Great, now my brother is trying to talk me into the V8 just when I had my mind made up for the V6....

 

I would go with the V8 not much difference in MPG
Re sale value and engine should last will not have to work as hard

 

jgs9455

Does the SR5 come with the option of leather? I didn't think it did.

Herman

 

You won't regret getting the V8. The mileage isn't bad. I get 16-17 in mixed driving. I wanted the V6 too (because it has a timing chain and the oil filter is easier to get to) but all of the stuff I've read on these forums about the noise/clatter problems with it scared me off. You won't have to drive the V8 as hard either, so you'll be less likely to have the rotten egg smell (which happens during hard driving).

 

In the south at least you can get leather on the SR5 (stone or taupe). It's a option on the configurations page.

 

The oil filter on the V8's really isn't all that bad to get to, simply remove 4 bolts on teh skid plate, and it's right there. They have it really tight from the factory, but other then that no problems there

 

I think that the leather in that region is port installed by the distributor. The KBB site has a good breakdown of what options cost in what regions. All of the port installed stuff varies somewhat in price depending on which distributor has distribution rights in your state. It seems like the port installed options cost more in the southeast region than anywhere else.

When I lived in Atlanta, I couldn't ever find a vehicle that the distributor hadn't packed with port installed options, and there was no way I was going to pay more for that stuff than other regions of the country, so I didn't buy any Toyotas while I lived there.

Here in the mid atlantic region, more modestly equipped vehicles are easier to find... I've seen a few without any port installed options at all. If you can't find what you want there, try checking some of the no-haggle dealerships in other regions. CarMax in Baltimore (www.carmax.com) has a large 4Runner inventory and their no haggle prices are posted online. Out of state buyers just pay a $99 paperwork fee and $15 for a temporary tag (I almost bought there but didn't feel like driving that far away). The CarMax site shows the actual picture of each vehicle (not a "representative photo"). Another good one to check out is Fitzgerald auto mall (www.fitzmall.com). They have no-haggle "Internet Delivered" pricing which includes all of the fees so there are no surprises. Their dealers are scattered throughout the mid-atlantic region.

Good luck.