New 4Runners

UTfball68

UTfball68

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2008
Location
Granite Quarry
I’m looking at replacing the wife’s Edge. I was thinking Suburban or XL Expedition/Navigator, thinking for the future with a couple more kids and a couple Great Danes/English Mastiffs, plus luggage on trips. The wife said she wouldn’t be comfortable driving something that big, rented a couple of each, still not comfortable driving them. And to her point, how often do/would we travel fully loaded. I was taking more of the approach of have and not need than need and not have.

Anyway, she did some of her own research and suggested the 4Runner and felt comfortable with it. I always thought they were cool rigs, but never owned a Toyota and know nothing about them, don’t think I’ve ever even touched a Toyota. Looking at prices, looks like the 4Runners carry a better resale value only dropping $7-10k from new MSRP to 3 years old (so I’d probably just spring for a new one), where my considerations lose about half their value over the same time. And looks like I can get a 3 year old version of each for about the same price ($30k-ish)

All that said, just looking for some real word knowledge and reviews on new(ish) 4Runners. I’m generally pretty happy with a vehicle if I can get 200-250k miles out of it with not much more than just routine maintenance. Thanks in advance.
 
We kept our 2014 for a year and sold it. It's the perfect size and the suspension is great but the seats will kill you! The guy that bought ours has a car lot and he asked the reason we were selling and before we could answer he said it's because the seats suck isn't it. Yep.
 
My brother has one and complains about the seats as well. I rented one and drove it to the beach and didn't find it that uncomfortable. The interior is smaller than I expected though. We had that thing packed to the brim with our family of 4 and beach gear.
 
It takes a little while to get use to driving a full size - my wife was used to driving our explorer and the step up to suburban (ours is a 2007) when we had kid 3 was a fairly big one. But after a couple weeks it wasn't a thing. If she had to park in a parking garage everyday, it would be different. But man we love having all that room with the kids and all their stuff. 3 rows plus ample cargo area. Big trips we fold one of the 3rd row seats up and if needed put on the receiver tray to carry more gear. Only things I would change are to upgrade to a 2500 for better motor, trans, tow capabilities, and would also like to have the bench 2nd row instead of the captains chairs so we can pull the 3rd row and still fit everyone when needed. I can't imagine having more than 2 kids in even a larger mid size, especially small kids that require bringing more stuff.
 
thebrotherinlaw said:
We kept our 2014 for a year and sold it. It's the perfect size and the suspension is great but the seats will kill you! The guy that bought ours has a car lot and he asked the reason we were
selling and before we could answer he said it's because the seats suck isn't it. Yep.
Click to expand...

FrontPorchFab said:
My brother has one and complains about the seats as well. I rented one and drove it to the beach and didn't find it that uncomfortable. The interior is smaller than I expected though. We had that thing packed to the brim with our family of 4 and beach gear.
Click to expand...

Seats were one thing I noticed and the cockpit just felt tight to me...I thought it was just because I am used to full sizes and Lincoln seats. She didn’t mention it, but she’s 1/3 my size and hasn’t had an issue with Jeep/FJ seats. Might have to get her some more seat time then.

paulevans76 said:
It takes a little while to get use to driving a full size - my wife was used to driving our explorer and the step up to suburban (ours is a 2007) when we had kid 3 was a fairly big one. But after a couple weeks it wasn't a thing. If she had to park in a parking garage everyday, it would be different. But man we love having all that room with the kids and all their stuff. 3 rows plus ample cargo area. Big trips we fold one of the 3rd row seats up and if needed put on the receiver tray to carry more gear. Only things I would change are to upgrade to a 2500 for better motor, trans, tow capabilities, and would also like to have the bench 2nd row instead of the captains chairs so we can pull the 3rd row and still fit everyone when needed. I can't imagine having more than 2 kids in even a larger mid size, especially small kids that require bringing more stuff.
Click to expand...

We actually have a 2 week Savannah/Florida trip coming up. Might make her take over driving duties to see if she gets more comfortable. She had a new 150 loaner when her Edge was in for trans work. She complained about driving it thenfirst couple days too, by the end of the week, she seemed to semi-enjoy it. Figure out a way to make it ‘her idea’...haha. She was 100% against buying the edge too, after test driving 100’s of vehicles across dozens of dealerships, she went back to the first Edge I wanted to buy, and she loves that car.
 
