The answer is Sequoia

At least in my case. You all probably remember my multiple threads in the last 2 weeks talking about minivans, towing, 3 rows etc).

So here's what we ended up in. I finally got my wife kind of over her fears of buying "older and more miles" with exhaustive research, and we sold our 2008 32k mile 4Runner to a friend tonight. It's been flawless for 5 years but just wasn't big enough for our needs (kids, dogs, luggage, etc).

After checking out a ton of late-model SUVs (including the new Sequoia, which just feels giant), which would have run $10k or more over our 4Runner sale amount....and also minivans and crossovers that couldn't tow or had tiny 3rd rows...

We got....the bigger older twin to our 4Runner. 2005 Sequoia. It's about to turn 90k (I've already ordered the timing belt/water pump and a few other maintenance items) but runs great and everything works. It's an SR5, but the original window sticker shows that EVERY available package was ordered on it. Leather, heated seats, DVD, JBL audio, Limited wheels, roof rack, tow package, side curtain airbags, etc. So in reality it's a Limited but for the sake of my personal property tax in Va., it's an SR5 :)

Anyhow, drives pretty nice for a big truck. Not as nimble as the 4Runner (with XREAS), of course, but good highway cruiser and surprisingly maneuverable in parking lots, etc with a tight turning radius.

As part of the deal, I got the dealer to buy 5 new tires for it (of my choice) at their cost and for them to mount, so that will save me $500 (in addition to talking them down to right above trade-in KBB value). Will be putting 265/70/17 Revo2's on it since we've loved them on the 4Runner. Stock is 265/65/17, but the 70s fit with no rubbing and get rid of the "mini-tire" look that they have stock. Even wife commented on that. Stock size is the same as the 4Runner lol.

It did live most of its life near the shore (no floods or anything, no worries), and the salt air clearly got some things a bit rusty. Body is great, but the frame does have some minor rust areas though nothing that I would consider worrisome. I'll spend a day under it with a wire wheel and some POR-15. I'm too spoiled by our garage-kept 4Runner that never saw road salt, lol.

So in the end, she got her 3 rows + leather and I got my towing/4x4. We both compromised a bit, but ended up with about $5k leftover after it's all said and done, which she gets for whatever she wants. Also she has the "if you don't like it a year from now, we'll go find your minivan" deal. In which case I'll probably keep the sequoia as my own beater anyhow (maybe). So it's a good deal either way.

Anyhow, thanks for all the advice on my annoying "what car" threads related to this buy. Hopefully this thing will be as dead-nuts reliable as the 4Runner has been. And damn does it look a lot the same, lol

In other news, my e30 rallycross car will be in the SCCA display at the Washington DC auto show, if anyone is there come by!

need to find one wheel center cap, no biggie.

AGREED! Congrats!

Congrats! You'll love it. My neighbors had one that they recently sold with around 250k on it, and no major issues to speak of during their ownership. Just maintain it and it's pretty solid.

I used to love sequoias, then I started working on them. Im not a huge Toyota fan but I do admit that for the most part they make great appliances and are reliable and cheap to run.

I maintain a handful of them and for a toyota they seem to have more costly repairs than other models. It may just be my specific sample, but between air suspension repairs and the air pump system they can get pretty expensive. The first time I had to track down an air pump I was able to find one source for remans and they had one, and it was just a little cheaper than the OEM which was over 1000, which didnt include the valves that must be changed at the same time or the labor to pull the manifold.

I've looked at the 2005-2007 as well, but haven't driven one or been inside one yet. I know it sounds whiny buy I really hate the way the interior looks from the inside.

05-07 got the VVTi engine and 5-speed auto, correct?

Nice! Not sure about the air pumps.. my Limited (2001) doesn't have one. Only repeat offender is the tailgate latch occasionally breaks.. Youtube is the source of repair. Are the new tires on? Strangely, I'm looking to take off my lift kit and go from 285/75/16's to the 265/70/17 tires.. looking to make the rotating mass less than the giants I have on now. Can you let me know how you like the Revo's? Good for rain / snow?

