Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
By the way I only have a 2WD and use regular gas. Did you put premium in the Highlander? Also, I think 16.80 is quite good for a V8 4Runner. I also bet it will get better as times goes on.
How many of you are married?
Married.........happily.
It's good to hear that someone else is as crazy as I am about keeping records ;-). For some reason, which I have forgotten, I started keeping records of my mileage when I got my license (and my first car--a '56 Chevy) in '62. Can't find those records now, but I remember paying as little as 17.9 (and frequently 19.9) cents/gallon.
My first car was a 1959 Jaguar with a DOHC in-line 6 that got 12 MPG. I guess I shouldn't of checked, huh?
The TCO tool is fun to play with; hopefully one day we'll be able to plug our own numbers into it.
Steve, Host
I kept my old car and sometimes drive that to work. Then my wife who owns a 92 Honda Accord Wagon all of a sudden decides to drive the 4Runner sitting in the garage. She likes it as do I because you sit up high in the SUV and you feel better driving it in traffic. I know the people behind me hate it. Also my Son thinks it is really cool. Actually I don't mind. It is heavier, better crash results, dual air bags, ABS brakes and pre-tensioners seat belts. Bottom line I lost the use of my SUV because my Wife likes it in the traffic. I can still drive it when we go camping or when she is really nice.
One is a V6 automatic that has had 3 owners, each keeping the vehicle for a couple of years each. The first appears to have been a rental company in Utah. From there it made its way east to Kansas, then Missouri.
The other is a 2.4L 4cyl with a 5-spd. It is a one owner truck that has been in mid-MO its whole life. I think it may have been a demo or something early in its life as its first owner titled it with over 4,000 miles on it. It appears to be in great shape.
I really just need and OTM for my Miata that has cargo room for baby gear and lumbar and 4WD for the winter. Is one engine/drivetrain more reliable or durable than the other? The V6 auto is advertised for $8460 and the 4cyl is advertised for $7450. Any advice from anybody is very much appreciated.
the 6-cyl is the same engine as is in my '90, and it has issues - namely, the head gasket. Toyota changed the material used for the head gasket, as well as its design, due to excessive failure, and warranted all the engines for 8 years, which means you would just barely be inside the time window. But if it has never been replaced, it is just waiting to happen, and would be a hassle for you - you should check to see if it has been done.
Also, the exhaust valves in the V-6 tend to need replacement later in life, say around 150K, which is fairly expensive.
The only thing is, this truck is also SLOWER than dirt with the 4-cyl, at least to my mind. I took a pass on a couple of 4-cyls when I was looking, just because of that. Make sure you are happy with the power before you buy the 4.
And that price seems a little high for the 4-cyl with 115K. Of course, that is just in my area...
If you are willing to look at a '96 or '97, they were making a 4-cyl then which was 2.7L and had as much power as the previous V-6, and they go for cheap because most people are looking for the V-6.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
LoL! You must have paid a bundle for the equipment that measures distance and capacity down to the atomic level! ;-)
tidester, host
Steve, Host
(funny how recording gallons used to two decimal points can yield twenty decimal points down the road - must be a math thing )
Ok, I have a '98 4Runner right now. I am not buying all these MPG's. I get 14.72 in town, 20.01 on the road.
Welcome back Cliffy.
I see Steve_Host is playing one-upmanship with us. I guess I'll have to set my spreadsheet to read out to 20 decimals now--even though the station I usually go to only gives me the gallons to the thousandth! I used to be in the Army in Alaska--should we all start adjusting our gallons for temperature variations like we used to have to do there? It's more accurate that way.
I just bought a 2003 4runner SR5 (white) last week. Yesterday, I discovered that the hitch, which came with the truck, will not fit into the receiver. Does anyone else out there have this problem?
Regards,
SV
Sovang, you can delete your own posts with the "Delete" button next to the message title. You also have 30 minutes to edit your posts. Congrats on the new 4Runner.
Steve, Host
SV
BTW, still haven't pulled the trigger Plan B (Pathy) although I think it is a great vehicle. Decided to wait and drive the 6 on the 4Runner. Has anyone driven one? The dealers here say 4 to 6 weeks (although one guy tells me they are going to "start building the engines" in March 2003). Imagine, he does this for a living.
I still have 2 questions which I can't quite figure out: (a) Why do they have two different drive systems for the 6 and 8? The 8 is "full time" for lack of a better description, and the 6 is the traditional style of picking your preference? For highway driving, I'd sure rather throw the thing in 2-HI rather than push all the wheels. Is that logical, or simple neanderthal thinking, and an inability grasp/trust new
technology? (b) How does the 6 end up with more horsepower than the 8? Is that a result of HP just being a poor measuring stick, or something else? Just wondering where performance is lost between the two. Not too technical please, after all, I only measure gas mileage to the tenth.
On one car I kept records for the 260,000 miles I owned it. On the first 100,000 miles I got 37.5, then 36.1 on the second 100,000 and during the last few miles I got 25 or less, a good indication the engine is wearing out.
Car companies have been using this technology for years now. It seems to work OK and not have problems with it breaking down. I think one problem is when you put more stress on the engine the oil may start to break down sooner. Toyota V6 3.0 use this technology and there has been some concern over sludge build up. If I bought the V6 I would be more aggressive in changing the oil. That is just my opinion.
Maybe Cliffy can relate some "real" reasons to counter my "marketing" analysis :-)
Steve, Host
The V6 models will have a multi-mode 4wd similar to that found on the Sequoia. You can drive it in 2wd if you prefer or you can drive it in 4wd all the time with the torsen center differential with no detriment to the drivetrain.
The system is sophisticated enough that you don't have any real drawback to having full-time 4wd on the V8 or driving in 4wd all the time on the V6 models other than a very small decrease in gas milage. Similar to the Sequoia, I would expect to see a reduction from driving in 2wd to 4wd of about 1mpg. The system is very efficient and even in 2wd, you're still moving all of the components when you're driving, it's just that they are not receiving power from the center differential when in 2wd.
Some people prefer to be able to disengage the 4wd. For those, the V6 model was provided as an alternative with very few comprimizes. Basically an engine that is less torquey and has a bit more top end horsepower to compensate, a 4sp auto transmission. For those looking to spend more on sophistication and the added benefit of full-time 4wd, the V8 model is a vailable.
That being said, from what I can tell, they look like they're building some of the V6 models in December's production assuming nothing changes. If this is the case, you can expect to see them start showing up on dealer's lots sometime late December though mid January.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1
Is it complete...if not, please direct me to the link.
Thanks.
Also, think Toyota could streamline production if all 4WDs used the permenent full-time unit—including pickups. Also, I wish a "Neutral" position were included. The Lexus GX470 has it.
Bob
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29
I thought it was a little weird that the hole in the hitch for the ball shank was too big. Toyota provides a bushing, but I didn't discover that until I had already gone to a trailer shop and had them install the ball (and paid them for a bushing).
I thought I saw one the other day. Looked pretty impressive but maybe not yet a Trailblazer/Explorer challenging package but close, overall I would give it a B+ on the exterior.
BTW, I have an old hitch for my Xterra which fits on the 4runner perfectly except for the position of the hole.
As for Cadman88's comments, I don't know about the trailblazer, but I rented a brand new Explorer with the v8 this summer for a two week vacation to yellow stone. The outside of both vehicles are a matter of preference, but as far as performance and quietness go, the toyota is much better.
SV
Actually, I like my gray Runner, but it was not my first choice and I do agree with you that Toyota could use some additional interesting colors. OTOH, it's near impossible to get a Highlander or 4Runner with the exact equipment and color you want anyway, so more colors would just make it that much harder.