If you had the money..

Do what you like but I don't see the point in owning a 4Runner just for towing and getting another for daily driving.

One can handle both jobs.

If you absolutely feel the need for another 5th gen down the line, buy a slightly used one with good maintenance records from the Southwest. They've literally made a million of them now and there will be plenty of used ones to choose from.

 

If I had the money I would buy Toyota and open sales of the 70 and 300 series in N America and Europe which would allow me to terminate the atrocious Prado 250, and the “Too many GsX.” I would also terminate any 4 cylinder engines expect for use in entry level Corollas.

I would then add a 300 GR sport inspired 6Gen 4Runner to the line in 4 door, and 2 door versions, a convertible option, a manual transmission option, and V8 engine with hybrid option.

All in favor say “Aye.”

 

They salt roads where I live. I do yearly Krown application for all cars I drive in the winter and I have sold 10+ year old cars with ZERO under body rust. After doing Krown for 2-3 years everything is so thoroughly coated in oil that there is no rust. Unfortunately, it is also drips and makes any kind of DIY very messy, but all bolts come off on the first try.

So it is very possible to completely prevent rust.

However, if you are single and well-off, you should be driving a convertible and a sports car. Look into C8, 911, F-type, Mercedes AMG GT. For winter, get a WRX or Outback. Or just rustproof your 4Runner.

 

I've got the one I want already. As far as a 2nd vehicle goes, a 4banger turdo hybrid may be a good fit.

If I "had the money", I wouldn't care about reliability, roll down back windows, or anything else really. I'd have this for a life of pure adventure

 

no.1 in reliablity in midsize suv's, pretty fkn special if you ask me

 

Yes

 

For sure!

 

If I had the money I'd build an old school land rover defender , 80s land cruiser or humvee h1.

4runners are great an all especially as a daily, I just don't think I need two of them though.

 

This. The great part about the 4R is that it can be such a good DD while being capable at other things. If one doesn't need it for a DD duties, having something more interesting makes more sense to me.

I'd add a clean first gen, an 80 series, or K5 Blazer to that list as well. All of those can likely be had for new SR5 4Runner money.

 

I take back what I wrote earlier, if I end up with a windfall I'll be installing this. Then I get to sit back and read all of the fun threads here on a BIG screen!

 

In 2016 I traded my 2014 Jeep Wrangler (manual) for a brand new SR5 Tacoma (auto)...as I was driving out of the dealer lot I saw a 2015 4Runner in Inferno Orange for sale and I swear I immediately knew I made a mistake.

The Tacoma (auto) lasted exactly 6-months before I decided I couldn't live with it. That transmission was insane. It just did whatever it wanted and made me crazy. So on a whim, I stopped into a local dealer that had a Tacoma Sport (manual). At the time I was still semi-convinced I needed a truck, so 45-mins later I signed away the auto for the manual. Got a great deal and I was pretty happy with the Tacoma.

Fast-forward 4-years and there I was, still driving around in the Tacoma and asking my wife, "did you see that 4Runner?" every time one drove past. One day she says, "you know I really don't know why you just didn't buy a 4Runner?" I told her it didn't makes sense since I wanted a really specific color and trim level and it would be impossible to find - well guess what popped into my email a few weeks later: a 2018 Pro in Cavalry Blue, with reasonable mileage and a great price. I had the Tacoma professionally detailed and headed to the dealer for a test drive. It took a little will-power to make the deal, because I think the salesman knew I wanted it, but I got the exact numbers I wanted and it was mine.

All this to say - I love it, but if I had bags of money weighing me down, I might just find a high-end custom shop to drop in a manual transmission.

 

If I had more disposable money, I wouldn't get rid of my current 5th gen or add another one. I'd just add both an 80 series and 200 series Landcruiser to the fleet......cuz why not. But that cash would go to sports cars first tbh.

No interest personally in any of the new 4cyl or turbo/hybrid models. But after they work out the initial bugs, I bet the new GX will be a sweet truck to daily drive for most people.

Remember, they made a ton of these 5th gens. While they hold their value better than most cars, they are not some collector car to stash away lol they'll be readily available in the used market for a long time.

 

Yeah I was not thinking of another one from an investment perspective but more so from having another vehicle with a good reputation and hopefully no major repairs for many years. But the more I think about it and the frame for everyday vehicle I leaning towards no now.

This weekend I spent some time looking at the new Ridgeline which peaked my interest. It has no frame to rust at least and will work for year round with awd and fit in the garage. The only thing so far I don’t like is the all the plastic around wheel wells and front bumper. All this black plastic looks cheap to me. Two new vehicles on the lot already had scratched on this black plastic which seems odd.

 

To be fair, I have seen Ridgelines around here completed rotted out too. Sometimes its tougher to see on a unibody car and possibly less of a death sentence depending on the location but they rust out too. I've seen strut towers on a 10 year old van completely rotted out, to the point where the mechanic was surprised the shocks didn't blow through going over a speed bump. Body on frame or unibody, I don't think there is much that can go rust free long term in the rust belt without some form of preventative maintenance.

For some people, that's rinsing off the undercarriage once in a while in the winter and just living with some slowly increasing surface rust. For others, its accepting that the vehicle will probably rot out in 10 years and just driving it till it falls apart. Others get lucky and theirs doesn't rust as bad as expected. Finally, people like me who daily drive it in the winter and want it to remain as fresh as possible will get it undercoated every fall and the body power washed weekly in the winter to get salt off the paint (which is ceramic coated).

 

The original VW Beetle was a unibody car that often died of rust. My wife was given a '68 in '86 and I completely rebuilt the brake system and suspension, but ultimately the floor pan completely rusted through. It was open to the road all along the driver's door, meeting a gap all along the firewall, so the driver's entire weight (along with the seat) was cantilevered on an piece of sheet metal unsupported on two sides. Of course the fenders were rotten, too.

 

Yeah maybe you guys are right. I have a 19 yo Accord and always drove in MI winters. This has been my everyday car obviously. The 4R is in storage for winter. With the car I always hand washed it and sprayed the underbody each week at the quarter wash in winter. I thought about another 4r as an everyday or Ridgeline when I started the thread.

I’m getting older though and hand washing a car in winter is getting old. Being over with the quarter wash nozzle is not easy either. I only had one minor spot of rust repaired on the Accord rocker and it’s held up well. But I am probably too diligent in maintenance and cleaning. What I should do is just leave Michigan in winters and avoid the salt issue altogether lol.

I just keep thinking maybe get one more V6 of some sort before everyone stops making them. First world problem I know. Maybe I should have got married and had kids then I would not spend so much time thinking about vehicles

 

No. I’d keep my current one and buy a 6MT Tacoma Trailhunter long bed as soon (if??) as they are available.

love the Runner but there are times I miss having the open bed of my old Taco for hauling stuff. And it’s been something like a dozen years since I had a manual in the garage.

Not to mention it’s going to be an absolute beast in every other way. If they bring all that capability to 6th gen and manage to keep the roll down window and manual tcase… holy $&#((

 

My 4th gen frame was solid after 15 years and 257K miles with zero preventative treatment. Plenty of road salt here. These are not Tacomas.