Re the rust... before you grind it off, take it to your local Toyota dealer for an inspection. There's a extended warranty on them.... to the point that you can have your frame replaced(!!) for free. Not sure if they will treat the rust you have for you, but I know its something they take care of despite the year.

What little parts I've bought have been cheap, nothing more than the Mazda3 in part prices.

Enjoy!

z31maniac wrote: I've looked at the 2005-2007 as well, but haven't driven one or been inside one yet. I know it sounds whiny buy I really hate the way the interior looks from the inside. 05-07 got the VVTi engine and 5-speed auto, correct?

The interior is decidedly old-school, I'll fully admit. Especially the shifter on the stalk instead of the center console. That said, I like its function better than its looks...stalk shifter gives more room for good cupholders and places to put a cell phone, ipod, wallet, etc (a complaint of mine in the 4Runner, where there wasn't much room to put all the crap one takes on a long road trip). Also a few odd button locations (mirrors, seat heaters) that seem to have been an afterthought. I like the gauges....4 auxiliary gauges is pretty rare on a mass-produced car. Oil temp and volts are nice to have. I actually like the gauges much more than the 4Runner, especially with the chrome bezels on them.

In the end, it's not flashy but doesn't look terrible. It really "feels" a lot like the 4Runner to tell the truth. The HVAC controls are way better than the 4Runner too. Seats are pretty good (typical Japanese leather seats....decent, not great). At least this one doesn't have the cheesy fake-walnut trim.

Yep, it's the VVTi and 5AT. It's not a rocket ship, but it's at least as quick as the V6 4Runner and gets up pretty well considering its heft. Handling is fairly "big" but the 4Runner had the good XREAS suspension so I'm a bit spoiled anyhow. Steering weight is perfect. It really drives very small. The 08 we drove felt like a giant tank. This one feels like a 4Runner with a full load of passengers and cargo.

4Msfam wrote: Nice! Not sure about the air pumps.. my Limited (2001) doesn't have one. Only repeat offender is the tailgate latch occasionally breaks.. Youtube is the source of repair. Are the new tires on? Strangely, I'm looking to take off my lift kit and go from 285/75/16's to the 265/70/17 tires.. looking to make the rotating mass less than the giants I have on now. Can you let me know how you like the Revo's? Good for rain / snow? Re the rust... before you grind it off, take it to your local Toyota dealer for an inspection. There's a extended warranty on them.... to the point that you can have your frame replaced(!!) for free. Not sure if they will treat the rust you have for you, but I know its something they take care of despite the year. What little parts I've bought have been cheap, nothing more than the Mazda3 in part prices. Enjoy!

yep, I read up on air pumps (it has one). If it fails, I'll probably do the bypass/resistor thing that seems to work. Will deal with it if it happens, and until then will hope it doesn't.

I have an all-metal latch piece on order from ebay already. Will do a pre-emptive fix so I don't have to deal with the plastic one breaking.

We have the Revos on the 4Runner. They're great in everything, honestly. The replaced 15k mile AT20s (the stock tires) which were lousy in snow/rain but good on the highway and dry road. Surprisingly, the Revos are WAY better in ride quality, handling response, dry grip, wet grip, snow grip, etc. Also very quiet, especially considering they're a moderately aggressive tread. I suggested them to my neighbor for his Durango and he loves them compared to his BFG A/Ts and others he had before. At least 3 friends (2 Toyota Tacomas and one big DOdge pickup) have them as well and swear by them. They're a favorite on the 4Runner forums as well.

