A few questions. Your help & guidance are much appreciated.

Hello all. New to the forum and I appreciate any help and guidance you can give me as I look to buy my next 4Runner.

I had a 97 4runner that I sold to my niece for her 16th birthday in 2010 (mistake). And lately I’ve been hankering to get back into one, and I’ve been reading up, but there are a few things I can’t seem to sort out.

I test drove a 2022 and a 2023 TRD Off-Road Premium yesterday. The smoother ride of both of those models have pretty much sold me on getting only a TRD model, and the color selection in the TRD Pros is driving me toward those. So the questions that I have:

1) I’ve been looking online at all different years. Even going as far back as 2015. Question I have is do all TRD Pros have that kind of suspension that provides the smoother ride that I experienced in the 22 and 23. Or is this something that became a part of the model later. Say in 20 or 21. Or does that smoother ride date back to 15, 16, and 17?

2) Similar to that. I guess I’d like to know the main differences that I need to be aware of between the older eras of TRD Pros and the 21/22/23/24 eras.

3) I found a 2015 that has 90k miles on it and the CARFAX shows that it’s a single owner car and this owner religiously took it to their local Toyota dealership twice a year every year to service it throughout its life. That’s way more mileage than I was initially considering. But the single owner and consistent service record has me really considering it. Does anyone have any thoughts our opinions as to how important that kind of service record is to the overall health od the car given its age and mileage?

4) The one negative is that it was involved in an accident in 2020. Carfax calls the damage "mild to moderate". it looks like the previous owner rear ended someone. The damage was to the front right of the car. How concerned should I be abojt this? Has anyone bought a car that has been in an accident?

5) Finally. Does anyone know what all the "special colors" have been for the TRD Pros over the years and which ones do you like best?

Really appreciate any help or thoughts.

 

Confused by your post. You said you test drove ORP but you seem to be asking questions about the PRO?

Was the smoother ride of ORP because of KDSS? If so, you can't get that on PRO

 

According to the sales guy, the ORP’s I drove did not have KDSS. But they were very smooth and the salesman said that was because of different suspension on TRD vs SR5. It was actually 2 different salesmen at 2 different dealerships and they both had the same answer and said the same thing.

 

Well, unless something has changed that I'm unaware of, the only difference between SR5 and TRD is the possibility of adding KDSS - otherwise they are the same. Limited comes with XREAS, which is different, and the PRO comes with Fox shocks. Sounds like they are blowing smoke up your ass but I will let others chime in

 

So you’re saying the ride on an SR5 should be the same as this? https://www.toyotaofcoolsprings.com/used-Franklin-2021-Toyota-4Runner-TRD+Off+Road+Premium-JTERU5JR8M5931131

I definitely felt more of the road (potholes, bumps, etc.) in the SR5 than I did in the above. But I admit I haven’t totally understood the difference. Both sales guys said it was because the off road capability of TRDORs made it feel that way.

I would say the sales guys were blowing smoke except like I said it was 2 different guys at 2 different dealerships on opposite sides of town. Also just feeling it myself.

 

FN2187 is right. The suspension is the same on the SR5 and the ORP, provided the ORP is without KDSS. Perhaps the difference in ride quality was due to different tires or tire pressures?

Also, in recent years at least the special colors of the Pros trickle down to the ORP (and maybe other TRD trims) in subsequent years. IE in 2020 Army Green was the special color on the Pro, but was also available on the 2022 ORP.

 

The Pro has the Fox suspension. Google that.
Your #4, the Carfax "mild to moderate" would be of concern to me. Have your own mechanic inspect that.
90k miles is just mildly broken in for a 4R.

 

It could be as simple as the SR5 having the tires set to 50 PSI. Dealers are notorious for not properly inflating the tires. Every 4R I test drove the tires were set to 50 PSI and it makes a significant difference when they are set to the correct pressure.

 

If I recall correctly, the TRD PRO colors are:
2015 - Inferno
2016 - Quicksand
2017- Cement
2018 - Cavalry Blue
2019- Voodoo Blue
2020 - Army Green
2021 - Lunar Rock
2022 - Lime Rush
2023 - Solar Octane
2024 - Terra.

Starting in 2020, the Pro color was available across the board the following year.

IMO, Cement, Cavalry Blue, and Lunar are my faves. Quicksand looks good too, but I see so many tan vehicles it's kind of played out to me. I wouldn't say no to Army Green either, but the rest of the colors don't do anything for me, in fact I think the last 3 years are terrible.

The Pro was also available in black, gray, and white, though IMO that defeats most of the purpose of buying a Pro.

Up until 2018 or so, the Pro used Bilstein suspension. Starting in 2019 they came with Fox. I believe the Fox is considered the superior setup. Suspension is a wear item, so on a higher mileage vehicle you may have to replace anyway.

As was said above, the TRD OR (doesn't matter if Premium or not) has the same suspension as the SR5, aside from the availability of KDSS on the TRD OR. KDSS is not available on the Pro either, some folks find the KDSS suspension the best of all 4Runners, so keep that in mind. You can buy PRO shocks after the fact, but installing KDSS on a model not equipped with it is not possible.

I think there's a good chance tire pressure may have been an issue on your test drives.

Less than 100k on these is nothing. I bought my 2013 in 2019 with just under 80k on it, and nearly 100k miles later, it's been fantastic.

Personally I would look for a 2020 and up, I actually like the newer tech. Lunar Rock or Army Green would be my preferred colors.

I recently saw a Lunar 2023 TRD OR (prem) with 16k miles for 46k, it briefly had me running the numbers in my head.

 

They are definitely blowing smoke. I have yet to meet a sales person at a dealership that knows all the specifics about all the certain models. They do sell the entire Toyota lineup after all. The difference in ride quality you experienced driving the two different models had nothing to do with the suspension, unless, since they are previously owned, the PO had put a different suspension on one or the other, which is entirely possible. If the suspensions on both were 100% stock, they would be the same as each other as far as springs and shocks.

Again, you'd be surprised how many sales people at Toyota dealerships don't have a clue as to whether a 4R has KDSS or not. A simple visual check would confirm.

 

^Good advice, right there. I'm old...bought a lot of vehicles in the past 60 years. I've yet to meet a car salesperson who had a clue about the individual features of the vehicles they were selling. Their job was selling vehicles, not learning everything about the models they were selling and then informing the buyer of all the features. Whenever I am in the market I do a lot of research before I visit a dealer...and then I am amazed at the disinformation I get from the sales person. Most of the time I would have to tell the sales person which models were available with what!

 

Got it. Okay. All great feedback. I’m wary of the accident. But I have to admit. The consistency of this owner taking it
In for service and the relatively low mileage given the age, makes me think it’s probably in pretty good shape.

 

One more thing. While we are all loyal 4Runner fans, and the 4Runner’s reputation for reliability and longevity is deserved, I would add a little perspective to the statement that less than 100k miles is “nothing”. It might be more prudent to consider that (speaking most optimistically) at 90k miles, a 4Runner is a third of the way through its life span. It still has a lot of life left, but it ant no spring chicken.

 

Yeah, it's worth a thought. I've driven every car I've owned right to death's doorstep, so I know what to expect from a vehicle at 200k and 300k miles. Many others on the forums have that in common, but I suspect some of the longevity enthusiasm comes more from expectation than experience. That last 100k is rarely just fluid changes and new tires.

 

Fair point!

Depending on how many miles the op puts on a year, it may be worth spending more money for one with less.

The thought actually crossed my mind the other day that maybe I should trade mine in for a newer one. At 177k it's approaching 2/3 of its life, I guess.