Looking at used 4Runners...The Financial Lounge Welcome

[Sporin]

Hmm, would definitely need to see better MPG with the V6. Good info regarding the xfer case, thanks for that tip! Will be done in winter conditions.

Fuelly:

2006 4Runner V6: http://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/4runner/2006/gas%20v6

The guys with enough data to make a call on are averaging around 20mpg overall. That's actually a very good number for a truck like this imo.

Averages for all V8 years (V8 only in the 4th gen.): http://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/4runner/gas%20v8

15-16mpg overall. I did a bit better up here where there's no stop-and-go. On long highway trips I could see 20mpg. But overall, 16mpg per tank average was where I was at.

[BostonB6]

Here's another option:

[MAGICGTI]

Ah, I don't keep up on the newest models so I couldn't tell.

No good photos of the Heckler off-hand, but I love it. Set up for light free-ride:

Wow, sexy. My riding buddy has a Blur LT with the same TALAS front fork but with Fox air in the back. Looks fun!

Fuelly:

2006 4Runner V6: http://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/4runner/2006/gas%20v6

The guys with enough data to make a call on are averaging around 20mpg overall. That's actually a very good number for a truck like this imo.

Averages for all V8 years (V8 only in the 4th gen.): http://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/4runner/gas%20v8

15-16mpg overall. I did a bit better up here where there's no stop-and-go. On long highway trips I could see 20mpg. But overall, 16mpg per tank average was where I was at.

Here's another option:

I thought about that with the Z4 but I hate beating it up mountain biking, and wouldn't leave my bike rack on it so would be a PITA. A dude with an M Coupe rigged up a Yakima roof rack using Q Clips from a 7-series but never elaborated with part numbers or a writeup.

I do like my Yakima Holdup hitch rack, the idea is no clamps on the frame.

Sporin: Having trouble quoting you but thanks for the info. I drive the Volvo pretty gently, that is 18/24 using the revised estimates and I do a hand-calculated 21.5MPG.

[Sporin]

Happy to help, I love these trucks.

[Guy Legend]

Beware the infamous dash crack on 03-05 models.

[Aonarch]

Since he probably will not update this, he bought this bad boy.

[MAGICGTI]

Yup, TFL lost I'll make a separate thread but long story short in love after 150 miles. <3

[jepva]

Yup, TFL lost I'll make a separate thread but long story short in love after 150 miles. <3

Nice, looks like an '05 Limited? From what I can tell, it's a V6 and not the V8 though (based on the tailpipe and tow hitch?)

[MAGICGTI]

Nice, looks like an '05 Limited? From what I can tell, it's a V6 and not the V8 though (based on the tailpipe and tow hitch?)

2006 and didn't want a V8. This is EXACTLY what I wanted (well would have taken black but...)

[Turbio!]

Nice, looks like an '05 Limited? From what I can tell, it's a V6 and not the V8 though (based on the tailpipe and tow hitch?)

V8s require a timing belt change at around 90k that really sucks. I wouldnt buy a higher-miles V8 unless it had already been done. I have been very happy with my V6.

[Sporin]

I agree, and I LOVED the V8 but when I buy another one it will be a V6 for the lower running & maintenance costs and 2WD ability.

CONGRATULATIONS!

[jepva]

V8s require a timing belt change at around 90k that really sucks. I wouldnt buy a higher-miles V8 unless it had already been done. I have been very happy with my V6.

Yea, at the time I bought mine with only 33k miles and only have 60k now, so it wasn't really a concern. But $800 for the job at my dealership for 90k otherwise trouble-free miles is a small expense for the longevity I'll get out of this thing. I wanted the V8 because a boat is in my future and wanted the extra towing capacity. Nothing wrong with the V6 though.

If you don't mind, how many miles and what was the price $$ you paid? Just curious how the values are holding up..

I agree, and I LOVED the V8 but when I buy another one it will be a V6 for the lower running & maintenance costs and 2WD ability. !

The V8's actually have a button that unlocks the center diff and makes them 2wd, but the manual doesn't recommend leaving it on long-term. Not really sure what the purpose of it is.

[MAGICGTI]

If you don't mind, how many miles and what was the price $$ you paid? Just curious how the values are holding up..

.

Don't mind at all. Minor damage on Carfax brought it down (had a tough time spotting paintwork and I'm in the business...good repair), 84k miles, two owners, very clean.

