I live in California, the bay area, and I am now ready to purchase a Highlander. I have been interested in them since they first came out but wasn't ready to buy until now. I would like to know where I can get the best deal. I'm looking at the limited V6 2WD. Any help from anyone in the bay area would be greatly appreciated.
Any vehicle without an actual frame is going to have troubles with serious off roading. Light duty stuff is fine, but the HL was not set up for much beyond a dirt road or a pasture. You might want to look at the 4Runner or even wait until the new Runner comes out in September with a bigger engine and more interior room.
Before buying our HL, we checked out Melody, Steven's Creek, Toyota 101 and City Toyota (Daly City). I don't know whether any one dealer was better than another. I would suggest though that you stay away from Melody. We found the people there to be rather arrogant.
In the end, we bought our V6 non-limited from Hayward Toyota. We paid $1000.00 over cost. The reason why we went with Hayward was because they were the only ones that would do a special order.
I suspect you probably could now get a HL for less than what we paid, as the inventories are a lot better now. If you wait another month or so, the Honda Pilot will be out. That may further bring down the price of the HL.
roadrunner - I had similar problems with my HL when we bought it new...I took it back to the dealer and service tech didn't think it was abnormal but at my insistance he rotated the tires and since then HL has tracked absolutely straight. I had only few hundred miles on it. Now I have over 13K and its been running perfectly.
Regarding the dealer in bay area, I got mine from Tracy Toyota and they've been very good I negotiated to about $700 above invocie last summer when most were paying MSRP. Though, I would recommend going online and picking out the options and color. This dealer like any other strung me along for few hours before we both were too tired to make the deal. We closed deal at 11:45PM on Sunday night. Good luck.
Llofgren: Sorry, can't help you with the fob question. As I'm not affiliated with any dealer, I'm just operating off my personal experience and knowledge. Logic would tell me that one could add the remote feature since you already have the electric locks. But, that IS just a guess on my part. If you can't get the factory one installed at a reasonable price, maybe there's something out there in the aftermarket, especially if it's only a remote lock/unlock feature you're looking for.
I am installing a dimming compass mirror, and have it wired and working. (very easy). The last step is removing the stock mirror and I have no clue how. There is a slot on the bottom but, what should i do with it.?
After an extensive email blitz to all the fleet/internet managers, I bought a V6 FWD bluestone highlander last March from Tak Lam at Piercy Toyota. I got the car in the color /options I wanted for $1000 over invoice. Tak was very honest and easy to deal with. Now that the HL's seem in better supply, you may be able to get even lower, I would try to get $700. I did not have a great experience with the fleet managers at Toyota Palo Alto or Capitol Toyota. And Toyota 101 in Redwood city was not competitive. Good luck.
Oh one last thing, try getting a quote from Dan Dixon at "Toyota of the Dessert" in Palm Springs. Last time I talked to him, he bid at $700 over invoice.
I just came back from Stevens Creek Toyota and saw the HL I want. Black 4x2 V6, limited. With the following options: FE BR BE TO LL EJ LA CF. Final price offered, 31k, not including tax and license. Can I do better?
I got a deal of a Highlander in Austin, TX. The car is 4X2 limited with cloth interior. The options are: BE, EJ, FE, SR, TO, VD; the distributor options are: CO, DG, WD, R2, DH. The dealer wanted 30,700 plus TTL. Is this a good deal? Should I take it? The guy said the price is just a few bucks above invoice. But I am not sure what kind of invoice he was talking about, the invoice price which I calculated from Edmunds seemed to be different and I could not get any price info for the distributor options. Please help.
Highlander owners, please help me on a decision on Highlander over Pathfinder. The Pathfinder we are looking at is a 4X2 LE model with cloth interior, basically a stripped LE model but it does have sunroof, Bose, etc. Nissan is now offering 0.9% financing. I could get it for 28,000. The Highlander is a 4X2 limited with cloth interior also, details see my last post. Offered at 30,700. Both my wife and I like the highlander better for its quietness, smooth ride, better interior, side airbags, GOOD gas mileage. But we are debating the price difference, plus the financing, the price difference between these two is more $4000. Even considering the gas difference every year, the highlander still costs a lot more. The pathfinder has 240HP but demanding premium gas. Does it make sense to go with more expensive highlander? Your opinions are very much appreciated.
