What was the #1 reason you bought a T4R instead of anything else?..

[BEAR x SF]

My first car was a '98 Ford Explorer, didn't realize it then but looking back now I loved it. A few years after the engine died my next car was a '09 Mercedes ML 350 BluTech and after that a '13 Mercedes ML 350 Blutech. But I missed the feel that I got from my Explorer. The "luxury" from the Mercs was nice but it was a little too much for me and I didn't want to take them anywhere off pavement, let alone anywhere remote. As a hobby I picked up photography and I would pick up freelance jobs here and there. I was planning a trip to Utah to visit as many National Parks possible in a week and got the opportunity to work with a local company called Pacific Overlander. Didn't know too much about overlanding at the time, only about the old VW Vans that would get rented out for road trips. In their line up there was a Defender, 4Runner, Land Cruiser and a Tacoma. My initial choice was the Defender as the most aesthetically pleasing to photograph but it wasn't available with the days I had chosen for the trip. And neither were any of the other vehicles on the fleet except the 4Runner. I had the essentials I needed for the trip, RTT, portable stove, cooler, propane tank for the stove etc. First day driving from San Francisco to Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah I fell in love with the truck. Brought back the feeling that I had with my Explorer. After I got back from Utah I made it my goal to save up and purchase my own 4Runner the first chance I get. To me it's arguably the best looking SUV in the market and 2 years later I was able to make that goal a reality and purchased my '19 Nautical Blue TRD Off-Road Premium. I did want a TRD Pro but the numbers weren't on my side and the amount that the dealers were asking for in California was nuts. I remember SF Toyota had one of the last Cement Pro's around and were asking $57k and not a week later it was sold. Anyway, didn't think I'd drone on but thought I'd share to anyone willing to read lol. I couldn't be happier with my purchase and never get tired of looking at it. Mods will take a while but I'm enjoying the ride and eventually I'll get it to look exactly how I want.

Here's a video that I shot from the Utah trip;

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[Toronto_Tim]

I wanted something A LOT more reliable than my 2005 Land Rover LR3 which was costing me far more than it was worth.

I had a couple of 4th Gen 4Runners in the 2000's so it was a relatively easy choice based on relaiability and value for money - tough to beat a Toyota. Loving my 2016 Limted so far after just 3 months (half of which I've been trapped at home...).

 

[mscot]

A lot of reasons... reliability, the rear window (I do woodworking and it makes carrying lumber easy), big but not enormous, good for family, still fits in garage, reminds me of my Cherokee I had in college...

but really if I'm honest with myself... I bought it b/c I convinced myself I was someone I'm not.

 

[TommyG]

Spent about a year looking for a new car.

Wanted a V6 engine (and port injection) to get up steep hills and onto highways from short entrances.

Came down to about three cars and I picked the 4Runner because it was the easiest one to get in and out of. I'm 6'1" and old so I didn't enjoy climbing out of sporty sedans.

Bought the 2019 TRD ORP instead of the 2020 because I didn't want all the "safety" distractions. Like all the old school technology, and the swiss army knife vehicle. Not really into off roading or 4wheel drive but I like that it has the capability if I ever need it. (I just might.)

 

[4Running22]

Back in the late 90s when the 3rd Gen 4Runner came out my co-worker had purchased a Limited. That's when I fell in love with 4Runners. At the time I was driving a 1997 Tacoma Regular Cab that I bought for $13k brand new, I couldn't afford a 4Runner besides my wife didn't like it. Then 10 years later my wife and I had our first child so we definitely needed a bigger car. Went to a Toyota Dealer I started looking at the 4Runner I was drooling, I asked my wife can we get this 2007 4Runner SR5 2WD, she said No, I like the looks of the Highlander, we are getting the Highlander. I can't argue with her besides she always gets her way, you can never win with my wife. So we ended up buying a 2007 Highlander Sport. I still wanted a 4Runner, I almost cried when we left the dealership looking back at the 2007 4Runner SR5 as we drove away. I did not get my dream SUV that day. I told myself I'm gonna buy a 4Runner one day and I'm going to start saving my money for it. 12 years later still driving the Highlander, but I saved up enough money to buy me my dream SUV. It's money I put away for 12 years so I don't have to deal with my wife complaining about monthly car payments as she's very frugal in a way. I was ready to buy my 4Runner, Blue is my favorite color so I started looking for a 2019 SR5 Premium in Nautical Blue which is the only Blue available in that trim level. After looking at the color it was a little in dark side. When I was looking through the brochure I noticed the Voodoo Blue color but it only came on the TRD Pro. I totally fell in love. My local dealership did not have that TRD Pro available. I called every dealership in my area up to 200 mile radius no one had one. This was later in the year as most of the Voodoo Blues were already sold out. I was bummed. 2 weeks later I get a call from a dealership about 30 miles from me. He said he has a Voodoo Blue on the ship as we speak, it will arrive at port in a few days. I put my deposit on that day. A week later it arrived at the dealership, I told them not to unwrapped I want to unwrapped the vehicle myself. Drove to the dealership without my wife or I might end up with another Highlander. As i pulled up at the parking lot there she was staring at me all covered in white plastic. I finally got my 4Runner after all these years and in the color that I love. Paid cash for it at MSRP no dealer mark ups.

