michalik_piotr

u can sleep in a 4runner and have passangers and you dog in it at the same time.

4Runner4Christ

True! How could we forget about the dog friendly 4Runner features! Drop the rear seat, lower the rear window, and your pooch will be as happy as can be! Then when you get to where you are camping you have a nice dry place to sleep for the night!!!

xcmountain80

At 1st I didn't understand why we were even debating the 2 vehicles so I wnet back to the beginning and now I get it. So unless he posted on a jeep board asking the same question I think he has a subconscious bias already. I like Toyota ummmm yeah thats it, get a toyota !

Aaron

CookieMonster

The 06 engine is the older 4.0 unless your talking about a 4cyl. The 07 is the one with the mini van motor. People also say its better than the 4.0 as far as everything but reliability. I agree Rubicon is the only way to go.

BigBluePile

iTrader: (3)

Huh?

4Runner Sport '08:
4.0-liter DOHC 24-valve EFI VVT-i V6
236 hp @ 5200 rpm/266 lb.-ft. @ 4000 rpm

Sienna '08:
3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve VVT-i V6
266 hp @ 6200 rpm
245 lb.-ft. @ 4700 rpm

4.0 liter 4 cycle? Cool, where? My '06 has the same motor as the '08.

JGage

I don't own a Jeep, but a good friend got one and now has some sort of sickness where he feels the need to do everything he can to it (even though he doesn't seriously off-road, he goes down flat dirt trails, thats it). All I got to hear when he got this thing was how much better it is than my 4Runner, fine whatever.

I'll give you my opinion:
Jeep, Pros:
-You can get a lot of inexpensive parts and upgrade it (4Runner stuff seems to cost more)
-You can put the top down and go to the beach, chicks dig this.

Cons:
-Looks cheap inside.
-doesn't drive as well as the 4Runner.
-Getting in and out of the rear sucks if you have the top up.
-When its windy, you're going to get pushed around, worse if you have a lift.
-Not as comfortable, the soft top lacks insulation.
-4Runner is faster and handles better, probably last longer.
-Room, you have none... Good luck getting much in the rear if you have 4 people in the Jeep.
-Girls will get drunk/have on high heels and trip over the bottom lip on the doors, be ready to catch them.

Thats just my take on his '03 or '04 Jeep. I'm not the off-road king or anything, I just find the Jeep to be totally impractical, its a toy, a second car.

Oh, FWIW, his "my jeep is better than your 4Runner" has broken down 3 times and he had to call me to pull him out when he got stuck at the beach. He spent all that money on "off-road stuff for his jeep" and I had to help him with my only "off-road" item, a tow strap.

Get the 4Runner dude.

..and has been mentioned: You can sleep in the 4Runner. You get one with a sunroof, roll down all the windows, and the rear window... You're pretty close to topless.

CookieMonster

I'm talking about the jeep

BigBluePile

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, it was the '07 and yup it had the minivan motor. It wasn't the '06 because it had the HUGE silly looking fenderflares they come with now.

William

All of the issues I quoted above are less of an issue with the '06 and older Wrangler Unlimited with it's longer wheelbase when compared to a standard wheelbase Wrangler, and are even less of an issue or a non-issue with the '07 and newer 4 door Wrangler Unlimited.

Things like the difference in handling and ride between the Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited are like night and day. The Unlimited is that much better.

After all, he was asking about the Unlimited, and much of what you said applies more to the standard wheelbase Wrangler.

Skrillah

I have two vehicles, well sort of, I have keys to two vehicles. One of which is my 97 Toyota 4runner which has a mild lift and some other mods and has about 137k miles. The second is my girlfriends/fiancee's '00 Wrangler, it has 86k miles on the clock and runs pretty decent. The Wrangler really hasn't had much trouble, had a new radiator put in last winter, just changed the belts and brakes on it this past month and it seems to be doing fine. I gotta say that sometimes I do get jealous because it is fun to drive with the 5 spd and the top down and has decent on road manners. However, there is a huge difference between getting into that thing and then getting in to my 4runner. The 4runner just seems more solid inside and out.

My girl loves her Jeep though, and thus I have a love for it as well but I can tell you that it does get old driving the Jeep, that is, the thrills get taken away the more you drive it. So when it comes down to it, I love having it around to zip around in and it can handle the off-road obstacles pretty well but then again, I love having my 4runner too because it can also tackle the same obstacles without problem, the on-road manners are all there, and I know I have Toyota reliability under the hood. It'll be interesting to see how the Jeep does as it progresses up the mileage scale, although, being that its hers, you can bet it'll be maintained. I don't want it breaking down on her. Based on the mileage comparison, the jeep has no chance of being what the Toyota is when it gets to the same mileage. At 86k miles, the Jeep is starting to loose its overall integrity that the 137k mile 4runner hasn't come close to loosing yet.