1-tonmudder said:
At a boy.:D
Click to expand...

Not gonna lie...the thought of an excursion with new/lightly used 6.7 in it crossed my minds But we’ll be getting her something in the next 6 months, and she reminded me, most of my junk turns in to a 5 year project. And to be honest, GM is the only one filling the large SUV market...and anything kinda similar in the Ford line up is ugly as hell.
 
i'll add a +1 to the 4runner seats issue.


also...we've had 2 suburbans. The wife is ready for a newer model vehicle, and cant find anything other than a new suburban. After having one for a while, its hard to go to anything else. they are durable, will fit 2 familys or a load of plywood. On the 2wd model MPG is great for a such a large vehicle. on her '03 5.
3l we are seeing 22mpg highway.

I stepped down to a grand cherokee from my 2500 suburban. im probably gonna go back to a suburban after this things paid off.
 
UTfball68 said:
Not gonna lie...the thought of an excursion with new/lightly used 6.7 in it crossed my minds But we’ll be getting her something in the next 6 months, and she reminded me, most of my junk turns in to a 5 year project. And to be honest, GM is the only one filling the large SUV market...and anything kinda similar in the Ford line up is ugly as hell.
Click to expand...

Tonya has always said that you (meaning me) can do whatever you want to your stuff just leave mine along.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
We bought my wife's Yukon XL a month before our first child, now have 2 (almost 4 and almost 2 yr old). Buy the burb!

You will always travel with more than you need. Strollers take up insane amounts of space. Clear space to change diapers in the back is nice. Also, it's probably not going to always be just your family. Travel with parents, cousins, friends with kids?
 
LBarr2002 said:
We bought my wife's Yukon XL a month before our first child, now have 2 (almost 4 and almost 2 yr old). Buy the burb!

You will always travel with more than you need. Strollers take up insane amounts of space. Clear space to change diapers in the back is nice. Also, it's probably not going to always be just your family. Travel with parents, cousins, friends with kids?
Click to expand...
One w a rear gate is a lot better when changing a poopy diaper than barn doors,and if he hasn't saw one yet he's gonna want a pack n play for vacations.
 
Last edited:
1-tonmudder said:
One w a rear gate is a lot better when changing a poopy diaper than barn doors,and if he hasn't saw one yet he's gonna want a pack n play for vacations.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, and if its raining the lift gate keeps you dry while changing, loading groceries, etc.
 
LBarr2002 said:
Oh yeah, and if its raining the lift gate keeps you dry while changing, loading groceries, etc.
Click to expand...
Yeah and he wont mess up his purty hair either.
 
I know this sounds kind of crazy, and I don't know if you're looking for something newer, but I'll throw out a shout for an 08-12(?) Pathfinder. We have an '08 and IMO its the best of all worlds. It has 3 rows and 3 seats across the back seat. Plenty of room, the 4.0 has plenty of power IMO but the 5.7 is a great motor is you really need that. But its not huge and hard to park.
The newest gen is more car-like, unibody, and I believe a bit smaller inside. We didn't like it as much.
The best part is that the pedals are adjustable. My wife is only 5' tall and has a hard time being comfortable in most driver seats b/c she ends up I na position where she's eating the steering wheel once she pulls up enough to reach the pedals. In our Pathy she just raises them all the way up, then when I get in, I move them back down. She's always driven smaller cars but was ok with the transition to this, it handles pretty well for a decent size SUV.

The newer 4runners are great, good solid vehicles. They aren't cheap for sure but do seem to hold their value. A good friend had one he just recently sold only b/c his kids are out of the house and he was moving to something smaller. He never complained about the seats.
 
So next question...anyone bought anything from CarMax??? Looks like they run $7-10k cheaper than dealerships. Or is CarMax the equivalent of buying a rental car??? Assuming if you buy something new enough and it still has warranty left, it’s moot.
 
