ThinkinboutToys

Hey!
I need your general advice
I am looking for the ideal vehicle for me... annnnddd I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.. (If anyone dares to mention the word KIA, I will personally hunt you down!)
Right now I am driving a 2003 Subie Forester and I have 80,000 miles on it. I basically live out of my car. I use it for work and play and general nonsense. I venture out on back roads and highways at god forsaken hours to make sure the little newspaper delivery people are getting the paper to the customers doors. I live at the base of the North Cascades and I need something that will handle the huge amount of miles that I drive and will also be able to get through the snow and maybe pull/push that down tree out of the road.
Don't get me wrong, the Forester has taken care of all of the above and it does just fine... even in moderate river crossings....(dont tell the warrenty company though) I've racked up the miles on a leased vehicle and its not taking it as well as my other subarus that I have owned in the past (88 GL Wagon, 86 GL Wagon, 87 Brat, 93 Legacy) I love how the forester looks and drives but with as many times as I've taken it in for repair to electronic and drivetrain related issues, I"M not sure that I can afford to keep fixing it beyond warrenty.
This in addition to attempting to qualify for more money for a house, I'm looking to somehow reduce costs and still have a reliable road worthy car that will go distance.
I would also like it to get 23-28 mpg but I guess I can kiss that idea good bye???
I'm just a single me.. no family, no significant other, just a few close friends and a dog. I do alot of "outdooring" and supply/newspaper bundle hauling. I carry tools and supplies and emergency roadside supplies with me wherever I go. I very rarely have the backseats in the Subie upright.

Ok Now that you have some background... what should I get? 4Runner? Tacoma? Tacoma ext w/ canopy? Cruiser? What year? What engine? I want reliability and the cheapest one to own. I would like to go for a standard shift but will accept other suggestions

thanks

amanda

jimbo74

welcome to the site.. and welcome to the toyota world.... what made you decide to look at toyota an not another subie? the 4 runner would probably fit you the best... i have an old pickup with no frills... so im not the best to ask for advice

TACOMANATOR

The 4runner would do ya fine but, a Tacoma with a topper would probaly be cheaper. Oh, and i'm not biased.

ThinkinboutToys

I am involved with a Subaru off road club. I often thought about lifting the Forester a few inches. By the time I made all the mods that I want to him, I might as well have bought a toyota and put a sunroof in it.
Subaru is just not building them like they used to. I think it was GM's influance on Fuji Heavy Industries that cheapened them. I blew the Head Gasket at 38,000 miles. What was I doing at the time? Idling. I'm very religious about maintenance. When I say very... I mean VERY. I averaged out the number of times I"ve been in for warrenty work. It comes out to every 7300-7400 miles. Thats sad... really sad. I NEVER had this kind of trouble with my Legacy. Of course.. that was the bullet proof 2.2 liter engine.. not this 2.5 stuff that they put in nearly everything.
Subarus are still good cars... dont' get me wrong. I'm still a fan. I dont' think I would ever give up the Brat. I look back now and think that I should have never given up my 88 wagon.

What year would serve me the best? Also the ease of repair and finding parts since a good chunk of the work would have to be taken care of somehow by lil ol me

kyle_22r

tacomas with 4 cylinders get pretty good mileage, i hear around 23-25 sometimes(as long as you don't put a lift/bigger tires on).

if you want something really tough, you can't go wrong with an older pickup with the 22R/22RE motor in it.

ekim121

I'd say that a Tacoma with a topper would be the most cost effective option, however, it'll severely limit the number of friends who can travel with you...if people space is really important the 4runner would probably be a good deal. If you're quite concerned with gas mileage 4runners can be had with 4 cylinders.

User 051420

Ahh.. A typical subie..always full of crap in the back!

Why not look at a Legacy Wagon? A buddy of mine rolled his, has 130k miles, and keeps on pluggin... Then again, it has the 2.2. Isn't the GT Wagon available with a 2.5 turbo?

But if you want Toyota, I say get a 4runner. VERY versatile, and chances are that you'll have the seats folded down all the time too. If you're looking for econcomy, DO NOT consider the Cruiser!

Babypig

Do you guys down in the US get the four door Tacoma?

kyle_22r

yep, we have the 4 door. toyota was even nice enough to give it the option of a 6 speed manual this year as well

ThinkinboutToys

I had a 1993 Legacy Wagon. I sold it at 198,700 miles- only because I bought the Forester. It was a really good car. I had it Covered in bumper stickers. I bought it when I still lived in Wyoming and moved up to the PNW in it. I've often thought of going back to one. The automatic seat belts suck and so do the seats. I guess they are minor. If I still have the forester later, and I have more probs with head gaskets or what have you... I'm going to drop a 2.2 in it and make it work.

User 051420

Where were you in WY? I'm in Riverton for 4 more days.

ianshoots

If you wanna keep things cheap and if your friends aren't whiners I'd say get get xtra cab tacoma with a four. Cheapest, best gas mileage. And get a manual tranny.
I guess its the extra weight of being a SUV vs a truck, but from what everyone posts on here 4runners get a ffew mpg's less than I do, and my tacoma has a six. I have buddy who lives in Denver with basically the truck I recomended and he does manage 24 or better down the highway.

I'm done sharing now.