WRT the rust, I'm pretty sure it's from either road salt (not sure what they use in Jersey), or more likely from the car being owned in Ocean City and probably driving on the beach (it had surfboard racks on the roof when we bought it, lol). The spare under the back is pretty nasty, with some of the paint bubbling on it. That said, the rust seems to be manageable. It's not anywhere close to the level I've seen in the pics of earlier Tundra/Tacoma frame rust problems. The main structure box frame actually has very little rust at all. Most of it is on smaller peripheral parts. The hitch has the most (mostly the paint all flaking off) so the plan is to unbolt the hitch and take a good look at it. It's most noticeable right above the exhaust so that may have an effect as well. I don't see any areas that seem to be thin or weak particularly in the mid-frame area where many Tacos started "taco-ing". IDK, I'll take a much closer look at it when it warms up around here. Lying on the cold ground on my back isn't high on my list right now, and I didn't see anything really worrying under the car this evening for 20 minutes. Just some areas that need some attention to prevent it from getting worse (though salt air and road salt aren't a problem here).

EDIT: It appears that the main rust problems on the Sequoia (and Tundra) were the 01-03 models, when Dana (who made the frames) used the wrong paint/coating on them. Though we all know that most Toyotas get rusty in "winter" states. That's nothing new.

Nice. I'm surprised you went with black though Would you recommend a 4th Gen 4Runner as a comfortable DD for kid hauling duties?

Nice!

Send me a close up of the center cap that you need. I may have one.

My wife loved both the 2001 and the 2003 Sequoias she used to drive. Until I got her the 2007 Yukon Denali it was the "only answer" for her.

We had no problems with either of them other then the rear hatch latch. We went through three of them between the two trucks. The 2003 we sold with 90K miles and the 2001 had 180k on it when we sold it to our neighbor (Still going strong).

In other news, my e30 rallycross car will be in the SCCA display at the Washington DC auto show, if anyone is there come by!

Nice! Will be stopping by sometime on the weekend.

Congratulations, looks like a great find!

Fletch1 wrote: Nice. I'm surprised you went with black though Would you recommend a 4th Gen 4Runner as a comfortable DD for kid hauling duties?

Lol, we swore we would get a gray or silver this time, but it just so happened that the best one we found was black.....what can ya do??

Yes, I would highly suggest it, assuming you have no more than 2 kids and no need to haul additional adults. The 4Runner with 2 kid seats in the back doesn't have room for a full-size person along with it. Plenty of room for cargo for a long trip if you don't pack like my wife (we would take a Yakima cargo box on the roof to carry stroller/playpens on beach trips).

All in all it was a great truck. Looks great, zero problems ever, very capable off-road (needless to say). If you do get one, I HIGHLY suggest you get a SportEdition. The XREAS suspension makes a GIANT difference in road manners, handling in the corners, and overall feel compared to the non-XREAS SR5 and Limiteds. My buddy who bought ours has been raving for 2 days about how much better the XREAS suspension is compared to the suspension on his 2012 Tacoma (which is the same as the non-XREAS 4Runner suspension).

Woody wrote: Nice! Send me a close up of the center cap that you need. I may have one.

Ah dammit, one day too late. Got one on ebay for 20 bucks. But thanks, if we lose another I'll hit you up. Seems I see a lot of Sequoias missing them.....

pimpm3 wrote: My wife loved both the 2001 and the 2003 Sequoias she used to drive. Until I got her the 2007 Yukon Denali it was the "only answer" for her. We had no problems with either of them other then the rear hatch latch. We went through three of them between the two trucks. The 2003 we sold with 90K miles and the 2001 had 180k on it when we sold it to our neighbor (Still going strong).

Cool, yeah around here the Yukon Denalis with decent miles demand a premium for some reason (seems that all the soccer moms here want them....there are 2 on our street), and wife wasn't really feeling them for some reason, IDK.

I've already ordered the all-metal real latch off ebay, so I'll just replace it pre-emptively. The OEM one does feel pretty flimsy. Not surprised they break..

fifty wrote:

In other news, my e30 rallycross car will be in the SCCA display at the Washington DC auto show, if anyone is there come by!

Nice! Will be stopping by sometime on the weekend.

I'll be working the SCCA booth Friday evening and probably a day next week (work allowing) at least. Wish I could work the weekend, more crowds, but I have to work the "weekend job" to pay for said rally-x car and the e21 project, lol.