I just bought an Infiniti QX4 and I love it. I also looked at the Highlander and the QX4 ended up being about $40 more/month and I feel is well worth it. It is super nice and has all the amenities you can think of.
Note that while 4th gear in the HL is referred to by Toyota as an overdrive, it is technically a slight underdrive at 1.019. While some members have expressed concern regarding high rpms at highway speed, I have found the gearing to be perfect for the HL. None of the gear hunting experienced in most automatics with large splits between third and fourth gear [i.e. 1.00 to .70].
Thanks for this great forum! I appreciate all the fantastic info presented here.
This has probably been posted before, but I am in the market for a hood protector for my Millennium Silver H/L. I'd like the Toyota brand but don't want to pay the marked up costs at the dealer. Any suggestions?
I would suggest getting the one that you like best and best meets your needs. In the long run you will be happier with it and likely to keep it longer. Both are very good vehicles and should last a long time. Also don't forget to factor in the dealership - how close to you and how good they are. This will also make a difference in yoiur ownership experience. The longer you keep a vehicle the cheaper it will be in the long run. It's a matter of personal choice.
I installed the same aftermarket mirror. You should see a slot on the bottom of the mirror base...its large enough to stick in a small screwdriver. The goal is to press down a tab in the hole which releases the mirror from the windshield. If you managed to take apart the side columns to do the wiring, this shouldn't be too difficult. : )
I cross shopped both vehicles as well. I actually (somewhat) preferred the syling of the PF. However, I found it more difficult to get in and out of the PF and didn't like the undermounted spare tire. But, the most significant (for me) factor was the comparative insurance institue safety ratings. The HL did very well. The PF generally tested poorly. That made my decision. How important is safety to you? Probably has an impact on comparative insurance rates as well (given that is why they do these tests after all -- to figure out extent of damage and relative repair costs).
Like dniehus, we also compared PF to HL before I bought our HL. Also like dniehus, We liked the styling of the PF over HL. PF also gives you more equipment for the price. PF can tow more (5000lb vs. 3500lb), and has better offroad capabilities. Both are great vehicles, and should be very reliable.
The things that made us finally choose the HL are: in addition to poor crash test results, PF has a smaller cabin, especially the back seats. Gas milage of HL isn't that great, but PF's milage is much worse. PF has more horsepower but HL is actually quicker due to its lighter weight. HL is quiter and smoother. We do not go offroad but we live in Canada where we drive on snow and ice for a good part of the year, so HL's AWD with VSC and traction control is advantageous to PF's traditional 4WD (even though it has the auto-mode).
The TOY-975 (2001/2002 version) is specifically designed to fit in the Highlander as well as the Echo and Celica. Any single DIN HU should fit into it and there is a pocket that is situated underneath the HU. Works very well. Order it directly from www.aius.net to ensure that you get the proper version. Don't forget to order the wiring harness as well (TWH-950). (Edited to correct web address)
Gears ratios always have to be the same for both front and rear differentials.
Checking with the Tire Rack, we find that the GY gumballs are the cheapest tire that is listed there for only $57 in the stock size 225/70-16. When we first got our HL last summer, they were then $60.
Being a firm believer in 'you get what you pay for', I changed to Michelin Cross Terrains. And now I see that they are going up in price, currently listed at $139! Last summer, they were only $124. In my plus-one size, they are on special at only $118, whereas I paid $130 then for the 255/60-17s. I can't win!
Well, Toyota says the HL's front final drive ratio is different from the rear and Lexus uses the same differing numbers for the RX. Not sure about why, but I have read that this is sometimes done to keep the VC fluid at a "higher" coupling coefficient.
