New and have questions??

A toyota guy my whole life with some subarus in the mix. We are looking at a 2023 4Runner . We live in the south but will buy a 4X4, Trim?? Wife wants heated seats and not a white one. We have a 2017 japanese made Rav4, 85K on the odometer flawless. But we retired and have 1 vehicle and just want a new vehicle.Wife is sold on the 4Runner. Me yea I would love it. Do I want to pull the trigger and buy it. I can sell my Rav4 around 20-22 or trade at 18. Tell me to do this and I can be here on the forum going forward. Buy now? wait for new redesign, 2024/2025? Ideas all Thanks.

 

If you’re looking for proven reliability like your Rav4, then buy the current gen 4Runner. With the 2025 redesign, it will take Toyota a year or two to work out the issues.

 

By looking at this I would like to vote for a 4Runner Limited.
I was a big time white vehicle lover but news about white paint I went Silver.

Since 4Runner Limited have fulltime 4WD not having to mess with 4wd controls was best for my wife. She can just drive like our old Rav4/Venza. 4Runner Limited not only got heated seats but also got ventilated seats which I bet you would love in south.

Mine have 3rd row seats with automatic running boards. I understand you may not need 3rd row seats but I love the automatic running boards because its the most convenient running boards I've ever experience on 4Runners. They been mechanical, motors and sensors I cannot tell about reliability but so far my 2019 ones work using it every other day (I switch between the two 4runners). JBL sound is very good as a factory option.

If you go with 5 seats option you can get optional rear cargo deck, so its easy to get things in and out.

Only thing I was not a fan of 4Runner Limited was the 20in wheels because my wife is little rough on the driving department. I change them to 17in 4Runner wheels but won't hurt to ask the dealership how much they want to swap to 17in wheels.



Also a little suggestion other than 4Runner. Have you look at the Lexus GX460? That also has fulltime 4wd, built in running boards. Its 8.1 in clearance so looks like its very closer to a Highlander so might be easy to get in and out vs the taller 4Runner. I think GX is a nice option for seniors with its comfort. (We looked GX too before I got the 4Runner Limited for my wife)

Speaking of Highlander, if you don't have adventure in your requirement the Highlander Hybrid might be a great option for the south with insane mpg advantage. Any may mistaken by the word "e-CVT" transmision where unlike traditional CVTs there are no belts involved. They are 2 motor generator units (MG1 & MG2) and the 3rd motor generator MG3 is for the AWD system.



Edit -
Forgot about to mention about the "wait for new redesign, 2024/2025?" -
The way thing going in Toyota world with Turbos I'm unlikely to buy a 4cyl Turbo 4Runner if they go same route as the Tacoma. Sequoia, Tundra, Highlander gas 2.4T, LX600 already out of my buying list.

 

@kmeeg I agree with the 4Runner Limited 4WD. The automatic running boards are also a great suggestion. I had them on my 2016 Limited and they were trouble-free for 4 years/ 110k miles.

 

Welcome

 

I retired about 3 years ago. I've had a '97 2WD RAV4 (are now on our second=an AWD XLE), 2-5 Toyota p/Us (pre Tacomas), & 2 FJ40s. Between 50 years of hunting, fishing and amateur and professional duties as a Wildlife Biologist for the feds (20+ years), I have driven Broncos, Blazers, Scouts, Jeeps (We had one-NEVER AGAIN), Subarus, several Nissans, etc. I bought an FJ40 when I retired to "restomod"=health dictated I get rid of it. I bought the wife a 2019 SR5 Premium that I inherited (she says I stole it from her but she offered, so I took it). It had 17K miles. We then got her a 2013 RAV 4 (previously mentioned). Best decisions. We have 4-5 months of snow and triple digit temps for another 2 or so. Travel to SoCal, AZ, NM, CO each year, sometimes during inclement weather.

We got the SR5 Premium because it was during the shortage and was the only one we saw that was NOT white or silver (It's Nautical Blue). It has the heated seats, Nav, Sirius (for serious highway travel=), no moon roof but third row. I like the simplicity of the SR5 drive controls= looks dicey, turn on 4WD! Installed a refrigerator/warmer for drinks and meds, and we're off to the races (Heading out soon!).

I agree with the advice NOT to buy a "new" model. Actually, I would buy used. If you are retired, any low mileage 4Runner will likely outlast you! The Rav is going to a niece and, most likely, the 4Runner will go to one of the nephews, when we pass.

