Why a 4th gen?

J

JBend

New member
I'm sure this may be somewhere around here but I'm curious.

Did you land on a 4th gen because life happened? Is it aesthetically your favorite generation? Find a killer deal you couldn't turn away from? You're obsessed with Toyota and have 3 runners all of different generations(not pointing fingers but I know you people are out there). Was it a hand-me-down?
WHY?

For me? I think I've come to realize they are my favorite. They're the right size I think. 5th gens to me are too big. Could I afford a 5th gen, ya, but do I need everything that would have costed me an extra 20-30k to get one? No. Leather would be nice but don't need it. Upgraded my navigation and speakers already so don't need all that other fancy stuff. I've got a v6 model so they're basically the same engine. 163.5k miles is a bit but, like the parts guy said to me today while picking up brake fluid, "Oh well you're fine. A 13 year old 4runner with 160k miles on it is just starting to get broke in."

I always thought 3rd gens were my favorite. I could have a manual v6 and I prefer straighter simpler lines, but it seemed a tid bit too small.

A great deal popped up as soon as covid hit this year and i hopped on my 07' silver sr5 4runner. It had boxes i wanted checked. Few owners(3), sunroof, v6, neutral color, clean frame(mid-west here) and it was just clean inside and out.

So there are a couple reasons why I chose my 4th gen. Or maybe, it chose me.
 
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Was living in Ohio at the time.
Had a 2010 Genesis 4.6L (and a G35 before that). Had always liked RWD sedans.

But the Genesis had rolled a 100k miles and was paid off.
Didn’t want a car payment but also didn’t want to keep a Hyundai deep into high mileage (but was a very enjoyable car with no issues while I owned it).
Was also getting tired of RWD in the snow, was manageable but wanted 4wd.

4runner made perfect sense for a vehicle in the same value range (no payment) that I could keep a long time with solid reliability.

And the V8 sealed the deal for a 4th gen.
 
The V8 for me, also. I needed it for the 7,000lb towing capacity.

Stratosphere Mica a close 2nd place to the V8. Awesome color, IMHO.

I bought it in 2007, so the 4th gen was the current gen. I looked at a 3rd gen, but the 4th gen was a better value.
 
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I always wanted the v8 4wd 4runner when I was in college. It was a symbol of American excess during the time up to the financial crisis. At that time, Toyota could sell anything at any price and people wanted the 4runners to have "more power"...So Toyota responded by putting a $15,000 modified Lexus V8 into an already expensive body-on-frame tank that got 15mpg and raised the price astronomically and people STILL paid for it... until the crash. This is why the number of 2008 v8 4runners sold is absurdly low and they are super rare. For me it marks a snapshot in time.

I also have 3 other 4runners of different generations... So you could say I like them a bit.
 
I'd prefer a 5th gen, but the price point is still insane. I've never paid more than $15k for a vehicle in my life and I'd prefer to keep it that way. Very happy with all aspects of the 4th gen except that mine is getting a bit old (237k miles) and I'm putting a lot of money into it to upgrade things as parts fail or wear out. I'm about a year away from transitioning it out from my daily driver and making it strictly my weekend and trail rig. I'll be purchasing a Lexus GX460 next and keeping the 4Runner.
 
Coming from a Forester, the 4th gen is a bigger Forester with the ability to be run in 4WD on the streets, without having to shell out the ridiculous money they want for a 5th gen Limited to have the same capability.
 
V8. I was also considering new and couldn't justify TRD Pro pricing to myself, probably would have been a different story if they offered a V8 in the PRO.

Also, full time 4wd.

Also, and I know this is weird, but auto climate control. The currented Limited trim has that too...but I don't like the body cladding. Also, see above about PRO.

It's also my first SUV and I wasn't sure I'd like it, so I figured I wouldn't lose much money buying an old vehicle that's still in demand if I wanted to sell it after a year or two. So far, no intention of selling it anytime soon, though the new Bronco is /very/ tempting.
 
V6 (timing chain!), plus purchased new in 2007 during the financial crisis when there were huge rebates ($4k if i remember correctly). 215k miles later, still happy with it.
 
I'm one of those irresponsible people who had a 3rd, 4th, and 5th gen all at the same time. The 3rd gen was my first 4Runner and very special for getting me into loving these things. The 5th gen was a Cement TRD Pro that I had been lusting after for years and was super proud to own.

The 4th gen is the last man standing! The other two I really enjoyed and still miss. But between the V8 and going crazy over this particular Runner, I don't regret it.
 
I purchased mine when I didn't know as much about cars/4runners as I do now. I'm still always leaning, but didn't know much then. Most of my decision was based on gas mileage, space to carry things, and not being clapped out. I liked the space of a 4th gen compared to a 3rd gen, and all the 3rd gens in my area were pretty clapped. The 4th gen also looked more modern and cool to me. I got the v6 because in my head that equaled gas mileage, and I knew that a timing chain was (in theory) less maintenance than a timing belt.

So far, I've been pretty satisfied with my 4th gen, v6 in all. Only downside as a pretty much stock daily driver, is living in fear of HG leak lol. In hindsight the v8 would have been cool, gas mileage sounds to only be a tad less, and low end torque is saucy.
 
For my wife and I picked a 4th Gen because we have a 2000# Scamp travel trailer and needed a "younger" vehicle that can do it. The V6 4th Gen was a great fit and a great deal.

"Otto" named because it's automatic and my wife and I are manual-all-the-way sort of people, is actually our second 4runner. We have a 3rd gen with just under 372k miles on it (5 speed, 4x4, e-locker) and we didn't feel comfortable using that as our tow vehicle.

We both agreed on the 4th gen because we know the 4Runner reliability but could care less about the looks. We both like the Looks of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Gen. The 4th Gen is... MEH. We've already discussed that a body lift and a suspension lift are in order for Otto to get him "up" to par with the other Gens.

But until I can afford it it'll look like a beefy mini-van for now. And we love it anyway.
 
Had a 2007 GX470, sold it just as COVID hit to get something with better mpg for a long commute to a new job. Then COVID and work from home...

So I sold the Subaru I bought after selling the GX, found this 4R with V8 and timing belt services done for barely more than $4k in good shape -- no brainer. Actually like it more than the GX...
 
I wanted a capable offroader and daily driver, one that could haul the family gear for camping too. The 3rd gen is aging, less power and much smaller. The 5th gen is still very expensive and not a huge upgrade on the 4th gen besides looks. I also looked at the Tacoma, but they are still more expensive than a 4th gen 4Runner and have smaller back seats for kids.

My selling point - Reliability, safety, price point, V8 power, 4x4, size, offroad capability, comfortable.

I would not mind a 5th gen in the future when they cost less and my 4th gen has run its course. Love my 2004 SR5 V8.
 
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