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Anyone regret buying a Toyota Sequoia?

chris217chris217 Member Posts: 3
Wife and I are looking at new cars and after doing lots of research the Sequoia has risen to the top of the list. Currently have an Acura MDX but as the family grows we are finding the 3rd row seats are just not usable.

We love everything about the Sequoia but we wonder if it's simply "too much truck". We won't do any off-roading and won't be towing anything which seem to be the benefits over some of the large cross cross overs (GMC Acadia, Mazda CX-9). Although we prefer an SUV vs. something built on a car platform.

My wife's sister has a 2006 model and even though they love it (been trouble free) she has commented that the gas milage is terrible and it's becoming a bit tedious to run her normal soccer mom errands and they are potentially looking for something smaller.

We are a little concered that after buying the Sequoia (with my wife as the primary driver) that after a few months that she may become "tired" of driving around such a large vehicle and whether a larger crossover may be a better option. We've test drove it and it doesn't feel that big but that's not the same as driving it day in and day out for an extended period of time.

So my questions to the board:

1) Anyone here buy a Sequoia and then months (or years) later wish they had bought something not quite as large?

2) Anyone have their wife as the primary driver using it to run errands (grocery store, shopping) or shuttling kids around? Does she have any complaints? If she had to do it over would she have selected something different?

Thx!

Comments

  • ratmratm Member Posts: 11
    If that can help... 2 months driving, 2000 miles on a 2010 SR5 4X4 4.6L.
    We bought a Sequoia for the same reason: space.
    We currently have 3 kids and wanted them securely on the second row seats, which works great in the Sequoia.
    We needed the 3rd row seat because we'll probably get another kid.
    We don't do any off-road or towing.

    Now that I drove the Sequoia for a while, I'm pretty sure I would have prefer the Highlander for it's suspension. The dealer lend us a 2007 limited Highlander (old model) while the Sequoia was on order.
    That car was really soft... probably that the latest model is even better, the Sequoia is really a truck and feels like it.
    We didn't went with an Highlander mainly because the 3rd row seats does not split 60/40 (it's a one piece bench) + accessing it is more difficult.

    Anyway to answer your questions:

    1) I do not regret it for the size, but would definitely not have bought that if I lived in a big city.

    2) My wife drives it all the time w/o problem.. there's a backup camera and sensors so it helps a lot. Again we're living in a small city so no problem finding parking and parking spots are wide enough to fit the Sequoia.
  • saramaddiesaramaddie Member Posts: 19
    We have both a 2007 MDX and a 2008 Sequoia. We have two kids and the MDX is great to drive for many occasions. Love the handling, performance and mileage. However, as you have noted the 3rd row is not the greatest. The
    Sequoia is fantastic for hauling stuff (skiing, longer trips etc.) Especially for hauling friends and for soccer outings, the Sequoia can't be beat. We've been spoiled by having both but if I had to only have one vehicle, I would choose the Sequoia. The MDX feels crowded after riding in the Sequoia.
  • boxer99boxer99 Member Posts: 22
    Glad to see that post. I have an MDX and I am picking up a new Sequoia today that is replacing an Odyssey. MDX just could not cut it for long hauls and traveling.
  • denver5357denver5357 Member Posts: 319
    Curious why you are trading in an Ody, what year it is and what you got for it. We have a 2005 Ody and are considering a Sequoia for better snow driving. But haven't test driven it, yet. Thanks.
  • boxer99boxer99 Member Posts: 22
    Trading in an '06 Ody because kids are a bit older (6 & 4) and we wanted to move away from the minivan. We loved it and it served us very well. Although, we live in the snow belt and had to put Blizzaks on the Ody to make it useful.

    Got $17,500 for the '06 with 53,000 miles. Just picked up the Sequoia one week ago and have put almost 1,000 miles on it since then. We love it so far. It is not as convenient as the minivan with loading/unloading but we were expecting that. We knew the tradeoffs and are very happy with the purchase.
  • warrant_erowarrant_ero Member Posts: 16
    I have a 08 Seq LTD bought in Jun of this year. Once you get used to it is does not seem that big. Vehicle drives like a car, makes you forget you are driving a big vehicle until you go around a corner.

    Love the power and space, gas mileage about 14 in the city, 18-20 on the highway.

    No problems getting around the parking lot, front and rear sonar helps a lot.

    Looking to buy a backup camera in the future.

    No regrets here.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    If you are a Toyota owner and interested in sharing your reaction to the recall with reporters, send an email stating the vehicle you own, your telephone number, and the best time you can be reached.

    Send to: [email protected]
  • 774774 Member Posts: 101
    edited April 2010
    I picked up my New Sequoia in New Jersey March 6 2010 and drove it home to South Fla a couple days later. I was not able to order the vehicle from a Fla dealership as all 4 wheel drive Sequoias and Tundras only come with the E85 engines .This stupid rule applies to these vehicles that are sold in the 5 state area controled by South East Toyota. Neither Toyota Motor Sales USA or South East Toyota would tell me why I could not order the vehicle with the engine I wanted.

