Why can't anyone answer my question??? I know most of you could answer this with expertise...so please take a moment. Please???? Can the Sequoia be lowered? if so, how, and by whom? Will it compromise any of the driving mechanics?
OK after months of reading this board I took the leap. I got my 4X4 limited on Tuesday. To say the least the discussions have been a great help in making my decision-THANKS to all (believers and nonbeliever). Like everyone else I looked closely at (and drove) the Tahoe/Yukon/Expedition/Range Rover/Suburban/MDX... and on several occasions I almost went with the Tahoe/Yukon and Expy-but past experience held me back. I think(note my opinion) the SQ is best in its class! My best friend recently bought a Tahoe and he loves it, a co-worker just got a Land Rover and she loves it and another friend just got an expy and he loves it. So--my advice to all-- research, research and then research some more (my wife hated those long nights on-line), let your intellect dictate and you won't make the wrong decision regardless of your decision. Is it perfect? Absolutely not, but what is? Is it a luxury vehicle? Well it is no MB S500 or Lexus 430... but for a truck-it is pretty luxurious- From where I came (Lexus SC400) there is no comparison in luxury but the SC400 is not a truck--and IMHO this truck exudes luxury. Yes I would have liked memory seats, plusher floor mats..., As for the metal look (pletal???) of the dash I kind like it; the first Sequoia my wife saw had a tan interior with the pletal and she hated the look-- but when she saw the pletal and the gray she thought it looked fine--(real wood in her car as in the SC). Actually I would have liked real metal-you know that Retro look, remember that 62 Galaxy 500, Olds 98,....
What can else can I offer to those of you that are serious about this vehicle I found my sales folks great (yes great!) Art Taylor and Barry Murray are the fleet managers at Bob Baker Toyota in Lemon Grove CA (San Diego) they will treat you right as will Dianne at Carson Toyota-thanks Dianne (If Dianne had the vehicle I would not have looked elsewhere). Also if you are in the Sacramento Area talk to Greg Wong at Miata Toyota an old friend(yes a friend-I almost flew up to buy the vehicle from him). When we lived in Sac I purchased 4 vehicles from him (none of which his dealership sold)-negotiate your deal with Greg on the Tennis or racquetball court-you might get a better price if you let him win. Yes I got a good deal (at least in my opinion)and if you want to talk numbers ask Art or Barry. If you want the extended Warranty I would talk to Paul at Iowa City Toyota, check out Toyotawarranty.com, he will save you many $$$$$$.
Thanks to all, good luck and let the flaming begin!
today, i left my office early to spend a good hour giving science experiments to a classroom-full of 3rd graders (my daughters class). and with a couple of hours to kill for the rest of the day, i went *fishing* in the full-size suv market...i wanted a first-hand look at (a) Tahoe, (b) Suburban and (c) Expy....
here are my findings of (a) and (b); (c) was nothing to write home about so i'll leave it off this storyline...
first the Tahoe: if joerafferty ever entertained the idea of buying this vehicle, he will, INDEED, be throwing away good money. this is probably one of the least quality suv in the market today. reminded me a lot of the review in motor trend (feb 2001), which read, in part, "...coupled with the z71 suspension package, the tahoe was the roughest riding, exposing the occupants to every rut and bump in the road, ...." phew ! this vehicle is not worth $20grand, for the life of me. i won't own one if GM gives it away... 'nuff said..
(b) the suburban is BIG and that is all i can say about this behemoth... quality of ride and handling ? none. quality of fit and finish, what is that? can't see one (and i tried real hard)... the salesman offered a 40K 4wd sub (leather, on star, ++), for $33K, and i said thanks :-)) the only thing i can say about this vehicle is the rear cargo room behind the third row seats, it is much larger than the seq or tahoe, expectedly...
having owned my second toyota (camry earlier and now the seq), i can safely say that for the life of me, the quality of the toyota is light years ahead of the GM products; i mean, they aren't even close... call me a toyota fanatic, which i am (admitedly), but with reason and facts to back it up.
then a strange thing happened. across from the GM dealership was a pontiac dealer. i went across to see the ugly duckling Aztek (six sitting on the lot; the sales person tried her darnest best to steer me away from these vehicles), just for fun. as i was leaving the lot, i jokingly remarked that i will be checking out the tahoe, to which the sales lady offered me what she considered a great deal to dissuade me from going to the chevy product. the deal: a fully souped-up 2000 escalade for $38K, from a list price of $47K... i drove it out of the lot and almost immediately regretted doing so... this vehicle may have a nice wood/leather steering, 12-way power seating (driver's side), single CD in-dash/6-CD changer in front console; on-star; tv/vcp overhead console; etc..., but it certainly should be driven by sixty-somethings, whose idea of quality is all of the above and not based on handling, fit and finish, etc...
i then thought how it is that thousands of this vehicle are sold in the us annually... expy and tahoe rank #1 and #2, respectively. it occured to me that this sales-based rank is bogous, at best. i mean, without any real competition, what is the buyer to do ? the full-size class is either too far out of reach for most buyers (e.g. TLC, Lex, Escalade, Nav), or non-competitive pretenders e.g. the under-powered montero (ugly excessive body-side molding which is a turn-off), the dodge durango (not), isuzu trooper (looks like it's gonna tip over making a sharp corner !), and the rest of the bunch don't have any great track record of note.
with the coming of the seq, the tahoes and expys of this world now have a true leader. the gauntlet has been thrown down, and it will be interesting to see if ford and gm will do something to correct the cheapies they continually turn out year-over-year.
brillmb, msu and joerafferty may be heartened by rruck1's mail, but there is no denying reality. the toyota truck is a far better vehicle than its competition. that is simply fact.
