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Tacoma or 4Runner. Or??

sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
I didn't ever feel the need for a locker with the a-trac on my 05 v8. You're going to pay a TON more for a trail edition.
 
DewYota

DewYota

Registered User
Location
Lehi, UT
I'll second that the ATRAC system is pretty capable. My tacoma has it and I was quite surprised with it when I tried it out. I was in the typical open diff problem scenario where one front and one rear spins, turned it on and it pulled me up the hill. I also have the e locker but this could be used as a quick alternative without having to switch to neutral to have it engage.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Tonkaman said:
Care to elaborate a bit on this? You definitely have the most insight of anyone I know. Could you give us a direct comparison of Carlos vs Lorenzo?
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Tough to compare. I loved having the bed in the tacoma, but I loved having the enclosed cargo area on the 4runner. The runner could do about 20mph faster on dirt roads. That v8 is awesome. Super smooth, and lots of power. For the Rubicon, I'd prefer my old taco on 35s. For dirt roads and washboards and snow, the 4runner hands down. There was nothing wrong with the tacoma, but coils all around, disc brakes all around, the atrac, the v8, the incredible sound system, and the fact that it was smaller and fit into little spaces better makes me prefer the 4runner. It's a really well built rig. New, the 4runners cost more than the tacomas, but on the used market, they're cheaper than the tacomas for some reason, despite having more features (better stereo, nav, leather, rear disc, rear coils, bigger tow capacity, etc). The v8 4runners only get 1-1.5 mpg worse than the 4.0s, so it was worth it for me for the increased towing capacity and the peppier engine. The only bummer about the v8 4runners is that they're AWD, and the headers tend to crack around 150-200k. I don't believe anyone makes an aftermarket header for them, but I could be wrong. The best thing I ever did to that 4runner was install that shelf in the back. It more than doubled my usable gear storage space.

Keep in mind that by the time I got the 4runner, I had pared down a lot of gear. I didn't have a huge tent or a huge recovery bag. It was a simple, minimalist kit that didn't take up much room. The 4runner was just smaller and more nimble on the trail, and it was a blast to drive fast on the dirt.
 
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johngottfredson

johngottfredson

Threat Level Midnight
Location
Alpine
I think 3 trucks seems like a little much, but if you might consider a truck I would test-drive some 1st gen tundras. My 01 access cab TRD tundra is the same size as the current AC Tacoma, but has the awesome 4.7 v8 everyone is dizzy for, mine came with a great LSD in the rear, and has performed great off road in stock form. Drives like a dream, and I pull an honest 18-19 mpg highway, 17.5 mixed driving. 7k towing capacity. Full 6' bed, with enough space between the wheel wells to lay a sheet of plywood (take that tacoma). They can be had on the cheap. They also seem to have a more refined finish than the 2nd gen tacos, with more interior room. Mine is the limited, and it is way nice. I downsized from 3 previous 7.3 F350's, and have had them all - Ram 1500, F150, Chev 2500, nissan, 04 tacoma...and this is my all time favorite, especially for the value on the used market.

I would look for a 05-07, they got a bit more power, and resolved some new model weaknesses in the transmission and a couple of other things.
 
Houndoc

Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
johngottfredson said:
I think 3 trucks seems like a little much, but if you might consider a truck I would test-drive some 1st gen tundras. My 01 access cab TRD tundra is the same size as the current AC Tacoma, but has the awesome 4.7 v8 everyone is dizzy for, mine came with a great LSD in the rear, and has performed great off road in stock form. Drives like a dream, and I pull an honest 18-19 mpg highway, 17.5 mixed driving. 7k towing capacity. Full 6' bed, with enough space between the wheel wells to lay a sheet of plywood (take that tacoma). They can be had on the cheap. They also seem to have a more refined finish than the 2nd gen tacos, with more interior room. Mine is the limited, and it is way nice. I downsized from 3 previous 7.3 F350's, and have had them all - Ram 1500, F150, Chev 2500, nissan, 04 tacoma...and this is my all time favorite, especially for the value on the used market.