In my previous post I was asking if I was getting a good deal (#5816). I haven't received a response and I have since received another offer from Fremont Toyota for a 4x2 V6 Limited HL with the following options: FE SR BE TO LL EJ LA CF RB for 30,500, is this a good deal? I've been in contact with the fleet manager by email and am in the process of paying them a visit this weekend. Thank you.
We also cross-shopped the PF against the HL (along with a number of others). We were basically looking for AWD/4WD vehicle for skiing (minimal off road use, apparently like the other 90% of SUV buyers!), that was easy to get in and out of, comfortable driving on extended trips, had high reliablity, decent gas mileage, but most important for us, could fit 5 full size adults! I have 3 sons that very soon will be teenagers, and it was surprising how cramped most of the back seats were in terms of head room, leg room and width, the PF being one of them. I got in the backseat of every SUV we test drove, and in the mid-size range, none compared to HL for rear seat room. Hope this helps!
In your discussion on which to choose, you mentioned the Pathfinder requires Premium gas. Actually both the Pathfinder and Highlander recommend Premium gas and both can run on regular, if you choose. The computer on the car can change to make due with regular, which by the way, produces slightly less horsepower. So they are both in the same boat. Both great choices.
If I bought either one I would personally use Premium gas, just as both companies recommend.
on regular, no pinging or hesitation. I have a FWD V6 and I'm getting 21-23 mpg with every tank (mixed driving). I see no reason to use premium other than to give money away ;-). The 87 octane is factory recommended also and it is the same V6 that is in the RX300.
I have the manuals for the '01 HL, and there isn't any mention of different gear ratios front to rear in the 4WDs.
Maybe you are confused by the fact that the FWD vehicles have one ratio, and the 4WD vehicles have a lower gear ratio? Front and rear differentials in all 4WD vehicles must have identical gear ratios
I believe that the two Toyota made SUVs share the identical V6 engines and transmissions.
By all accounts I've heard and the logic that Toyota usually follows with their models, I don't expect any changes for 03 except for some option tweaks, etc..
I ordered my FWD V6 to my specs in late March with the 4 month wait story given to me. I called dealer today and he said Japan confirmed order, but no mfgd. date yet. I am selling my current vehicle when I get word the HL is coming. So, I'm hoping there is at least a couple weeks from notification to arrival at dealer....if anyone knows this for sure from experience, let me know. Thanks.
RX and HL center diff'l are of the "open" type (as are the other two also) so there can be disparate rotational rates in the front vs the rear, always the case when turning. Nothing to prevent the use of differing final drive ratios.
We ordered our HL on 1/28, and it was unloaded on our dealer's lot 84 days later! This despite the fact that there was a 1-2 week delay (in Japan) in the building of the truck.
Our dealer assured us that he would give us ample notice of when the truck would arrive. However, we did not receive any notice until the truck was actually on the ground here in the US. Once at the port, it took another 3 days for the truck to be delivered to our dealer's lot. We live in the SF Bay Area, and the truck came into port in Long Beach (So. Cal). I'm guessing a MN delivery would be about 7 days?
I don't blame our dealer for the lack of notice. I know he was emailing Toyota Motor Corp. for updates, but he was not always receiving a response.
They are open, but the viscous coupling limits the variance between front and rear axles speeds, right? So you can't have one axle turning faster than the other indefinitely.
Also, the engine turns at a certain speeds and is connected to each axle, so how can those turn at different speeds all the time? I don't get it.
While there is a differential located in front at the front transaxle and the driveshaft between the front and the rear axles, why would Toyota give the front and rear axle differencials different ratios?
The difference between the two ratios mentioned earlier, 2.92 and 3.12 to 1, is simply two much! That is over 6 1/2 percent. The small spider gears wouldn't hold up for long spinning as fast as they would have to in order to overcome that much difference.
you can only use snowchains on the front wheels, the rear suspension is so close to the rear tire tread there is no room for even cable chains. When I was living in MT I often had to drive over a hundred miles with chains installed, and even here in WA I have driven as much a 50 miles on chains. So if the spider gears were to have a problem with working for extended periods then I'm sure T/L would advise of such.