Your post is the funniest thing I have read here in quite some time. Very well done. I may even print that one out and leave it on my desk for perspective customers to read.
I read your earlier post. This is at least the second time you've run down your MDX. I really feel for you owning such an expensive "mistake" The last time we conversed about this you replied that you really like the MDX (I had suggested that you sell it - but you replied that you like it well enough to keep it). If you really like it why do you trash it so often? Cliffy liked your trashing the MDX so much that he is considering using your thoughts/comments as advertising! You might want to contact Cliffy regarding compensation.
I am not going to refute you point by point (don't need to - the MDX has won all the awards not the Seq). I am also not going to be humorous so Cliffy probably will not compliment my writing style. But I do want to make two comments:
1) My wife is 5' 1" and has no trouble getting into the MDX w/o running boards. 2) The fake wood dash is far more luxurous than the hideous metal dash on the SQ Ltd.
The only thing that I could think of is to take out the standard stock springs and put in shorter one. But to do that, you might need to factor in a few things, different shock absorbers, change wheel/tire size to accomodate the lost of wheel travel space. Adjust speedometer due to the tire/wheel changes. These are just the few things off the top of my head. Who can do this? You might want to check with custom car shops in your area and ask them for a quote. But dealing with first year new model, you might not have much options open to you. Good luck.
I am also interested in the cargo cover. I have taked out the 3rd seat ( as I have no children and need a place for my golf clubs.) and would like to cover anything that I have in the cargo area. There are inserts where the cargo cover go because my salesman showed them to me. But where are the covers? Damn I really hate to wait six months before somewone finally comes out with one. I had a Isuzu trooper and it came with one.
I don't think you are going to achieve much by lowering the vehicle. You will probably be surprised at just how stable feeling the vehicle is as it stands. A test drive will not do it justice. If you are not used to this size vehicle it can be a little intimidating at first, but after a while you realize that it handles just fine.
You recently bought a Seq right? So, then you go and try the competition AFTER you already bought your selection?
If that is not a biased and useless review, I don't know what is. Based on my old Phsyco class notes, you seem to be trying to justify your expensive purchase.
You have nor had any intentions of looking for positive points (or you would have looked at them BEFORE you purchased the Seq), but instead obviously just put together an inaccurate list of negatives.
I'm still shopping, but some of you new owners are becoming something of a joke now.
dianne4toyota: So a 5'2" woman can crawl in w/o using running boards.
cliffy1: I am relaxed. I own a Toyota - love it. But I don't bash my other cars in praise for my Toyota. When it come time to bash my own car, then its time to sell/trade it for another.
you got it all wrong buddy.. i do not have to justify anything to anyone, afterall it is my money and not yours, now is it ?
fwiw, i did not care to check out the competition in dec 2000 when i bought my seq. bcos i was NOT interested in any GM or Ford products, after my previous experiences in the 80's. my review was in response to those who come over to this board and tell us how "good" these competition is to the sequoia and why the latter's high price is unjustified. like cliffy1, dianne and others have repeated here: it is a simple law of demand and supply....
i had to go back and check whether, in fact, the competition has truly improved and if the seq's price is justified or not. and, for me i proved it to myself.... it's up to you to do your own dd and get whatever is best for you. for me, the seq is heads and shoulders above the competition and i have no reason to justify the price i paid. it is worth every cent i paid...
But you did admit that you had doubts and second guessed yourself to the extent that you had to go do an investigation to satisfy (actually to justify it to yourself - your own words) yourself. You did what you had to do to feel comfortable with your decision.
I commend you for that. Anytime one spends $35K (or more or less for that matter) they should certainly feel comfortable with the expenditure. I however agree with joelis in that I would have done that before spending such big bucks. I am glad you satisfied yourself that you made the right decision for you. Consider the consequence if you had discovered otherwise. I personally would be concerned with self-bias in such an after the fact comparison. I would be sick (and my wife would "kill" me) if I concluded I made a mistake. Please understand I am not accusing you of bias, I only question how I would have handled it.
I am sure that all honest/reputable dealers would encourage a potential buyer to fully consider all options like joelis recommended rather than pursue oac3 method of confirmation after the money has been spent.
dianne4toyota & cliffy1 would you not agree with that?
msu79gt82, what the heck are you talking about ? read my mail again, X2... and tell me where exactly i said anything about having doubts about my purchase. I said, and I quote: "...i had to go back and check whether, in fact, the competition has truly improved and if the seq's price is justified or not. and, for me i proved it to myself...". I recommend that you, indeed, re-read my posts to be clear about what I said.
Let me say it agin, loud and clear: I had NO intention of checking out the competition before buying the Seq. I had NO intention of repeating the mistakes I made in the '80's with the Ford and GM cars I owned.... How hard is that for you to understand ?
And, fyi, I did shop around for months before buying the Seq., I just didn't include the Tahoe and Expy in my list of vehicles to purchase. Now, if you want my vehicle shopping list, that is something else. I can tell you that I almost purchased the RX300 before my wife nixed the idea, and we decided to wait for a Honda/Acura or Toyota product.... The Seq came on line in Nov and we didn't have much to wait to buy one; we had waited almost 1-year for this vehicle.
In my line of work, research is ultimate must-do thing. And I did it as thoroughly and as extenisvely as I wanted, excluding those I had no interest in whatsoever. Is there anything wrong with that logic ?
I've read your post, twice now as you suggested. Perhaps my reading skills are lacking but I could have sworn (twice now in fact) that you said, and I quote, "i had to go back and check whether, in fact, the competition has truly improved and if the seq's price is justified or not."
You seem to be contradicting yourself to me. I don't know? I do not have enough free time on my hands to go check out the compitition after my purchase when I was completely convinced that I made the right/sound decision. But then you said (twice) that "i had to back and check..."
