need more info as I search for a sequoia (1 Viewer)

[TheColdWarKid]

I'm seeing a few trucks. I like the '08 and up because the interior looks much better (to me) and because i might get a 5.7 liter motor. They say those thing haul azz... I do not want a 4x4. It will never see mud and I can drive in the snow. The weather is not too bad, here in Indiana.

I'm NOT seeing anything with low mileage. Then again, pertinent to these trucks, what IS low mileage?

I have an '01 4runner. I love the thing! But the interior is downright dinky. It has 210K and it runs like a brand new one. It's a really good looking truck - all black with hood scoop lol I think with good care it will run forever. It has plenty of power. The 4.10 gears help.

What of these sequoias? It seems their rich first owners choose to dump them about 175-200K. Are they doing it right?

The 4runners are famous for rusting out. Sequoias the same?

I can get a '07 with 128K for about $6000 (asking) but it's a northern truck with no leather and no moonroof. Will I be disappointed by the performance of the 4.7 motor?

If you are familiar with these trucks I would appreciate hearing your thoughts, if you please?

 

[GTV]

Drive them both and decide for yourself.

 

[Weedhopper]

Keep the 4Runner and upgrade the interior.

 

[Jgrauman]

You should easily be able to find a 2nd Gen 2wd with 100-150k miles. You're going to pay a lot for it though. If you are getting a 2nd gen then get the 5.7. It's too big for the little 4.6.

 

[TheColdWarKid]

You should easily be able to find a 2nd Gen 2wd with 100-150k miles. You're going to pay a lot for it though. If you are getting a 2nd gen then get the 5.7. It's too big for the little 4.6.

I found a 2004 - that's a first gen, yes? It has 135K, roof, leather... but it's not black. It is knock-down gorgeous though. I'm having to pay $7,000 for it

I am hoping for decent performance? Not intending to drag race it, of course! Has anybody grafted a 5.7 into a first gen? How much fun is that?

Flying down to get it on the 1st. Wish me luck?

 

[lowenbrau]

We were out on a trail, 20 miles from pavement and 40 more miles to a gas station yesterday when our 2002 Sequoia with 430,000km starting making a funny noise. I looked down and realized it had no oil pressure. Checked the stick and, sure enough, it was dry. I honestly don't check it very often because, till now it hasn't needed any oil between changes. Anyway, after looking for a leak ( couldn't find one ) and having no other options I put all the power steering fluid I had and most of my chainsaw bar oil in the engine and drove out pulling a trailer full of firewood. It still was too low to show on the stick and needle only climbed above the bottom mark on the gauge when the engine was over 2000 RPM. The thing ran perfectly all the way to the gas station where I added a couple more quarts ( still not on the dipstick) and then another hour home. I love these things!

 

[Jdc1]

It’ll be easier to find a reasonably priced 1st gen. Watch out for frame rust, Toyota replaced a bunch. I have a 14, bought it 2 years ago at 100k and it has been flawless. The only downside to the 5.7 is the 26 gallon tank.

 

[TheColdWarKid]

It’ll be easier to find a reasonably priced 1st gen. Watch out for frame rust, Toyota replaced a bunch. I have a 14, bought it 2 years ago at 100k and it has been flawless. The only downside to the 5.7 is the 26 gallon tank.

View attachment 2169436

It looks like it's new. The 3rd row seating is funky - you can tell it was in somebody's basement for a long time - rofl 135K is nothing. I will freeze that motor in time as soon as I get it. I guarantee it will be purring at 500K. The stuff is called greased lightning teflon treatment.

 

[D21FJ60]

I am heavily considering a 1st gen sequoia as well, mostly due to people/cargo space and lower entry price than a land cruiser 100 or 120.
All the research i've done basically says: check for frame rust, have the timing belt water pump and heater t's done and then the differences in 4 speed/5 speed trans and nonVVTI vs VVTi engines.
These are solid trucks, as in most the ones in my potential price range are around $6k and i'm not too worried that they have over 200k miles on them.

