Dilemma... sell the 80 for newer SUV or keep it and buy older SUV (1 Viewer)

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Jan 7, 2008
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I'm looking into picking up a Sequoia Limited since I would rather drive that with a newborn instead of my 91 FJ80, mainly because of the interior comforts, smoother ride, better gas mileage, comfort for more passengers, and it being newer & equipped with more safety features (airbags). I'm specifically looking at the 2003 - 2006 Sequoia Limited trucks because I like those models, but more specifically the 5-spd VTTi 2005+ trucks (plus I like the new face lift).

On my 91 FJ80, I put new oem parts into the truck (new distributor, o2 sensors, fuel pump & filters, new hoses & rebuilt radiator, etc), along with some personal touches I threw in (lightweight AR wheels, lx450 console, oem jdm clear corners, hid kit, alpine cd & speakers, etc). The truck looks & runs great, original 155k miles, paint in great shape, all factory parts & wheels included, etc. Only, I've considered selling it to use that money towards a CPO 2005+ Sequoia Limited w/factory warranty.

I don't need 2 trucks sitting in my drive way, but I also don't need to sell it as the 80 could be used as a spare vehicle. Right now we mainly drive my wife's car so the 80 doesn't get driven much, and if we get a Sequoia (which would then become our primary vehicle) the 80 would be driven even less, I feel it might be a waste to sit around, but then having an extra utility truck available when needed wouldn't be bad either.

So my dilemma is whether I should sell the 80 and find it a new home to an owner who will appreciate & enjoy it, and buy the CPO 2005+ Sequoia? Or, if I should keep it and purchase a cheaper 2003-2004 model Sequoia Limited that may need some work, which is an option I've considered?


Any opinions, or those who have dealt with the 2003-2005 Sequoia trucks have any comments about them?
 
If you don't wheel your 80 beyond the capabilities of a basic SUV (like a Sequoia) I can't imagine wanting one over a later model. That's a no brainer. Sell the 80, find a Sequoia you want on the cheap, and use the proceeds from the 80 to make the payments for a couple years.
 
buy a sienna. seriously. they're safe, comfy, can seat 7 plus crap load of gear and get way better mileage than a seq. you said you dont need 2 trucks. and often a mini van is way more useful when hauling big things (especially baby gear like cribs, beds, dressers, 50" plasma tvs's..etc) than an SUV can ever be. nobody really needs 2 utility trucks in their driveway.

...or do what nay says and sell the 80 and get a sequoia. sounds like its more suited to what your needs might be versus a 17 year old not so comfy gas guzzling cramped suv...
 
buy a sienna. seriously. they're safe, comfy, can seat 7 plus crap load of gear and get way better mileage than a seq. you said you dont need 2 trucks. and often a mini van is way more useful when hauling big things (especially baby gear like cribs, beds, dressers, 50" plasma tvs's..etc) than an SUV can ever be. nobody really needs 2 utility trucks in their driveway.

...or do what nay says and sell the 80 and get a sequoia. sounds like its more suited to what your needs might be versus a 17 year old not so comfy gas guzzling cramped suv...

That's the real solution. I have a pimped out '07 Quest and my built 80. Perfect family combination, because the 80 handles all duties not well suited for a minivan, including running errands solo :grinpimp:, and the minivan handles everything else at a low total cost of ownership in kid friendly style.
 
I know a minivan would be a near perfect solution, however my wife refuses to own/drive one, and I don't really care for one either. I've dealt with kids & infants in SUVs before, along with carrying cribs & strollers, and the Sequoia has lots of room in it with the 3rd row removed (more than my brother's 04 Sienna van with the rear seats in). I'm not saying the minivan idea is completely out the door, but it's right on the edge of being bumped off the list. Thanks.
 
Get a crossover. Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, etc...
 
If it is safety you are after - I do not think a lighter vehicle is going to work to your advantage ...even with airbags. I would say safety is the #1 reason my wife and kids get to drive the Cruiser during the week and I only get it on the weekends. I would trust none of the vehicles mentioned to be any safer than the LC is even the Sequoia. I had a car total itself on my rear bumper and I continued on my weekend trip with just a little damage to the stock bumper.

I say keep the cruiser ...someone has to.
 
A second gen. Nissan Pathfinder is pretty stout, I must say. Yes, it is - the dreaded word - UNIBODY.

Even still, my buddy's Pathfinder got rear-ended on the freeway by a brand new Camry. Just a little damage to the rear bumper while the Camry got totalled.
 
I know a minivan would be a near perfect solution, however my wife refuses to own/drive one, and I don't really care for one either. I've dealt with kids & infants in SUVs before, along with carrying cribs & strollers, and the Sequoia has lots of room in it with the 3rd row removed (more than my brother's 04 Sienna van with the rear seats in). I'm not saying the minivan idea is completely out the door, but it's right on the edge of being bumped off the list. Thanks.

Ah..Ha. That sounds so familiar, bought the 07 Sienna XLE for my wife. She scratched both mirrors the first day when trying to park the van into the garage, and didn't want to drive it since. The van is wider than her LX. Fortunately she started to drive it again lately, and told me a couple of times that she started to like it. I still have to park it for her when I get home - a small price to pay if I can take over the LX soon. :cheers:

If interior is important, sienna is definitely a very good choice. It makes the LX giving up the L logo, in fact, my son consider Mommy driving sienna is a treat for him. The 24 mpg even beats my Nissan Maxima. Did I mentioned that I had packed three bikes inside the cabin when we go on vacation?
 
buy a sienna. seriously. they're safe, comfy, can seat 7 plus crap load of gear and get way better mileage than a seq. you said you dont need 2 trucks. and often a mini van is way more useful when hauling big things (especially baby gear like cribs, beds, dressers, 50" plasma tvs's..etc) than an SUV can ever be. nobody really needs 2 utility trucks in their driveway.