    The vehicle drove fantastic and was a pleasure to drive. This is my second Sequoia and replaced my 2001 model that had 98,000 trouble free miles on it when I sold it to a private party. The new vehicle is larger than previous model, is easier to drive, has a bigger engine and gets a little better gas mileage 18.7mpg on a new engine. The 2001 model was the best vehicle I have ever owned and this one looks like it will be better than the previous one.

    I am now approaching 3000 miles and the vehicle has just been great.
  • treedrivertreedriver Member Posts: 5
    edited May 2010
    I've only had my Sequoia Platinum for a few days. I drove a Limited which I liked but I was having trouble justifying 56K for a SUV. I went to a different dealer and found the Platinum which they offered to take off the show room for me to test drive. I fell in love with the ride of the Platinum even though it listed for over 61K. I'm really impressed

    I've always bought GM cars and trucks for both my home use and for my business but I refuse to buy "Government Motors". So far over the last year I've bought my first Ford Van and my first Toyota and I like them both. Good Bye GM
  • 774774 Member Posts: 101
    I gave up on ford and gm after I bought my first Toyota Sequoia in 2001. I have owned several fords and general motor products over the years and they just do not compare to the Toyota or Nissan product The 2010 Sequoia I bought in March of this year is just a pleasure to drive.

    Good luck with your ford van the one I bought new was a night mare.

    I agree with you, I would not buy a government motors car just out of principle. Gm and the government sure took care of the secured bond holders by stealing thier money. How can you trust a company that is involved in this kind of theft ??
  • vfr182vfr182 Member Posts: 2
    We have a 2010 MDX Tech and entertainment its awesome and is the wifes new ride. this is the highway cruiser, grocery getter and all around sweet ride.
    we also have a 2002 sequoia sr5 with all the limited options except leather, 4x4. bought from the dealer with 65 miles on it. it is the undisputed heavy weight champion of the family. it has 130K on the clock and except for eating brakes while my wifes daily driver and needing tires a little more frequently than anything ive ever owned it is awesome. I can pull my neighbors house down with it, haul more crap on vacation than just about anything, run in the snow and through any storms, take it on the beach etc etc. its not my favorite veh ive ever owned but its the most competent all around veh ive ever had and it does tons of stuff really well. we are even getting ready to start dragging it behind a motor home. Dealer tries to buy it from me every time i take it in and tells me if i keep treating it this way my 7 year old will be driving it to college with no problem. buy it.
  • juryandjudgejuryandjudge Member Posts: 2
    My wife and I have two kids in car seats (4 yrs and 1.5yr) with another on the way. We are shopping for a full sized SUV to replace her VW Touareg (glad to be getting rid of the VW - German engineering is an oxymoron), and the Sequoia is at the top of the list. With a soon-to-have load of 3 kids in car seats we are trying to figure out the best seat configuration, particularly in the second row - she likes the idea of captains chairs with no center console because it looks more luxurious and allows for easier access to the third row, I think the 40/20/40 bench will be more useful in the immediate future and over time. So here are some questions for the group - and no, my wife doesn't want the minivan :-) :

    1. Can you fit three car seats across the second row of the Sequoia?
    2. If a car seat goes in the third row, what's the most convenient placement for it, either outboard or in the middle?

    If anyone has any other advice on a situation such as this, please share. Thanks!

    Matt
  • robhorobho Member Posts: 9
    Matt,

    This is the one feature my wife and I HAD to have and what won us over on our Sequoia. My kids are now 9, 7 and 3, but when we purchased our Sequoia few years ago we had 2 in booster seats and 1 in an infant carrier. They all fit in the second row comfortably. There are 3 latch positions in the second row. That alone tells you that there is enough room.

    Our Sequoia is a 2007 Limited with out the captain's chairs in the second row. I can only assume that the 2008 and newer have the same room you need.

    Everytime my wife fills the 24 gallon tank she still does it with a smile and says "I love the Sequoia"
  • treedrivertreedriver Member Posts: 5
    I now have over 26000 miles on my Platinum Sequoia and I'm more impressed each day. The only problem I've had so far is the back bumper melted around the tail pipe while towing a 7000lb trail in the summer heat. I'm being told that Toyota is in the process of fixing this problem. The Turning radius is truly amazing, it tuns tighter than my wife Impala! I think this truck has more power than it has sense. I average 15mpg with combined city/highway. The only change I'd like to see, would be a larger fuel tank. It currently has a 26 gallon tank which only gets me 300 mile or 160 while towing.
  • 774774 Member Posts: 101
    I have 12,000 miles on this beast and it is one great truck. The gas mileage on the highway averages 17mpg and 19mpg when I am not forced to buy gas with 10% ethanol.The mileage also improves when I drive under 70mph.

