What inpired you to buy a Runner?

[Muzzle of Bees]

I am not big on posting pics. But, a combination of having my home paid for along with having my Xterra paid for for a while too. I was also able to get a good trade price on the Xterra. I can retire in four years. This will allow me to have a great vehicle that is paid off. The 4Runner is more comfortable and is much more capable. Plus it felt right.

 

[chillfancy]

I've been driving AWD vehicles since I was 19. My last 3 vehicles were a Subaru WRX (college years), Audi A3 convertible, S3 sedan, and a Q5 suv. I'm big into the outdoors and an realizing that I'm wanting something with more actual capabilities. Looking for a 5th Gen Trail Premium right now.

 

[jleffert]

My dad bought a 2nd gen in the early 90's and then got rid of it and in 1998 bought a brand new 4Runner. I always liked it and when I was 19 I bought it from him and he replaced it with a 2011 Trail 4Runner. It's special to me that it never left the family and as long as I have a say in the matter, it never will.

 

[Bumbo]

Honestly I didn't really care for the 4Runner or Toyota trucks at all... I was more of a sports car and luxury sedan kinda guy.

For me it was my first off-road trip... I never knew how capable these things were off-road. I gained a new respect for these Toyota trucks and a love for going out to the deserts.

That said I never bought a 4Runner, it was my girls family car this entire time. She bought it from her dad... It spent most of its time on the road as her commuter until we started hanging out with the right people.

To be honest I still prefer other cars on the street, but our 4Runner is basically a really nice toy for us now because we can't stop modding it for off-road use.

My daily driver is a crew cab Chevy Silverado and we also have a Acura TL.

 

[Tyler.cabral]

Lifelong dream after riding in a very close family friends 03 T4R every morning. Could not wait to get my hands on my one and now I have it!

 

[loarmistead]

I've loved the look ever since the 2nd gens. Fast forward to today, we own a 3rd Gen, a 4th Gen, and a GX.

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[tatooweeny]

Well I just moved to an area that gets snow, so I figured I might as well start looking for a cheap 4x4. I was looking at Tacomas on Craigslist when I came across a 1st gen 4Runner for sale. Fell in love with it during the test drive.

 

[SacStateHornets]

As a teenager in the 80's I would have killed for a 4Runner. Too expensive for me until I hit middle age. I've owned four of them now and it is really the only vehicle that inspires me with passion.


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[SacStateHornets]

I also loved the Marty McFly SR5 pickup, something about Toyota trucks.


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[Dawyd]

Watching two 4runners on Alaska Off Road Warriors.

 

[wcjeep]

We were done with new Jeeps. Lemon Law'd a Cherokee Trailhawk. Needed something strong that could survive my wife's driving. I also wanted something I would not have to work on. Test drove some unibody vehicles. The 4runner is great, not perfect.

 

[247christian]

My friends all have rigs so it was just my turn

 

[Beaumont67]

Fun thread to read, keep those great stories of passion coming...

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I had 42 years of driving, many used vehicles before I became Toyota loyal.
- living in a snow & salt belt, I relied on buying 4x4's that were better than average on rust
- finding examples that got treated to yearly oil spray undercoating, was a top priority
- used Toyota's and I, never crossed paths until a few years ago...when I chose not to settle for 2nd best

Now ^^ Wife drives a 2008 RAV4 v6 4x4...a 269 HP SUV rocket.
Son bought a new 2015 Lexus RX350 v6 AWD.
And Dad has a pristine 2000 4Runner SR5 3.4L 4x4 auto, with 85K original miles.

