Which year: 05 or 06?

[irish44j]

Noob question here. I've done a good bit of research but wanted some last-second thoughts from you experts before we go SUV-shopping tomorrow for my wife.

Not looking for an off-road rig (I have one of those already ) Just a local driver and occasional road-trip vehicle, and have narrowed it down to an 05 or 06 4Runner (no specific model).

So, thoughts on what features are best to find, what things to look for, whether a V8 is worth it over the V6 since we're only going to do light towing with it very occasionally.

Any advice is appreciated!

(btw, if you need any Nissan CAR advice, let me know - I'm a moderator on Maxima.org and know Maximas/Altimas quite well )

thanks,
Josh

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Josh,
Welcome! The good news is you can

 

[irish44j]

thanks, will check those links out.

why no pathy? a few reasons:

As someone who has been around Nissan forever (I drive a 2000 Maxima with about $10k in "mods" on it), I've been less than impressed with Nissans recent offerings (from about 04 on) in terms of quality and especially interior design. I've driven a few recent Pathys and simply wasn't impressed with its road manners and especially unimpressed with its interior style and ergonomics. I think they look cool but don't seem to be worth the asking prices I see around here..

Also, for those who have owned Nissans, we know that Nissan has the WORST service (warranty or otherwise) at the dealerships - and i've heard just the opposite about Toyota.

Also odd, Pathy's seem to be more expensive than 4runners right now - odd since Nissans don't generally hold their value well at all.

But the bottom line reason is that my wife (who this vehicle is for) just doesn't like the pathfinder (or Xterra) either inside or out. She really doesn't want an SUV, but we need one (dog+baby) and the 4Runner is the only one she doesn't "dislike" haha...

Also, if I get a Nissan I have so many connections I'll be tempted to "mod" it - which I specifically do NOT want to do since I have 3 other car projects ongoing (my maxima, a off-road Jeep Cherokee, and a 1970 Triumph GT6). I don't need more temptation to mod, and it'll be easier if I don't get a Nissan

I love my maxima only because most of the car is aftermarket at this point!

in case anyone cares, here are my current rides:

what the 4runner will replace:

 

[toto]

JA's site is very thorough.
There's also a quick summary of changes each year since 2003 in this thread.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Nice rides! With the family in mind you may want to consider looking for a T4R with side-airbags. I looked at Pathy's when I got my 07. Side airbags are not impossible to find on 06 & 07 T4Rs (unlike the Pathfinders). The 08 T4R's have them as standard equip. I never looked at 05's so I don't know how many of those have side airbags. Good luck on th 4Runner hunt. If she doesn't drive very far the V8's are great value now. There's not one V8 owner with regrets, I guess there's not any V6 owners with regrets either. Good news for you



I feel your pain on the Nissan thing. I had an 05 Titan. I swear I could isolate the designed/made in Japan components and the US/Renault components/design/influence. I am still not sure how I feel about that truck...
:cheers:

 

[irish44j]

Nice rides! With the family in mind you may want to consider looking for a T4R with side-airbags. I looked at Pathy's when I got my 07. Side airbags are not impossible to find on 06 & 07 T4Rs (unlike the Pathfinders). The 08 T4R's have them as standard equip. I never looked at 05's so I don't know how many of those have side airbags. Good luck on th 4Runner hunt. If she doesn't drive very far the V8's are great value now. There's not one V8 owner with regrets, I guess there's not any V6 owners with regrets either. Good news for you
:cheers:

yup, am keeping an eye open for those with the side airbags for sure!

Yeah,we're doing this because she commutes 4 miles to work 3 days a week! (my commute is 26 miles each way)

Her 2004 Mazda only has 16k miles on it!!! So we won't get killed on fuel costs since she doesn't drive far....only when we go on road trips, and a V6 T4R gets about the same mileage as my maxima anyhow...