Oh never mind, you're too confusing to me. I can't read remember.
Of course you can still look at the competition after the purchase. When I bought my new boat last year, I researched it to death. I was confident that I had selected the best one for my needs and budget. I still go to boat shows though. I still read the brochures. I still daydream about other boats.
That doesn't mean I regret my purchase. It doesn't mean I am insecure with my decision. It doesn't mean I wouldn't make the same decision. It just means that I recognize that my wants and needs may change some day and I'm a dreamer and an analyzer. No big deal.
It's fun to go and drive the Fords, Chevy's, and even the Escalade, and compare them to your own Toyota/Lexus product..After doing so I always come back and appreciate my LX470..!!
"Oac3" has every right to compare; however just like me I am sure he is happy with his Toyota Product..
Msu79qt82, as Cliffy sez, just take a deep breath and relax. I just wanted to inject a little humor into the discussion. It appears that in a lot of recent postings, owners have become very defensive about their choice of vehicle. To the point that they'll "fiercely" defend their positions. That's a shame. I think we need to focus on more factual objectivity and that should definitely includes ones personal experiences.
Let's face it the MDX and Seq are both great solid vehicles (as I've said in the past). I probably wouldn't have even typed that light piece of humor if you had stated the MDX was a "better choice for your personal choice" instead of a "far superior choice". The piece of humor was generated to remind you that the Seq too has many attributes where it excels (even over the MDX). And all those plus points I mentioned are factual (except a typo where I incorrectly stated the power/train warranty on the Seq as 6yr/60,000 miles - should be 5yr/60,000 miles) in nature with not too much room to argue.
Listen sir, I hate humble pie. It don't taste so sweet. But when friends come over, I know I can't argue with the wife when she says that Seq was more vehicle for the money.
Does that mean I hate the MDX. No sir it doesn't.
On another topic, it appears from an earlier post that the Seq has won an award (SUV magazines SUV of the year ?). Any idea if the article or a synopsis of it is available on the net ?
I just got a Seq Limited for $38K and I am very happy with it. However, a friend just got an Expedition XLT with just about everything my Sequoia has for $29,000, this is a 2001 mind you. I never even considered this car because I thought they were at least $32K and not worth it. But at that price, looks like a pretty attractive alternative to the Sequoia. No second thoughts here, I know mine will look and run good as new in 5 or 10 years especially when compared to Ford quality.
Ford and quality cannot be used in the same sentence (I believe that's an oxymoron). Just remember, filet mignon and ground steak are both steaks, but a world apart.
Seq limited for 38k? Is that what Krisko just said? Is this 4 wheel drive or 2 wheel drive. I purchsed a loaded limited for 3k under MSRP and you would have thought I just killed every salesman in the place -- there were so many long faces. Perhaps it was a big act, but I thought I did a great job of negotiating. I guess not.
It was a 2WD. Krisko gave me the dealer's and salesman's info. I talked to the salesman and he informed me that he purchased a 2WD Limited for $38,000. Believe me, I was stunned too. The best he said he could do for me on a 4WD Limited is $40,500, and that's basically a bare-bones, basic Limited.
I have to say something, you Toyota owners are a little snobby. I owned a Ford Bronco (awesome, 165,000 miles), my father and brother currently own Ford Explorers and they're having no problems, and a friend of mine has had two Tahoes and no problems to report. I like the Sequoia, as I have said before, but the attitudes almost make me want to purchase something else. There's plenty of quality in Ford, GM, Jeep, Toyota, Nissan, etc. Anyone can get a lemon.
A barebones, "basic" 2WD (with no EJ GY SR RL CF RF) would MSRP here at 39435. He bought it at $38000? For a "strippie" 2WD, that sounds like a decent deal. That's $1435 off the MSRP assuming it was a "basic" car as described.
I am happy with my deal and I love my Sequoia. I've got the side air bags, 6-disc changer, mats (Toyota charges for mats on a $40,000 truck?!?), and the infamous ToyoGuard, which is basically a cash cow for Southeast Toyota, for $38,200. I'm just thinking how nice it would be to have $9,000 less debt. However, my last SUV was an Explorer, so you could say I've "been there and done that"! Never again, I love my country, but it's Axis powers vehicles for me as long as I've got a job.
I had to wait for it to come in, but I did get 3k under MSRP on a 4wd Limited, sunroof and all the other silly goodies.
By the way, it may not be a "luxury" suv, but it sure is nice. I also have Infinity QX4 (which is supposed to be a "luxury" SUV." I like the Sequoia better. It is much better put together. Sure it has some silly things about it - no memory seats and really cheap (not inexpensive) mats.
Against my better judgment, I test drove one today. Two weeks ago when I went to drive a new Avalon, my wife dismissed it as "too old" and wouldn't even ride it. (Just as well since I never could get comfortable in the car.) While I was driving the Avalon, she was checking out the Sequoia and told me to buy one of those but I didn't want a "truck".
Today, on the way to work, I saw a really sharp black one with gray trim and the gold package. I went to dealer later and drove an SR5. Wow!
It was smooth (for any vehicle, never mind an SUB), quiet, manuverable (for its genre), comfortable seats front (better than the Avalon) and middle, reasonable third row, nice stereo (forget which one), well laid-out interior. Even the saleswoman was nice.
The Tahoe/Suburban rides great but is a bear in the parking lot and has a miserable middle seat. The Expedition is fine in tight quarters but doesn't ride smoothly.
Only problem is I can't justify spending that kind on money for an ego trip. I don't tow anything and mini-vans carry as many people while getting 10 more mpg, so I'd only be buying it for looks. I don't need to commute in something getting 14mpg and if I buy it for my wife, I still need (want) a new car.