Traded 5/31/12 started at $19991, I'm guessing it had price reductions until it hit 60 days (the magic number for used car price reductions), then went to $16700. Told him $16000 and I'll be up there today, final offer from them was $16400 which was a VERY nice price. This was one of the cheapest facelift Limiteds under $17k in 300 miles.

These sell within a week in the DC metro due to the number of exporters here, if it were advertised in DC it would have been on a boat to Central/South America or Africa in June.

[Sporin]

The V8's actually have a button that unlocks the center diff and makes them 2wd, but the manual doesn't recommend leaving it on long-term. Not really sure what the purpose of it is.

???? News to me. Not being a jerk, but I've never heard of that at all.

They have a Center diff lock button that LOCKS the front and rear axles together (50/50) for certain off road conditions.

Otherwise the V8's Tcase limits a max of 70/30 going either way. I'm not aware of any way to force 100% rear wheel drive without removing the front driveshaft.

[O2VW1.8T]

V8s require a timing belt change at around 90k that really sucks. I wouldnt buy a higher-miles V8 unless it had already been done. I have been very happy with my V6.

The V8's are solid engines, but they need timing belts and water pumps, the exhaust manifolds crack also and make a pretty loud exhaust leak when cold and hot.

The V-6's are super reliable, i would look and make sure the front engine cover is not leaking cause that will be a easy 800+ repair, we had a few head gasket issue's that would cause misfires. Either way if i was buying one i would get a v6.

[jepva]

???? News to me. Not being a jerk, but I've never heard of that at all.

They have a Center diff lock button that LOCKS the front and rear axles together (50/50) for certain off road conditions.

Otherwise the V8's Tcase limits a max of 70/30 going either way. I'm not aware of any way to force 100% rear wheel drive without removing the front driveshaft.

You're mostly right, it actually disables the VSC and allows all 4 wheels to spin at the same speed. Only for use off-road though when you actually want the wheels to always spin. The button itself has a big "X" over the center diff which is misleading to me if it's actually doing the opposite. Either way, AFAIK, it is actually a Torsen T-2 diff in there which is a standard 50/50 split. I don't think it's capable of pushing more than 50 to the front or rear wheels under it's own power or most conditions, so I'm not sure about the default 70/30 you're talking about.

The V8's are solid engines, but they need timing belts and water pumps, the exhaust manifolds crack also and make a pretty loud exhaust leak when cold and hot.

The V-6's are super reliable, i would look and make sure the front engine cover is not leaking cause that will be a easy 800+ repair, we had a few head gasket issue's that would cause misfires. Either way if i was buying one i would get a v6.

Not to be a dick, but you are trying to imply that the V8 is less reliable and this is certainly not the case. Timing belt/water pump is standard maintenance stuff, and it's not like people don't have to change belts or chains anyways on the V6. Also, I have not heard of any mass manifold cracking issues and from my research it's mostly way way overblown.

If you go to the 4runner forums, the consensus there is that the V8 is the more desired engine, for various reasons. There's a substantial difference in the low end torque, and it's no less reliable. If you drove one, you wouldn't go back to the V6. It is the same tried and true powertrain in the Tundra, Land Cruiser, and the Lexus'. Don't mislead people by trying to say the V6 is actually a better engine and not to get the V8. If you don't need the extra power, fine. But otherwise it's a great engine.

[Sporin]

Jepva, you may be right, I'll try to find the 70/30 info next time I'm at my computer.

[too_slow]

I was under the impression that the V6 should be avoided for towing without sufficent oil+tranny cooling. The aluminum block does not like heat, and if it gets overheated, it's basically a write-off? (trade-off for lower weight -> more MPGs.. compared with the V8 iron block, or even older V6s)

[Sporin]

Found this online....

Quote:
Originally Posted by d2huffman
Normal (unlocked) puts power at 40/60.
Under static conditions, the torque split is 40/60 front to rear in 4WD with the center diff unlocked. The cool thing with the Torsen T-3 in our 4Runners, however, is that when unlocked, it continuously varies torque bias based on surface conditions. Thus, when the front wheels slip, up to 70 percent of the power goes to the rear wheels, and when the rear wheels slip, up to 53 percent of the power goes to the front wheels.

See post # 4 here: '01-up 4wd System (A-TRAC, VSC) and TORSEN T-3

This jibes with the info I found when I first looked into my trucks 4WD system.

[Turbio!]

If you don't mind, how many miles and what was the price $$ you paid? Just curious how the values are holding up..

