too vvti or not that is the question

[steelynorm]

title says most of it.

thinking of picking either a 4runner or GX. I keep my cars for 200k miles at least. Was not sure if I should go with an 04 or an 05?

Do I sacrifice long term durability for a little extra oomph?
I currently have a 100 series with a 190K, little or no problems with the car.

was not sure if the vvti version was worth the money and the potential headache of a slightly more complex engine?

 

[hearno]

I would say the motors aren't the problems with these trucks. It's all the crap attached to them, with the exception of the head gasket issue on the v6s. Regardless of which you choose, the other factors should weigh in more heavily. Maintenance, condition inside and out, etc.

 

[AKmoney]

Here are my thoughts (I have an '04 V8 without VVTI): The 2UZ-FE is a pretty "lazy" engine. It's not a high revver and just driving it around normally it's not often you need to go beyond 2500 or 3000 rpm for anything. VVTI only buys you ~400rpm more revs on the top end (5000+ RPM) and it's rare you ever rev that high anyway. When I was shopping for my 4Runner last summer I originally focused on the newer VVTI models but in the end I found an absolutely mint copy of an '04 which I eventually bought. It's probably more important to find a model that's clean and has a good service history as a first priority than it is to look for VVTI-only.

 

[CXS]

Yep, I agree and bought my '05 based on condition and maintenance as mentioned. These trucks aren't race cars and I have 160K+ and no issues at all.