Best 5th gen year

Sup yall. I just wanted to ask around about the 5th gen and best years. I am the owner of 4th gen (2003) 4runner but rust is advancing even though I am fighting it, I love my car but it will reach the point when its dangerous to drive.

So i was thinking of buying used 5th gen, any specific years I should avoid for complaints?
I don't care much of the leather interior, extras, and all that, 5th gen with the least issues overall is what i am looking for.

Any advice? or things I should watch out for? other than rust obviously, I live in the north sadly.

 

Sup bro. Sup yall. Word.

 

5th gens are nearly unchanged from inception to now. A few creature comforts, a few styling ques. Some will complain about the TSS features, but they can all be disabled and in reality can be very helpful. Buy the newest, cleanest, lowest mileage one you can afford!

 

I see around 20K $ with 130K-170K milage in 2011s 2012 etc. This is nothing for a 4runner and for a vehicle that is that young, almost 4th gen 4runners cost that much lol. So I was wondering why they are selling at that price, has to be some trick or an issue.

I am eyeing them, they look all hot and sexy, especially grey and black. However, want to make sure I am not buying one with serious issue.

 

I've got a 2019 SR5...love it. none of that lane departure, auto braking B.S.. Only have 70k miles on it so far,but still smooth and looks almost perfect except where my kid backed into the tailgate with our old Trailblazer.

 

you can turn lane departure off....just saying

 

My year, of course.

Seriously, while they all are great, my vote is also for 2019 or older. No fan of the TSS nonsense either, even if it can be turned off. If you plan any front bumper mods, you then have to deal with the front sensor. From your posts, though, the 2020+ models would probably be out of the price range you're looking for...

I've heard it said the 2010-2013 Trail models are the best looking 4R of all time, and I cannot disagree with that.

 

Making an assumption on target age and budget from what you have posted, I would say buy the best cared for low mileage 13 Trail you can find.

 

Why thank you!!!

 

don't need to if ya don't have it....just saying

 

I may be biased, but 100% agree.

 

I have a 2013 that just hit 150k yesterday. No going to lie, it drives like a new vehicle. No squeaks or creeks or weird clunking noises. As much as I love Jeeps, I couldn't say that about my old Grand Cherokee when it was this age.

I think 15 to 20k is what I would expect to pay for an early 5th gen with 150 - 200k miles, I think unless it is an extremely clean, low mileage V8, that a 4th gen 4Runner is not worth that money. I would think one should be able to get a clean 4th gen for between 8 and 12k. I'm not really a fan of the 4th gen's, so I may be biased on that.

I'll say that for my fairly clean 2013 Trail Edition, if I were to sell it I would be looking to get 20k.

 

While I dig TSS getting bashed, laser guided cruise is a godsend where I live. When I lived in rural California, I never touched it and ditto SoCal, but living in Hawaii where on the Big Island the the top speed limit is 60 and needless to say there are visitors aplenty, cruise is huge as otherwise would start caring that I am driving 10 under.

 

The dude abides

 

Here's the basic break down

2010-2013 Older style front end, older style interior
2014-2019 Mid-cycle interior refresh, Mid-cycle exterior refresh
2020+ Same exterior as 2014-2019, updated infotainment and gauge cluster. Added tech, safety, etc.

Choose your poison, they're all essentially mechanically the same. There is not a single "bad year".

(Caveat for the "achtchully" people. Yes this is a grand over simplification and there are nuances with specific trim levels)

 

I’m asking, was the performance of the headlights better, worse or same on the 2010-13’s? Compared to the later model 5th Gen?

 

my 2023 has this seems to work okay...

 

I actually think the headlights on my 2013 are pretty good, compared to cars I've had in the past. I think the LED headlights are superior, but not sure what year they came out.

I would think the pre-LED headlights are all the same.

 

True, but I’m just interested in a direct comparison. I have no plans to upgrade.

 

Boooo! But everybody is entightled to have wrong opinions

The early 5th gen is the purest form of 4runner. It carries a perfect balance of old school and modern. It wears tall/skinnies like a boss. The stock wheels are perfect right out of the gate. It looks better with the stock front bumper than with aftermarket. What’s not to love? I remember when the the facelift came out, and it took me a long time for me get over toyota’s betrayal.

I was looking hard for a used trail couple years pre-covid, but even back then, I couldnt stomach paying 15 to 20k for a used car with 150-200k mikes (actually, that was for pre-facelift SR5s I saw, not the trail unicorn.

 

I think this is the main point. Don’t shop for a specific year or avoid any specific year. Look for the best deal.

That said, I think 2020 is the worst. While it introduced a modern infotainment system with CarPlay and Android Auto, which is good, we didn’t get the even bigger improvement of LED headlights until 2021.

Meanwhile 2020 was also the first year with TSS, which is a mixed bag. And btw yes you can turn off the lane alert and it stays off. Fine. But you can’t turn off automated braking without it restarting itself every time you restart the truck. So that’s a pain if those systems bother you.

So I’d feel like I got a better trade off for the TSS I dislike if I woulda gotten the LEDs in the bargain.

Edit: on the other hand, while the stock halogen lights are certifiably sucky, they are also pretty easily replaced with H9 bulbs that work great. Mine have been installed for 22000 miles and 2 and 1/2 years and illuminate better than some OEM LEDs I’ve experienced on other cars.

 

Thanks all, and I am not really worried about details like led lights, I can replace them myself. I don't hesitate to rebuild the whole car way I like it when it comes to upgrades etc . Its just I want to make sure not some serious issues that will cost a fortune. From what I can read most people say 2013 seems to be okay, and maybe I will try to look for those. I am young, without a wife and kids for now so, nothing fancy.

Overall I will go for one with the best mileage and history. I am looking to buy maybe 6-7 months from now, so I will update you guys once I do.

 

Just pick any year as long as it has comprehensive service records.

 

Such a subjective question that will bring in lots of individual opinions. The 2 best models to date would be 2019 and 2023.

2019 is the last year before TSS and all of the other tech updates. They had most all of the issues ironed out by then.

2023 is refined even more and has lots of safety features that will reduce your insurance and possibly prevent an accident.

 

man!! Mine hit 150k on Wednesday!!

 

2016 Trail! no front end sensors, just a backup cam, KDSS, and 4x4 goodies

 

We looked at several SR5s but bought this 2014 Premium with back up camera and easy clean vinyl seats for grandkids and dogs.

 

That’s a volume side to side, but don’t worry cause you can make your radio stations go up or down. I’ve gotten used to it, but when I’m in another vehicle I seem to crank up the volume while trying to change the radio station.

 

Agreed, with my preference being 2019 as the sweet spot before all that TSS nonsense.