The VC on the HL and/or RX cannot be an issue since it only comes into play under the very worse of circumstances. My initial thought was the same as yours, a constant disparate rotational rate between the F/R axles would cause the VC fluid temperature to continue to rise as long as the differing rotational rate existed. But what I forgot is the fact that some level of heating can be transferred through the diff'l oil and housing.
when I was looking, I visited Stevens Creek, and didn't have a very good time there, they treated me very poorly. I finally bought the vehicle from Capitol Toyota, but they screwed me over big time. I had some problems after I took the vehicle, and nobody would give me the time of day. I was even dealing with the fleet manager. I would stay away far away from them. I have no intention of ever going back there or referring anyone to their place of poor business.
I am wanting to add these to my 02 HL Limited. I am looking for suggestions as to where to obtain these at the best price. Also, are all these basically the same or should I look for a specfic brand?
Comments
rap
section. You will find RS3200 and RS3200 Plus owner's guides.
Before buying our HL, we checked out Melody, Steven's Creek, Toyota 101 and City Toyota (Daly City). I don't know whether any one dealer was better than another. I would suggest though that you stay away from Melody. We found the people there to be rather arrogant.
In the end, we bought our V6 non-limited from Hayward Toyota. We paid $1000.00 over cost. The reason why we went with Hayward was because they were the only ones that would do a special order.
I suspect you probably could now get a HL for less than what we paid, as the inventories are a lot better now. If you wait another month or so, the Honda Pilot will be out. That may further bring down the price of the HL.
Regarding the dealer in bay area, I got mine from Tracy Toyota and they've been very good I negotiated to about $700 above invocie last summer when most were paying MSRP. Though, I would recommend going online and picking out the options and color. This dealer like any other strung me along for few hours before we both were too tired to make the deal. We closed deal at 11:45PM on Sunday night. Good luck.
Sorry, can't help you with the fob question. As I'm not affiliated with any dealer, I'm just operating off my personal experience and knowledge. Logic would tell me that one could add the remote feature since you already have the electric locks. But, that IS just a guess on my part. If you can't get the factory one installed at a reasonable price, maybe there's something out there in the aftermarket, especially if it's only a remote lock/unlock feature you're looking for.
Good luck.
I am installing a dimming compass mirror, and have it wired and working.
(very easy). The last step is removing the stock mirror and I have no clue
how. There is a slot on the bottom but, what should i do with it.?
thanks and happy holiday weekend.
Ed
Oh one last thing, try getting a quote from Dan Dixon at "Toyota of the Dessert" in Palm Springs. Last time I talked to him, he bid at $700 over invoice.
I just wanted to calculate the rpm vs Speed for each of the gears.
Many thanks
thanks
axle ratios as posted by KBB
3.12 4 cyl 2wd
3.48 4 cyl 4wd
2.99 4cyl 4wd lim slip LD / No VSC allowed
3.08 V6 2wd
3.29 V6 4wd
2.99 V6 4wd lim slip LD/ No VSC allowed
The gear ratios for your HL V6 are as follows:
1st . . . . . 3.938
2nd . . . . . 2.194
3rd . . . . . 1.411
4th . . . . . 1.019
Reverse . . . 3.141
Differential 3.080 [2WD] / 3.291 [4WD]
Note that while 4th gear in the HL is referred to by Toyota as an overdrive, it is technically a slight underdrive at 1.019. While some members have expressed concern regarding high rpms at highway speed, I have found the gearing to be perfect for the HL. None of the gear hunting experienced in most automatics with large splits between third and fourth gear [i.e. 1.00 to .70].
I hope this helps!
Sirfile
2.99s, Not with the underpowered 4 banger.
Thats not bad - I had heard some people complain that in top gear the rpm is too high.