 

[TRD PANTHER]

My 2018 Pro is my fifth Toyota 4wd since late 1982. I had my last 2001 supercharged 4wd 4Runner for 17.5 years with 200k miles. No major problems with any of them. I still think the 3rd gen was slightly better overall in quality than the 5th. The Looks of the Pro sold me. Now, here is the real story why I ended up with a 5th gen. I decided I was going to buy a friends JK Rubicon. He gave me a great price and I didn’t have to pay taxes on it. I thought I would try something different after all those years. I had the Jeep for one month, unfortunately sold my 3rd gen, and realized this 2016 fully loaded Rubicon is a giant POS. Uncomfortable, terrible ride , not much room... I realized I made a huge mistake. Went down to the local Toyota dealer and traded it in without a loss on the Jeep, but paid 4k over MSRP for the Pro. I didn’t care. The piece of mind was worth it.

 

[patkelly4370]

I chose the 4runner instead of a Wrangler because we still have 2 adult children living with us.
Four people and groceries/stuff don't fit well in a Wrangler.
And older Cherokees are hard to find.
So far the 4runner has done everything I've needed it to do.

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[BradRunner]

I purchased my 2020 ORP for several reasons.

1998: l began tinkering on cars way back in HS when I had a 91 Jeep XJ. Actually rebuilt the top end of the inline 6 myself when the head gasket blew.

2000: Then moved to Hondas. Swapped engines, suspension, performance modifications. 10 years, 3 cars, and over a dozen traffic violations later...I settled down. I bought a V8.

2005: A 2001 Mustang GT with 49k miles for a cheap price of $11k. Oddly enough I didn’t receive and speeding tickets in this one. Granted I was in my mid 20s, so I just wanted to cruise and keep it clean. During this time I also had a WJ Jeep which I loved for its versatility, but the Mustang was the weekend warrior.

Fast forward to late 2018: the mustang has 198k on the clock and is stored away . I don’t give it much attention, but the WJ has been my workhouse for camping trips, weekend hikes, etc. I start eyeing the 2019 TRD OR as a worthy successor for the WJ. The reliability is there, it looks great, though I couldn’t close a deal for the EOY sales so I decided to wait.

Early 2019, tragedy strikes: WJs engine overheats for a longer period than I’d like to admit, boom, toast. The Mustang comes out of retirement, I need another vehicle with capability. Started looking for 2019s but see some articles about the 2020s having Apple CarPlay. I wanted the tech without having to modify the factory head unit, so I wait.

October 2019, wife is 4 months pregnant. No better time than now. Found a 2020 TRD OR in the exact spec I want, below sticker! The waiting pays off.

In closing, I bought my T4R for the following reasons:
1. Toyota reliability
2. Value retention (although I will never sell this thing)
3. Off road capability and versatility
4. Baby


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[Mudballz]

Growing up I wanted Marty McFly’s Toyota pickup so I bought the modern family version in my 18 orp now only if I can get to 77mph I can flylane:
Mike:croc:

 

[Double_M]

Main reason we were looking for any SUV was we had just bought a small travel trailer for the fam and we weren't going to tow it with the Odyssey. Our criteria was that it had to be reliable (Japanese brand), a tow capacity of min. 5,000lbs, and the wifey didn't want a truck. After searching around, it came down to basically the 4Runner or an MDX, but the thing that pushed us towards the 4Runner was the body on frame design. Have no regrets with the T4R and its been our favorite vehicle so far with the bonus of being able to get off the beaten path with ease from time to time.

