Greetings. I had been thinking about buying an rv and pulling a toad until I found this site and something clicked. The plan now is to buy an expedition vehicle and add an RTT so I can go pretty much where I want, when I want, with my wife's approval of course. I've narrowed it down to a 2003-2007 Cruiser or a 5th gen 4Runner. I've owned a Toyota before and what I prize above all else in a vehicle is reliability.
Any trips would involve me, sometimes my wife and a dog or two. No kids. We'd probably carry an RTT, a kayak or canoe, fishing gear and one or two mountain bikes. I'm not really interested in rock crawling. I think BLM lands and trails like the Southern Alpine Loop and the White Rim Trail are exactly what I'm looking for. I have some deteriorating discs in my lower back so I can't take too much of a pounding, even though I like driving fast off road, and need a vehicle that can carry me in comfort for days or weeks at a time. At 6'4", I need plenty of interior room and comfortable seats as well.
I have a few questions about each vehicle. I drive a Nissan Titan right now which has been great, but is not 4x4. I'm used to lousy mpg so the LC wouldn't be too much of a shock but I'd still like the better mpg of the 4Runner. I'm not much of a wrench when it comes to cars so that concerns me about the LC. It would behoove me to learn to do some wrenching if I'm going to be heading into the backcountry, but just how much maintenance would an LC with a history of completed scheduled maintenance need on a regular basis? I've read enough about their longevity but I'm still looking at vehicles with about 100,000 miles, give or take a few, on them. I don't want a 200 but I kind of feel like relatively low mileage 100 series are going to be even more scarce in the not too distant future, while it would be easier to find a 5th gen 4Runner if the Cruiser doesn't work for me. It seems like one of the main benefits with the 4Runner would be a new vehicle under warranty, but where does Toyota stand on modifications? I'm thinking about starting with sliders and skid plates and moving on, possibly, to a lift, bigger tires, bumpers and a winch. If Toyota would likely claim that I voided the warranty I don't see much point in spending $10-20k more on the 4Runner.
Finally, with the tailgate on the Cruiser, is it possible to drive with the gate down? Is the glass above the tailgate secure or can it be secured with the tailgate down? I currently have a bed extender for carrying canoes or kayaks and would like to be able to drop the tailgate and be able to drive short distances with any boats secured to the extender and somewhere inside the Cruiser. That would be much easier than having to load a heavy boat on the roof by myself.
I've driven each briefly and I'm going to take each vehicle for a longer test drive but it's proving to be a difficult decision. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Any trips would involve me, sometimes my wife and a dog or two. No kids. We'd probably carry an RTT, a kayak or canoe, fishing gear and one or two mountain bikes. I'm not really interested in rock crawling. I think BLM lands and trails like the Southern Alpine Loop and the White Rim Trail are exactly what I'm looking for. I have some deteriorating discs in my lower back so I can't take too much of a pounding, even though I like driving fast off road, and need a vehicle that can carry me in comfort for days or weeks at a time. At 6'4", I need plenty of interior room and comfortable seats as well.
I have a few questions about each vehicle. I drive a Nissan Titan right now which has been great, but is not 4x4. I'm used to lousy mpg so the LC wouldn't be too much of a shock but I'd still like the better mpg of the 4Runner. I'm not much of a wrench when it comes to cars so that concerns me about the LC. It would behoove me to learn to do some wrenching if I'm going to be heading into the backcountry, but just how much maintenance would an LC with a history of completed scheduled maintenance need on a regular basis? I've read enough about their longevity but I'm still looking at vehicles with about 100,000 miles, give or take a few, on them. I don't want a 200 but I kind of feel like relatively low mileage 100 series are going to be even more scarce in the not too distant future, while it would be easier to find a 5th gen 4Runner if the Cruiser doesn't work for me. It seems like one of the main benefits with the 4Runner would be a new vehicle under warranty, but where does Toyota stand on modifications? I'm thinking about starting with sliders and skid plates and moving on, possibly, to a lift, bigger tires, bumpers and a winch. If Toyota would likely claim that I voided the warranty I don't see much point in spending $10-20k more on the 4Runner.
Finally, with the tailgate on the Cruiser, is it possible to drive with the gate down? Is the glass above the tailgate secure or can it be secured with the tailgate down? I currently have a bed extender for carrying canoes or kayaks and would like to be able to drop the tailgate and be able to drive short distances with any boats secured to the extender and somewhere inside the Cruiser. That would be much easier than having to load a heavy boat on the roof by myself.
I've driven each briefly and I'm going to take each vehicle for a longer test drive but it's proving to be a difficult decision. Thanks in advance for any advice.