UTfball68 said:
So next question...anyone bought anything from CarMax???
Click to expand...
I bought three cars from them, not out of loyalty but just for the fact that they had what I wanted in the color trim and engine I wanted. The first one I bought I still have. In 2007 I bought a 2004 V8 Explorer with 24,000 miles on it. Got a really good deal on it and I just tripped 212,000 miles on it. No issues other than the normal Ford air conditioning damper bullshyt
 
Oh and with CarMax like with any dealer just get a Carfax history report and make sure it's not a rental. Because as you know those are treated like a redheaded stepchild. No car goes better off road than a rental
 
UTfball68 said:
So next question...anyone bought anything from CarMax??? Looks like they run $7-10k cheaper than dealerships. Or is CarMax the equivalent of buying a rental car??? Assuming if you buy something new enough and it still has warranty left, it’s moot.
Click to expand...
My experience is that if you can get it for "X" at CarMax, you can get it for "X" minus 5-10% elsewhere. But I'm probably looking at older or higher mileage stuff.
 
UTfball68 said:
So next question...anyone bought anything from CarMax??? Looks like they run $7-10k cheaper than dealerships. Or is CarMax the equivalent of buying a rental car??? Assuming if you buy something new enough and it still has warranty left, it’s moot.
Click to expand...

I bought a truck from CarMax back in 2010. I thought it was a good deal. The buying process was fast and simple. I'd do it again.
 
UTfball68 said:
So next question...anyone bought anything from CarMax??? Looks like they run $7-10k cheaper than dealerships. Or is CarMax the equivalent of buying a rental car??? Assuming if you buy something new enough and it still has warranty left, it’s moot.
Click to expand...
I've always thought they were high. Remember at Carmax, the price is the price. At a dealer, you'll be able to negotiate. So if you're comparing list price to list price, it's not accurate.

I've sold a car to Carmax, and my mom has bought one. It was no hassle.
 
My mom picked up a 2017 trd 2 weeks ago. She had an escape, hit a deer and totaled it. So far she is really happy with it.
 
Tossing in another 2 pennies- both of my brothers work for CarMax. One is a buyer on the supply side, the other is a mechanic. CarMax doesn't have a lot of profit built in to their prices - I know because when I ask about a family deal, it ain't enough to buy something that isn't exactly what I want. From what I've seen, you pay maybe a 5-10%-ish premium over a fair private party price, but you at least know it's been gone through and any obviously bad shit and wear items are taken care of, new tires (cheap, but new) are put on if needed, etc.
 
paulevans76 said:
Tossing in another 2 pennies- both of my brothers work for CarMax. One is a buyer on the supply side, the other is a mechanic. CarMax doesn't have a lot of profit built in to their prices - I know because when I ask about a family deal, it ain't enough to buy something that isn't exactly what I want. From what I've seen, you pay maybe a 5-10%-ish premium over a fair private party price, but you at least know it's been gone through and any obviously bad shit and wear items are taken care of, new tires (cheap, but new) are put on if needed, etc.
Click to expand...
No offense but I find it hard to believe there's a small difference compared to private party.
It costs them a lot of money to maintain that showroom, employ mechanics like your brother, advertise, pay franchise fees, insurance, etc etc.
Of course where they are surely making up their money is in the difference between what they buy a trade-in for and what the resell it at.
We lookd at buying an '08-12 Pathfinder from CM. They didn't have any that old. They gave us a price on our '10 Mazda5 to sell them... it has some body damage from dented panels, scratches etc but nothing that couldn't be made looking nice again for $1000 max (I've had estimates on it). They offered us $1500. Blue book even in bad shape was $3500. I told him to go f%ck himself.
 
BTW, on a slightly related note, last night a buddy told me a great trick his wife pulled to get a great trade in on their car.
First she went to the local Toyota dealer, a big well-known place everybody considers the Mack Daddy dealer and told them she definitely wanted THIS particular van, right now, itching to buy, but only if they gave her a great deal on her old car. So they inflated the total price but gave her a high quote on her trade. Then at the last minute, she walked away from the deal, took the quote with her.

Then went to another place for the car she really wanted, talked them down to a sweet price, and asked if they'd match the trade-in quote from the first place. They said yes, we'll match it (since the first place are known to be tightwads), talked the total price down, THEN showed them the previous quote. Saved several thousand total :D.
 
Back
Top