Why did you pick your 4Runner?

[BG35]

Was curious why you bought your 4Runner?

What was the other competition?

And what do you use your 4runner for? Mainly on-road, off-road, both, or looks/capability?

Currently in a ZR2, don’t off-road and looking to get away from a pickup truck and into an SUV that checks the boxes.

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[Mr. Wolfe]

My 22 Porsche Macan GTS is now out of warranty and I am trying to get 2 kids through college. Love the idea of much lower maintenance costs over the next 6-7 years and the 4Runners are pretty baddass. It will be a huge departure from the Porsche, but there are some upsides as well.

Mr. Wolfe

 

[SC4Runner]

Almost everything was in consideration for me, but it all boiled down to reliability and longevity. I like the appearance and short term (70,000-100,000 miles) reliability of almost everythIng on the market. While this platform has been updated, the engine isn’t new. It’s been around for a long time with 100s of thousands of miles. The turbo is debatable, but if we get back to changing our oil every 3,000-4,000 miles, we should not have many problems at all. Perhaps we should say the same thing about the 8 speed transmission; drain and fill every 25,000-30,000 miles, and it should last the life of the truck. I did steer clear of the hybrid and initially regretted not getting that option, but it appears some of the early problems have arisen from those. I know I’ll get beat up by those who have not encountered problems with the hybrids, but all you need to do is search this forum and social media groups and let the facts speak for themselves. At 55, this may be the last brand new vehicle, and I want it to be around after I am no longer here!

 

[4RunnerStan]

I've had it for about a year, and when I bought it, I just had my first kid. First and foremost, I got it so that he and I can enjoy the outdoors while he grows up. I don't want him to be an iPad kid, and I told myself that instead of just telling him to "go outside", why don't I go out there with him?

I also had just gotten out of an Audi S5 that I had a warranty on, and it cost the warranty company 9k in repairs (thank god for the warranty) over 2 1/2 years, so I wanted something reliable.

I also watched Doug Demuro's video on the 4runner when they first announced it, and I thought it was so cool, and it hit every box that I was looking for in a car.

 

[LONGBOW]

RELIABILITY.

First Toyota was an 87 pickup; 350k miles w/o issue. It sat for almost 20 years (I was overseas [GWOT]) until I sold it to someone who worked on my house. He put a new battery and fresh fuel in it and it started.

Owned two Ford Explorers (I know, if the first one wasn’t reliable why did you get another one?) and a Dodge Durango R/T.

Ford 1: trim snd eventually AC issues.
Ford 2: transfer case issue.
Dodge: severe drive train issue; fixed under warranty but issue reappeared as warranty was expiring. Dumped.

Went back to Toyota with a 2010 4Runner. 225k miles w/o issue.

2022 now 25 4Runner.

I always look at alternatives but then a) could an alternative be more reliable and b) I’ll be mad at myself if it isn’t.

 

[BadTrainDriver]

Third 4Runner in a row.

2019 TRD Pro, bought new, drove for three years/42k miles. I traded it in for 2022 Limited and got 92% of my money back minus taxes. 2022 was totaled in mid 2025 with 37k miles, other person at fault and thankfully had insurance, insurance payout was 88% of price of new minus taxes. Obvious choice was another 4Runner if for nothing else than the fantastic resale value, among all the other things I like about it.

 

[RogueWarrior65]

In 1986, I went to look at every SUV on the market at the time. I was driving a 1975 AMC Matador Station Wagon with wood paneling on the side. But I digress. I sat in everything except the 4Runner which no dealer had at the time. They were all decidedly meh. I finally saw a 4Runner SR5 on a lot. I bought it without even test driving it. I've been driving it for 39 years until the Gen 6 appeared on YouTube. I knew I wanted an Everest Trailhunter without test driving it either. Yes, I spent a lot more than I could have even after waiting a year to get one. Couldn't be happier. And I got $7500 for my 86 4Runner.

As an aside, in the time between seeing YouTube videos about it and the time I bought it, I rented some form of SUV whenever I traveled so I had extended test drives with other vehicles. RAV4. Nice vehicle but too small for my needs. Nissan Rogue. I'm an engineer and it took a bit to figure out how to get the thing in reverse. The user-experience wasn't intuitive. Jeep Compass. What a piece of crap. The lane assist feature kept crapping out and telling me that I needed to go to the dealer.

 

[MikeK]

Was curious why you bought your 4Runner? I needed a dedicated camping vehicle with nimble off-road maneuverability.

What was the other competition? I considered the Ranger Raptor and GMC Canyon AT4

And what do you use your 4runner for? Primarily camping/ off-road. I love the styling and how it looks, so that's a big factor as well.

 

[jblack]

It was for sale?
Seriously look at the state of the world right now.
Thought if this it, might as while go out in style chaps.
Cant take the car payments with one..

 

[SwampFox4R]

My main reasons for getting the 4Runner were reliability, lower maintenance costs, resale value and off-road capabilities. It checks all those boxes and I’m slowly selling off the euro cars as the kiddos fly the coop. Since I’m not retired yet, it is my daily driver but also camp and off-road when the weekend calendar allows. I’m inching closer to the end of my career and the 4R will definitely be around when I step into retirement. Then it won’t be a daily driver but an adventure vehicle. The bucket list includes off-roading/ camping trips across the county. I wanted something that was capable of checking things off on the bucket list. Love everything about it. So does the wife…she wants one to replace her Audi now.

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