Sold my 5th Gen and purchased another 4th Gen
- Thread starter Derek
- Start date
jrm
New member
With the 3rd gen the thing was
That i knew it was worth a lot more than it would be IF it was totaled by the insurance company so i decided to sell it. I loved it, but it was 15 years old and i didnt want to take a chance of losing a bunch of $$ if i held on to it that could be used towards a 4th gen so i sold it.
The GXs can be had for less money and they have the v8 but im happy with my 4th gen. Check out both the 4th gen and the GX. I dont think you can do wrong with either one...
That i knew it was worth a lot more than it would be IF it was totaled by the insurance company so i decided to sell it. I loved it, but it was 15 years old and i didnt want to take a chance of losing a bunch of $$ if i held on to it that could be used towards a 4th gen so i sold it.
The GXs can be had for less money and they have the v8 but im happy with my 4th gen. Check out both the 4th gen and the GX. I dont think you can do wrong with either one...
Derek
New member
One Year Update: Since I purchased my '07 Limited I have done the following:
- Used a cleaner wax to restore the original shine of the single-stage white paint
- Replaced the original shocks/struts with the same OEM
- Replaced all of the bulbs in the HVAC controls since I had one out and they are easy to replace
- Had a full ATF exchange performed by the dealership
- Had two defective tires replaced by the selling dealership due to balancing issues
- Replaced the front brake pads because the new ones installed by the dealership were some cheap non-OEM pads and were making all sorts of noise
- Fixed a rattle coming from the windshield cowl. Now this thing has zero rattles which is fewer than the 2016 I sold.
- Replaced the battery after it died in my garage.
Other than the above I haven't done anything beyond changing the oil every 5K miles. Overall I love this thing much more than the 2016 it replaced. I have put ~17K miles on it over the last year so now I'm at 140K. My wife probably still thinks I'm crazy for getting rid of a new 4Runner for a 10 year old 4Runner but she knows how much I love this one compared to the 2016. I hope to keep this thing running for many years to come.
- Used a cleaner wax to restore the original shine of the single-stage white paint
- Replaced the original shocks/struts with the same OEM
- Replaced all of the bulbs in the HVAC controls since I had one out and they are easy to replace
- Had a full ATF exchange performed by the dealership
- Had two defective tires replaced by the selling dealership due to balancing issues
- Replaced the front brake pads because the new ones installed by the dealership were some cheap non-OEM pads and were making all sorts of noise
- Fixed a rattle coming from the windshield cowl. Now this thing has zero rattles which is fewer than the 2016 I sold.
- Replaced the battery after it died in my garage.
Other than the above I haven't done anything beyond changing the oil every 5K miles. Overall I love this thing much more than the 2016 it replaced. I have put ~17K miles on it over the last year so now I'm at 140K. My wife probably still thinks I'm crazy for getting rid of a new 4Runner for a 10 year old 4Runner but she knows how much I love this one compared to the 2016. I hope to keep this thing running for many years to come.
wsgoat
New member
Other than the above I haven't done anything beyond changing the oil every 5K miles. Overall I love this thing much more than the 2016 it replaced. I have put ~17K miles on it over the last year so now I'm at 140K. My wife probably still thinks I'm crazy for getting rid of a new 4Runner for a 10 year old 4Runner but she knows how much I love this one compared to the 2016. I hope to keep this thing running for many years to come.
Your post resonates with me. I purchased a new 5th gen this spring but hung on to my 4th gen because the dealer was not going to give me much on a trade. I notice that I tend to grab the keys to the 4th gen alot more than the keys of the new truck. Don't know why, but the 4th gen just seems to "fit" better. We'll see where it leads long term....first world problems I guess.
kingofthehill
New member
I really wanted a new 4runner but I couldn't afford one. I ended up getting a 4th gen. After reading your information I feel a lot happier with my decision than I did at the time of purchase. I do wish I had some of the newer features but I have decided that I am going upgrade mine to have all the same feature or even better than the current models.
Derek
New member
Honestly there aren't that many 'newer' features on the 5th gens. Sure, the stereo head unit is touchscreen and has built-in support for your smart phone. But that's the only thing I liked more with the 2016. I added Bluetooth streaming to my 4th gen because it has the AC outlet in the center console so all I needed to buy was a Bluetooth adapter and plug it in. Now I can stream audio from my phone (which I do every day) without using the aux cable.
4Rnr4Evr
New member
A few weeks ago out of nowhere I caught a 5th gen fever for a couple days... all I did was read on the 5th gen all day (don't tell my boss...). Even made a list of adv / disadv 4th gen vs 5th gen... well they kinda balanced out. In some ways the 5th gen would be a downgrade... and in some cause the advantages could be brought to the 4th gen at much lower cost. I just could make no sane case where it made sense to drop at least $20K more on top of my vehicle's value to "upgrade" to a 5th gen. Even if it is "better" it is not nearly $20K better. And the only one I would buy would be a TEP and these seem to be really hard to find at a lower price.
