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Comments
Lately I have been having some doubts on my decision. I think it is because I feel now that everything is over that I still liked the 4Runner and I'm angry at Toyota to have complicated my life by introducing a very questionnable model.
This has influenced my decision and if they decide to fix things a bit then I may have taken my decision on unproven grounds and too fast maybe.
But it is only my fault, I don't blame anyone but I wish Toyota would have given us a compelling new 4Runner upfront. None of that would have ever happened.
So I now realize that I'm a 4Runner guy that rides another vehicle because of a "soon to be resolved" estethics issue.
But I'm in a difficult position to complain. So far the Pathfinder has been great, not much to complain about aside from questionnable materials: floor mats, ceiling, poor radio reception, a rattle here and there and really really dreadful MPG (12.8 on my last tank......).
But hey, I'm like that. As soon as I have a choice between two things I have difficulty deciding and I have a tendancy to rethink my decisions for a while. Nobody's perfect ;-)
Forums like this make it easy to rethink our decisions. Too much information that comes too fast.
So when I look at or hear of the new 4Runner I have a tendancy to regret to some extent. But when I look at the high price, ugly flares and cladding and questionnable list of features of the Sr5 sport compared to my LE I tend draw the conclusion that I've done the right thing..... until I read a review of a satisfied new 4Runner owner (arrrrggggghhhhhh)
Now, if I could set my sight of something else and move on !!!! The boring time of year (November) does not help ;-)... Too much time on my hands !!!!
Thanks.
The 03 LE has both a stability control system and traction control.
I tried both on a worn gravel road and the the truck was very stable during an emergency stop, when slamming the gas and trying midly to loose control. I have yet tried the system in reall offroad condition.
I know you are not a big fan of the Pathfinder but I can tell you that it is a fine vehicle. Safe, powerful, corners great, loaded for a nice price. Okay it is a notch under the 4Runner in quality like I said before but not a huge notch. But the 4Runner is addictive I realize now, if you can get over the 4th gen questionable looks then you face a great vehicle I'm sure.
Did you go for a test drive ?????
How would you rate the treadlife of the Winter Duelers? How about road noise?
regards.
Does the '03 Path have a turn-off switch for the stability control/traction control?? So, i guess there is no LSD option.
Another thing...i visited an Infiniti dealership yesterday to see the QX4. None of them ('03 2wd and 4wd models) have stability control, nor traction control!!!! They do have an LSD option.
Is that strange???? You would think the opposite.
(you might think about one or two longer posts next time too).
Steve, Host
As far as your problem with rust, I feel for you. Infiniti (the luxury division of Nissan) has a 1-800 complaint line and the service department lives by the service surveys they send out each time I visit. If I had your kind of problem, I would blast them on the survey. Reps are always begging me to give them an excellent because if they get anything else they get into trouble. They may not send you a survey for what you had since they didn't do any work. If that's the case, take it in for something simple and cheap to get the survey and then blast them on it. It works with Infiniti, maybe it would work with Nissan.
Maybe the paint rust is a much bigger issue so no dealer would take the claim so easily?
It mentions that my brake system has both LSD and ABS, and that they will work even if VDC is turned off.
My manual has nothing on TCS but it is mentionned in the spec list.
Also my 03 has the QX4 Auto mode.
I think that the QX4 should have all these goodies, even the Pathfinder SE with Automatic package gets these toys installed.
World
Looks like you have a good 4wd system! VDC, but still have LSD!
Maybe they consider that the Qx4 is too classy for being taken offroad. But VDC can be also helpful in regular road conditions.
You are right the Pathfinder seems to be very well equipped..... even compared to the QX4.
Very good value this truck !!!
The Pathfinder is a good truck but I think that the interior materials are a bit on the cheap side. I have a feeling it will be prone to rattles. Let's hope I'm dead wrong.
After battling a huge rattle problem on my 4runner back in 99 I tend now to try to forget about them (unless they are absolutely annoying). Like I said they often tend to come and go for various reasons including our perception and mood. I tend to notice them the most when I'm in a bad mood.
Unfortunetly the dealers are not very helpful with rattles.
I would suggest you try to find the cause of the rattles yourself.
On my 4Runner the front suspension rattle went away by itself when I installed the winter tires. For some odd reasons removing the wheel changed somethig....