'03, 75k miles, $8000 with some accident damage and sunburnt paint. Great deal.

Not to be a dick, but you are trying to imply that the V8 is less reliable and this is certainly not the case. Timing belt/water pump is standard maintenance stuff, and it's not like people don't have to change belts or chains anyways on the V6. Also, I have not heard of any mass manifold cracking issues and from my research it's mostly way way overblown.

If you go to the 4runner forums, the consensus there is that the V8 is the more desired engine, for various reasons. There's a substantial difference in the low end torque, and it's no less reliable. If you drove one, you wouldn't go back to the V6. It is the same tried and true powertrain in the Tundra, Land Cruiser, and the Lexus'. Don't mislead people by trying to say the V6 is actually a better engine and not to get the V8. If you don't need the extra power, fine. But otherwise it's a great engine.

The timing chain on the V6 should last well over 150,000 miles, more probably 200,000+. It's essentially maintenance-free for the service lifetime of the engine. I don't think it's out of line at all to steer people away from an engine choice that requires a $700-900 service every 60-80k miles if you're buying the car with 60-80k miles on it. It could amount to 10-15% of the purchase price of the car at that point. If you were buying it at lower mileages, or if the belt has already been done, then fire away, but I'd shy from snapping up a V8 4R in that mileage window without the belt replaced. It's not unreliable in the slightest, but expensive part replacements are absolutely worth considering if all you want is an affordable camping rig.

And I've driven V8s. I'm not sure the difference is that meaningful. A little extra torque is nice, but I don't really miss it.

[jepva]

Found this online....



This jibes with the info I found when I first looked into my trucks 4WD system.

Ah, Torsen T-3 explains it. I thought it was a Torsen T-2 for sure, which was only a 50/50 split. Weird that Audi wasn't using these in quattro until '07 but they were in '03-'08 4runners.

[O2VW1.8T]

Not to be a dick, but you are trying to imply that the V8 is less reliable and this is certainly not the case. Timing belt/water pump is standard maintenance stuff, and it's not like people don't have to change belts or chains anyways on the V6. Also, I have not heard of any mass manifold cracking issues and from my research it's mostly way way overblown.

If you go to the 4runner forums, the consensus there is that the V8 is the more desired engine, for various reasons. There's a substantial difference in the low end torque, and it's no less reliable. If you drove one, you wouldn't go back to the V6. It is the same tried and true powertrain in the Tundra, Land Cruiser, and the Lexus'. Don't mislead people by trying to say the V6 is actually a better engine and not to get the V8. If you don't need the extra power, fine. But otherwise it's a great engine.

Maybe i said it wrong but the V8 is a great engine, a lot of people dont want to do a t-belt serive costing 600+, I posted the manifold issue cause we see a few roll in its not a huge problem but i would look out for it.

I have driven both and work on both daily, i have seen the v6 come in with over 250k miles with original plugs that should be changed ever 30k and it still ran damn good. I would prefer the v6 but thats me in a 4runner should of wrote in the other post IMO. Either engine is awesome go with what you need out of it.

[O2VW1.8T]

'03, 75k miles, $8000 with some accident damage and sunburnt paint. Great deal.



The timing chain on the V6 should last well over 150,000 miles, more probably 200,000+. It's essentially maintenance-free for the service lifetime of the engine. I don't think it's out of line at all to steer people away from an engine choice that requires a $700-900 service every 60-80k miles if you're buying the car with 60-80k miles on it. It could amount to 10-15% of the purchase price of the car at that point. If you were buying it at lower mileages, or if the belt has already been done, then fire away, but I'd shy from snapping up a V8 4R in that mileage window without the belt replaced. It's not unreliable in the slightest, but expensive part replacements are absolutely worth considering if all you want is an affordable camping rig.

And I've driven V8s. I'm not sure the difference is that meaningful. A little extra torque is nice, but I don't really miss it.

Chains will last past 300k easy its the last thing i would worry about the v6, the v8's that came with the vvti cam gears are better but when the belt breaks ( haven't seen one yet) it will snap the valves off and you will need a whole new engine.

[MAGICGTI]

Driven about 300 miles. Happy as a clam. Still have 1/4 tank left. Sunday we took the 4Runner through NoVA doing a winery tour and it was perfect for it.

The girlfriend was apprehensive at first about the truck but when she saw it and drove it she loves it too.

Regarding the towing, I'll have to look into that because I'll tow a Miata on a Featherlight and probably a U-Haul trailer at some point.