If you could do it all over...

Renting one would definitely be cheaper than buying one!

 

I think one 4R would sufficiently fulfill both missions! That's the beauty of the 4R, it is rugged and refined all rolled up into one vehicle!

 

I agree with all the comments on Jeeps in the post above. I replaced my truck and one of my Jeeps for the 4Runner but kept my other Jeep (99 TJ 4.0L with AX-15 manual tranny)

The 4Runner is definitely my daily driver and the Jeep is a project / toy. The soft top windows are all hung on the wall in my garage and haven't been on the Jeep in over 2 years. I have a 3 car garage so the Jeep and 4Runner get to park inside. Needless to say, I only drive the Jeep on good weather days which means I put less than 1k miles on it a year. Just can't bring myself to part with it considering I completely rebuilt it with 95% Mopar parts, many of which are no longer available.

Guess it's the best of both worlds

 

A few years back I had a '99 Miata. I got a hardtop for it (which for some reason ever Miata owner covets), and found I ended up never taking it off because it was just so annoying to remove and store. Definitely agree with the fun-ness of riding around with no roof, but with the effort of removal, I found I basically always just left it on.

 

This was my heap. 6cyl, 5 speed, no AC, no carpet, bikini top from April to November, bouncy rough bucket of shit that wobbled if you took it over 72mph. my wife hated it but the kids and I loved it. 3 years later my son is still pissed that I sold it and I regret letting it go.

 

I went with a 2018 Off Road that had a few extras on it (nicer seats, etc.) and saved about $5 - 7,000 over the Off Road Premiums. It has all the offroad goodies and I've been really happy with the performance so far.

**EDIT: Used to have a 97 Wrangler -- loved it, that little thing was a billy goat.

 

San Bernardino Mtns, So Cal?

 

I’ve only driven a convertible twice before. Everything that’s supposed to be cool about them is actually just annoying in real life lol. The sun, the wind ain’t quite right, etc.

I witnessed a jeep owner on one of our local trail ride meetups discover that top down, in the middle of convoy, is a bad place to be when gravel roads are dusty lol. Poor guy.

So i was a bit surprised discovering that 4runners with the windows and the hatch window rolled down are exactly what I envisioned as the ideal “top down” experience. Shade in the sunshine, perfect wind flow, and no annoying reflections in the windshield that ruin vision under certain sun angles.

 

It

I can picture the topless feature being awesome in the perfect circumstances. My MR2 had T-tops and you can bet they were off when the weather was just right.

I will say, though, that cruising around with all of the windows open in the 4Runner is certainly awesome in it's own way.

 

I have a 22 TRD OR Premium and I love it. The only thing I really wanted was the rear locker because I do the builds myself. I will probably never use the sunroof but I do like the premium seat material. I don't really know the difference between a premium and standard OR model so I don't really know if I would miss any of the premium options. This one was on the lot and they offered a decent amount for my trade in so I pulled the trigger.

 

Yessir. 1N09 near the scout camp

 

It depends on the car I guess.

 

I run a frameless soft top on the Jeep. The windows are all removed but the top stays on like a full length bikini top. This gives me the open air drive but also much needed shade in Texas. With the AC on full, it's a great drive up to about 85 degrees. Past that, I'm more likely to take the 4Runner.

 

85° isn't even hot! I roll with windows down and no AC when it's 90.

 

LOL. Does Wisconsin even see 90 degrees?

Houston is a swamp. You have to cut the air with a knife when you go outside. 85 in the Jeep is my personal limit before I'll be drenched in sweat when I get to where I'm going with no windows in. Guess if it were my only vehicle, I would suck it up and put the windows on. But, I'll pick the 4Runner option rather than go through that hassle.

 

Yes, we even get triple digits at times.

It's funny when people in the south act like their weather is so crazy. I've seen ~-25° - 100+° right here. I'll bet the range is much smaller down there.

 

This is what Jeeps should be in my mind. Hunk a junk that you just love to death because of its character. New Wranglers with the people that buy them and toss on all of the hideous appearance mods are just silly.

 

Not crazy. Just hot and humid. Once it gets hot, it just stays that way for weeks on end.

Definitely don't see -25 here. A couple years ago we hit 8 degrees for 2 days. Lost power for 36 hours as the infrastructure is not hardened for cold. Broken pipes in homes all over the region. Luckily, we were spared but many of my neighbors weren't so lucky.

 

Driving a topless Jeep in the summertime mid day can be oppressive here in MD as well between the sun beating down on you and the humidity. Loved it in the spring, summer mornings and evenings, and the fall. Nothing like driving the topless Jeep on a cool crisp fall day with a hoody on. On a cold day with the windows up and the heat blasting a Jeep is comfortable topless. Jeeps definitely have turbo heat! The cold air goes right over the top of your head. Now the back seat is a different story - anyone riding in the back is freezing their asses off when the top is off!

 

Nothhin' but a Thing.

Edit: sp. Nothin'

 

I think if you’re stock to stock price points, 4Runner TRD Off Road comes out on top. But when you start to mod the 4Runner for a bit more capability for off roading (not talking about a rock crawler) then you start to approach the price of a Jeep Rubicon, and you do start to sacrifice reliability, or need additional upgrades. I’m almost at the price of a Gladiator Rubicon V6. I still have more to add for some protection, piece of mind, and capability (fuel tank skid plate, front steel from bumper).