Go forth

 

[TheColdWarKid]

I am heavily considering a 1st gen sequoia as well, mostly due to people/cargo space and lower entry price than a land cruiser 100 or 120.
All the research i've done basically says: check for frame rust, have the timing belt water pump and heater t's done and then the differences in 4 speed/5 speed trans and nonVVTI vs VVTi engines.
These are solid trucks, as in most the ones in my potential price range are around $6k and i'm not too worried that they have over 200k miles on them.

Go forth

It's funny - I guess I'm buying this truck because i bought a 4runner and now it irritates the he77 out of me 'cause the interior is so damn dinky. I've cussed that seat belt...

VVTi - sweet. But not for me - I settled on a 2004. A little more mileage but considerable power boost.

I see a couple land cruisers foe sale now and then. Check the fuel mileage. then RUN! And they're not cheap.

I've found that buying one of these things means going after it. Around here they're all 4x4. Wasted gas and more maintenance, in my books. I finally found a really good looking 2x4. Expensive as he77! And in Florida, to boot. Won't have to worry about the rust, at least...

Was not able to get what I want. The truck is not black. But it's not beat up. Has the leather, the roof...

I'm not buying in at 200K, myself. You can do what you want, of course, but your average person ignores their vehicle. Change the power steering fluid? Really? No. Buy a rack and pinion for it...

Then there's the dreaded "pink milk shake." That's where the trans cooler in the bottom of the radiator breaks and lets antifreeze into the transmission! Better get one that's young enough so that has not happened! Just replace the rad. I'll buy an aluminum rad - not the stock one.

I wonder if anybody's ever put a 5.7 in a first gen?

 

[D21FJ60]

Congrats on finding your truck. I have found a few with under 200k, and I would take those if the frame checks out but was using the 200K+ as examples.
I considered a 4th gen t4r since mpgs would be better but we have 2 toddlers and a 3rd on the way so I don't want to have to go and re-buy a vehicle in a year. I have a 2nd gen t4r that's waiting for a motor so that'll be my beater anyways.

 

[cmcollar]

It seems their rich first owners choose to dump them about 175-200K. Are they doing it right?

I couldn't help but smile when I saw this quote. I had purchased a brand new 2016 Sequoia Limited 4X4. Started camping and bought a 27' Lance travel trailer. I wanted something bigger, so I sold the Sequoia in 2018 with less than 34k miles. Babied the daylights out of it - regular oil changes, ceramic coating of exterior, WeatherTech floor mats. Never saw snow (Florida vehicle). Darn near gave it away (in hindsight). Just wanted to be done with it. Someone drove a flatbed down from South Carolina to buy it sight unseen. Sold it in less than 2 weeks.

Now, I totally regret that decision as I sold my new 2018 Silverado 2500 just a few months ago (no longer pulling a trailer). Now I'm back to looking at a Toyota LC, Sequoia or Tundra to drive back and forth from Florida to Wisconsin. Why can't I find someone like me selling that cream puff?

 

[Proven]

As someone that just went through this - I was on the fence for a moment about a first gen vs. second gen. I drove both and preferred the second gen SR5 Premium.

The SR5 Premium gave me factory leather and the upgraded sound with power seats. Mine is literally a clone of @Jdc1 in the exterior appearance (minus the sweet container on top). I love Toyota super white. I was taught by Toyota that their White and Red got 6 coats of paint vs 4 for every other color.

The 5.7L scared me a bit about fuel consumption and I am going to keep an eye on it. The thing is that I came from a 2011 Toyota Sienna Limited that got 18/24 mpg, so this 5.7L with a 6 speed auto isn't so much worse. Right now I am watching my average go up and it looks like my foot will end up somewhere around a 15 MPG avg.

Finding one in my price range, color and 4x4 (the south...we like 4x4's) was kinda hard.

This helped me understand why all I was finding were 2008's with 200k on the clock.

From ISEECARS.com, average length of ownership top 10:

1. Toyota Land Cruiser, 11.4 years
2. Chevrolet Corvette, 10.5 years
3. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, 10.3 years
4. Audi TT, 10.2 years
5. Ford Expedition, 10.1 years
6. Ford Mustang, 10 years
7. Toyota 4Runner, 10 years
8. Porsche 911, 9.9 years
9. Toyota Sequoia, 9.9 years
10. Toyota Avalon, 9.7 years

The biggest jump for me was realizing that there were smaller engines offered in the earlier years of the 2nd Gen. In 2013, they all came with a 5.7L. So that was my search base year.

