Which 4th Gen is considered the most reliable?

[Rock_Rat]

Need a little assistance for a friend here. His girl friend is looking for a "new" T4R which will probably never see the dirt and will never have any mods done to it. (Pavement queen) She want's a V-6. Looking for the most reliable and the most bang for the buck. I know there are a lot of subjective opinions out there but we all know that some years were better than others. Just looking for some experienced, unbiased input. thanks!

EDIT: Any problem areas she needs to be aware of?

LBJ
Radiator
Tranny overheating
Engine
Knock sensors
420 code
Water Pump
etc...

 

[Range]

The newest with the best service records, from a dry climate with zero accidents and lowest miles.

.......and I'm not being a smart ass

 

[mrpurplepenguin]

The newest with the best service records, from a dry climate with zero accidents and lowest miles.

+1.
Just to add to that, the 03-05(?) V6s had a rare but serious problem with head gasket failure but I believe this was fixed for '06 onwards.

Edit: Saw your edit. No overly common problems or failure modes on any particular part, regular powertrain maintenance and 300k+ is easy. 4wd and center diff lock actuators can seize from non-use, sounds like that wouldn't be a huge deal if they did though. I've also heard a few cases of the brake booster motor failing, expensive unit to replace.

 

[bpowa]

best bang for the buck would be a 3rd gen like yours. Since its not ever going to be modified or offroad..

Id advise a highlander unless she loves the 4th gen looks.

 

[chmura]

The newest with the best service records, from a dry climate with zero accidents and lowest miles.

.......and I'm not being a smart ass

Very true.

Pick the newest 4th gen with the lowest mileage and with one owner. If the vehicle has been sold numerous times its hard to ask the seller what maintenance has been done, etc.

Also buy from California, Arizona where there is no snow. These vehicles tend to have zero rust issues.

 

[Rock_Rat]

Minimal/zero Rust West of the Cascades

Also buy from California, Arizona where there is no snow. These vehicles tend to have zero rust issues.

Surprisingly enough, we have very little if any rust issues up in WA where I'm at. If you're west of the Cascades it's mostly rain. Any sign of a snowflake automatically becomes "The Winter Blizzard of 20__" all over the news. Panic, stay indoors, the roads are treacherous. OMG we've been blasted. It's ridiculous!

So far the only (EDIT: Serious red flag) would be from [MENTION=112757]mrpurplepenguin[/MENTION] about the potential head gasket problem.

 

[jsmith21]

The 03-05 V6 Headgasket issue is one rare but serious concern( I didn't know about it when I was looking and almost bought a 2wd 04 v6 cause it had low miles...so glad I didn't). The other thing is if you get a 4WD make sure it works. Thats a costly issue to fix if the transfer case won't engage. Also test 4-lo too. Make sure you're in neutral when you switch over...it will be clunky but thats 4lo. I didn't know this and thought the beeping meant it was engaged when I test drove mine. Luckily, it did actually work after bought it. Check the center diff lock in a straight line only..I usually engage mine every now and then when I'm going in a straight line under 30mph for a while, just to keep it working. That's about it, I absolutely love mine and still can't believe I scored an 08 just keep looking and when you find one be ready to buy ASAP, good used 4runners at reasonable prices are hard to come by and sell quick (at least here).

 

[NuclearN8]

When properly maintained, any of them.

 

[BCfish]

BTW the head gasket thing seems to be mostly 04s and 05s not too many 03s. I hate to say it but I think the head gasket problem is not that prevalent as 2nd and 3rd Gens where it was a ticking time bomb literally. I think more 4th gen owners have spent more time and money on the infamous sticky caliper!


To the op good luck on your search.

I know what you mean about snow I live on Vancouver Island, Victoria specifically and most people are the same here with the snow. It does give me a kick to be cruising along and looking at the people in their luxury-sport cars that drove to work in the nice weather in the morning with all seasons stuck on a slight incline.

 

[Metalmantr]

Need a little assistance for a friend here. His girl friend is looking for a "new" T4R which will probably never see the dirt and will never have any mods done to it. (Pavement queen) She want's a V-6. Looking for the most reliable and the most bang for the buck. I know there are a lot of subjective opinions out there but we all know that some years were better than others. Just looking for some experienced, unbiased input. thanks!

EDIT: Any problem areas she needs to be aware of?

LBJ
Radiator
Tranny overheating
Engine
Knock sensors
420 code
Water Pump
etc...

All good things mentioned. Whichever you decide, I say make sure that thing is absolutely clean of rust, check that undercarriage. MY 06 undercarriage is covered in it and it saddens me thinking of the potential things that could go wrong at anytime.