 

[Smitty19TRD]

I bought mine because I'm a Jeep guy.

4Runner TRDOR, for the Jeep guy who wants a quiet, comfortable ride, no water leaks, and solid reliability.

In fact, my 2012 JKU Sport was at the Jeep dealer again for another recall and more warranty work (head replacement) when I was buying my wife a Camry. Before even picking the Jeep back up I ordered my TRDOR. My JK only had 36,000 miles since it's not a daily driver. The paint on the hard top was bubbling. The paint around the door hinges was bubbling because of the known galvanic corrosion problem with the hinges (two dissimilar metals mated together. I guess the engineers missed that day of school). Sections of the hard top had water in them that you could hear sloshing when driving. It leaked when it rained. It was loud. It had been to the dealer way too many times for recalls and warranty work. My wife didn't like it.

I do off-road my vehicles but not crazy stuff. Mostly trail riding and over landing. If the Jeep had been reliable I would have dealt with noise, ride, space, etc... because I knew that going in. The quality control on the Jeep was terrible and the wife and I both missed our 2004 4Runner. The Toyota dealer didn't have to work hard at all to get me to trade.

 

[spartacus]

I sold my tacoma extended cab and bought my 3rd Gen back in 2000 cause of family needs, love that truck runs lIke a champ with over 400k miles. Bought my 5th Gen because I needed a 3rd row.

 

[Muskrat14]

Bullet proof reliability.
Long life.
Ability to tow reasonable amount of trailer weight.
Off road ability.
Smaller and more maneuverable than my Armada.

The 4Runner hit all of these. However, I sometimes miss the 11K lbs towing capacity of the Armada. My 15 is almost paid off with 110K miles on it. I plan on keeping it for at least another 5 years.

Great vehicle.



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[enyce]

Toyota reliability
Solid drive-train
Great driving visibility
Resale value
Cargo capacity
Hood Scoop

Vehicle has almost 57,000 with zero issues. Some quirks here and there but nothing serious. Only real problem is the shitty paint / clear coat from the factory.

 

[serpico6969]

Thanks for all the replies/thoughts..we all share a love of our T4R for many reasons.

We own a special rig, thats for sure.

Thanks again for all the posts, this is a great forum and happy to be a part of it and learn from all the folks here on many different subjects related to the 4runner! Thx again

 

[utctscanr75]

I got my current 4Runner because I missed my previous one (07 model). Only got rid of the old one due to high payments and I was going back to school. Love the 4Runner for the versitility and the dog friendliness. I have 2 large dogs and the back area with the functional rear window is perfect for them. And yes, the Toyota reliability is there too.

 

[mscot]

Growing up I wanted Marty McFly’s Toyota pickup so I bought the modern family version in my 18 orp now only if I can get to 77mph I can flylane:
Mike:croc:

There is also this!

But honestly, if not for the hideous front end and the ambulance rear door I would have bought a GX

 

[Friggin Idiot]

Old Technology.
Proven reliable & low maintenance drivetrain. NO: backup sensors, lane departure warning, blind spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, pedestrian avoidance, wifi, fancy wireless key & push button start, and any number of "features" that are coming standard on cars now. I don't need or want my vehicle to tell me how to drive or do it for me. #Luddite
Of course none of this is applicable now with the 2020 nanny models, but none of it was standard in 2014. Some of the "features" available on the Limited, but that was never really an option for me.

 

[Timc03]

I bought a 2016 4runner SR5 for the reliability. I drove a 2013 ford escape before this and the list of problems it had was from A to Z. I absolutely love the size of the 4R. Its big, its got the power when its needed to speed up and get around someone and it just is awesome looking. The only thing I wish mine had was the sunroof. Other than that its perfect.

 

[Dreaddy72]

Like most of you guys, I needed some reliability in my life. I was a jeep guy and spent a ton of money on repairs and always breaking crap off roading. My baby was on the way and between me and my girl we needed something more reliable. Found a 2011 with 90k on it, stole it for 15k. I have been enjoying building it my way