This has probably been posted before, but I am in the market for a hood protector for my Millennium Silver H/L. I'd like the Toyota brand but don't want to pay the marked up costs at the dealer. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!!
Gary
2001 H/L 2WD
Millennium Silver
The things that made us finally choose the HL are:
in addition to poor crash test results, PF has a smaller cabin, especially the back seats. Gas milage of HL isn't that great, but PF's milage is much worse. PF has more horsepower but HL is actually quicker due to its lighter weight. HL is quiter and smoother. We do not go offroad but we live in Canada where we drive on snow and ice for a good part of the year, so HL's AWD with VSC and traction control is advantageous to PF's traditional 4WD (even though it has the auto-mode).
Just my $0.02.
http://www.partznet.com/toyota/highlander/accessories/hoodprotector.html
I brought mine there (based on a recommendation from someone on this board) and at that time they were offering free shipping.
Checking with the Tire Rack, we find that the GY gumballs are the cheapest tire that is listed there for only $57 in the stock size 225/70-16. When we first got our HL last summer, they were then $60.
Being a firm believer in 'you get what you pay for', I changed to Michelin Cross Terrains. And now I see that they are going up in price, currently listed at $139! Last summer, they were only $124. In my plus-one size, they are on special at only $118, whereas I paid $130 then for the 255/60-17s. I can't win!
If I bought either one I would personally use Premium gas, just as both companies recommend.
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/summary_midsuv.htm
Note where the Highlander is on the list, and note how far down the Pathfinder/QX4 are.
I have the manuals for the '01 HL, and there isn't any mention of different gear ratios front to rear in the 4WDs.
Maybe you are confused by the fact that the FWD vehicles have one ratio, and the 4WD vehicles have a lower gear ratio? Front and rear differentials in all 4WD vehicles must have identical gear ratios
I believe that the two Toyota made SUVs share the identical V6 engines and transmissions.
I ordered my FWD V6 to my specs in late March with the 4 month wait story given to me. I called dealer today and he said Japan confirmed order, but no mfgd. date yet. I am selling my current vehicle when I get word the HL is coming.
So, I'm hoping there is at least a couple weeks from notification to arrival at dealer....if anyone knows this for sure from experience, let me know.
Thanks.
We ordered our HL on 1/28, and it was unloaded on our dealer's lot 84 days later! This despite the fact that there was a 1-2 week delay (in Japan) in the building of the truck.
Our dealer assured us that he would give us ample notice of when the truck would arrive. However, we did not receive any notice until the truck was actually on the ground here in the US. Once at the port, it took another 3 days for the truck to be delivered to our dealer's lot. We live in the SF Bay Area, and the truck came into port in Long Beach (So. Cal). I'm guessing a MN delivery would be about 7 days?
I don't blame our dealer for the lack of notice. I know he was emailing Toyota Motor Corp. for updates, but he was not always receiving a response.
Also, the engine turns at a certain speeds and is connected to each axle, so how can those turn at different speeds all the time? I don't get it.
-juice
While there is a differential located in front at the front transaxle and the driveshaft between the front and the rear axles, why would Toyota give the front and rear axle differencials different ratios?
The difference between the two ratios mentioned earlier, 2.92 and 3.12 to 1, is simply two much! That is over 6 1/2 percent. The small spider gears wouldn't hold up for long spinning as fast as they would have to in order to overcome that much difference.
The VC on the HL and/or RX cannot be an issue since it only comes into play under the very worse of circumstances. My initial thought was the same as yours, a constant disparate rotational rate between the F/R axles would cause the VC fluid temperature to continue to rise as long as the differing rotational rate existed. But what I forgot is the fact that some level of heating can be transferred through the diff'l oil and housing.
But you can see for yourself at:
http://www.lexus.ca/brochures/RX300_English.pdf
Page 16
Front:3.291:1, Rear:2.928:1
They didn't mean to imply it was on the same vehicle.
http://www.jdpa.com/studies/winners.asp?StudyID=625&CatID=1
Thanks for the help!