Road Head

I am curious if anyone else has been in the situation to sell the 4Runner and buy a full size truck. We have a '93 Corolla and an '01 4Runner (4wd, sport, 63k miles). My wife drives the Corolla - she drives a lot for work doing home health occupational therapy. I drive the 4Runner. But, we bought a 3500 lb boat, and I could really use a truck. We are thinking of selling the Corolla and 4runner and buying a '00-'02 Solara for her and a '00-'02 Z71 ext cab (Chevy ) for me. Anybody else every sold their 4Runner for a truck? Are you glad you did? Obviously we will miss the 4Runner, but I think this is where we are headed.

BajaRunner

I like Chevy trucks, but, Tundra's are coooler

yotarunner96

chevys are very nice (my dad sells them) but if i were you i would go with the tundra also.

Road Head

I really like the Tundra, but as far as I can tell, they are not as big. I could look on google, but does anyone know the '00-'02 Tundra hp, tq and tow rating numbers?

lee

v8 is 245, 315, and 7000 lbs
v6 is 190, 220 and 5000 lbs

if memory serves...

DavidA

V8 Tundras rock.

rimpainter.com

I would get a Titan or Tundra over a GM product any day.

X88&94GT

I dont think I will go to the amaerican market again, unless I went for a diesel. (Get a F250 or similar. Dependability on a american car isnt always the greatest, but the diesels are somewhat decent.

I am basically stuck on toyotas, at least at this point in my life. You really cannot beat the dependability and quality!

kinnakeettom

toyota traded me my present 4runner,(NC Lemon law) due to a 2005 tundra that was in the shop 61 days, 4 sets of front rotors and calibers, 3 master cyclinders, before another dealership found that both rear brake lines had been hammered closed screwing up proportional valve which was on factory BO 6-9 weeks, no more US built for me, divorced GM in 81.

cimahar

If you buy anything but a Toyota, your crazy, oh and one more thing, expect to pay the extra bucks for repairs, I have owned Toyota's for the last twenty four years and they just last longer than anything, I have owned other vehicles along the way, but hands down Nothing beats a Toyota, if I had the need for a truck, It would be a Tundra, do some research, it's the safest truck on the road. Toyota will outlast anything. Have you seen the 07 Tundra Yet,,,,,,,,,, one word , well ok two words
Freeking WoW, if I had the cash,,, I would buy one and stick it in the garage for my sunday driver.................late

rugerm44

And get 12 mpg city and 17-18 hw.Had one.02 it struggled to pull 4,500lb trailer.Until they make something that will pull a heavy load and get some kinda mpg.Im just going to set back and wait.Gas will hit 3 bucks a gallon this summer.Its got the same rear end and front end as my tacoma and yet its rated to pull more.You buy a full size truck for its towing and hauling abilities.Say what you want about ford and chevy but they dont put a mini truck rear end in them and call it a full size truck!This from a guy who owns 2 tacomas and had a tundra until I got tired of replacing pads and rotors and the mpg.It got the full size mpg but not the full size towing ability.Next time I buy a truck Im taking the trailer or boat with me to see what it will pull.Even the titan has been blowing rear ends.They all have there problems so lets be honest.Yet you have to be honest with yourself or you wind up with a truck that either wont pull what you need to or tears up all the time trying to do it.Tow ratings are not all there cracked up to be.Trucks cost too much to play hit and miss.Nothing makes you sick like buying a new truck just to find out it wont do what you need it to. I know what it feels like!

lllateralus

Road Head, if you trade that 4Runner for a chevy, you will be sorry.

If you must get an american truck, get an F-x50. (I have a 97 F150 4X4 4.6 that has treated me just like a toyota for 103K miles)

GM products are not an option for me,period. Chrysler products are probably better, but Dodge trucks are notorious for going through trannys in 50K miles. (dont get me started on daimlerchrysler's transaxles)

My f150 has been hammered off road its entire 9 year life so far, and the tranny/engine still perform like brand new. (103K) She see's road trips of around 1K miles relatively regularly and burns NO oil. It is stored outside, and doesnt get the attention it deserves. (4Runner and Accord get all the maintenance!)

Toyota Tundras are great, too. *almoast* typical Toyota quality. I say almoast due to my brothers 01 Tundras reaccuring o2 sensor failure (3 or 4 times), and exhaust manifold leak at around 50K miles. ($$$) It has 111K miles now, and runs like new.

F150's and Tundras will tow around 7K lbs. (as noted earlier by lee)

FUZION

As far as trucks I like
Tundra
Titan

Road Head

Well, 4Runner is now for sale. The wifey got a 2002 Accord coupe, and boy, its a sharp little vehicle - sunroof, spoiler, 6 disc cd changer in dash, radio controls on steering wheel. I put it on autotrader and am going to try the old For Sale sign in the window trick.

Unhappy99

I just did exactly this. My 99 Certified POS is now somebody elses problem, I now own a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins, and I absolutely love it.

