Toyota 4Runner
 

Hey guys, thinking of what my next SUV might be when my Jeep Commander finally cries Uncle (probably the next 2 years or so)? It would be easy to just pick up a Jeep GC, as I've had great experiences with the Jeep brand since the 90s. However, the 4Runners always catch my eye when I'm out n about. And many claim Toyotas are bulletproof. Anyone here own, drive or have an associated opinion of the 4Runner?

I work in rural (very rural) real estate, and my company uses Tundras and 4Runners for a reason. They're pretty awesome and total tanks.

Not the greatest fuel economy in the segment, and not the greatest interiors. But they last forever.
Not sure what they are like to drive, but a test drive will tell you what you need to know there.

Had a 1982 Toyota 4x4 pick up before they were called the Tundra
1997 4 Runner & 2014 4 Runner
All rock solid and dependable trucks
1997 still running, and dependable w/ 250,000 + mi. One of my good friends now owns it!

'88 Cherokee 140,000 miles, '98 Grand Cherokee 130,000 miles, '03 Liberty 50,000 miles needed a bigger Jeep, '04 Grand Cherokee 140,000 miles, '13 Grand Cherokee TrailHawk 80,000 miles still have it. There is a reason why I buy Jeeps. :twocents:

When the Commander first came out. I was going to get one and throw some AEV love it's way.

Yep, I've had the same great experience with my Jeeps. This Commander with the Hemi is 1k away from 130k. A few things that were expected (starter, water pump, 3rd battery), but all in all very dependable!

AEV Commander would be very cool. I've lifted, bigger tires, bull bar, hella flood lights, blacked out the chrome...

250k?? That's ridiculous!! I have a friend with a Tacoma that has 270k, it's his dd and running strong. They do seem to last!

Until the rust gets to them. With the salt here in the winter. If it's not undercoated or rustproofed. The rust starts to show up at about 5 years.

I keep vehicles to about 120,000 miles then trade them in. Then I know i got my monies worth out of them. My PowerWagon. I will keep that until I die, then get buried in it. :rofl2: I don't think I'm buying anything else for awhile.

Yeah, I've considered keeping this one long term as well. Interior is perfect, exterior looks new, the level of tech basically matches my Z :rofl2:, so I don't get too confused, and mechanically she's 100%. I just know my tolerance threshold when it comes to getting nickel & dimed with repairs is very low. But then again, potentially throwing 5 or 10k at the commander over the next few years to get another 4 or 5 years out of it sure beats 45 / 50k for a new GC or 4Runner.

Nickel and dime vs car payment. Depends on the nickel and dime and how much the payment is.

My '13 GC TrailHawk was $49,000. It's got every option but for the heated steering wheel.

The GC TrailHawk is one sweet ride!

It's got the air ride suspension. It's real fun in traffic. Where I can raise and lower it by 6". Go from low rider to rock crawler and back. And have other people looking at me to see what I'm doing. :rofl2:

Overall the Toyota 4 Runner is a solid vehicle to own in terms of reliability and is a enjoying vehicle to drive everyday. I owned a 2005 Toyota 4 Runner for 172K miles and never had any major issues with it and only did all the general maintenance on it. Oil changes and other maintenance was always done on time I believe that is key for longevity with just about any vehicle. If you plan on daily driving your vehicle in the rain/snow/salt definitely do the under coating on your vehicle as you will get surface rust that will into rust that will eat away at vehicles body over time. If you drive through salt in the winter definitely use your hoses or pressure washer and wash the salt or debris off your vehicle. Also another vehicle to consider purchasing would be the Nissan Pathfinder. I have seen for myself that the Nissan Pathfinder is a reliable/dependable vehicle to own. I would stay away from Jeep,Dodge,and Chrysler vehicles like the plague.

2005 Toyota 4 Runner

2018 Nissan Pathfinder “cough for the win cough”

I've had a boat load of Jeeps over the years. 1 Ferd truck, 3 Cheby trucks, 2 Nissan trucks and 2 Dodge trucks. The Ferd and Cheby trucks were headaches from day one. The Nissans rusted to the ground. The 2 Dodges had zero issues. And I beat on my PowerWagon. The Jeeps have been almost as good as the Dodges. I stay away from the Ferd and Cheby like the plague with the issues I had with them. :mad:

Rusty got me thinking... I might just hold on to the Commander for a while and do some aev-like mods to it.

The GC is really nice, even the new Cherokee trailhawk is cool now that for ‘19 they made the nose “normal” looking. The new JL is awesome, test drove one the other day, if I wasn’t so in love with my JK, it might have come home with me. But like Rusty, I plan on being buried with my jk. :tup:

Yotas are a solid choice too, but current 4Runner has terrible ergonomics. Too long and skinny with poor headroom and feels cramped inside due to narrowness. Love the power roll down rear glass tho. Reminds me of my old k5. :driving:

4runner is among the last of the body on frame trucks. They're better than the comparable jeeps (excluding Wrangler) in every way except power when it comes to off road performance.

There's also lots of aftermarket out there for them. I would buy one in a heartbeat if I was in the market.