I'll have to wait to justify buying one, but if anyone out there is thinking about an SUV, I'd definitely recommend driving one.
I want to thank everyone for the information on this vehicle. I just ordered a SR5 with the preferred leather seats JBL Premium 3 in 1` am fm cassette cd 6 disc cd changer 10 speakers.Alloy Wheel Package dual ac roof rack 5 piece carpeted floor mat set. The retail sticker plus 550 required in the South East toyota district brought the price up to 37,419.I have a signed order from the the fleet manager for 34,980 or about 2,439 off sticker.I had to go to 4 dealerships being told I could not order the vehicle with the options I wanted but had to settle for what could be found. I was able to order the vehicle from Toyota of Hollywood Fla exactly the way I wanted it.All other dealers were only willing to come 300 dollars off sticker
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I have seen a couple of posts about lights but seems to be no response. Has anyone had success in finding aftermarket lights that fit in the fog light opening? How about lights that don't fit in the opening? Would like to hear success stories, things to avoid.
Is Israel Washington your salesman at Toyota of Hollywood? I love that guy, the polar opposite of 90% of the salesmen out there right now. Tell him Chris says hello.
but like Krisko says, "been there, done that" - there's a reason Ford has the Found On Road Dead reputation (some friends of ours are waiting on a $2,000 transmission job on their Explorer, which has already left them stranded 2 or 3 times). I've had 3 Jeeps, so don't mention anything about "quality" as far as Chrysler goes.....I really think many owners of American SUV's just accept inferior quality as part of ownership...things break, you fix em. Of course, all cars need maintenance and require fixing, it's just a matter of how often and how much. After many years of driving, you just finally get to a place in your life when you prefer filet mignon over ground steak! You may think it sounds snobby, but we're just gloating about our Sequoias because we love em so much. Compared to the LC, it's a steal! But please don't compare this wonderful vehicle to a FORD!
This may have been discussed before on this thread and perhaps I missed it. I am getting conflicting information from salesmen about which gas is required in the Sequoia. Some have told me "regular" unleaded, others have said "premium" unleaded. Does anyone have any accurate information?
Actually, filet mignon is a little dry and tasteless as beef goes. I guess us REAL truck owners prefer a T-bone or even a mouth-watering, juicy porterhouse. A nice 24-ounce porterhouse. Just a little humor!
I first had a Isuzu Trooper till I started to have trouble with it. Now it was time to buy another. At that time the SEQ was not out. So I bought a new 99 Expy EB. I loved that SUV. I got a 3.73 rear(for hauling)with the big 5.4 motor. This SUV would fly. But when the SEQ finally came out, I had to drive one. Boy was that a mistake. It was so quiet and the DOHC had MORE acceleration that the Expy. The Toyota dealer made a good offer for a trade in and the deal was done. I have had the SEQ for a month now with 2000 miles and love this SUV more. It is quieter,has a better finish,better quality of materials(the leather in the limited is much better than the EB expy. After a year, the drivers seat was worn thru the leather in the expy. Cheap leather)better gas mileage, and is an overall better vehicle with a much better resale value than a Expy EB. Ford has come a long way but it is in no class with the SEQ. The old saying is always true. You get what you pay for. When your transmission goes out at 50K miles or the raddles begin to bug you, you know you should have bought a SEQ. The SEQ is not perfect but no SUV is. Drive both and compare. This is no comparison. Sure glad I bought a SEQ. (Now I can hook up my wireless speakerphone in the SEQ. The interior noise was so loud in the 99 Expy the people I talked to could not understand what I was saying)
I would like to hear about owner experiences! What is good, what would you like Toyota to change? Let's get some real world comments in here. I've had my Sequoia for 3 months now. Love the vehicle-what a well-made, well-engineered machine! Two minor niggling complaints: The heater fan seems fairly noisy. Could be the location (by the passengers feet)and the quietness of the truck overall may be making it more noticeable. Also the seat belts seem to have a weak retractor. No problem on drivers side but on passenger side the buckle of the seatbelt bangs against plastic causing a rattle. Seems like buckle is simply too close. Funny my wife complains about seatbelts in her Camry-similar feel to them. Only frustrations so far are the absence of parts availability (all weather mats etc.) and not being able to get fog lights on my SR5. Grrrr! The openings are an oval shape too so makes it tough to get aftermarket. Ones from Toyota not available yet. (I'm in Canada)
I had just filled up the tank after leaving Carson Toyota, about to begin the long trip back to Seattle with the new rig. I had to pull over and sort of get settled for a few minutes--play with the knobs and buttons, find out where things were, get some road supplies at the minimart, check out the map, etc.
Ended up just heading north toward Burbank, then west toward Santa Barbara. I decided that breaking the Sequoia in on the Pacific Coast Highway would be much better than straight freeway driving on I-5. I made it as far as Morro Bay, just north of San Luis Obispo, that night, and found a dive hotel in which to sleep. Total trip cost so far--about $250.
Next morning headed north on US 1, a.k.a. the PCH. Gorgeous morning, with the Pacific Ocean crashing on my left, and walls of rock on my right most of the way.
I tried to find some of the problems that people have posted here about the Seq--knocking noise in the engine, noise under the floorboard, booming bass in the stereo, etc. , but I could find nothing wrong.
I was, and am still, completely blown away by how well this thing drives.
I've never driven anything as smooth outside of a big ol' american cruiser car. We also have a BMW 525, and although the Seq is nowhere as "tight", it is as smooth or smoother.
It performed well with all the tight curves and hills on the PCH. Enjoyed jamming to the tunes on the CD, fully cranked. Sunroof open sometimes. Had no problems passing the occasional pokey driver.
After seeing all the great things written about it on this board and TundraSolutions, I thought I might be disappointed somewhere. But I must say that it so far has exceeded all of my expectations.
