Considering 4Runner - work and play

Thanks for all of the responses everyone, very helpful insight!

As far as the dealership stuff goes, I have a dealer offering to order a build I make on the Toyota website and sell to me with no markup, and claiming they typically receive the cars 4-6 months after order is place. This seems so far-fetched to me, especially with inventory the way it is right now ... I feel like I'll be waiting way longer than 6 months. Does anyone have experience doing this (and recently)?

 

I'd say to just expect that it may not be exactly what you want, but probably very close. For example, I was told that if I wanted KDSS anytime soon, it's very likely going to have a moonroof whether I like it or not. I now have exactly what I wanted plus a moonroof I would have preferred to not have. A little give and take, I guess.

 

Toyota doesn't take direct orders. And 4-6 months means they don't have an allocation yet. They're guessing and hoping.

 

What they should have said, we will try to get what your looking for and it could take at least 6 months.

if the deposit is refundable, get a deposit down and start working another dealer, in this market don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

 

It's true that you can't order a vehicle through Toyota. Each dealer gets an allocation and it's hit or miss. I've had my '22 ORP for about two months now. I shopped all over the country and experienced VERY interesting dealer behavior. Websites do not reflect reality.
Stars aligned and was notified by a semi-local dealer that they had one coming in with most of what I wanted (no sliding cargo deck). Put a deposit down, waited a month and got it. I'd suggest trying to establish a relationship with a sales person who is willing to work with you. That's what worked for me.
Good luck.

 

After having been a Ford and Chevy guy my entire life many of our friends got into Tundra’s, Taco’s and 4Runners.

After hitting 200k on my F-150 and doing a lot of research I went with a TRD Pro 4Runner.

I was patient from a timing perspective and flexible from a location perspective and ended up going out of state to get my 2019.

My wife actually enjoyed/preferred driving my 4Runner so much that we ended up getting her a 2020 Pro as well.

The big thing for me/us is reliability, functionality, capability, resale and having something we enjoy driving. The 4Runner Pro checked all of these boxes for us.

I also wasn’t going to pay anything over MSRP and therefore sought out dealers who had Pros on the ground vs pay and wait. Each purchase required research and patience but it paid off as I got each 4Runner for about 1,700 under MSRP with some goodies thrown in.

All 4Runners are extremely reliable and capable so it just comes down to your personal preferences - you really can’t go wrong.

I went with the Pro(s) simply because it came with many features from the factory that I would have wanted. There are many that say it’s outdated but to me, switching from a 2007 F-150, this is light years ahead of what I was accustomed to.

good luck!

 

This is essentially where I'm at right now. Do you mind me asking the methods you used for finding 4Runners on the ground? I'm in CA and have been branching out to Oregon, Utah, Arizona, etc. mostly using Cars.com to enter a zip code and expand the search 500mi out, but most of the 4Runners listed I inquire about have already been sold.

 

I'm not the guy you asked, but his method was buying pre-pandemic. They're just harder to find now. You're going to wait or you're going to pay a markup. You won't find a Pro for MSRP sitting on a lot somewhere.

 

Yeah that's what I'm coming to realize. I've found a few dealerships that sell with no markup, but the wait list is 4-6 months. Guess I'll be waiting a bit.

 

I’ve had 4 4Runners now.
1998 SR5 4wd
2015 SR5 4wd
2017 TRD Off Road 4wd
2021 SR5 4wd

I’ve had plenty of other vehicles as well in between these and always seem to come back to a 4Runner.
They are rock solid, reliable, spacious, and capable. The SR5 is honestly your best bet. Very off road capable for 99% of anything you’ll ever need, go for the SR5 premium if you need softex, heated seats, or sunroof. The standard atrac and 4wd will most likely be all you’ll ever need. Fantastic dirt road exploring rig. Save $15k and forget the TRD Pro. If you MUST have the looks of the pro, go for a Trail or Venture.
Biggest issue is mpg. I’m meticulous at keeping track of my mileage and all of my 5th gens have averaged in the 19ish mpg range. They do well from 45-65 mph, I can easily get 20-25 mpg at these speeds. However 65-80 mph the mpg drops down to 16-18mpg. Short in town trips are total crap 11-16 mpg. I don’t daily drive mine, it’s my weekend warrior, if I had to daily idk if I could do the mpg.

 

Bought my SR5 in 2019. for reference, we are a family of 4 (mom,me and two teenage boys who are both over 6' tall) and occasionally 1-2 other boys who travel with us. we use our vehicles for vacations, soccer and band trips anywhere from 30 minutes to ~8 hours away.
Overall, I love the 4Runner....handles very well on the local roads and highways and of course it looks amazing. Couple of minor gripes----1. gas mileage. officially it's around 19 mpg on the highway but I swear I can watch the needle move as we drive. very discouraging. 2. seats are not super comfortable on long trips. the middle back seat especially is like a rock even to our boys who haven't gotten old and bony like me yet. 3. Might not be an issue for you but if you're planning on using the 3rd row seating...it's all but useless. no leg room at all unless the occupant is a midget and it takes up all of the cargo area space...you'll have enough room for a few product binders back there but that's about it. Much as I had to concede defeat to Honda, my wife's Pilot beats the Runner in those categories. That said, I still love my 4Runner. I've been an SUV guy for decades so never expected good mpg and I'm exploring ways to improve the seats. the looks, handling and legendary reliability still make it all worth it to me.

 

I kept checking dealer websites in the area and saw a blue 4wd sr5 pop up on their website as incoming. I went there to arrange the purchase for when it came in. Many dealers weren't ordering 4wd and if they were I did not like the colors. I was only interested in red or blue. I really didn't like the other colors.

 

We're neighbors and I've had limited-to-no success finding a 4Runner matching my ideal config 'on the ground' unless it was Lime Rush and/or had $10k+ market adjustment. If you don't mind the distance/drive, check in with Harry at Dick Hannah in Kelso WA - MSRP, extended powertrain warranty at no extra cost, and super helpful. Most everything is pre-sold before it hits their lot but they manage their allocation and seem to treat their customers well.

Good luck with your search!

 

if paying MSRP is what you looking for, then start making a list of dealerships (I made a spreadsheet) and start reaching out. Ask about pricing, inform them of what your willing to take, if it’s a refundable deposit, make one to show them your really buying. I started with the closest dealership and worked my way through them. I currently have two refundable deposits at a couple, and another dealership that has a markup also looking for me.

 

I took the same approach. You may also want to ask how long their waitlist is for your preferred trim/color, and get some sense of their volume, as higher volume dealerships tend to receive more allocations.

 

The higher volume places have been tacking on the screw you fee, while the low volume is no bs fees and about a week after my deposit, I was offered a LR pro for MSRP, but I don’t think I can live with that color.

 

TRD Offroad with KDSS would be my choice, great on road performance with the ability to mess around in the dirt if you so desire.

 

If your planing on lifting over 2” the KDSS is just a hinderance , if your leaving it stock your fine with KDSS . I just picked up a 2022 TRD pro , was not planning on it my local dealer hit me up with one a guy backed out and I got it no markup , it’s pretty loaded , only thing I’m charging is removing predator steps and putting a set of real rock sliders that mount to the frame .
I have a 2020 LC200 , i live in the greater northeast with all the salt and slop , I don’t drive the Land cruiser in the crap , still kills me to drive the 4 runner in the stuff but I do clean the 4runner obsessively , its pretty fuel efficient and very dependable choice .