Should I fear vehicles with Navigation?

[MichiganLandy]

Love the unique desert bronze. What I am getting tired of is getting power out of it. Have debated a number of times taking the 04 LX and swapping parts. I was pushing a 25 mph headwind on Monday for a couple hundred miles and anything above 70 it kept kicking out of TC lock or all the way into 3rd. Granted this is with the RTT, a loaded weight around 7k, and 34.5" tires. Getting a trailer at some point too which will only make it worse. Having a 5 spd ans leaving it in 4th would be a nice option.

I'm taking my Turtleback trailer 3500mi this summer up to the North Maine Woods and Quebec for some overland adventuring and expect to really have to feed the beast some fuel to get there. Was near $1000 in fuel roundtrip to Ouray and back (4100mi) without a trailer. We scaled in at 7400lbs and were at ~14mpg which I can't complain about. My short runs around the southeast have me thinking 12-13mpg with the trailer but we shall see!

SC or Turbo on a 200k mi vehicle sounds nuts but it has crossed my mind. Re-gearing did help some with the big tires.

Two DBM's in one post... Don't think i can Handle it!

I will be pulling a utility trailer and a boat a few times over the summer, and while they won't be more than 4500lbs, I can see the 5 speed having its benefits...
I haven't looked, but are new TRD superchargers still available for the 100's or does one have to find a used one?

 

[OregonLC]

I'm taking my Turtleback trailer 3500mi this summer up to the North Maine Woods and Quebec for some overland adventuring and expect to really have to feed the beast some fuel to get there. Was near $1000 in fuel roundtrip to Ouray and back (4100mi) without a trailer. We scaled in at 7400lbs and were at ~14mpg which I can't complain about. My short runs around the southeast have me thinking 12-13mpg with the trailer but we shall see!

SC or Turbo on a 200k mi vehicle sounds nuts but it has crossed my mind. Re-gearing did help some with the big tires.

My last leg was from Pendleton to Portland. Gas station was right on the freeway. Rolling up to the u-wash place last night was the only city driving and the fuel light came on at 258 miles. Worst I've ever seen on the highway, but then again my combined wind speed was up around 100 mph with a large RTT on top.

The fuel cost is part of it - on my last trip I would have saved about $50 had I matched my buddy's 4R - but I think more of my frustration is feeling that I'm constantly flogging the truck to get her to keep up, even after re-gearing. Never hungry for power on the trail, but on the freeway I feel like the fat kid trying to play tag.

I like the TRD SC idea. If I was confident I could find a true PNP kit that wouldn't compromise reliability I'd be all over it.

 

[HFDPNL]

I think more of my frustration is feeling that I'm constantly flogging the truck to get her to keep up, even after re-gearing. Never hungry for power on the trail, but on the freeway I feel like the fat kid trying to play tag.

I realized the other day, after driving my tuned diesel pickup, it's the high-end power that's really missing. I don't get the same 'pushed-back-in-your-seat' feeling when I mash the pedal at 40+ mph.

To the OP's topic:
I think if you search, you will find some reports of MFDs failing, but I don't think it is as bad as I once thought. The repair can be done without replacing the unit. There are a ton of pricey repairs and maintenance that these things need, so I'd just lump it in as another possible repair/maintenance item. The only other down fall is that you can't easily replace the stereo with an off the shelf, all in one unit.

When I was looking for my 100, I first wanted to restrict my search to only those vehicles that had manual climate control, then I realized it was easier to just look at both and purchase the vehicle that was in the best shape, for the best price. In the end, I ended up with manual controls, but looking back, I like the looks of the newer vehicles and finding the newer ones in better shape seems to be easier sometimes.

I think you need to take the vehicle as a whole and include all the differences: wheel sizes, 4 vs 5 spd, options, prices, conditions.

 

[kitkraft]

Thanks Steve and everyone! After totaling my 98 100 I am looking for another old beast but have been afraid of both ahc and the Nav unit. You have eased my paranoia. I think I will buy the 03 LX.....

 

[RyanStl]

I have an '02 with nav and no problems. I set the screen to turn off so I don't wear out the LCD, but it is funny. My wife and I forget we have nave in the TLC. Last weekend we went camping and the wife lost signal to her iPhone, so we lost direction. Then I remembered, hey we have nav and it got us to the campsite because it didn't required cell phone coverage.

 

[SWUtah]

I'm lucky my 2005 seems to be self healing. On a trip through Denver, huge storms, flooding, days of heavy rain clear down to where we stayed in Santa Fe NM. And it continued to rain in Sant Fe. I never went through any high water, just puddles that were maybe 18" deep. The next morning we headed back to Vegas. Started driving and the air conditioning quit, along with the automatic temp control, no lights on the display. Stopped for gas changed fuses in the foot well, checked fuses under the hood. Nothing worked. Decided to turn on the rear air, set it at 68 degrees and started driving home to Vegas. It was hot and sunny but the rear air kept us cool. Stopped for gas again, and when I started back up everything started working and almost 3 years later never another problem even in wet weather. I figure something must have gotten damp and then dried out.