You have to know that I want the V8 . Unfortunately, convincing the wife that we need a V8 would be a real uphill battle, especially sinceI have no good excuse for it except "more power, more power, more power." Although I plan to use it for towing at some point, that's a hard excuse since the V6 can tow my light sportscar pretty easily!

 

[nc211]

Interesting! Replacing the Mazda for the 4runner. I have both, an 05' 4runner and 07' mazda 3 gt. I love that mazda! Probably one of my favorite cars ever. I'm curious why you're getting rid of yours? Too buzzy? Rough riding, need more space? I'd be curious on your take on the 3'. I hope you're selling it outright yourself, and not trading it in, as you will fetch top dollar in today's market for it! They can't keep them in stock at a local dealership here, and I get offers quite often when filling it up from strangers.

I think the difference between an 05' and 06' 4runner depends on which one you like the best (the options). Me personally, I'd save the extra money and go with an 05', as they seem to be sooo similiar that it's tough to digest the cost differences for a newer model year. If I've read correctly, the differences are 99% cosmetic, with minor tweaks only. Like color match mirrors, chrome door handles, different colored roof rack...that kind of stuff. But mechanically, I believe they're the same, or very close to it.

I tried to find a QX4 when I was looking, as I loved the luxury interior. But once I drove a few, didn't have that warm and fuzzy feeling anymore. I use to have an 01 Maxima SE fully loaded, and loved it, until about 40k miles and road noise seemed to creep into the cabin. I am a fan of Nissan though, but I'm like you, and don't really care for what they've done with their designs of late. My folks have that minivan, I believe an 03', and love it do death! But, it's having problems now with bad a/c motor, broken switches, etc... it has 40k on the clock now too.

 

[Mark86]

For your needs, I think the V6 would be more than enough. The V6 is a great engine for light towing and everyday driving. It gets a bit better gas mileage than the V8 and you have the option of riding in 2WD or 4WD (if you get a 4WD model). A V8 4WD 4Runner will always be in 4WD.

As for side airbags, the configurations of each 4Runner varies by region. I have a 2005, and at the time, I was only able to find side airbags on the Limited in New Jersey. I think side airbags are easier to find on the 2006 model.

What trim are you leaning toward?

 

[nc211]

...on the V8 issue with your wife, just tell her that mpg's are VERY close to eachother. And, V8's tend to last longer due to not needing to rev up as high. I'd also tell her "with your fingers crossed behind your back and hoping God isn't watching why you tell this lie" that some of the V6's have "problems". If she asks what kinds of problems, tell her "something about the flux-capasitors".

Honestly, both are damn bullet proof. You really can't go wrong eitherway. But in the MPG world, the V6 does get a little better, but not by much. Certainly not enough to scare off a V8 lover. :awais:

 

[irish44j]

Interesting! Replacing the Mazda for the 4runner. I have both, an 05' 4runner and 07' mazda 3 gt. I love that mazda! Probably one of my favorite cars ever. I'm curious why you're getting rid of yours? Too buzzy? Rough riding, need more space? I'd be curious on your take on the 3'. I hope you're selling it outright yourself, and not trading it in, as you will fetch top dollar in today's market for it! They can't keep them in stock at a local dealership here, and I get offers quite often when filling it up from strangers.

I think the difference between an 05' and 06' 4runner depends on which one you like the best (the options). Me personally, I'd save the extra money and go with an 05', as they seem to be sooo similiar that it's tough to digest the cost differences for a newer model year. If I've read correctly, the differences are 99% cosmetic, with minor tweaks only. Like color match mirrors, chrome door handles, different colored roof rack...that kind of stuff. But mechanically, I believe they're the same, or very close to it.

I tried to find a QX4 when I was looking, as I loved the luxury interior. But once I drove a few, didn't have that warm and fuzzy feeling anymore. I use to have an 01 Maxima SE fully loaded, and loved it, until about 40k miles and road noise seemed to creep into the cabin. I am a fan of Nissan though, but I'm like you, and don't really care for what they've done with their designs of late. My folks have that minivan, I believe an 03', and love it do death! But, it's having problems now with bad a/c motor, broken switches, etc... it has 40k on the clock now too.