I ended up buying about $1.5K worth of suspension upgrades and I'm hoping that will cure my new car fever for a while. I'm thinking once I hit 200K (which would be ~1y from now) I'll either just stay the course (it would be fun to see how long I can get it to last) or move to a lower mileage V8. I've driven the GX470 and I like it but it just doesn't feel like "my" car, whereas I felt in love with the 4Runner as soon as I sat in it and drove it for the first time.
I ended up buying about $1.5K worth of suspension upgrades and I'm hoping that will cure my new car fever for a while. I'm thinking once I hit 200K (which would be ~1y from now) I'll either just stay the course (it would be fun to see how long I can get it to last) or move to a lower mileage V8. I've driven the GX470 and I like it but it just doesn't feel like "my" car, whereas I felt in love with the 4Runner as soon as I sat in it and drove it for the first time.
On a recent work trip I picked up a 2017 4runner with about 8k miles on it as my rental for about 300 miles. I was not feeling it. I prefer the 2005 model ride and drive over the newer one. Just didn't fit right. But when I test drove my
4th gen, there was no question. It just worked.
4th gen, there was no question. It just worked.
PWGUNNY
New member
Interesting thread. I've had a Gen 3 and then bought a Gen 4 2004 V6 Sport new from the dealer. My vehicle now has 173k miles on it. It runs perfect, I love it, but the wife is saying time to upgrade. I've been thinking to buy a used 5th Gen in the near future, and sell my beloved '04 Sport. Now that I read this thread, I'm having some doubts about upgrading to a newer vehicle.
I'll just keep procrastinating on the sale.
I'll just keep procrastinating on the sale.
One Year Update: Since I purchased my '07 Limited I have done the following:
- Used a cleaner wax to restore the original shine of the single-stage white paint
- Replaced the original shocks/struts with the same OEM
- Replaced all of the bulbs in the HVAC controls since I had one out and they are easy to replace
- Had a full ATF exchange performed by the dealership
- Had two defective tires replaced by the selling dealership due to balancing issues
- Replaced the front brake pads because the new ones installed by the dealership were some cheap non-OEM pads and were making all sorts of noise
- Fixed a rattle coming from the windshield cowl. Now this thing has zero rattles which is fewer than the 2016 I sold.
- Replaced the battery after it died in my garage.
Other than the above I haven't done anything beyond changing the oil every 5K miles. Overall I love this thing much more than the 2016 it replaced. I have put ~17K miles on it over the last year so now I'm at 140K. My wife probably still thinks I'm crazy for getting rid of a new 4Runner for a 10 year old 4Runner but she knows how much I love this one compared to the 2016. I hope to keep this thing running for many years to come.
White '07 Limited v8, looks like 2wd? I approve.
Please tell us how you fixed the rattle in the windshield cowl. I've had a rattle for 2 years that I can't chase down. Sounds like it's coming from under the dash close to the windshield on the passenger side, but it happens at random times, so it's hard to make a good guess at the cause
Derek
New member
Sorry for the late reply as I'm just now seeing your post. My rattle also sounded like it was coming from the passenger side near the lower windshield or dash. Fixing it was much easier than I expected.
First you'll have to remove the wipers which is just a matter of popping the plastic covers off each arm covering the bolts. Use a socket to remove each nut and carefully pull each of the wiper arms off.
The windshield cowl is held on with several clips along the lower ridge and then a pop-up type clip on each side (looks like a plastic phillips head screw). I broke one of these side clips and had to purchase a new one. Lesson learned. After removing the clips on the sides and using a flat head screw driver to pop up the clips along the edge it was easy to lift the cowl up and out.
I took a test drive without the cowl to confirm the rattle was gone and it was.
I then used self-adhesive felt that you can buy at a craft store or wal-mart. I cut strips of the felt and then peeled the paper off and stuck them to any ridges on the back side of the cowl that I could see possibly tapping against metal or glass. Then I made sure to line the little tabs that actually fit against the lower edge of the windshield glass with felt. I put everything back together and now I have zero rattles. It probably took 30-45 minutes start to finish. :bigok:
Great story.One Year Update: Since I purchased my '07 Limited I have done the following:
- Used a cleaner wax to restore the original shine of the single-stage white paint
- Replaced the original shocks/struts with the same OEM
- Replaced all of the bulbs in the HVAC controls since I had one out and they are easy to replace
- Had a full ATF exchange performed by the dealership
- Had two defective tires replaced by the selling dealership due to balancing issues
- Replaced the front brake pads because the new ones installed by the dealership were some cheap non-OEM pads and were making all sorts of noise
- Fixed a rattle coming from the windshield cowl. Now this thing has zero rattles which is fewer than the 2016 I sold.
- Replaced the battery after it died in my garage.
Other than the above I haven't done anything beyond changing the oil every 5K miles. Overall I love this thing much more than the 2016 it replaced. I have put ~17K miles on it over the last year so now I'm at 140K. My wife probably still thinks I'm crazy for getting rid of a new 4Runner for a 10 year old 4Runner but she knows how much I love this one compared to the 2016. I hope to keep this thing running for many years to come.