Now I do appreciate the record of Toyota reliability, but I’m also the type of person who will service their vehicle (mechanic or myself) a bit more often and a bit sooner than the average (I know there is a lot of owners like that on this forum) and so my vehicles tend to last longer and have less issues than average. Last year Jan was the worst time to try and buy a vehicle, but I think if it was this Jan this year I was shopping I probably would’ve gone with a Jeep, especially after getting to know owners of 2021 and newer years in local offroad groups that don’t wheel hard, ans have done mods for relatability vs capability.

Now this isn’t a 4Runner bash at all, it’s just about having the right tool for the job and getting the most out of your dollars spent. My 4Runner when I first got it was awesome on the hwy compared to a 2018 Jeep Unlimited I had for quite few weeks, but with my 4R lifted, adding 285s, and some weight to it, it doesn’t inspire the same confidence for hwy driving (maybe switch tires to 255/80s). I do like driving this vehicle, and look for any exercise to drive it somewhere (hard now that my wife wants to drive her new, 2 week old car) . I do plan to keep it for another 7-9 yrs, and use it for offroading trips (fingers crossed, Toronto to Utah next late summer/fall).

 

My niece has a Wrangler. Would you mind sharing a few of the mods for reliability?

 

You mean other than "Sell the Fiat and buy a 4Runner"?

 

Yeah yeah say what you want. I bought a 4Runner rather than a Jeep because it’s more reliable. But since I got here what I see a lot of is guys spending 1000’s of dollars to make their vehicle as capable as a Wrangler comes from the factory. If a Wrangler can be made reliable, that’s useful information.

 

The thing about the mods that kind of gets me when you compare a 4Runner to a Wrangler is the return on investment. Add a 3-in lift to the 4Runner and you can run maybe a 33 or 34, which will fit on a stock suspension Rubicon.. Lift a Rubicon 3 inches, you can comfortably fit 37 or even 38-in tall tires, and run some incredibly difficult trails.

Yeah, there may be some reliability concerns from the larger tire, but you get that on the Toyota as well. If anything, it might be worse on the IFS vehicle. When the current generation Wrangler came out, I remember reading that the engineers specifically designed it to handle 37-in tires, because that was such a popular mod on the JK.(Also, as far as reliability, while this doesn't typically affect the 4R, I've seen numerous mentions of Tacoma owners losing functions such as the locker, or being able to get it in or out of 4WD all together)

Like you said, it's all about the right tool for the job. If you do many road trips, the 4Runner is going to be the better travel companion. It's probably also a better daily driver, especially if you do a lot of miles. On the other hand, if you live close to the trails and really like challenging yourself, the Wrangler is definitely the way to go if you're looking for more of a trail toy. Especially if you're planning on doing extensive modifications, you just get more bang for your buck out of the Jeep and parts availability is much better. As of a few years ago, Jeep's own market research showed that the Wrangler was more often than not a second or a third vehicle for a household, not most people's primary driver.

 

I ordered a 2007 6-spd manual JK Rubicon from the factory when they first came out in 2006. It had every option minus an engine block heater. I lifted that JK, put larger tires, bumpers, rock rails, adjustable sway bars, and many other items I don't even remember. That was the first year of the JK, which everyone said to avoid, but in the 7 years I had it, only one thing went wrong with it that needed attention - one day it would not start. The battery was good, so...I disconnected the battery, let it sit for a bit, and boom, started right back up. Never did that again. So that one, even as a first-run vehicle, never had an issue with reliability. Granted, it was a JK, not one of the current JL models with a lot more electronics, but it was miles ahead of the previously owned TJ Rubicons owned, as far as comfort and highway handling. I never should have sold that Jeep. The fact that it was a 6-speed manual made the somewhat gutless 3.8L V6 easier to live with.

I later had a 2012 automatic JK Sport with the 3.6L V6, and it felt like a rocket ship compared to the 3.8L. Don't know why I sold that one either...

All that to say, I don't know exactly what 'reliability mods' are necessary with the newer Jeeps. The ones I had were very reliable, just not particularly as comfortable to drive on the road, compared to a 4R. If I could afford a 2012 - 2016 Jeep JK, I'd own another one in a minute.

The newest JLs all come with Start/Stop, but there's an aftermarket fix for that.

 

I own a Wrangler Rubicon myself so I follow the Wrangler forums. One of the owners of a new Wrangler posted this pic of their dash display. It did shut down and had to be towed. How'd you like to see that message come up when you're out in the middle of nowhere?

 

Did you find out what the problem was?

My niece called me in a panic once because she couldn’t get her (fairly new) Wrangler out of park. I had to talk her through the procedure of bypassing the shift lock.

 

If I saw this out in the middle of nowhere and had full coverage fire insurance....

and then get a TJ or CJ-7

 

That shouldn’t be an issue whatsoever. Anyone would gladly swap a normal exhaust for a TRD Pro in a heartbeat!!!