    The ride and comfort is worth the increased cost in gas.The vehicle has plenty of room and is pleasure to drive on long trips. The turning radius as mentioned in the above post is amazing.
  • expat3expat3 Member Posts: 1
    edited December 2011
    Bought the wife's 2003 limited new & apart from the rear latch issues it has never had a problem, & she still drives it daily.
    It has 148,000 great safe miles. She is 98lbs 4ft 11" and loves her truck.
    We bought a Used 2005 limited for our youngest daughter (our first two kids preferred 4runners).
    The 2005 has had the same back latch issues but apart from that nothing but the usual servicing, brake pads, and tires. We own our own shop so we do all the usual servicing ourselves.
    The 2005 now has 90,000 miles but on a recent trip of 1800 miles it didn't burn
    any oil & ran well even though we were stuck in heavy slow New York city traffic
    for hours.
    You can't kill these trucks & we have sworn off the Big 3.
    We constantly have trucks from other manufacturers in for expensive repairs, as we do the smaller vehicles our friends buy their kids to save on gas. Some of
    these gas efficient cars are in constantly!!!!!! However, Iam impressed with a Lexus GS350 we service with 249,000 miles on it!!!
  • mimechanicmimechanic Member Posts: 2
    Yes, I have regrets. The transmission is an issue. Before I purchased another Toyota I would investigate the model for any transmission issues. These repairs can be expensive when not covered under warranty.
  • dlcole76054dlcole76054 Member Posts: 21
    edited January 2012
    Has anyone tried to order the smaller 4.6L engine in a Platinum series model? I just don't want the 5.7L gas hog. 12 MPG in town just isn't good enough. If you get a lesser model (Limited or Base), I believe the 4.6L is an option, but not on the Platinum. I kind of like the Sequoia for size and capability, but will move to a Lexus GX 460 if I can't get the right sized engine. The Lexus has the 4.6L engine and basically a 4 Runner all dolled up in Lexus dress.
  • lsuz20lsuz20 Member Posts: 3
    Your mileage statement doesn't make any sense. You say you get 15 MPG avg, but only get 300 miles out of a 26 gallon tank. If you do the math that's only 11 MPG. Also what are you towing, to cut your MPG in half?
  • spankydogakspankydogak Member Posts: 5
    We bought a new 2002 Limited in October of 2001. The truck has just over 215,000 miles on it now and looks/runs great. We grew out of a 4Runner when kid #3 arrived and the Sequoia had no problem with 3 car seats across the 2nd row.

    The only issue we ever had with the vehicle was with the front brakes and rotors, our mechanic thought they were undersized for the weight of the truck. Other than that, it's been a great rig. We live in Alaska and it does great getting up and down the mountain we live on in some nasty winter weather.

    Looking forward to hitting 300K on the odometer.
  • txpackersfantxpackersfan Member Posts: 27
    I have a 2012 Platinum and have absolutely no regrets. Granted I've only had it a few months, but I've already put 5,000 miles on it. I've been saving for years to buy a new vehicle by paying cash so I put a lot of time into looking at all the different options out there. Each time we looked at something different, my wife and I kept going back to the Sequoia. I've been a Honda person all my life and really wanted to like the Pilot or MDX, but they just weren't big enough (Honda....why don't you make a large SUV???). I'm expecting long term this will be a great vehicle with great reliability.

    I will say if you are at all concerned about gas mileage, then this is not the vehicle for you. We get anywhere from 14 - 18 MPG depending on how fast we are driving. I actually expected the mileage to be worse so I'm happy with what I'm seeing.
  • trisequoiatrisequoia Member Posts: 2
    I like my 2012 sequoia, but HATE the entune system. I would seriously avoid the entune system as 80% of the time, it is unusable due to glare issues. I have adjusted the contrast and brightness to no avail. I contacted the dealership and Toyota directly but they offered minimal solutions all of which i had tried. (ie purchasing an anti-glare screen and adjusting the contrast.) They even told me to move my seat forward and back OR get an aftermarket tint on the front window (which is illegal in california).

    So basically, thats it. They said i can swap out the system if i want but at my own cost. After spending $3K more for the Entune system upgrade, i am not going to spend another 3K on a new system!

    So here i am with a navigation that i can't use 80% of the time in the daylight.
  • zinger60zinger60 Member Posts: 3
    We are looking to purchase a used Sequoia but we are having problems finding one locally that has lower mileage. There is one for sale that is a 2004 with 105,000 miles on it. The guy said the timing belt has already been changed and there are no problems with it. He wants around $11,000 for it. We are so undecided on whether even going to look at it or trying to find something else but we are needing something soon. Is 105,000 miles a lot for a Sequoia and with that many miles, is it likely that major things will start going wrong with it? We want to eventually use it to pull a travel trailer which would be in the range of 5000-6000 pounds. We also want it to last for several years too. Any suggestions?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    For any used car, it's a good idea to have your own independent mechanic check it out. And it's nice to be able to see maintenance records and get a Carfax or AutoCheck or one of the other reports that tracks lemons and accidents.

    And don't pay too much - you can appraise a used car here by going to the Used Car tab above and drilling down to the Sequoia. It's unlikely that the condition is any better than "clean" when you appraise it.

    100k miles for a "ten year old" car is a bit below average. I guess that's good. :shades:
  • harboharbo Member Posts: 136
    Our 02' Limited 2 rwd .... has 207,000 trouble free miles. The only service work is brake pads every 50,000 - 60,000. Tires about 80,000+ and oil changes (synthetic) every 6,000, Transmission flush and changes at 90,000. Feels like it will run 500,000.
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