Looking to buy FJ...need advise

[Adventure IQ]

We are looking at FJs at our next rig. Seeing pricing range from 18 k to 30 k. I have wife pre-teen daughter and two pups. This will be our expo rig for next ten years. Have also considered 4 door wrangler and 2007 to 2010 xterra....but leaning towards FJ.

What do I look for, what do I say away from? Pulling trigger in march or april and buying in idaho

This rig will be for road trips and exploring only.

 

[Adventure IQ]

....also stuck on 4 door Tacomas as well.....

 

[Sam Huynh]

Personally Id stay away from the jeeps. I love them but man do they have issues. I have never personally owned a JK, but have owned a CJ, YJ, and have an XJ right now. Several of my friends have had TJs and JKs (2 and 4 doors new models) and have had many issues with them. I have to say the engines they put in the jeeps aren't great, the one my buddy owns, has a tendency to overheat with light wheeling, and he is on his second transmission in less than 70k. He has also had the elusive death wobble issue that plagues jeeps with the front panhard bar (trac-bar). IMO unless you spend the money to buy a Rubicon model the axles and drivetrain is hardly worth the asking price of a 4dr JK. I have also driven a newer Xterra and although I have to admit its a nice vehicle. I really considered buying it, its feels a bit underpowered but so is the FJ. Kind of sluggish if you will. Personally I like the reliability of Toyotas more than the Xterra. As for picking between a Taco or an FJ, I'll note that the rear side windows on the FJ are pretty much useless. You can't really see out of them and the vehicle is a bit bulky. It might be a better choice though for a family. The Taco Id really pick over the FJ if I needed to haul something in the bed. So basically Id rule out the Jeep just because of price and reliability. Between the Xterra and FJ its kinda a toss up, just whichever you prefer IMO. The Taco Id pick just if I needed to haul junk.

 

[1911]

We are looking at FJs at our next rig.
...
What do I look for, what do I say away from? Pulling trigger in march or april and buying in idaho

This rig will be for road trips and exploring only.

Stay away from the early 2007 models (made in 2006) because there was a batch of weak rear diff ring gears that have had a higher rate of failure than later models. Other than that, there is nothing else to avoid in my experience.

If you're going to build it up at all for off-road, then don't pay for any of the factory options if you can help it; the factory skid plates and sliders are not well-made or particularly useful for example and you can do much better for the money with aftermarket parts. Even the base model is very capable off-road and you don't need to spend a lot of money on building it unless you just want to.

I have 130,000+ miles on mine and it is used and abused as an oilfield work truck and some wild 4WD and it still runs and drives as good as new and doesn't leak or burn a drop of oil between extended oil changes. It's been a great vehicle.

 

[Desert Dan]

I think you would be better off with 4 real doors with roll down windows for your daughter and pups.

Have you thought of a 4 Runner? Or a DC Tacoma with a camper shell.

 

[Lostmanifesto]

Get the 4-door Tacoma. I have owned all of those vehicles. The Tacoma will be the best for everyone to drive and the most versatile.

 

[wonderfulremark]

the FJ does NOT have enough room in the back.
I am in the hunt for a new vehicle as well and the FJ was on top of my list but I had to scratch it because the lack of the rear legroom.

4dr Tacoma or If you are stuck on the FJ, look at the 4th gen 4runners. They pretty much are the 4door FJ's with more bells and whistles

 

[SWITAWI]

Considering the family, the two pups (did you say what breed?), and the fact that you want to keep this vehicle for 10yrs I'd agree that you have to go with a true four-door vehicle and cross the FJC off your short list.

Your daughter and those pups aren't gonna get any smaller, and if you think she'll be carrying less s#!% around as a teenager you are sorely mistaken, lol. My 'full-size' friends ride in the back of my FJC all the time, sometimes for an hour or two, but we're not hauling a family's worth of stuff along as well. If we're really packed up for a full weekend then it's more likely a 3-person vehicle with half the rear seat down to make room for guns, etc. Of course then we're probably taking two vehicles anyway, so...For a final point of reference we've found that while my 6'1" buddy can ride behind me (I'm 5'11") in the driver's seat his feet are well under my seat and he would definitely be more comfortable behind a shorter person.

After that it comes down to whether you'd get better use from fully-enclosed interior or the utility of a pickup bed, and only you can answer that question for yourself.