Some things that bug me: --the clock is too low on the dash. I'm 6-1, and the top of the numbers are just cut off by the protrusion above the clock. A little thing, but I don't like bending my neck to see the time. --the window controls on the driver side door--they're too close to the door handle and not in a naturally easy position to reach. --ummm......better gas mileage would be nice. I ended up getting around 18 for the trip.
Things I really like: --power, smoothness --the homelink buttons are so cool--I use one button for our home garage door, and another for the office garage door. No more dangling remotes! --Stereo sounds great. Not as good as a custom system, but I think it's pretty good for factory. --the seating options are fab. Kids love the third seat. Even my wife sat back there on one trip, with the mid seats tumbled forward. It was like a limo for her and my daughter! --I dig the notepad thingie on the console, and how the storage area underneath can easily hold a sixpack...umm, of Snapple. I suppose one could even throw a few ice packs in there for an instant cooler! --driver lumbar control is nice, heated seats pretty neat.
Back to the trip..... Made it to SF for a late lunch with a buddy, headed out again around 4:30. By this time, of course, I had over 500 miles on it, so when I finally hit I-5 north of Sacramento I felt okay opening it up a little bit. It just wanted to go so bad! 80 mph--just 2500 RPMs.
Got delayed an hour or so at the Siskiyous. Big trucks had to chain up, so there was a massive parking lot of rigs near the top of the pass as they all put on their chains.
I put the Seq in 4wd before I got that far. I dropped my speed to around 58, hit the switch, and few moments later was in 4wd. That's all there was to it. Earlier that day it rained so hard in SF that there were puddles 1-1.5 feet deep in some spots. So already, I had seen some serious weather, but had no problems.
Once I finally got moving on the pass, I felt very comfortable cruising the packed snow/ice with the 4wd on. Finally turned it off once I got back to dry pavement again, and stopped for the night in Grants Pass, in southern Oregon.
Next day, cruised all the way home to Seattle, was back in town around 3 pm, 1300 miles from LA.
All in all, it took about 52 hours, and about $450 in travel expenses, including gas. Saved about $400 over having it shipped up, plus got it about 10 days earlier (not to mention the good zen of road trippin' solo and bonding with the Tree).
We have almost 2000 miles on it now. Will get the oil changed soon. No beefs at all with it. It fits in the garage at work and at home. Wife loves it, kids love it. Went skiing last week, it was great. And now we're looking forward to all the great family and fishing adventures ahead!
To all those on the fence about this vehicle--just go drive one for a while, I think it's truly awesome.
regards, bill
PS--I took some pics along the way, but don't have them back yet. I'd love to share them, but not sure how on this board. Perhaps on TundraSolutions.
wrt fog lights, you can go with factory (as on the Limited) for $154 ea + installation; or you may go with AM. Performance Products (http://www.performanceproducts.com) offers the fog lights at $215/pair (not available in on-line products, but in their magazine). However, to my knowledge, no one has installed an AM fog light on their SR5 yet ! If anyone has, I stand corrected....
I just "test drove" a Sequoia Limited overnight. I think the dealer was tired of me coming in so many times to take it out, he thought if I would just take it home, I would buy it. Not true. I was hoping that driving it for longer periods of time, I would get used to how big it was. (I have only driven minivans and smaller cars) Although I LOVE the look on the outside, and the luxurious feel and space of the interior, I still feel uncomfy trying to manuver around town. I really don't NEED a large SUV, as we are a family with 2 kids and a dog and are not the type to go off-road. We just like the extra space for roadtrips. (and carpooling) And I also liked the braking and skid control features for snow and bad weather.
I am inclined to go back to an AWD minivan with skid control (Chrysler Town and Country Limited 2001), but my kids are all set for a "cool change" and they are giving me @#!#!@ to get out of minivans. I just want to be safe, have room and handle the vehicle comfortably around town.
If I don't settle for another minivan, I am maybe considering Mercedes 430 with 3rd row seats. However, I haven't driven one yet, and I know it gives up a lot of interior room, but maybe I just need to drive a smaller vehicle. I know it is similar to the MDX, but after driving one of them,I was not impressed by it at all. I have spent so much time considering the Sequoia, the MDX feels like a plastic toy. I did consider the Yukon, Tahoe, Lexus 470, Expedition, Durango, and Landcruiser but all were too expensive, or had too much lean when cornering.
Any advice out there? On this board, I expect the advice would be to give Sequoia another chance...and that is a possibility, too.
Actually the advice that I would give is to walk away from the Sequoia and get a minivan. Don't get me wrong - I have a Sequoia and I love it. I switched from a minivan and haven't regretted it a bit. This is an expensive long term purchase and if you need to be talked into it then it's probably not right for you. If you do decide to go full size SUV, then I can reccomend the Sequoia whole heartedly
Test drove a Seq Ltd and Yukon SLE last week. I loved the ride, handling, finish etc. of the Sequoia but I did not care for having to do a 3-point turn for getting into and out of my garage. (I think that the Yukon is 4-5 inches shorter and Yukon has a approx 4-ft shorter turning dia.)
If I chose Seq., I may wait until Oct/Nov for 2002. I do not like purchasing 1st year models and prefer to have a least some leverage when buying. Demand, although justified, is just too strong right now.
I love these big vehicles for road trips; I am not yet convinced I'll be happy commuting in them. My '97 JGC 6I is a "step below" the Seq. but commutes very well.
Comments
Can the Sequoia be lowered? if so, how, and by whom? Will it compromise any of the driving mechanics?