So obviously its up to you, the Jeep won't probably be as reliable unless you do maint. religiously but it does have a great aftermarket that I wish the Toyota had. The jeep is easier to work on too, but thats just the thing, you'll probably be working on it a lot more. Granted, I work on my 4runner a lot but they aren't neccessities to keep it on the road, which I can't say are true facts about the Jeep repairs. For the time being, the Jeepin Girl's daddy pays for most of the repairs on it where as my dad gave me a wrench and said tough a long time ago. So I'm pretty religious on required maintenance so I don't have to see any of the big expensive repairs.

Bottom line from all that crap I just said....buy a 4runner and save yourself the headache.

merace19

If you are young go for the Jeep. It is hands down the Funnest thing you will drive. It will turn on a dime. Freeze your ass in the cold and cook you in the summer. Your stuff that you keep in it will be stolen in about 2 seconds after you leave it, unless you have hard doors and top. They will steal your doors also. Wrecks, You ever see that worlds craziest drivers show. That jeep got popped dead in the side and spun around 5 or 6 times. Guy walked away. But they are super top heavy and pull with every grove in the road. But pop the top drop the doors off and all that goes away.
I have owned in order of Jeeps(all wranglers/cj except were noted) 87, 88, 72, 91, 93, 85, 96Cherokee, 97, 2001, 2001 cherokee.
So i know a little about them.
Toyotas I have 84 4runner, 93 4runner, 88 truck, 06 4runner.

Yotas are very well put together and work well. Only the older models with SFA are cheap to offroad in as the jeep. But when that is said yota has 100 times better stuff to do it with.

If you are like me I enjoyed every minute of the Jeep. Keep nothing in it and you will have a blast. try to use it as a trail rig and prepare to break stuff.

William

Super top heavy?

My '06 Wrangler Unlimited didn't feel any more top heavy than any other SUV or truck I've ever driven, and mine even had the heavier factory hard top which raises the center of gravity over one with a soft top. I even leaned it way over climbing a hill with one front tire, and managed to get one rear tire off the ground about a foot, and even though I felt uneasy it never felt like it was about to go over.

Mine also didn't follow grooves much at all. In fact (and this may be because of the original tires that are on it), my Tacoma follows grooves worse than my Wrangler did.

Chrisnxl185

You have a really tough choice. jeep Wranglers really are the funnest thing to drive.
If i were you I'de get a 1st Gen 4Runner with a SFA. With the money you would spend on a newer 4runner you could make a nasty 1st gen.

merace19

(William)
Only One Jeep and you an EXpert. Let me know when you have owned as many as i have. I know what I am talking about. I have not had the pleasure of owning a Unlimited so your info may have merit but not your opinion.

algranger

yotas are definitley more reliable and when done up right can do better than most if not all jeeps on the trails.

algranger

plus you have us here at yotatech to help you on the runner if you get it.

algranger

that says it all!

4banginRunner

my buddy drives a YJ.....it sux, needs to much to be a decent wheeler, thats y he drives an early bronco

William

I never said I am an expert. All I know is what I experienced with the one I owned. And since you haven't owned an Unlimited, maybe I am more of an expert about an Unlimited than you are?

He was asking about an Unlimited, so maybe your opinion about non-Unlimited Wranglers has no merit here.

Is it possible that the shorter wheelbase and lighter weight of a standard wheelbase Wrangler like you have owned could have made the percieved top-heaviness and groove-following seem worse than with an Unlimited? It's very possible. The Unlimited drives and rides so much better. This I do know because I test drove 2 regular Wranglers (one new one and one used YJ with leaf springs) before I drove 3 different Unlimiteds, before I bought mine.

My information may have merit but not my opinion? Kind of contradictory, isn't it? The two go hand in hand. The information that I shared is based on my opinion (except the part about following grooves, which I know to be a fact), which is based on my ownership experience, just like your information. So my information and opinion has at least as much merit as yours does, especially since my experience was with an Unlimited, which he asked about.

All I replied about was following grooves and top heaviness. I didn't debate any other thing you said.

And even though this doesn't really matter, I also owned a '78 Wagoneer, so it wasn't only one Jeep.

The fact (not opinion) is that my Unlimited didn't follow grooves as bad as my Tacoma does (which, like I said could be a tire issue). And it didn't seem to me to be any more top heavy than any other SUV or truck I've ever driven (top heavy, maybe, but not super top heavy). I've owned several and have driven some that I didn't own, so I can compare the Unlimited to other vehicles.

I'm not exactly a beginner either, by the way.

Like it or not, that's the way it is.

elbandito

This post is probably exhausted by now, but I can't resist. I have owned both, so here it goes.They are both great 4x4 platforms and have potential. For me, the lack of interior space in the Unlimited Jeep was terrible.Granted, it has the solid axle, water tight plugs, low gearing, etc, but...the lack of comfort, lack of interior space and leg room as a daily driver, made the Jeep inferior to my 05 4Runner. For the money, I honestly think the Runner is a better value. Even considering resale value, Toyotas will ALWAYS hold their value better than Jeep (Chrysler?), please...get real.