Being a Chev. Silverado 4x4 truck guy, I like truck ride vs. soft suspension.
And want a full truck frame SUV, over uni-body construction (like Jeep or later Nissan's)

But the Gen3 4Runner is my all time favorite...not to big & not to small, just right.
I was lucky to get extra clean one owner example, without rust issues, has perfect original paint & under 100K miles.
- 1st its styling is "time-less" and I never grow tired of the aging design, that still looks perfect in size & balance.
- 2nd is real 4x4 with Hi-Lo transfer case...and stick range selector, has the cool factor.
- full truck frame, is just rugged...while the 3.4L-v6 will easily go +300,000 miles or 500K Km.
Overall - loads of over-Engineering...every thing works, for decades.
- even makes a good tow vehicle, if I want to pull a camper or utility trailer

Two former used vehicles, made me search for 4Runner, decades later:
- my used 1986 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4, we enjoyed for 14 years, but no AC, no PDL-PW and access to the back seat was testing
- our 1996 Jeep Cherokee from GA, was fully loaded but lacked 4x4 & a uni-body vehicle
So I knew the Gen3 would foot the bill.

Bottom 2 photos - wife's v6 RAV4 and sons Lexus RX350...so family fully sold, on the Toyota brand.

 

[stephan07]

great overall utility and awesome resale value

 

[metanight]

Expediton Overland


Return to the Mackenzie series (im a BC resident) to watch them take on what is the backyard that is BC was awesome and truly inspiring. Pulled the trigger within 3 months on my 4runner trading in my f150 ecoboost.

 

[SomeDay]

Take a look to my avatar.

 

[wadle5]

Coming from a fast car, and not using it that much for speed anymore, I found it more practical for a utilitarian jack of all trades vehicle. Wanted an SUV, manual, capable, and reliable. Liked that the jeep and h3t came with manuals, but the reliability of them was sub-par. Came across a 4runner and realized they checked off almost all the boxes, and the reality is daily driving with a manual after a while uses it luster. 9 months later found the exact truck I am still driving today.

 

[BlackCloud]

When it snows I goes

1. My buddy has been swearing by his 3rd gen for 10 years
2. My Subaru Outback was more expensive to upkeep than I could fathom
3. I was killing my '05 Outback by taking it places it was not meant to go
4. I almost got stuck in my Outback in a snowstorm in Inyo NF miles from humanity

 

[xwake4lifex]

When I was 18 years old and fresh out of high school I got my first car -- a 2001 Ford Mustang (V6 A/T). Bought it with 72k miles and just sold it with 164k. I owned that car for 10 years and although things needed to be replaced as the car aged, overall I would say it treated me fairly well. I think the V6s of those years were decent motors.

Fast forward to present day and I live in Northern California and quite enjoy fishing, camping, hiking, and kayaking. My girlfriend and I have 2 dogs and 2 kayaks and I really wanted/needed something that would be more suitable to my lifestyle. Initially I was checking out some Jeep vehicles online because they were considerably less expensive and had overall far less mileage. Of course there are known issues with Jeep products that I hear about left and right so I decided to keep away. I began to fall in love with the Subaru Outback (newer models), but they were hard to find for a decent price and they are AWD. I felt like I wanted something with true 4WD.

In comes Toyota with their legendary quality and high relsale value. Holy crap do these vehicles hold their value well! Anyway the Toyota 4Runner was perfect for me: large enough, roof rack, great motors, holds value, 4WD, and just looks pure sexy.

Now I am the proud owner of a 2004 Toyota 4Runner (4.0L V6 A/T) in galactic grey. Purchased her with 148k on the clock and I'm hoping to easily get another 100k out of it. This vehicle has been really well taken care of and I'm going to make sure I treat it with the utmost care.

TLDR: Owned a Mustang for 10 years, upgraded to something that would suit my manly needs and beard better (oh, and doggo room).

Also: Included a photo of my old Mustang. Still cleans up really well. I loved that car!

Edit: Also holy cow there's so much room to work under the hood on this truck!

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[6172crew]

I own a Tacoma and a 93 4RUNNER. Wanted to upgrade this year and bought a 2017 Taco, after 6000 miles I couldnt take it any longer, traded that in on my 2017 Off-road premium. I do have some kind of rattle but Ill find it. Other than that Im pretty happy. the Taco had better features like climate control and the stereo sounded better but that can be fixed with $$ I guess.