My wife and I are considering buying a 03 runner with a V8. Aside from the looks which I am not crazy about, any opinions about its use as a daily driver for short hops and a tow vehicle for a boat would be appreciated. I don't know the track record of the V-8 and was hoping come of you could comment. I am looking more for power, long life and reliability than off road capability. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Donnie

 

There is also a lot of information on this topic to be found through a search ... for the most part, you'll find that those of us who have a 4th gen. are incredibly pleased with its performance on road and offroad!

 

Yotatech is #1 in my heart, however if you want more info specifically regarding the 2003+ 4Runners, there is a lot more about towing and such over at http://toyota-4runner.org ...

 

The V8 is a great engine, they have been using it in the tundra for years and its in the landcruiser/LX470 and GX470. So reliability shouldnt be too much of a concern. As for towing, it does great. I tow my snowmobiles thru the mountains(probably about 4000#'s or so) and it tows no problem at 80 if i like, tho my mileage blows at that speed. On flat ground you barely notice its behind you. You would be happy with it.

And like rocky said, checkout www.t4r.org for a ton more information on the 4th gen runners, thats all most people have there.

 

The V8 5spd auto works flawlessly and is very smooth in daily driving with plenty of oomph. The gas mileage is reasonable if you don't violate the skinny pedal.

Everybody that has used it for towing has been very impressed with it. It is a rock solid platform and very few people has had any issues with the driveline.

The only common issue has been a thump in the driveline due to the rear slip joint not being lubed properly.

I think you will be very impressed with how nice it rides on road, as well as how smooth and quiet it is. Interior space is also pretty good, especially if it doesn't have the moonroof.

If you are going to tow a lot of heavy stuff you might want to look at the LTD with rear air or just fit slightly firmer rear coils. But that is not necessary in most cases to be honest. Also the early V8s 2003 does not have the 7000lb rear hitch and only a 5000lb hitch bolted to the rear crossmember. in 2004 the 7000lb hitch become std on all V8s, but you can fit it easily on 03s.

 

Thanks for the replies- If it is still at the dealer on Wednesday I will go for it. Between gas prices and the new car deals that were around, it seems to be a buyers market for the big engines. Thanks again, Donnie