I've got 3 kids (2, 6 and 9). We're serious rock climbers and put in a lot of miles with a load of tent camping and climbing gear. At some point upgrading to a small camper, so towing will matter soon enough. We're not out there looking to see how far we can go without getting stuck, but definitely need something that travels well and does OK well off the beaten path. Lots of time on forrest service roads in the UP of Michigan, what passes for roads in Kentucky's Red River Gorge, probably a big climbing trip out to SD/CO/WY/UT next summer, etc.
A recently purchased '01 LX470 w/ 94K on it is turning out to be a huge mistake. Everything was great until I noticed the sway bar mount was weirdly rusty. Hit it with a hammer and it popped off entirely. Dropped the under tray and found a line of mildly bubbled paint where the plastic under tray sat, right under that sway mount. After an hour with a wire wheel, I'd uncovered a completely perforated frame rail. The weld on the bottom is rotted out along 18 inches. It looks like the A/C discharge somehow got into the frame and rotted it from the inside. 20 years in Michigan and I've never seen anything like it. Let alone on a $80,000 vehicle.
Assuming Lexus doesn't offer me some sort of happy outcome, I'm going to have it welded up and sell it, with full disclosure that there's just no way to guarantee the car is safe. Personally, I'm just not willing to haul my kids around in it for the next 5-10 years knowing it might fold in half in an accident. I'd already put new tires and a ton of maintenance into it, so it means losing several thousand bucks. This all has me seriously considering 4runners.
Anyone had both? How is the 4runner's livability for a family of five? Can that rear seat handle 3 (pretty skinny) kids on a 12 hour day? Enough cargo space with the 3rd row removed and roof storage? How's it compare in terms of general comfort level over a lonnnnng day of driving?
What sort of investment does it take to get it to the off-road capability of a relatively stock 100-series?
Any input before I go out test driving trucks would be great. Thanks!
A recently purchased '01 LX470 w/ 94K on it is turning out to be a huge mistake. Everything was great until I noticed the sway bar mount was weirdly rusty. Hit it with a hammer and it popped off entirely. Dropped the under tray and found a line of mildly bubbled paint where the plastic under tray sat, right under that sway mount. After an hour with a wire wheel, I'd uncovered a completely perforated frame rail. The weld on the bottom is rotted out along 18 inches. It looks like the A/C discharge somehow got into the frame and rotted it from the inside. 20 years in Michigan and I've never seen anything like it. Let alone on a $80,000 vehicle.
Assuming Lexus doesn't offer me some sort of happy outcome, I'm going to have it welded up and sell it, with full disclosure that there's just no way to guarantee the car is safe. Personally, I'm just not willing to haul my kids around in it for the next 5-10 years knowing it might fold in half in an accident. I'd already put new tires and a ton of maintenance into it, so it means losing several thousand bucks. This all has me seriously considering 4runners.
Anyone had both? How is the 4runner's livability for a family of five? Can that rear seat handle 3 (pretty skinny) kids on a 12 hour day? Enough cargo space with the 3rd row removed and roof storage? How's it compare in terms of general comfort level over a lonnnnng day of driving?
What sort of investment does it take to get it to the off-road capability of a relatively stock 100-series?
Any input before I go out test driving trucks would be great. Thanks!
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