What can else can I offer to those of you that are serious about this vehicle I found my sales folks great (yes great!) Art Taylor and Barry Murray are the fleet managers at Bob Baker Toyota in Lemon Grove CA (San Diego) they will treat you right as will Dianne at Carson Toyota-thanks Dianne (If Dianne had the vehicle I would not have looked elsewhere). Also if you are in the Sacramento Area talk to Greg Wong at Miata Toyota an old friend(yes a friend-I almost flew up to buy the vehicle from him). When we lived in Sac I purchased 4 vehicles from him (none of which his dealership sold)-negotiate your deal with Greg on the Tennis or racquetball court-you might get a better price if you let him win. Yes I got a good deal (at least in my opinion)and if you want to talk numbers ask Art or Barry. If you want the extended Warranty I would talk to Paul at Iowa City Toyota, check out Toyotawarranty.com, he will save you many $$$$$$.
Thanks to all, good luck and let the flaming begin!
here are my findings of (a) and (b); (c) was nothing to write home about so i'll leave it off this storyline...
first the Tahoe: if joerafferty ever entertained the idea of buying this vehicle, he will, INDEED, be throwing away good money. this is probably one of the least quality suv in the market today. reminded me a lot of the review in motor trend (feb 2001), which read, in part, "...coupled with the z71 suspension package, the tahoe was the roughest riding, exposing the occupants to every rut and bump in the road, ...." phew ! this vehicle is not worth $20grand, for the life of me. i won't own one if GM gives it away... 'nuff said..
(b) the suburban is BIG and that is all i can say about this behemoth... quality of ride and handling ? none. quality of fit and finish, what is that? can't see one (and i tried real hard)... the salesman offered a 40K 4wd sub (leather, on star, ++), for $33K, and i said thanks :-)) the only thing i can say about this vehicle is the rear cargo room behind the third row seats, it is much larger than the seq or tahoe, expectedly...
having owned my second toyota (camry earlier and now the seq), i can safely say that for the life of me, the quality of the toyota is light years ahead of the GM products; i mean, they aren't even close... call me a toyota fanatic, which i am (admitedly), but with reason and facts to back it up.
then a strange thing happened. across from the GM dealership was a pontiac dealer. i went across to see the ugly duckling Aztek (six sitting on the lot; the sales person tried her darnest best to steer me away from these vehicles), just for fun. as i was leaving the lot, i jokingly remarked that i will be checking out the tahoe, to which the sales lady offered me what she considered a great deal to dissuade me from going to the chevy product. the deal: a fully souped-up 2000 escalade for $38K, from a list price of $47K... i drove it out of the lot and almost immediately regretted doing so... this vehicle may have a nice wood/leather steering, 12-way power seating (driver's side), single CD in-dash/6-CD changer in front console; on-star; tv/vcp overhead console; etc..., but it certainly should be driven by sixty-somethings, whose idea of quality is all of the above and not based on handling, fit and finish, etc...
i then thought how it is that thousands of this vehicle are sold in the us annually... expy and tahoe rank #1 and #2, respectively. it occured to me that this sales-based rank is bogous, at best. i mean, without any real competition, what is the buyer to do ? the full-size class is either too far out of reach for most buyers (e.g. TLC, Lex, Escalade, Nav), or non-competitive pretenders e.g. the under-powered montero (ugly excessive body-side molding which is a turn-off), the dodge durango (not), isuzu trooper (looks like it's gonna tip over making a sharp corner !), and the rest of the bunch don't have any great track record of note.
with the coming of the seq, the tahoes and expys of this world now have a true leader. the gauntlet has been thrown down, and it will be interesting to see if ford and gm will do something to correct the cheapies they continually turn out year-over-year.
brillmb, msu and joerafferty may be heartened by rruck1's mail, but there is no denying reality. the toyota truck is a far better vehicle than its competition. that is simply fact.
now i'm off the soap box....
::raising eyebrow, tapping foot:: "
Ahhhh...the dangers of email.
I'm not. Really.
I am not going to refute you point by point (don't need to - the MDX has won all the awards not the Seq). I am also not going to be humorous so Cliffy probably will not compliment my writing style. But I do want to make two comments:
1) My wife is 5' 1" and has no trouble getting into the MDX w/o running boards.
2) The fake wood dash is far more luxurous than the hideous metal dash on the SQ Ltd.
I had a Isuzu trooper and it came with one.
Di
If that is not a biased and useless review, I don't know what is. Based on my old Phsyco class notes, you seem to be trying to justify your expensive purchase.
You have nor had any intentions of looking for positive points (or you would have looked at them BEFORE you purchased the Seq), but instead obviously just put together an inaccurate list of negatives.
I'm still shopping, but some of you new owners are becoming something of a joke now.
cliffy1: I am relaxed. I own a Toyota - love it. But I don't bash my other cars in praise for my Toyota. When it come time to bash my own car, then its time to sell/trade it for another.
fwiw, i did not care to check out the competition in dec 2000 when i bought my seq. bcos i was NOT interested in any GM or Ford products, after my previous experiences in the 80's. my review was in response to those who come over to this board and tell us how "good" these competition is to the sequoia and why the latter's high price is unjustified. like cliffy1, dianne and others have repeated here: it is a simple law of demand and supply....
i had to go back and check whether, in fact, the competition has truly improved and if the seq's price is justified or not. and, for me i proved it to myself.... it's up to you to do your own dd and get whatever is best for you. for me, the seq is heads and shoulders above the competition and i have no reason to justify the price i paid. it is worth every cent i paid...
i wish you luck in your search
I commend you for that. Anytime one spends $35K (or more or less for that matter) they should certainly feel comfortable with the expenditure. I however agree with joelis in that I would have done that before spending such big bucks. I am glad you satisfied yourself that you made the right decision for you. Consider the consequence if you had discovered otherwise. I personally would be concerned with self-bias in such an after the fact comparison. I would be sick (and my wife would "kill" me) if I concluded I made a mistake. Please understand I am not accusing you of bias, I only question how I would have handled it.
I am sure that all honest/reputable dealers would encourage a potential buyer to fully consider all options like joelis recommended rather than pursue oac3 method of confirmation after the money has been spent.
dianne4toyota & cliffy1 would you not agree with that?
Let me say it agin, loud and clear: I had NO intention of checking out the competition before buying the Seq. I had NO intention of repeating the mistakes I made in the '80's with the Ford and GM cars I owned.... How hard is that for you to understand ?
And, fyi, I did shop around for months before buying the Seq., I just didn't include the Tahoe and Expy in my list of vehicles to purchase. Now, if you want my vehicle shopping list, that is something else. I can tell you that I almost purchased the RX300 before my wife nixed the idea, and we decided to wait for a Honda/Acura or Toyota product.... The Seq came on line in Nov and we didn't have much to wait to buy one; we had waited almost 1-year for this vehicle.
In my line of work, research is ultimate must-do thing. And I did it as thoroughly and as extenisvely as I wanted, excluding those I had no interest in whatsoever. Is there anything wrong with that logic ?
You seem to be contradicting yourself to me. I don't know? I do not have enough free time on my hands to go check out the compitition after my purchase when I was completely convinced that I made the right/sound decision. But then you said (twice) that "i had to back and check..."
Oh never mind, you're too confusing to me. I can't read remember.
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
That doesn't mean I regret my purchase. It doesn't mean I am insecure with my decision. It doesn't mean I wouldn't make the same decision. It just means that I recognize that my wants and needs may change some day and I'm a dreamer and an analyzer. No big deal.
"Oac3" has every right to compare; however just like me I am sure he is happy with his Toyota Product..
i rest my case
Let's face it the MDX and Seq are both great solid vehicles (as I've said in the past). I probably wouldn't have even typed that light piece of humor if you had stated the MDX was a "better choice for your personal choice" instead of a "far superior choice". The piece of humor was generated to remind you that the Seq too has many attributes where it excels (even over the MDX). And all those plus points I mentioned are factual (except a typo where I incorrectly stated the power/train warranty on the Seq as 6yr/60,000 miles - should be 5yr/60,000 miles) in nature with not too much room to argue.
Listen sir, I hate humble pie. It don't taste so sweet. But when friends come over, I know I can't argue with the wife when she says that Seq was more vehicle for the money.
Does that mean I hate the MDX. No sir it doesn't.
On another topic, it appears from an earlier post that the Seq has won an award (SUV magazines SUV of the year ?). Any idea if the article or a synopsis of it is available on the net ?
/direct/view/.eea61db
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
Believe me, I was stunned too.
The best he said he could do for me on a 4WD Limited is $40,500, and that's basically a bare-bones, basic Limited.
I have to say something, you Toyota owners are a little snobby. I owned a Ford Bronco (awesome, 165,000 miles), my father and brother currently own Ford Explorers and they're having no problems, and a friend of mine has had two Tahoes and no problems to report.
I like the Sequoia, as I have said before, but the attitudes almost make me want to purchase something else.
There's plenty of quality in Ford, GM, Jeep, Toyota, Nissan, etc. Anyone can get a lemon.
Dianne
By the way, it may not be a "luxury" suv, but it sure is nice. I also have Infinity QX4 (which is supposed to be a "luxury" SUV." I like the Sequoia better. It is much better put together. Sure it has some silly things about it - no memory seats and really cheap (not inexpensive) mats.
All I can say, I love this Toyota.
Di
Today, on the way to work, I saw a really sharp black one with gray trim and the gold package. I went to dealer later and drove an SR5. Wow!
It was smooth (for any vehicle, never mind an SUB), quiet, manuverable (for its genre), comfortable seats front (better than the Avalon) and middle, reasonable third row, nice stereo (forget which one), well laid-out interior. Even the saleswoman was nice.
The Tahoe/Suburban rides great but is a bear in the parking lot and has a miserable middle seat. The Expedition is fine in tight quarters but doesn't ride smoothly.
Only problem is I can't justify spending that kind on money for an ego trip. I don't tow anything and mini-vans carry as many people while getting 10 more mpg, so I'd only be buying it for looks. I don't need to commute in something getting 14mpg and if I buy it for my wife, I still need (want) a new car.
I'll have to wait to justify buying one, but if anyone out there is thinking about an SUV, I'd definitely recommend driving one.
Thanks!
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
How about lights that don't fit in the opening?
Would like to hear success stories, things to avoid.
Thanks
I guess us REAL truck owners prefer a T-bone or even a mouth-watering, juicy porterhouse. A nice 24-ounce porterhouse.
Just a little humor!
(Now I can hook up my wireless speakerphone in the SEQ. The interior noise was so loud in the 99 Expy the people I talked to could not understand what I was saying)
I've had my Sequoia for 3 months now. Love the vehicle-what a well-made, well-engineered machine!
Two minor niggling complaints:
The heater fan seems fairly noisy. Could be the location (by the passengers feet)and the quietness of the truck overall may be making it more noticeable.
Also the seat belts seem to have a weak retractor. No problem on drivers side but on passenger side the buckle of the seatbelt bangs against plastic causing a rattle. Seems like buckle is simply too close. Funny my wife complains about seatbelts in her Camry-similar feel to them.
Only frustrations so far are the absence of parts availability (all weather mats etc.) and not being able to get fog lights on my SR5. Grrrr!
The openings are an oval shape too so makes it tough to get aftermarket. Ones from Toyota not available yet. (I'm in Canada)
Ended up just heading north toward Burbank, then west toward Santa Barbara. I decided that breaking the Sequoia in on the Pacific Coast Highway would be much better than straight freeway driving on I-5. I made it as far as Morro Bay, just north of San Luis Obispo, that night, and found a dive hotel in which to sleep. Total trip cost so far--about $250.