 

Welcome!

 

You can probably find a nice one owner 2016-18 Limited 4WD with 50-80K miles that has had regular service and looks, drives and rides pretty close to a new one, and keep the RAV 4 as a second vehicle for about what it would cost you to buy a new Limited given the current supply situation and most Toyota dealers charging more than MSRP. That's provided you buy from a private individual instead of a dealership, including CarMax and others like them whose prices are too high. A new 4Runner would have some of the latest safety features like lane detection warning, a bigger navigation screen and more up to date audio options if you're into Spotify, etc. (I prefer having a CD player which was deleted starting in 2020), but a used 5th generation 4Runner has the same engine and transmission and should be good for 200K+ relatively trouble free miles, just like your RAV 4.

 

Welcome and buy now.

 

Thanks people, I am torn on do I keep the Rav4. My wife does not drive much now. I am sub teaching and done at 2:15 daily when I work. Saving 1000 a year on insurance and another 1000 on maintenance ? Not a bank break but over 10 years yea its close to 20K. I can sell the Rav close to 19K, Buy at 47 SR5 Premium, Just write the check for the balance. Thinking thinking thinking.....

 

Definitely not a bad thought. I miss seeing about 27mpg no matter how I drive my Rav. Also didn't put too much thought about maintenance on my Rav.

 

We get 23 mpg on this 2017 Rav. never much more . Highway closer to 25. So the gasoline mpg with the 4runner is a non issue. If prices spike I just go sub another day and another 130 dollars is in the kitty for fuel. We just do not need 2 vehicles. So yes my thoughts on selling the rav now when it still has good resale value. We drove it 6 years . Bought it 35K if I can get close to 20 , not a bad 6 year cost. I did 1 set of tires and a battery. Front brakes and oil changes. 4 Runner would be just as maintenance easy.

 

That depends on a lot of things. Is your main motivator/concern the finances? If so, keeping the Rav will always be less expensive than buying a 4Runner. But if other things come into play, such as larger interior, ruggedness, the additional years gained from a new vehicle, maybe you want to actually do a bit of adventure driving that the Rav would struggle with, etc., then it's hard to go wrong with the 4R. A small plus on the financial side is this: should you decide a year or two into ownership that you're not as happy with the purchase as you'd hoped to be, there are few if any vehicles that hold their value as well. So selling/trading won't be very painful, financially.

One more viewpoint that is valid but difficult to measure is this. In my case, I bought my 2019 in October 2018, at age 60. At the time, one of my considerations was this: do I buy another 'sensible' vehicle rather than the one I want? Or do I take into consideration that I'll be 80 before I know it, and purchase the one I want while I can still enjoy it? Life is to be lived, after all, and I'd spent decades being frugal. That actually helped push me into the 4R.

I hope this helps.

 

I just looked at my old pics and all seems to be 26 or more. Interesting..

 

Oh we are in the same boat , now 67 and yes we would drive everyplace with it. We just want something new and rock solid. Yes in 20 years Immma pushing 90 . Only living once and money in this case is not a deterrent . We have been a 1 vehicle now 10 years. It works for us.

 

Great to hear that money isn't in the way. I'm on my third 4Runner (1988 new, 2001 used, 2019 new), and a combined 680k miles between them. So rock solid is what you'll get. My suggestion now is that you decide which color you want. ;-)

 

When i retired, we took the money from my 401(k)/Thrift Plan to pay for the 4Runner outright and then the RAV4 (Wife was still working then). Best decision we ever made on vehicles. We talk about selling the RAV (I even try to talk he into buying another used 4Runner sometimes!) but she's active in non-profits and gone 3-4 days per week. A couple of times, I had to drive myself to the ER, so I don't see that happening.

 

Yes we are looking at colors now. No white, no Blue, no cherry red... so silver , Grey or black. Probably an SR 5 Premium, buy in July/August after our trip to the west coast.

 

Am I the only one who dislikes the fake hood scoop?? That puts a trim off the table.

 

And woof good lord the dealers around here are just awful. One has 1495 lojack and 299 dollars door guards as a dealer added option. Another 1599 paint and seat protection added on top of the 699 from the factory protection. At this rate they can go .... Themselves. walked out of two dealerships already. Oh they have stock and stuff is not selling so fast. They are greedy from last year. When there were no cars. Might be time to just wait these fools out, We don't need the vehicle we would like one.

 

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