Taco Owner - LC Curious (1 Viewer)

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Can I get some opinions on this guy? Autotrader - page unavailable
I would never buy from him.

He has a permanent scowl and has shifty eyes.

His skin is very light colored as if he never sees the light of day, so he might be a vampire.

The shoes he wears are OK, they're all black.
 
I didn't read the entire thread, but has the OP considered a 100 series or even a GX470? He has a young child and possibly more coming in the future, it just makes sense to have a roomy rig like a 100 (hundy) that's a tad younger and will handle the usual long hauls for MTBs, camping and such. I like the more room in the Hundys and of course more powa than my 80. My '03 Runner has the V8 and I LOVE that engine. I think it has more room for the front and rear passengers than the 80. I'd never bad mouth my 80 and I love driving her but she has her limitations when it comes to ergonomics.

The 80 ownership is a cult of sorts and require a mindset that lots don't have or find out the hard way that this platform is a tad too much to handle.

Good luck.
 
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Which is exactly why I’m soliciting opinions here, very little bias

I have a 03 runner and I think it's a great platform. It's not getting a huge lift or tires but it sure pulls the Kamparoo with authority. It's easy to drive and takes less effort on those 5+ hour drives. Ideally, if the OP can hang on to the Taco and acquire a Hundy or even a 4runner, might be ok if finances allow it. Having a solid axle and an IFS rig is a sweet luxury, I won't lie. But the solid axle rigs are long in the tooth and if you aren't a wrencher by nature, I'd stay away from them.
 
You forgot "and BS" in the thread title. :p:rolleyes:
 
Low mileage, looks nice. Give it a good look for any molestation, make sure its had oil changes. Not much else going on with those low miles.
 
Which is exactly why I’m soliciting opinions here, very little bias

We had a 2010 4runner as my wife's car for 7 years. I found it very comfortable. A little tight once we had our third kid, which is why it's gone now. She absolutely loved the car. In stock form, which it stayed in with us, it had ample power and was very smooth. We bought it with 8k miles on it and sold it with 120k miles. The only thing it required beyond the maintenance in the book was one front wheel bearing under the certified pre-owned warranty. So, I think they're fantastic as a daily. I would note that the power definitely comes in a stronger as the RPMs come up; so, I'd guess that they start to feel pretty sluggish as you add armor and bigger tires, etc, but they do have a supercharger kit available :grinpimp:. I agree with your decision to hold off an 80 as well. I love mine, but like others have said, they do require on-going maintenance. Every time I feel I've fixed the last big maintenance item... something else goes. I alternate daily driving between my LX450 and a 95 F150, and I have always been able to keep one going... I can't imagine trying to daily drive only one of them. I'd probably have to get rides to work all the time!
 
Here's the skinny on the 4Runners. They are mechanically very similar from 2005 to current. They all pack the 1GR-FE or some variant of, and the A750F. You should be familiar, as it's the same drive train as your Taco. The 2010 brought the current facelift and nicer black headliner. Prior to that they had the two tone black/gray interior.

One thing to consider is the 2003-2009 4Runner that was equipped with the 2UZ-FE V8. That's a whole can of worms by itself.

The Trail became the TRD Off Road. The Pro added more appearance stuff (such as unique color every model year), and nicer shocks. Pros didn't have available moon roof until 2019. There's a bunch of hotly debated issues like KDSS vs non-KDSS.

Bottom line, sell the TRD Access private party or Carmax (I'm guessing you want more room), and find a TRD/Trail 4Runner you can live with. You wont' be disapponted.
 
@tacocat yes it will be my DD.
You said you live in Louisiana, as do I. Gas mileage isn’t a huge concern for those of us who pay around 2-2.25 for a gallon of 87. Now if you lived in California where you’re lucky to see gas under 3 dollars for 87, I’d be more reluctant to daily an 80. i daily mine and I get roughly 11 mpg city and 13.5 at 65 highway. I drive around 250 miles a week.
 
Here's the skinny on the 4Runners. They are mechanically very similar from 2005 to current. They all pack the 1GR-FE or some variant of, and the A750F. You should be familiar, as it's the same drive train as your Taco. The 2010 brought the current facelift and nicer black headliner. Prior to that they had the two tone black/gray interior.

One thing to consider is the 2003-2009 4Runner that was equipped with the 2UZ-FE V8. That's a whole can of worms by itself.

The Trail became the TRD Off Road. The Pro added more appearance stuff (such as unique color every model year), and nicer shocks. Pros didn't have available moon roof until 2019. There's a bunch of hotly debated issues like KDSS vs non-KDSS.

Bottom line, sell the TRD Access private party or Carmax (I'm guessing you want more room), and find a TRD/Trail 4Runner you can live with. You wont' be disapponted.
I appreciate the thoroughness!
 
The 2010 and up 4Runners did get the Dual VVT so that the variable valve timing was on the intake and exhaust instead of just intake, which bumped the power up a little bit to save face for dropping the V8 from the lineup. I wish they had continued to offer the V8 in the 5th generations. I like the looks of the 4Runner with the power of the GX's...
 

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