I would look for a 05-07, they got a bit more power, and resolved some new model weaknesses in the transmission and a couple of other things.
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Similar MPG etc to my Chevy 1500. will have to give them a look.
 
Houndoc

Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
Looks like the Montero will get to stay on the road a little longer....thus decision on replacement pushed back. Original plan was to look for new vehicle this spring/summer so can try to keep all these ideas in my brain while waiting for a good deal to pop-up.
 
Houndoc

Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
My plan now is to patiently wait for the right vehicle to come up. Once my daughter returns from her mission in May would have three kids sharing one car which won't go smoothly. Son will leave late summer and daughter will need something in college so the additional rig will work out good.

Could easily go with either Tacoma or 4Runner, simply depending on best deal to come along. Does seem like either one will need lift to do much on the trails.

Jeep, LJ or otherwise, will stay on my radar. With two door, is there significant reasons to pursue newer (2007 onward) over TJ?

Thoughts on capability and reliability of H3? Can find them with less miles for similar price as others.

With Jeep vs Toyotas, how much difference would I be looking at for basic mods such as lift? Seems like any would need it.
 
glockman

glockman

I hate Jeep trucks
Location
Pleasant Grove
Let me start by saying I own a 4runner and an Lj. I have fallen in love with Toyota. They are so easy to work on and so cheap compared to jeeps. That said, they are nowhere near as capable. My Lj will go way more places than I am ever going to take it. To echo Steve a little, a 4runner will be way more comfortable on dirt roads and two tracks where most people spend the majority of their off road miles. I love my jeep but it's expensive and far less reliable and more difficult to work on than my Toyota.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 
Houndoc

Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
glockman said:
Let me start by saying I own a 4runner and an Lj. I have fallen in love with Toyota. They are so easy to work on and so cheap compared to jeeps. That said, they are nowhere near as capable. My Lj will go way more places than I am ever going to take it. To echo Steve a little, a 4runner will be way more comfortable on dirt roads and two tracks where most people spend the majority of their off road miles. I love my jeep but it's expensive and far less reliable and more difficult to work on than my Toyota.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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Reliability is huge! And I must be honest with myself that I don't find the time to get off-road near what I would like (I very capable Jeep would be more so I think I can, not that I really would.)

Does seem like a 4Runner or Tacoma needs to stay on top of my list.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
One other thing about toyotas, "deals" ate gone in an hour or less. It's easier to just find the model, trim, and color you wabt, and pay the going rate. This time of year, toyotas are with even more. If you can wait till spring, they'll be slightly cheaper, since everyone wants a 4x4 with winter coming up.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
it's got my favorite upper control arms on it. Mine was nearly identical (but with 110k) and it sold for $17k. I think that's a decent price. With 33s you're not going to get fantastic mileage, but it looks pretty cool. The only caveat I have is that the sunroof eats up a lot of your available interior headroom.

Also, see if you can get some pics of the driver's seat, that's usually where the wear is on the leather.

And there's no way he's getting 17 mpg in that (or 20 stock).
 
Marsh99

Marsh99

Lover of all things Toyota
Location
Mantua UT
I echo steves comments above. I bet he is reading his mpg off the computer screen the 4runner has that is pretty generous. Also I am not a fan of body lifts, but in this generation of 4runners it is needed to fit tires due to small wheel wells.
 
johngottfredson

johngottfredson

Threat Level Midnight
Location
Alpine
I bought my cruiser from a lady in Virginia, sold a previous cruiser to a guy from Louisiana. It can work out, but I would hate to fly out somewhere and find out the vehicle was not as advertised. Maybe try and get a local mud member to stop by and check it out for you? Alternatively, offer to pay to have a local mechanic do an inspection, compression testing, etc. I would also be wary of heavily modified rigs driving weird or having other similar issues.
 
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