Not missing the 4Runner at all, just disappointed in myself for not replacing it sooner, or even worse, having bought it in the first place. Beyond the numerous factory defects, it simply could not do the job it was rated to do, i.e. tow 5000lbs safely.

Road Head

Im glad to hear that! My problem is deciding between 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton. The only thing I tow is my boat, but we have considered someday getting a small camper - but this would be 3+ years away, and at that point in time I could get a 3-4 year old 3/4 ton diesel. I think a 1/2 ton gasser would be fine for now. The 4Runner does ok around town (under 40 mph) but I dont even want to get it on the interstate. I know many of you have towed boats and trailers, but I just dont feel very safe doing so. Pulling my boat locally seems to really bog it down. I dont like towing at the upper limit.

My main problem with the 4Runner is the cost. I love it, but its so expensive, and I cant justify having it anymore.

Things I like about the 4Runner:
Rear window rolls down
Large back seat, surprisingly very roomy
Stock comes with 4.10s and 265/75s fit with no lift
Smooth power and acceleration
Its a 4runner, what else can I say - they look cool

Things I dislike about the 4Runner:
Too expensive for what you get
Poor gas mileage
Front seats suck - not comfortable
Towing is ok, but as you approach the limit, it starts sucking, and 5k pounds is not very much. There just isnt enough power.
Cant haul stuff - like a water heater, or mulch

Its a tough decision, but for my wife and my needs, a reliable little car and a truck will work nicely and give us more for our money.

lllateralus

Road Head.. we also have an Accord Coupe. (2001)

Black, leather,V6, loaded.. Its a very nice car. You will love it!
(and did I say its fast?! This coming from a guy that used to own an S2000! That accord moves!)

Unhappy99

I didn't care about it bogging the engine while towing, that just meant I got there slow. My concern was the weak suspension (even after big air shocks), and weak brakes. I prefer having the towing vehicle control the trailer, but with anything above 2500lbs, the trailer is in control of the 4Runner. Putting 4600lbs behind it was just plain dangerous.

Anyways, before you get a gasser, seriously look at fuel mileage compared to a diesel. I still think the auto makers are missing a huge market for medium sized diesels. A 4 liter turbo diesel in a Durango/Expedition/Sequoia sized vehicle would be really nice, IMO.

On the back seat thing, the Quad Cab has 1.5 inches more leg room than the 4Runner. Kinda nice that way.

X88&94GT

Sorry to see you purchased a lemon. Every manufacturer has them. Hated that this had to be your 1st yota b/c they are really one of the best vehicles out there. Until something else can present itself as dependable as a Toyota our family will not own anything else.

Roadhead,
I have to disagree about front seats (ours are great, not the best ever, but definately comfortable) and cost for what you get (Really do not get this. All you have to do is maint stuff and you are set for 200K+ miles on average? You can now get 96-99 models for under $10K.)
Gas mileage ? And you want a full sized truck? He he.. good luck with that one. Our 4runner has been the best car I have ever owned.
Maybe a 4runner is not what you need. Sounds like a truck is it. You can haul a Water heater and could always buy a cheap trailer for $2-300 to haul mulch or whatever else.

(I owned a 2000 Accord 2dr. once and I hated it. About the only thing it was good for was gas mileage. It was a 4cyl auto and was not fast in any way.)

Unhappy99

Yeah, mines the only lemon. Nobody else has a defective fuel gauge, warped brake rotors, leaking axle seals, crappy clutch pedal bushings, or a MAF that throws codes every 6 months.

It wasn't my first Yota. I put 180K miles on my 87 4Runner, now my brother owns it and it has become his preferred vehicle. That 4Runner is indestructable, and I've tried. The only reason why I got a newer one was because the 99 had a higher tow rating. But, as Toyota has taught me, its a rating meant to enhance marketing, not for real world application.

From 89 to 2002, I encouraged many people to buy Toyotas, since my 87 was so damn solid. I had $600 in unscheduled maintenance in 13 years.

My 99 had $3K in the first year due to the standard set of factory defects which Toyota knew about and didn't fix, and the dealer also knew about, didn't fix, but Certified it anyways. When I asked about how they checked for a correctly reading fuel gauge (specifically on the Certified list of things to check) Karl Malone Toyota said, "We don't check EVERY thing", and then asked me who changed my oil.

When I got ahold of the regional customer relations dude, he said that even though my VIN is on the list of known defective 4Runners in the TSB, my guage was not a factory defect, but just wore out. Of course it did, 300 miles after the warranty expired. Strangely enough, performing the TSB solved my gauge problem.

Now, I encourage people to avoid Toyota. If you charge a premium price, you should build a premium vehicle and back it up with premium service. Instead, Toyota has focused on premium marketing and premium lawyers to fight their own customers.

From sludgemobiles to head gaskets to defective brake systems (see Tundra & 4Runner), my confidence in Toyota quality and service could not be higher.