 

[Martinjmpr]

If she doesn't plan on going off road I'd also say get a 2wd A/K/A a
"2Runner." No T-case actuator to worry about and better MPG too due to less weight.

No point in carrying all that 4wd equipment around if she's not going to need it. :shrug:

 

[vasily.lantukh]

We have an 03 V8 limited with 210k miles.

It's meticulously maintained and going strong.

I asked a senior Toyota tech what I should do to get the truck to 250k miles, so I could plan ahead accordingly.

He said, "if all you want is 250k, then just stop changing the oil..."

 

[afalex1]

I just bought an 03 v8 sport with 234700. The previous owner had a mountain of preventative maintenance records and very few required repairs were needed in 12 years. I drove it 480 miles the day I bought it and didn't think twice about it. Zero rust anywhere because it is a south texas vehicle.

 

[bpowa]

Its odd that I am more concerned about the interior and paint deteriorating more than the drive train...

 

[claydoctor]

BTW the head gasket thing seems to be mostly 04s and 05s not too many 03s. I hate to say it but I think the head gasket problem is not that prevalent as 2nd and 3rd Gens where it was a ticking time bomb literally. I think more 4th gen owners have spent more time and money on the infamous sticky caliper!


To the op good luck on your search.

I know what you mean about snow I live on Vancouver Island, Victoria specifically and most people are the same here with the snow. It does give me a kick to be cruising along and looking at the people in their luxury-sport cars that drove to work in the nice weather in the morning with all seasons stuck on a slight incline.

Not sure the head gasket issue is limited to those years. I blew one at 185K on my 2006 V6 Sport. Now at 216K because I can't find anything new I like as much as my 2006 . Do not like Gen 5. Too tall, too wide, too everything . Not sure Gen 6 will be any better but hanging on .

 

[Riparian]

Others may disagree with me, but a recent experience has me strongly favoring the V6. My Brother's girlfriend just had her timing belt fail after only 30k miles... it didn't break completely, but was shredded for about half of its width. This allowed the crank to slip about 180 degrees out of time, and we're now looking a TON of bent valves, if not more. I verified this by putting it back in time and checking compression... the needle didn't even move.

Don't get me wrong - the V8 is an awesome engine, and it's solidly built. All engines are susceptible to manufacturing defects in parts, too... but i think this sort of catastrophic failure is much less likely on an engine with a timing chain like the V6 has.

 

[progress4m]

Others may disagree with me, but a recent experience has me strongly favoring the V6. My Brother's girlfriend just had her timing belt fail after only 30k miles... it didn't break completely, but was shredded for about half of its width. This allowed the crank to slip about 180 degrees out of time, and we're now looking a TON of bent valves, if not more. I verified this by putting it back in time and checking compression... the needle didn't even move.

Don't get me wrong - the V8 is an awesome engine, and it's solidly built. All engines are susceptible to manufacturing defects in parts, too... but i think this sort of catastrophic failure is much less likely on an engine with a timing chain like the V6 has.

I would have to respectfully disagree… from my experience (and being on this forum for a while- 9 years ), I believe this is a second time I see timing belt issue with 4.7 V8 on a 4Runner… on the other side, I have seeing at least hand full reports posted (some from this forum) about chain failure on 4.0 V6-this includes braking, skipping teeth and stretching… … considering amount of 4.7 used in Tundra, Land Cruisers and Lexus IMHO timing belt in 4.7 is more reliable than chain in 4.0 V6…

I would not shy away from 4.7 V8 just because it has timing belt and this is not factoring 4.0 head gasket issues that we all know about it…

To OP: test drive, test drive and test drive… and get the one that was well maintained and the one you like the most!

 

[Barefoot]

My Brother's girlfriend just had her timing belt fail after only 30k miles... it didn't break completely, but was shredded for about half of its width.

30K from new, or 30K from belt replacement?

 

[V8Limited4wd]

There are members on here that have gone 150k+ miles on the original TB and WP without issue. Would I recommend it? Of course not, but it's nice to know that the parts are made to last.

 

[NeilC]

When I bought my wife's(now mine) v6 in 2006 I toyed with the v8 and the timing belt issue came up, along with the full-time vs part-time 4wd. I had a 2000 Landcruiser with the v8. The horsepower difference was minimal but the v8 was soooo smooth. In the end, it came down to, and I know this sounds silly but, the oil filter. That v6 had the oild filter right there on top. My v8 Landcruiser had it underneath and I had to remove a skid plate access panel to get to it. The v6 also had more room to get to everything too. Do I sometimes wish that I had the v8? Maybe, especially since it is now mine, but more times than not I am more than happy with the v6, especially when I pull up to a gas pump.