loved the style of the 3rd generation Runner and time is against me if I ever want to buy one. Plus I would like more bells and whistles on my vehicle, e.g. leather, heated seats, sunroof, etc., all of which are very hard to get on a Tundra. Oh, and the advanced 4WD system would be another big plus for the Runner.

 

[KL4RUNNA97]

well i remember having a discussion between my car and my friends tundra

most people said they liked 4runners looks more then the tundra

plus a 4runner can fit all 3 of your dogs

atleast i think so

o ya mileage shouldnt be a factor, i think there was another post talking about how much mileage everyone had on there 4runner i believe there was a few that said they had over 300k mileage and still running great, ill see if i can find that post again

 

[KL4RUNNA97]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showt...55&highlight=how+much+mileage+on+your+4runner

the thread about how much mileage a few of us members have

hope this also helps

 

[Doug S]

I was just faced with this decision, I bought an 01 4runner new for a work vehicle and then bought a used (cherry) 01 Tundra for a personal vehicle. I sold my business last year and ended up with both of them in my driveway, and I liked both but for different reasons.

The Tundra with it's V8 was fun to drive and it's ride was far superior to the runner. It's 4X4 was just OK and since it was a pickup with a light rear, it slipped around in wet conditions and even in the snow with 4X4. It's longer wheel base made local driving more of a chore than the runner and my actual mpg around town was 3-4mpg different in favor of the runner. The stock 4X4 in the runner is great, lock everything up and you can get out of almost anything unless you are dragging the bottom.

Only you can assess your needs but I kept the Runner and sold the Tundra. It makes a better DD unless you are hauling plywood sized items and the biggest reason for me was it fits in my garage..no ice on my windows in the morning...

Doug

 

[GatorGreg]

If you're not already familiar with the model year changes during the 3rd generation, you may want to check out this site http://www.top4runners.com/ja/runhist31996.html which provides a nice summary. '01 was very significant change cuz it was first year of ATRAC. If it were me I'd actually prefer to get a '00 Limited because along with multimode 4WD it was the last year you could get the optional rear locker and the early '00s came with the taller springs. That price seems a bit high for a '01, there was a guy on here trying to sell an '03 Sport 4x4 for less than that price. I'd check out autotrader.com to see if you can find a better deal. I almost bought a '00 Limited last month which had an asking price of $14K, so you'd probably save a nice chunk of money on a '00 compared to a '01

 

[p nut]

Yeah, $18K is insane for an 01. My local dealership (not Toyota) is selling an 03 Limited, V8 w/ 50k miles for $21K. 00-02 Limiteds are going for $14-15K, which all have about 40-50k miles.

Is your Tundra a DC? My friend has one, and that thing is HUGE. I would hate driving that thing around everywhere. Better gas mileage, less money (I'm guessing your Tundra will sell for more?) and better DD attributes all point to the 4Runner.