Next morning headed north on US 1, a.k.a. the PCH. Gorgeous morning, with the Pacific Ocean crashing on my left, and walls of rock on my right most of the way.
I tried to find some of the problems that people have posted here about the Seq--knocking noise in the engine, noise under the floorboard, booming bass in the stereo, etc. , but I could find nothing wrong.
I was, and am still, completely blown away by how well this thing drives.
I've never driven anything as smooth outside of a big ol' american cruiser car. We also have a BMW 525, and although the Seq is nowhere as "tight", it is as smooth or smoother.
It performed well with all the tight curves and hills on the PCH. Enjoyed jamming to the tunes on the CD, fully cranked. Sunroof open sometimes. Had no problems passing the occasional pokey driver.
After seeing all the great things written about it on this board and TundraSolutions, I thought I might be disappointed somewhere. But I must say that it so far has exceeded all of my expectations.
Some things that bug me:
--the clock is too low on the dash. I'm 6-1, and the top of the numbers are just cut off by the protrusion above the clock. A little thing, but I don't like bending my neck to see the time.
--the window controls on the driver side door--they're too close to the door handle and not in a naturally easy position to reach.
--ummm......better gas mileage would be nice. I ended up getting around 18 for the trip.
Things I really like:
--power, smoothness
--the homelink buttons are so cool--I use one button for our home garage door, and another for the office garage door. No more dangling remotes!
--Stereo sounds great. Not as good as a custom system, but I think it's pretty good for factory.
--the seating options are fab. Kids love the third seat. Even my wife sat back there on one trip, with the mid seats tumbled forward. It was like a limo for her and my daughter!
--I dig the notepad thingie on the console, and how the storage area underneath can easily hold a sixpack...umm, of Snapple. I suppose one could even throw a few ice packs in there for an instant cooler!
--driver lumbar control is nice, heated seats pretty neat.
Back to the trip.....
Made it to SF for a late lunch with a buddy, headed out again around 4:30. By this time, of course, I had over 500 miles on it, so when I finally hit I-5 north of Sacramento I felt okay opening it up a little bit. It just wanted to go so bad! 80 mph--just 2500 RPMs.
Got delayed an hour or so at the Siskiyous. Big trucks had to chain up, so there was a massive parking lot of rigs near the top of the pass as they all put on their chains.
I put the Seq in 4wd before I got that far. I dropped my speed to around 58, hit the switch, and few moments later was in 4wd. That's all there was to it. Earlier that day it rained so hard in SF that there were puddles 1-1.5 feet deep in some spots. So already, I had seen some serious weather, but had no problems.
Once I finally got moving on the pass, I felt very comfortable cruising the packed snow/ice with the 4wd on. Finally turned it off once I got back to dry pavement again, and stopped for the night in Grants Pass, in southern Oregon.
Next day, cruised all the way home to Seattle, was back in town around 3 pm, 1300 miles from LA.
All in all, it took about 52 hours, and about $450 in travel expenses, including gas. Saved about $400 over having it shipped up, plus got it about 10 days earlier (not to mention the good zen of road trippin' solo and bonding with the Tree).
We have almost 2000 miles on it now. Will get the oil changed soon. No beefs at all with it. It fits in the garage at work and at home. Wife loves it, kids love it. Went skiing last week, it was great. And now we're looking forward to all the great family and fishing adventures ahead!
To all those on the fence about this vehicle--just go drive one for a while, I think it's truly awesome.
regards,
bill
PS--I took some pics along the way, but don't have them back yet. I'd love to share them, but not sure how on this board. Perhaps on TundraSolutions.
http://www.sequoiasolutions.com
There you'll find all that you want to know (and more) about your new vehicle.
wrt allweather mats - check with Husky at http://www.huskyliners.com/
wrt fog lights, you can go with factory (as on the Limited) for $154 ea + installation; or you may go with AM. Performance Products (http://www.performanceproducts.com) offers the fog lights at $215/pair (not available in on-line products, but in their magazine). However, to my knowledge, no one has installed an AM fog light on their SR5 yet ! If anyone has, I stand corrected....
Hope these helps
I am inclined to go back to an AWD minivan with skid control (Chrysler Town and Country Limited 2001), but my kids are all set for a "cool change" and they are giving me @#!#!@ to get out of minivans. I just want to be safe, have room and handle the vehicle comfortably around town.
If I don't settle for another minivan, I am maybe considering Mercedes 430 with 3rd row seats. However, I haven't driven one yet, and I know it gives up a lot of interior room, but maybe I just need to drive a smaller vehicle. I know it is similar to the MDX, but after driving one of them,I was not impressed by it at all. I have spent so much time considering the Sequoia, the MDX feels like a plastic toy. I did consider the Yukon, Tahoe, Lexus 470, Expedition, Durango, and Landcruiser but all were too expensive, or had too much lean when cornering.
Any advice out there? On this board, I expect the advice would be to give Sequoia another chance...and that is a possibility, too.
If you do decide to go full size SUV, then I can reccomend the Sequoia whole heartedly
I loved the ride, handling, finish etc. of the Sequoia but I did not care for having to do a 3-point turn for getting into and out of my garage. (I think that the Yukon is 4-5 inches shorter and Yukon has a approx 4-ft shorter turning dia.)
If I chose Seq., I may wait until Oct/Nov for 2002. I do not like purchasing 1st year models and prefer to have a least some leverage when buying. Demand, although justified, is just too strong right now.
I love these big vehicles for road trips; I am not yet convinced I'll be happy commuting in them. My '97 JGC 6I is a "step below" the Seq. but commutes very well.