...or do what nay says and sell the 80 and get a sequoia. sounds like its more suited to what your needs might be versus a 17 year old not so comfy gas guzzling cramped suv...


x2

We have an '02 Sienna and an 80 series, and except for camping/'wheeling, the Sienna is way more practical.
 
We have (2) family Toyota's, my '96 80 and my wifes '03 Seqouia. Mine is the around town, camping, pulling the trailer, whatever else we can think of and hers is the travel vehicle. Can't beat it on long trips, for comfort and ride. I flew to Florida and picked hers up for cheap (less than $10K) with 61K miles on it, well cared for but with gas at $4+ a gallon at the time, it was easy to find one. We have two kids under the age of (9) and it hauls them to and from school everyday, about 6 miles total so mileage wasn't a concern for us. I am happy with our decision, she will not drive a minivan either....

I would try to find a way to keep the 80 and buy the Sequoia if possible and you are able.

Curt
 
Get a crossover. Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, etc...

I briefly thought about the 2009 Pilot, but I've decided against it. The Highlander won't work with the middle part of the 2nd row, plus my knees touch the dashboard when I drive with the seat all the way back. We want a larger SUV, and the Sequoia seems to fit the bill well. Don't like the Armadas, don't want to buy a Tahoe/Escalade (actually smaller inside than the Sequoia), and I'm not looking into another LC (100 or LX470) at this time.

mxvet354 - thanks for the input
 
We have an 8 passanger 06 sienna.

Yes it is a large people mover and can hold way more and get twice the mpg than the lx. But my wife and I both preffer to drive the lx, wish I had bought another 96-97 80 over the sienna. The sienna is really dull to drive.

OTH, If you do alot of highway travel the sienna beats the lx hands down in comfot and space and power/speed for long travel. I looked at the Seqouia but IMO it felt more like a ford/american suv than a toyota to me.
 
I X2 on the Sienna comments. '07 here, and yes it's dull. But MAN is it a 24mpg smooth, spacious people hauler. My wife, too, 'refused' to get a van. So I changed out of my skirt and told her "You have kids now. The kids will love it. Get over yourself, think about the kids, and get the van. We'll worry about your 'image' in a few years." She really does find the van very useful, but doesn't 'like it.' Unfortunately, I owe her a Lexus or BMW sedan when the kids are older. Ouch.
Oh, and don't try the 'there's plenty of room in the van in case we ever want to stop and **** each other.' That almost never works. :)
 
You never said if you like to drive an 80 or not? If the answer is yes then forget the Sequoia, sell the 91 80, and buy a 97 80. You'll get the interior that you long for, the safety that you demand, and you'll still smile on the interstate when you're driving.

If you don't like driving the 80 then go with your plan A.
 
Look at the other side of things.How much are you going to get for the 80?
Keep the 80, toss some new leather and wood grain in it call it knew!
 
I X2 on the Sienna comments. '07 here, and yes it's dull. But MAN is it a 24mpg smooth, spacious people hauler. My wife, too, 'refused' to get a van. So I changed out of my skirt and told her "You have kids now. The kids will love it. Get over yourself, think about the kids, and get the van. We'll worry about your 'image' in a few years." She really does find the van very useful, but doesn't 'like it.' Unfortunately, I owe her a Lexus or BMW sedan when the kids are older. Ouch.
Oh, and don't try the 'there's plenty of room in the van in case we ever want to stop and **** each other.' That almost never works. :)

Our '05 Grand Caravan is the best thing we ever did. Comfortable, huge, easy to load kids in carseats, cargo, etc. Then again, we don't really worry about the "image" thing. I have been driving POSs for a long time. My current POS is a 1995 Corolla. Don't want to feed the Cruiser daily.
 
I know a minivan would be a near perfect solution, however my wife refuses to own/drive one, and I don't really care for one either. I've dealt with kids & infants in SUVs before, along with carrying cribs & strollers, and the Sequoia has lots of room in it with the 3rd row removed (more than my brother's 04 Sienna van with the rear seats in). I'm not saying the minivan idea is completely out the door, but it's right on the edge of being bumped off the list. Thanks.

Go and drive a Nissan Quest SE (top of the line). It has a sunroof and four roof "sky lights". A nine speaker 240 watt Bose stereo system, dual screen (a screen for each row) DVD, and when the kids are watching movies on the DVD you can listen to music up front and talk to :princess: in total peace.

Then let's add push button dual sliding doors so the kids just climb right in (yes, they get bigger), power lift gate so the gate is open for grocery loading as you approach in the parking lot, individual map lights for reading in the back seats that don't bother the driver (they are like airplane lights), dual heated front seats, 2 driver seat memory position, and a relatively (it is still a heavy vehicle) spirited drive for the driver. And minivan mpg @ ~23 highway.

I drove a Sienna and it made me carsick. We have family friends who have a Sequoia, and the first time the wife rode in our van she asked "What car is this? I love it!". Didn't even label it as a minivan.

Drive one. It's the van for people who hate minivans. And then build your 80 to compensate your ego :grinpimp:
 
Try the minivan. I had a 96 LC that my wife put 32xxx miles on the first year we owned it. She did not want a minivan either but after driving one she loved it. I got her a 98 Sienna and now I got my truck back. Sold it to buy a locked high mile 94LC and the wife liked the fact that I ended up putting money in the bank and I get to mod it to boot:D
 

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