Another rattle I had came from underneath the dash. I ended up using a piece of cardboard box that I stuck between to pieces that touched and the rattle went away. But one could see the little piece I stuck when looking in my car. I ended up forgetting and only removed the piece when I traded up my truck recently.
So, try and fix your problems yourself first and try to stay clear from the dealers for rattle problems
The tires are very quiet, and seem quieter than the original equipment Duelers.
There is a review of the Winter Duelers at tirerack.com
rattling: maybe i'm just lucky but no rattling to report for you guys. 1500 miles on '03 LE so far.
WT: like ending a relationship, you are "decoupling" with the 4th Gen 4Runner you intended to purchase. That should hopefully be easier than harder as many know now it only existed in our minds. Given all the choices for the price asked, Supercharged 3rd Gen, 4th Gen, or LE, I remind myself that I would make the same decision even right now. Even if the cladding were gone, I would still have some disappointments with spending all that money and not getting EVERYTHING I wanted; whereas, the LE has been nothing but a pleasant surprise . . . just the opposite "more than expected" feeling with little rationalization at all. I have really enjoyed this "much better than expected experience" since first test driving one.
Just imagine buying the 4th Gen and the buyer's remorse there . . . you'd be second-guessing yourself even worse. My only interest over there now is to see whether Toyota makes the change . . . if they do, that would feel great to know that my opinion regarding the 4th gen styling is more majority than minority. Then I will feel even better about my LE decision, knowing that it was based on less subjective fiction from my personal tastes and more on objective fact that the cheap, cladding, plastic look was, yes, in fact "ugly" . . . as determined by Toyota's decision to eliminate it (betting they do).
Even if eliminated sooner than later, as I said in previous posts, I won't regret anything anymore than I do my $130 Motorola V60i that now sells for $50.
I'll be over it pretty soon. Gee my Pathfinder is a great truck and has a lot of bang for the buck. I'll steer clear of the 4Runner forum for a while ;-) not to tempt myself.
I think it is a bit like changing houses. Once the hype of the new house dies down you kinda miss the old one for a while and then you forget, usually by not passing in front of the old house too often.
You know what is weird, is that I miss my old 4Runner (I see it every week when I pass in front of Nissan dealer) and sometimes I think that I miss the new one too.... But actually it is when I see a 2003 in person that I realize that I've made the right choice !!!! They are weird looking in person I think, weird lines, flares are bad in person etc....
Anyway lets put all this behind us and move on, what do you think ?
Did you get your chrome tip??? Did your mileage get better ? Mine is extremely bad these days, I wonder if it has something to do with the cold weather. Hope not, its cold here 6 months a year !!!!!
I'm still considering the hood deflector, I think the Nissan's one is the nicest but I'm concerned about wind pattern and vibrations.
I saw Pathfinder like mine a couple days ago with a bull bar. It is nice !!! It helps giving the Pathfinder a meaner/rugged look, but I think they are expensive I'll have to see.
Ciao
World
Recently however its developed a small annoying creak or rattle which is really hard to pinpoint. In addition when it is cold on startup it is really noisy ( I think it is the alternator, a noisy bearing ? ). This only lasts for a minute or two. Lastly the drivers seat cushion (front bottom of seat) keeps coming off the metal attachment point under the seat. If anyone has similar complaints ( I've read about the rattles) I would appreciate hearing from you.
P.S. Although I have yet to have a problem re bottoming out ( Never been that loaded) should I be seeking the modification discussed earlier re TBS ? Just installed 4x4 Alpines and so far they have been great !
I can't believe this.....
As I was working actively to forget about the 2003 4Runner and move on with that materialist part of my life what do I see coming in this morning in the lobby of the office building where I work: a 2003 Silver Limited sitting there as a demo..... nice and shinny !!!
It is the 1st time in 10 year that I work here that they park a frikkin car in the lobby as part of a promotional event..... and it had to be a !@!##! 2003 4Runner..... Why not an Audi or BMW ?
Ok, ok where's the camera ???
I can't believe this. This whole thing is turning into a big joke against me..... :-()
That's it, I'm turning into a monk and I'll go in a monestary somewhere far (and not near the Everest) where I'll devote my life to prayer and simplicity....