 

[Plannerman]

I would agree with the last few posts. We typically have three in my 4door Tacoma on our back country excursions and can quickly fill up all available cargo room. There is no way we could fit all three of us and dogs in an FJ. I would also agree that something with four doors would be a much better idea. If you don't want a Tacoma, the 4th and 5th gen 4runners are amazing and, I believe, the 5th gen 4runners have all the same basic running gear (engine, drive train, suspension) as the FJ.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I'll echo all the above. While the FJ is technically a "four door" vehicle, your daughter is going to get tired of hopping in and out of that "suicide" door in a hurry, especially if you put any kind of lift in there. Also for the dogs, there is no way to open any windows other than the two front door windows while you are driving down the road AFAIK (don't know if the side windows 'pop out' on the Suicide doors, although I know the back window does.) With a Taco you would get 4 full doors and 4 windows you can roll down while you are driving down the road. With the 4runner you would actually get 5 windows you can roll down as the rear tailgate window rolls down, too. This might be important if your dogs get "gassy" on a trip! :Wow1:

If you can live without a manually shifted T-case (which I admit, I would love!) a 4th gen 4runner or 4 door Taco would probably be a more versatile vehicle. Given that the 4th gen 4runner and FJC have the same running gear and suspension type (4-link on coils), capabilities are nearly identical between the two (although the FJC comes from the factory with a more capable suspension components - which is exactly why I'm putting an FJC suspension on my 4runner!) As a plus, with a 4th gen 4runner you would have multi-mode 4wd which is not available on the FJC (you either get part time with an auto or full time with a manual.)

OTOH, if you had your heart set on a manual tranny, you can't get one with the 4runner, so the Taco or Xterra would be the better choice there (although one reason people used to prefer manuals was for better MPG and I can tell you that my 4runner has been returning some remarkable fuel economy numbers.)

Not knocking the FJC, it's just that it's a very specialized vehicle (much like a Jeep Wrangler or the FJ-40 LC that it took its design cues from.) For those who want a specialized vehicle, it is awesome. I guess the best way to say it is that in terms of "Sport Utility Vehicles", the FJC is very heavy on the "sport" while the 4runner and Taco would be more on the "utility" side (as in going to Home Depot and coming back with some 8' boards sticking out the rolled-down tailgate window on the 4runner.)

 

[Adventure IQ]

Ok great input.....moving to the 4 door taco or 4 runner.....with that in mind, what should I be on the look out for? Looking to keep payments around $300 a month and not trading in. What issues should I look for, options, etc. getting more excited about the taco since they seem to have a better price point than the 4 runner.

... I would honestly put the money into my xterra if it was 4 wd but ready to have a 4wd other than my already too small wrangler. Niether has given me issues but one is too small and the other is 2wd.

Had not thought about windows rolling down....good points...the two pups...large breed will apreciate that.


Thanks for all the inputs.... I have heard so many good things about the taco and 4 runners

 

[Martinjmpr]

You live in Idaho and you have a 2wd Xterra?

Must be the only one in the state.

(just busting your chops - there was a guy on the 4runner forums who had a 2wd 4runner in CO and people there used to give him a lot of grief, too.)

Anyway, are you sure the Taco's you're seeing are 4 doors? Only reason I ask is that from what I've seen, 4 door 4x4 Tacos are priced higher on the market than similar year/mileage 4runners, probably because there are more 4runners. If you can find a DC taco that's in your price range, that would probably be a good way to go, though.

Assuming you're buying used, one nice thing about 4runners is that they are typically "soccer mom vehicles", i.e, have rarely or never been off-road. The biggest downside to the 4runner is that the factory suspension and tires are typically "soccer mom" type, as well (that is, a low, soft suspension with road-oriented tires.) However, these shortcomings can be fixed by upgrading both.

Upside to the Taco is if you can find a short bed TRD I believe they all have the factory locking diff. I had a locker on my '99 4runner and loved it. Downside is that Tacos are often bought by off-roaders or people who haul dirtbikes, mountain bikes, etc, and are sometimes more abused (this is something I've noticed with pickups in general.)

 

[SWITAWI]

A helpful search...

Looks like Tacoma Double Cabs of the same vintage are going to carry slightly higher values than 4th-Gen 4Runners. I searched Toyota/4Runner/Tacoma/2000-2009/4x4/4-Door in your area and found 14 listings within 25mi.

10) 4Runners (starting with an '03 with 120k for $14.5k)
4) Tacoma Double Cabs (starting with an '07 with 95k for $24k).

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...caseOwnerId=57760057&captureSearch=true&Log=0

 

[codename607]

Both are great. I just traded in my 4 door JK Rubicon for a FJ, best decision every. As far as a tacoma or 4runner they are both the same IMO. Only difference is one has a open cargo area and the other has a closed one. This should be in consideration if safety is a concern.

At first when I was looking for a expo rig I wanted something that stored all my gear outside of the vehicle in case of a roll over. So a tacoma was much safer than a 4runner. Or that's what I think. But I ended up getting a FJ instead.

Good Luck.

 

[ANDYROO]

I had an FJ for 3 years and loved it, especially off road. The Wife however hated driving it (lack of visibility out the back) and my Daughter (9 years old) felt like she was in a cave sitting in the back, especially on long journeys. We're now in a DC Tacoma and honestly IMHO it's a much more practical vehicle for a growing Family who wants to live the "glamping" life. I miss my FJ but it was the right decision to change, as a happy/comfortable Family on a road trip is all important.

Good luck.... :smiley_drive: