The Marque versus the Quality

[jpalaska]

Originally I came from New York and Boston. What I mean is that I grew up on Long Island, and went to college in Boston. My first car was a 1958 VW beetle.
I came to Alaska in 1968, and lived my first year up here in a little Yupik Eskimo village in Bristol Bay. Then I moved to Anchorage and bought my second car, a 1963 Porsche 356 coupe.
Anyhow, my point is, I've always been one of your "east coast snobs" about vehicles.
I bought my '84 Volvo wagon new and kept it for 23 years. Almost 10 years ago I got my '86 Porsche 911 after screening over 100 Carreras by subscribing to all the major newspapers and Auto Traders on the West coast for 6 months. And I got a pristine car that had 11,000 miles on it, and still had the factory cosmoline on its trivetrain.
So, 3 months ago, when I was looking to replace the old Volvo for a new winter car, I started researching new Volvos, Mercedes, Touregs, Audis, even a Dodge Magnum.
I spent hundreds of hours on forums, Edmunds, cars.com, etc. researching and asking questions.
I never thought my quest would lead me to a SUV made by Toyota. But it did.

My point is, I still love my summer car, the 911. But now I have an excellent 4Runner that will take me through both winter and summer adventures.

The word marque is what yuppies and rich "enthusiasts' call their vehicles.
I call my T4R....... really f*ckin' great!

JP

 

[Koz]

After owning the 4th gen 4Runner for two years I can honestly say that the 4Runner is still a very special vehicle to drive, essecially in bad weather. I still find myself saying (to myself) "What a great vehicle this is" and how lucky I feel to own one.

Koz

 

[jpalaska]

Yeah, Koz,
You know.
I'm just learning to know.
Thanks Koz.

JP

 

[Falls]

I love the 4R !! I find myself really liking to drive it and almost look for reasons to get out and drive it. I do put it through its paces though as I'm constantly venturing off road someplace I'm not supposed to be ,which makes it even more fun because of the versatility it has. I feel its pretty much a go anywhere type of vehicle ( with in reason of course ).

I also have a very powerful 03 supercharged Ford Cobra Mustang convt. Last summer was my first summer with the 4R , so the Cobra got taken out once all summer for oil change , gas and air/tires pressure check. That how much I enjoy it !!!!

My response to people is it rides like a truck , handles like a car , goes like hell with the v8 , and can pretty much take me anywhere I want to go off road. Doesn't get much better than that IMO.

 

[drake3]

JP, I am curious as to what led you in the direction of the 4runner?

Was it articles and reviews or suggestions by people you know?

Just wondering.

My family became a Toyota family when we had to move to Japan for 3 years (military family). We did not bring a car over, but bought local and my father really liked them. He was a die hard "buy American" before that. After driving a couple of Toyota's for the 3 years in Japan he knew what he wanted when we were brought back to the states.

So we have been a Toyota family for the most part with Mercedes, Cadillacs, Nissans and Ford trucks (3/4 ton) scattered about.

Toyota, Lexus and Nissan have been our most reliable and trouble-free cars.

 

[jpalaska]

It was internet research, lots of it that steered me to Toyota.
I really wanted to get a new or almost new Volvo XC70 or XC90. I test drove several of them, and they are fun cars to drive (turbo and geartronic) and comfortable (most cushy driver's seat). I even looked at a 300 hp version that was almost as fast as my Porsche.
But I kept reading about owners' problems in the Volvo XC forum. Unfortunately, modern premium European cars like Volvo, Mercedes, and Audi have in recent years become over-engineered electronically. The new Volvos, for example can't be maintained and repaired by your local mechanic. Only the Volvo dealerships have the VADIS computer that's connected to the factory in Sweden. Modern Volvo owners are constantly bringing their cars to the dealership for new software downloads, just to make the car run like it's supposed to. And the dealers charge you for these downloads!
These upscale European cars and SUVs have lost out to Toyota and Honda for reliability and build quality.
When you look at credible reviews such as Edmunds, JD Powers, et al, it's not Volvo or Mercedes that come out on top any more. It's Toyota and Honda.

JP

 

[charlier180]

Internet research played a big part in the purchase of my 4Runner. Once I had all the technical specifications (ie. hp/torque/tow capacity, MPG, etc.)
I looked at various forums for owner feedback. When it came down to the two vehicles on my short list I was shocked when I tallied up the feedback
and found that for each complaint about the 4Runner there were 25+ complaints about the other European mid-sized SUV.
Given that feedback, the price difference between the two and the "take it or leave it" attitude when it came to how the European vehicle was equipped
the choice was clear.

 

[ak4r]

JP Now that you have a 4RNR you will start to notice how many are in Anchorage. Then you will start seeing how many Toyotas are in Alaska. It should be our official truck. They are everywhere.
I have had 2 Land Cruisers and 4 4RNR's and they have all been Great. VERY DEPENDABLE.
Glad you like yours as much as I do mine. PM me about winter tires and to meet another Anchorage Ignornant Old Fart with a 4RNR.

 

[Mark86]

You definitely made a smart choice in choosing an SUV. The 4Runner is an excellent summer and winter ride. I test drove an XC90 and didn't like the loose steering. I thought the 4Runner handled extremely well for its size.

 

[Uneek]

I got the 4Runner due to cost of ownership, maintenance is cheaper with a Toyota. OEM parts are slightly more than aftermarket parts and not through the roof. $80 for brake pads on a Mazda and Chevy, $40 for Toyota. Then the subjective, is there another SUV out there with the 4Runner's capabilities and still look good?

And playing devil's advocate... Toyota's had some quality issues and slips in its quest to be the #1 automaker and the 4Runner isn't perfect. But when I look at the alternatives, I always come to the same conclusion: is there something better and I could be a lot worse off by not buying a Toyota. I don't think I'm bias either, we had two Nissans, a Toyota, a Mazda and a Chevy. We still have the Mazda and two other Toyotas.

 

[khaug]

Great post!

We're on our second 4Runner, and I've used both our '98 and our current '03 to tow my '88 Carrera track car to DE events that I instruct at. Our '03 has a powertrain that's to die for, and returns 16 mpg when towing!!!

At 4 years, 60K miles our '03 has been flawless. It had better stay that way - my new 997 GT3 is currently 'on the boat' coming here (my '88 Carrera is now for sale, hint, hint). We won't be able to replace the '03 for a couple of years after the hit the GT3 is doing to our finances! But I'm confident that we can safely keep it past 100K miles. Would I do this with any other SUV? NOT!

IMHO, you have a great, refined, quiet, powerful and supremely reliable and durable vehicle. I honestly don't think it gets any better than this, unless you want to spend the bucks for the Lexus version, which has its own unique issues!

Enjoy!

 

[1st_runner]

I have to admitt, I love my 4Runner. I've always been a Honda person and as someone who is brand loyal, never pictured myself buying a Toyota. They're the competition. But about 3yrs ago when I was in the market for a bigger vehicle and wanting a SUV, I happened upon a Toyota lot, test drove the 4Runner and feel in love. Even though I'd read a lot of articles on the rumored (at that time) future Honda truck, I couldn't stop thinking about the test drive with the 4Runner. I read all the articles from Car & Driver (they suck), Edmunds, Truck Trend, Consumer Reports, ect... and decided to pull the trigger and buy one. In February of 2004 I bought a brand new 4x4 SR5 and have loved every minute since. I too look for roads that I shouldn't be on & happily go down them. My wife teases me that she can't get me out of my truck. Max (my 4Runner) now has 66,000 miles on him & I fell that he's just now getting broken in. I repeatedly tell my wife, "now I understand why people love these trucks." As long as Toyota keeps making them this good, I'll keep buying 4Runners.