I kind of hate my 5th gen 4Runner. It's the return of Gramma Ray!

No, but I’ve tripped over them…..lol

 

Did a 10 hours of seat time this weekend. One of the most comfortable seats I’ve ever had. Seats are a funny thing…what can be perfect for one person is agony for the next.

One thing I’ve noticed, I often change my seating positions on a long drive. I rarely pick one setting and just stick with it. I don’t think staying in one spot is good for circulation anyway. Sometimes a couple of mm in one direction or another, or in angle or height, can make a very noticeable difference. I call it “active comfort management” Must be a carryover from riding a dual-sport bike on the road for long distances. If you don’t shift and move occasionally, your legs just fall off

That said, I feel your pain Gramma Ray. Sometimes the love is just gone. It might show up in annoyances like seat comfort. If it wasn’t the seat, you might be annoyed by how the 4runner chews it’s food, or how it never cleans up after itself. You owe your 4runner nothing, it might be time to move on.

But I also feel your pain that there is nothing out there remotely interesting. If I had to buy a different vehicle now, I’d really look into restoring a solid older car (before bloat took over) like an early 2000 accord, or a third gen 4runner, or an isuzu trooper. But that always sounds easier than it is. Barring that, I’d go for a newer small car. Small cars are usually more fun. Even when they’re not fast.

 

Yeah, even with your most-comfortable-ever recliner at home, nobody plops down for two hours and just doesn’t move.

 

Great point! An old vehicle is an old vehicle, no matter how reliable it was when new.

I've been looking into 80 series Land Cruisers for a while, and most owners say that they're fairly needy vehicles at this age.

I spent a few weeks driving one around SoCal early this summer, I fell in love and would definitely daily one for my 60 mile commute if not for the (lack of) fuel economy. People are swapping 6.2L LS's into them and IMPROVING economy, haha.

If I only lived a few miles from work I wouldn't mind dailying an older vehicle.

 

If it would be economically feasible to 4Runner parts swap a Jeep Liberty or a Wrangler TJ, I'd be all over that shit. I'd gut my own 4Runner to do it.

 

I like jeeps and even I can't imagine spending any money on a liberty, lol. Well, maybe an LS swapped one might be kind of cool.

I don't think there's really anything inherently unreliable about a TJ beyond th m being old. You got a 4.0 which lives forever, a five speed stick, two straight axles, minimal electronics. I think the major thing is just finding a good one, and making sure you go through it with new suspension and steering pieces.