Ordering a New 4Runner from the dealership...?

I am not sure about car seats; my guess is they would fit. I would simply take your car seats to the dealer and try it out before hand. If the dealer does not want to take the time and effort to let you try it out then that is just wrong. Also, someone else informed me if you go down to a SR5 model you can get a 3rd row seat if you plan to have more children or passengers in general. The third row seat in a SR5 folds flat with the 2nd row also for large items.

 

Excellent point. However, we don’t have car seats just yet. First little one is due in March. I suppose that gives an excuse to go out and buy the car seat/stroller transformer looking thing...

 

Well first congratulations to you both. That is a huge blessing and prayers for healthy baby. I never had children and never married so many congratulations.

I have a good friend who had two seats in two year old Explorer so I have to think it would work. His Explorer though quickly filled up with the stroller, diaper bags and all the other stuff. Having said that the Explorer and definitely 4Runner are much cooler than a minivan .

I drove the Sequoia and Yukon and for me using the SUV for fishing and towing a boat it was big. It would fit in my garage but barely. I like the Sequoia V8 but to me the styling is not as nice either. I suppose like anything else in life it’s all about tradeoffs

 

Thank you very much for the prayers and kind words. And you’re right about being cooler than a minivan. The trade offs portion is what has me in a bind here...

 

I am sure the trade offs are difficult. Just take your time and don’t rush into anything. There are always new vehicles coming to the lot.

 

Exactly.

 

I don’t know about the dealerships in your area but ours had car seats they would mock up for expecting parents. I’m not sure if they were donations or just bought by the dealer. But when I bought mine they were doing a set up for a younger couple that were looking at the Tacoma or a tundra for the husband and the wife kept telling him it would never work in the Tacoma.

 

Good to know. I’ll probably be stopping by there today. Doesn’t hurt to ask them if they have some donated car seats to mock up.

 

@4RunnerFlyer, one of the many reasons I picked the 4Runner was for how well it fit a car seat. That being said, the kind of car seat you pick will play a larger factor. My daughter is a few months shy of turning 2, so eventually we'll have a car seat that faces forward. However, it is still rear facing, which takes up quite a bit of room. As a father would do, I did A LOT of research on quality, safety and functionality. There wasn't much that could compare to the Clek Foonf. What I didn't know was due to this particular seat design, the clearance with getting her in/out isn't the best. All of that to say, a car seat (even two) will fit perfectly fine in the 4Runner. If you have 1, two adults can still ride in the back. If you have 2, one can still fit in the center, but getting to that spot could prove challenging.

Included are three pictures, first two showing the seat fitment. The third showing that although the seat takes up a lot of room, the passenger still has a TON of leg room.

 

So what's the verdict?! Did ya order a 4Runner or go w/ something a little bigger?

 

Might be too late since I think you said the dealer needed a decision by now, but FWIW, two car seats can fit no problem!

 

Well...after a lot of discussion, the wife and I decided to keep the F-150 for now. The monthly payment on the 4Runner was just too expensive at the moment. We’re going to save a bit to be able to have a larger down payment. Just didn’t want to force ourselves into a financial situation where we’re beholden to a car payment that looks like a mortgage.

 

That's a fair assessment. The payments can be quite high, especially when brand new. Keep an eye out for a good used one as well. Considering these beats last forever, and as long as you take every measure to ensure its condition, that'll drastically reduce your overall monthly payment, and if anything you'll be sitting at or above water from an equity perspective. Just be prepared to open up your search nationwide. I did that, and after a lengthy search and a lot of calls, I took a one way flight and drove back home over the course of two days. Just something to consider.

 

That is certainly an option. I’ll take it into consideration. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

Hertz rent a car flooded the used market with 4 runners a few months ago. They went bankrupt due to covid 19,sold off their inventory.
I saw a lot of 2015-2018 SR5's for cheap money.

 

Preface: I didn't read any of the comments/responses. Just adding my experience.

When the 2014+ 4Runners were first hitting the market, I wanted a Blue Trail Edition without KDSS. Didn't really want any other features, but it seemed like all of them came with a few basics (like carpet floor mats at a minimum). I went to several dealerships and the only thing I could find on the lot were white ones. Wife was adamantly opposed to a white vehicle, so those wouldn't work (was purchasing for her).

I started talking to the internet sales manager at one of the dealerships in DFW and the guy had me go up to his office and we looked at his monitor together. There were zero blue trail editions coming into port anytime soon. He told me that he could take a deposit and put in a request for one, but that he wasn't guaranteed to get one even with a down payment. It would also take roughly 2 months before they got there. I needed a vehicle before then, so that was no bueno.

I put in an order and hoped for the best. He called me a day later and had a buyer back out of purchasing a MGM TE with all the options I wanted and none that I didn't. I got off work early to go sign the paperwork. There's more to the story, if anyone cares to hear a "modern day miracle" but I won't post all of that now. Mainly because people tend to avoid religion and its a fairly long story.

To get back on point, yes it is entirely possible to custom order a vehicle at the dealership. Just go in and talk to a salesman. He'll likely put you in touch with one of the managers to go over everything. My advice is to do as much research on what options are available beforehand so that you are prepared when they ask you what all you want. In my case, Toyota still put the "option codes" on the website, so I already had everything outlined. I don't think they do that anymore though.

 

I have been looking at the exact same vehicle. I know I want both KDSS and the moonroof but everywhere I have looked does not have it in stock. Did they give you an idea on how long the wait would be? Also, when I went to build the vehicle on toyota's website it will only allow you to pick red as your color when adding the KDSS and moonroof option. Did you run into this problem, and if so how did you get super white?

 

I just ran into a similar issue; if I try to build a ORP and get the package with KDSS and moonroof the only color available is black. No thanks