 

[Jdc1]

As someone that just went through this - I was on the fence for a moment about a first gen vs. second gen. I drove both and preferred the second gen SR5 Premium.

The SR5 Premium gave me factory leather and the upgraded sound with power seats. Mine is literally a clone of @Jdc1 in the exterior appearance (minus the sweet container on top). I love Toyota super white. I was taught by Toyota that their White and Red got 6 coats of paint vs 4 for every other color.

The 5.7L scared me a bit about fuel consumption and I am going to keep an eye on it. The thing is that I came from a 2011 Toyota Sienna Limited that got 18/24 mpg, so this 5.7L with a 6 speed auto isn't so much worse. Right now I am watching my average go up and it looks like my foot will end up somewhere around a 15 MPG avg.

Finding one in my price range, color and 4x4 (the south...we like 4x4's) was kinda hard.

This helped me understand why all I was finding were 2008's with 200k on the clock.

From ISEECARS.com, average length of ownership top 10:

1. Toyota Land Cruiser, 11.4 years
2. Chevrolet Corvette, 10.5 years
3. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, 10.3 years
4. Audi TT, 10.2 years
5. Ford Expedition, 10.1 years
6. Ford Mustang, 10 years
7. Toyota 4Runner, 10 years
8. Porsche 911, 9.9 years
9. Toyota Sequoia, 9.9 years
10. Toyota Avalon, 9.7 years

My daily avg is about 12mpg but I’m doing a lot of idling and stop and go. When I do the yearly road trip of about 2500 miles my avg is about 15.5. I recently did a 2k mile trip to the UP of Michigan towing our teardrop and dropped to high 9s.

I chose the SR5 premium as I didn’t want all the electronics on it. It is setup more like a tundra than the luxury Limited or Platinum trims. I’ve added Bilstein shocks and a set of AT Goodyear’s and love the setup. Only downside is the mileage but that’s a given with almost 400hp and a 4.30 rearend.

 

[Proven]

@Jdc1 how's the wear on those tires? I came from a Sienna that literally chewed through a new set of tires every 3-6 months. one of the key reasons I was over that vehicle once the kids got tall enough.

At the OP @TheColdWarKid : Keep an eye on which engines have CHAINS vs. Timing belts. This has been literally how I made buying decisions on Toyota vehicles. I don't buy one unless it has a Chain.

Sequoia	2001-2009	4.7 V8	Belt
	2010-2012	4.6 V8	Chain
	2008-2020	5.7 V8	Chain

Does my vehicle have a timing belt or timing chain?

 

[Jdc1]

@Jdc1 how's the wear on those tires? I came from a Sienna that literally chewed through a new set of tires every 3-6 months. one of the key reasons I was over that vehicle once the kids got tall enough.

At the OP @TheColdWarKid : Keep an eye on which engines have CHAINS vs. Timing belts. This has been literally how I made buying decisions on Toyota vehicles. I don't buy one unless it has a Chain.

Sequoia	2001-2009	4.7 V8	Belt
	2010-2012	4.6 V8	Chain
	2008-2020	5.7 V8	Chain

Does my vehicle have a timing belt or timing chain?

That’s funny, I traded my Odyssey on the Sequoia.

The Wrangler Adventure AT is an awesome tire. It’s a good all around tire for this type of truck. I hunt and fish a lot but also have to act as a soccer dad during the week. I’ve had them on 2 other vehicles and have nothing but good things to say. Goodyear sells them with a 60k treadwear warranty. I think the Michelin LTX is another good tire for the Sequoia.

 

[Jgrauman]

If you get 15 around town I'd be very surprised. Get used to Max 13 if you drive light footed. We have 3 5.7 tundra at work and none of them get 15. Mostly mine stays at 12.6... This is all around town driving.

 

[GTV]

Timing belt maintenance on the 2UZ is a very small price to pay for one of the (if not THE) most reliable and dependable engines ever designed. It’s only every 90k or 10 years, not a big deal.