......4Runner looked next to the big boys. Today I parked my '93 in a parking spot and when I came back, a Dodge 1500 Pickup was on my right and a GM 1500 Suburban was on my left. They looked huge next to mine.

But, I just shrugged and knew my rig was the better of the two.

Whitey

 

I know what you mean, even the new explorers are bigger not by much, but a little bit, the expeditions are much bigger than the 4runners, but i agree with you the 4runner is still better, although when I first got into my new 4runner i was like "holy cow this is big"

 

Yeah, It's not the size but what's under the hood that counts so to speak.:eek:

 

Us too, the work vans were very unreliable. Never again, but my brother-in-law swears by the trucks. That's all he will drive.

 

I hear all of that. I have so many friends that sware by trucks or Jeeps, but every last one of them spends more time in the shop in a month than I do all year(never). Toyota 4ever for this memeber here. I have a height problem w/ my Runner even next to LTD Runner, but I'm soon to fix that w/ another 3" under me, lifts and tires are a great thing to stop feeling inferior(in height) to other SUVs, haha.

 

I used to drive a big Dodge. I am still getting used to the height
thing. i am not used to looking up But I am getting used to it. We
just had the other Dodge in for a 300. electronic repair. I won't
miss those bills.

 

Try driving a 40 ft box truck then get in your toyota .The toy felt so small and fast !!!!!! The box truck was a beast to drive

 

I was next to a new Explorer yesterday. I couldn't believe how much taller the hood was than my Runners. But when I returned, I noticed that my roof was still higher

Wiat til the body lift and bigger skins in the spring!!!!

 

It doesn't seem that big until I try to park in a compact stall.....I fit but it makes me nervous if the other guy is parked close to the line because I gotta really inch in slow.

 

to me, there are a few things that make toyota's far superior to ford... and even chev/gmc, even though i am (was) a chev/gmc guy. (toyota guy now i guess)

well the first is reliability. in consumer reports, toyota got excellent under reliability. ford, gmc, chevy, etc, all got poor or fair.

the next is gas mileage. most toyota trucks/SUVs get nearly 20 MPG. the 2003 probably gets even more. i get about 18-20, while most f-150's or C1500's get like 12-15.. the new ones that is. old ones can be under 10.

another big thing is offroad capability. i'd like to see a f-150 on some of those 4 wheeler trails i have been on. definatly would have rubbed a few trees. or turn around on a road with no turnaround at all, after deciding not to go any farther into the wilderness.


this website is really good also. i read some stuff before i got my truck. really made me see the toyota "light" thanks guys!

 

The smaller size also allows it to drive better...my pops has always driven cars..but w/ my mom getting an escalade..he considered switching over to an SUV, thinking the escalade would ride similarly to a car...assuming it'd be smooth and what not..being a cadillac...but he absolutely hated it....then when i got my 97 runner.. he drove it a few times..and he liked it a lot more in comparison to my mom's...despite it being a 97 runner as opposed to a 2001 escalade...the smaller size allowed it to drive more like a car...

However a 4runner was never in consideration...he went with a seville...haha..

 

I am just the opposite. I commute to school, and I carpool with another kid. He owns a 2002 Chevy Xtreme truck. He drives one week, I drive one week. My 4Runner feels like a monster truck compared to him. But yeah, it is smaller than the other SUVs out there, but wayyyyyy better! :fireman:

 

It's funny that you all say the 4Runner is so much smaller than the others. I have been driving a car for all of my life. I just got a 2002 4Runner and it feels like a hoss compared to everything that I have ever driven before. I like driving next to the cars now and being able to look down into their rides.

It feels good to be up a little higher!!

 

next to cars it's bigger, but i was talking about other suv's or trucks out there, some of those things are big, too big if you ask me

 

I too thought the 4Runner seemed pretty big after driving a small Dodge D50 pickup and an 89 Camry for a number of years. I can't even imagine piloting some of the full-size trucks with extended cabs and dual wheels around Seattle voluntarily. The street I live on is narrow enough that only one car can go through if there are cars parked on opposite sides of the street. If there are cars parked near my driveway on both sides, its like backing into a parking spot to get out. Wouldn't want to do that with a big pickup or a Hummer.

I think my next vehicle will be a compact car for driving around town. Lighter on the wallet when it comes to fuel bills and much easier to maneuver around and get into parking spots, especially if you have to parallel park.

Alan

 

My next door neighbor drives a '94 Dodge Ram 4x4. He's on his 3rd auto transmition and its starting to go out. I guess the life expectancy of a Dodge tranny is about 3 years. . He won't tell me how much each tranny cost. He towed his boat once and the frame bent. When it runs it gets about 8 MPG. Cost, Undisclosed

A frind of mine has a '97 Exploder with an exploded transfer case and some hub problems. Estimate to fix both problems, $4700 . It dosen't run now but when it did it got 13 MPG. Cost, $16,000

My roomate drives a '97 F-150. Both door trim panels are practically falling off the doors and the passenger power window won't go back up once its down. There are about a million squeaks and rattles that shouldn't be there. It hasn't broken down yet but it has never been in 4WD either. Its so fat and long that my he can't seem to drive it without hitting curbs. He's bought 2 wheels to replace ones he bent on curbs and has had tires replaced 3 times due to curb dammage. Those aren't Ford's fault, my roomate just can't drive very well. 1st wheel was $300 from the dealer. 2nd time I convinced him to look at junkyards, he got one for $85. It gets 10 MPG. Cost $18,000

To compare these sorry excuses for vehicles to my truck... I have had to replace the timing chain, 80amp fuse, and drivers window regulator. It has never stranded me or given me any big problems. It gets 21-24 MPG after 197,000 miles. Cost, $3000 not counting my junkyard mods/ winch.

Who's getting their money's worth?

 

It's not the size of the boat... it's the motion of the ocean

 

It seems like I hear a lot about timing chains. When do they start to go bad?

 

Your 2002 with a V6 has timing belts, not a chain. Belts are due to be changed at 60,000 miles but have been known to last longer. Its not good to try to strech their lifetime because if it breaks the motor will not run.

The timing chains that come on 4 cyl. truck and 4Runner motors should be changed every 90,000 miles. If one of those breaks your motor is very likely to be destroyed. Its more likely for the chain guide to wear out, allowing the chain to wear a hole in a coolant passage, also resulting in a dead motor.

 

Thanks for the education. I'll keep on top if it.

I took the extended warranty,
good, honest mechanics are hard to find down here.