My wife loves her 3 (it was the first one ever sold in Virginia!). it has had zero problems in 4 years and still looks brand new except a few parking lot dings. The problem is that we have now added a baby to the family (and have a dog) so the Mazda just doesn't have enough space. I would drive it, but I frankly don't think it's very comfortable (I bang my knee on the center console) since I'm used to my long-wheelbase maxima with leather/heated seats/etc, which rides like a champ even with stiff Eibachs on it.

Also I just can't bring myself to drive 4-cylinder cars these days. too spoiled by all the torque in the maxima...

Plus my maxima has no trade-in/sale value at 160k miles and all modded-out....and the Mazda can probably fetch about 12-13k - we will sell, not trade. One of my buddies is probably going to buy it as a commuter car (his only car now is a Nissan Titan!!)

 

[irish44j]

For your needs, I think the V6 would be more than enough. The V6 is a great engine for light towing and everyday driving. It gets a bit better gas mileage than the V8 and you have the option of riding in 2WD or 4WD (if you get a 4WD model). A V8 4WD 4Runner will always be in 4WD.

As for side airbags, the configurations of each 4Runner varies by region. I have a 2005, and at the time, I was only able to find side airbags on the Limited in New Jersey. I think side airbags are easier to find on the 2006 model.

What trim are you leaning toward?

I would love the Limited, but there's not nearly as many out there, and the cost may be more than we want to spend. My wife doesn't really care - though she would prefer leather seats (eaasier to clean up baby spills!).

Am I mistaken, or is the Sport Edition equipped with a stiffer suspension than the other models?

 

[irish44j]

...on the V8 issue with your wife, just tell her that mpg's are VERY close to eachother. And, V8's tend to last longer due to not needing to rev up as high. I'd also tell her "with your fingers crossed behind your back and hoping God isn't watching why you tell this lie" that some of the V6's have "problems". If she asks what kinds of problems, tell her "something about the flux-capasitors".

Honestly, both are damn bullet proof. You really can't go wrong eitherway. But in the MPG world, the V6 does get a little better, but not by much. Certainly not enough to scare off a V8 lover. :awais:

heh heh, you clearly know how it is

that said, she's doing her own research on the 4runners, and she's watched me toy with cars for 10 years now, so it would be hard to pull a fast one on her, haha....

really it will come down to this: If there is a v8 on the lot with the same features as a v6 next to it, and the price is very close, we'll go with the v8. Oh, and it has to be black, to match all my other cars

 

[irish44j]

by the way, if I get too off-topic here or ask too many stupid questions, PLEASE smack me down

being a moderator on a few other sites, it's hard to realize that I'm acting like a n00b here, lol.

 

[Mark86]

If you are interested in a Limited, the most important changes to note for 2006 are bluetooth (equipped with navigation), 18'' rims, and memory seats. The Sports come standard with XREAS, which may make the ride a bit firmer. The XREAS really helps with the cornering though. XREAS is optional on the Limited and not available on the SR5.

With gas prices the way they are, I think you can get a V8 for the same price as a V6. A few people have told me that the bluebook does not add any money for the V8. I think in previous years, the V8 was worth about $1500.

 

[BlackStevo]

I've never driven a 4th gen V6 so I cant comment on the power of them, but my 07 limited V8 is AWESOME. I put a K&N intake on it for a little V8 sound and the power is wonderful. I love the fact that I dont have to beat on it to accelerate nicely. 50% throttle and the truck takes off pretty nicely.

i got the V8 because I tow cars on an open wheel trailor to the track every few months and I wanted the most amount of power available.

I can also say for what I see V6 owners getting MPG wise, it doesnt sound like the V6 is really any better. I get 16-19 mpg without a problem.