World
(The post should have been read on a humerous tone in case you really think I'm going nuts....)
normp1: What did the Alpines do for the bass? As I've said, the stock Bose is "nice" all around, but could use more balance in the bass department to make it a nice system without turning the truck into one of these mini-truck music boxes. Question again: Does anyone know if the Pathfinder's stock head unit has "pre-amps" (e.g., RCA like jacks) built in for the addition of an external amplifier to power a simple sub-woofer? I checked out the one external amplifier in the driver's side rear cargo area wall - but without removing the plastic interior wall I can't really tell how it is wired from the head unit. Thanks.
P.S. I thought we were moving on . . . ;>> (J/K)
I'm wanting to know if anyone else is having this problem. My car windows are continually getting stuck. I have taken the car in three times and each time they just oil it and say the windows are dirty. My car is regularly cleaned and I'm concerned there is a problem with the electrical. The windows start by getting slower and slower and then almost stop. I'm at 20,000 miles and my warranty expires at 30,000 so I'm wanting to get this problem taken care of. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
WT...that is just a freak coincidence at your work place. Or is it?? :-)
In my opinion, the Pathfinder LE is a great SUV...good at everything. You definitely should keep it for a few years. The new 4runner will have many bugs. The 3rd gen 4Runner underwent 2 major revisions (1999 and 2001) in it's 7-year cycle (1996-2002). Just looking at the steering wheel on '03 4runner Ltd., you can see there are two empty spaces on the steering wheel buttons...could be something interesting down the road.
I feel for you, WT. I am drooling over the GX, even thou i am into off-roading. I must resist because i got my '02 4runner Ltd 4wd (loaded with most accessories & local dealer options--includ. roadside assistance, VIN-imprinting on windows, etc.) at $1000-1500 BELOW invoice! It is simply too good of a deal to throw away on a Lexus GX!
You guys know I had my doubts over the alst few weeks.
This demo 4Runner is god sent, I am sure !!!
Taking time to look at it from all angles ( I could not sit in it the doors a locked and there is not reps around) it basically confirmed me all the reasons why I freaked last August-September and went for something else.
Basically: it s@cks.... at least from a design perspecitve but also from a quality perspective.
1) The rear-end is too busy, looks real weird, toyish, overdone.....
2) The flares are too big and I don't like how they cave in at the top
3) The squarish look of the flares does not help
4) I don't like the front lights, nor the way the make the round corner and the way they almost reach the front flares.
5) Fog lights are wimpy
6) Even the mud flaps are wimpy, they are made of very cheap plastics, they look like they come from Walmart....
7) Cladding: the cladding was actually peeling off of the driver's door, I could have ripped it in a second, I could almost insert my little finger in the top left corner the way it was peeling off......
8) The dash is awfull in person, I'm not into round things like that. They stick out too far.
9) I like the shifter stick....
10) The right portion dash is very GM-like, squarish, rather flat
11)The cargo area does not look much more bigger than the pathfinder
12)I don't like the Limited wheels (the concentric circles look cheap)
Well hey.... that is exctly what I needed to move on. Facts instead of perception.....
You know right now I do not regret my move and I think I have made the right choice actually.
I don't think that if I would have had to make the decision today that I would have taken the 4Runner. Really.....
This helps closing the loop guys and it has me worried about the future of the 4Runner. I hope that will not only correct design errors but also up the quality a couple of notch.
Intmed: I'd suggest that you keep your Runner for now, 3rd gen are still very sexy, rugged and quality trucks. I'd give at least a year to the GX to stabilize (the GX is much nicer than the 03 4Runner but we do not get those in Canada).
Now lets move on for real !!!!
World
(Mjohn: I wanted to move on until I faced this darn truck in the Lobby this morning. Now I swear no tuning back !!!!!)
a few weeks ago while i had it at the dealer for an unreleated issue they did an alignment job on it. for maybe one or two days it seemed straight, but now it is back to pulling to the right.
is this a common thing or not? anything they can do besides aligning it again? i don't travel on any bad roads per say, just normal roads. i've seen cars with 70,000 miles that have never had an alignment done to it and track better than mine with 6,000.
Aside from the original factory installation I never could get a good alignment on my 4Runner. My new Pathfinder is pretty straight now but I bet 20$ that when I'll have the tires rotaded or changed or whatever else it'll be somewhat out of alignment for sure despite efforts from my dealer to fix the problem.
A lot of people complained about alignment issues on the 4Runner boards I visited, same thing here, leads me to think it is a SUV issue.
World