Thinking about trading in my Lunar 21 Pro

Yup, and now you know my 3rd t dilemma. I spent a good month staring at the pro in awe for how sexy it was. First winter storms I was going on despite nowhere to go just to enjoy the Toyota for what it’s meant to be. However, that fades fast when all the other times just aren’t as comfortable in other driving experiences.
I’m not here to call one the best or heat. But as the 4runner gained in popularity, I figured I’d jus5 show a little bit of what’s ahead trade wise and value wise if you so happened to have second thoughts.

I do see myself in the future possible buying an older gx470 if the itch comes back, but not a new one unless trading in isn’t a problem for whoever.

 

The type s 355 twin spool turbo one with air suspension, reinforced 10 speed tranny, brenbo brakes, quad exhaust, tons of interior bells and wheels, to get you 0-60 in under 6 seconds is 73k if you go for the advanced typ s as I did.

regular MDX is cheaper.

 

That MDX Type S is very nice. Finally saw one in person

 

Premium gas around here is $0.70 a gallon higher than regular. $3.99 vs $4.69. I believe the S calls for premium.

 

I don't think you usually spend $75k on a vehicle and then worry about the price of premium over regular. Besides, he'll still spend less on gas than the 4Runner

 

First day with it in the driveway. Figured I'd just throw actual pictures of it rather than at the dealership still.

 

Having owned a German vehicle before, which I loved, I know that $74k spent on the BMW will turn into a $20k vehicle on resale much quicker than the Acura will. As soon as the BMW is out of warranty, nobody wants it except kids who don't know what they're getting into (like me) or passionate people who enjoy wrenching on stuff themselves (also like me about 7 years into ownership).

 

I doubt its Japanese. Final assemble point, Engine & Transmission is US.




Edit -
Just checked few VIN of MDX A-spec here in dealerships and they seems to be manufactured in "EAST LIBERTY, OHIO, UNITED STATES (USA)."

 

Yeah they are assembled in Ohio. So? It's a Japanese designed vehicle made by a Japanese company. Toyota Tundras aren't Japanese then either ? I think you're reaching here.

 

That is correct. They are not Japanese and nothing wrong about it. I was just correcting you if you are thinking if they are made in Japan or if Engine or Transmission made in Japan or engineered in Japan.

 

You weren't correcting me in anything. I know exactly where they are assembled. Tons of cars are assembled in the US or elsewhere from where they are designed, refined, and finished.

. That doesn't make them any less of whatever country they are designed. Saying the Toyota Tundra isn't a Japanese vehicle is just silly talk.

 

What in the world does that have to do with what I said? The discussion was that a German luxury car gets very pricey with repairs after it starts getting a lot of miles on them. Most people realize this. Some don't.

That's great if you had 5 of them. I'm not sure what that adds to this but okay?

 

I was responding to the guy who said you could have bought a Bimmer. The moral of my story is that the Acura will hold it's value while the BMW will not. This is where I can get behind your choice in an Acura. It's still a soccer mom ride though!

 

Ah. My bad. Yhought you quoted me. Cheers !

 

Yeah but that's why 4Runners are considered to be better put together than Tundras and Tacomas, the Tahara plant is next-level in terms of quality standard and fit/finish.

You seem to love your new ride and that's great. Personally I would have just gone all the way and gotten the TLX Type S, imo a sport sedan delivers a bit better on the thrill of a fast ride but ultimately there is a reason Acura offers this trim on their cross overs.

 

Yeah maybe. But that’s what we say here. Go on a Taco site or a Tundra site and you aren’t going to find tons of people saying their Taco/Tundras aren’t built well. Hell there are guys touting million mile Tundras out there saying that’s exactly why they bought a Toyota as opposed to X,y, or z.

 

not saying they aren't built well, compared to domestics they are lightyears ahead. but again the Tahara plant has a well-deserved reputation.

I used to have a 3rd gen Tacoma before trading it in, a 2017 TRD Sport Premium, and let me tell you it felt considerably cheaper on the inside and as a whole than the 4Runner. The guys over at Tacomaworld are not delusional, they gripe all day that they wish their Taco was made in Japan.

 

Projected Residual Value seems pretty close between Acura and BMW. You must be thinking about Honda not Acura.

A BMW X5 will depreciate 56.61% after 5 years



An Acura MDX will depreciate 55.34% after 5 years



A Honda Pilot will depreciate 42.22% after 5 years



Vs Toyota and Lexus (for Toyota members) seems to be holding well -

Highlander 35.02% depreciation


4Runner 39% depreciation


RX 40.78% depreciation


GX 48.53% depreciation

 

That Acura is fine looking, how is the ride?

 

Acura type S 17/21 4runner 16/19 Not much difference.

 

Pretty tight. Definitely a very different feel than the 4runner. Feels a hell of a lot more like a sports car than an SUV

 

Real world wise, I was never seeing anything close to 17/19 in the Pro. More like. 14/17. 10 speed MDX I’m seeing more like 18/20 this far.

 

Good on you for figuring out the best fit for your situation and goals, irrespective of how it may have aligned (or not) with others on this thread. Enjoy the new ride!

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm really envious of your new Acura. If I was 40 years younger instead of being 80 I would probably be driving one myself. Now I'm blocking the slow lane most of the time. One thing I learned while flying was you had to stay ahead of the plane. I have a hard time now staying ahead of the 4r in the slow lane.

 

Thank you so much. I get the flak I’m getting. I do. But I didn’t make this decision lightly. In the end, I can always get back into a Toyota down the line but this likely was my only chance to actually sell a car for more than I paid originally.
In the end, we are all car enthusiasts so the passion is all that matters.

 

Classic. Well done my friend, well done !

 

What feels cheaper in the inside about it? Is it the fit and finish, or the material used? Everything in there was designed by Toyota, so if it's cheap feeling by design, that's not the fault of whatever plant manufactured it.

Toyota pioneered a lot of the quality systems used in a lot of industries. I really don't think that they would accept anything less than the best in any of their plants.

If the third gen Tacoma has issues, it's probably more due to the fact that Toyota themselves phoned in the design rather than the quality of that manufacturing plant.

 

Sounds like a great ride! I saw the photos you posted, it looks terrific. I bet it drives a thousand percent better than the 4R, and let's face it, even the most avid off roaders spend the majority of their time on pavement. So if one doesn't have any reason to have off-road capability, to me, there's hardly any reason to have a 4Runner in the first place.

 

both the material and the fit and finish. obviously the Tacoma is priced somewhat cheaper than 4Runner for like-for-like options but there was a noticeable jump in quality and "solidity" with the 4Runner. I didn't measure panel gaps or anything crazy but it's that feel between a $100 leather jacket and a $400 leather jacket. I hope I'm getting this across.

I had a bunch of TSBs and warranty claims with the Tacoma as well, nothing crazy but armrest on the door rattling/squeaking and had to be replaced, diff howling etc all within like 20K kms. you can blame the design I guess but this kind of stuff is common enough to where to me there appears to be looser standards at plants outside of Japan.

not sure why this is so controversial, I always thought it was common knowledge that the Japanese plants were held in higher regard than Texas or Mexico.

 

Not really controversial, it just shouldn't be the case. If Toyota's not holding their worldwide manufacturing plants to the same standard, that's a massive fail on their part, and maybe they don't deserve the reputation for quality and reliability that they have.

I did spend some time on TW before I got my 4Runner, and it did seem that the impression there was that Toyota was just kind of coasting on the reputation of reliability that they built back during the 80s/90's.