[Jomz]

Originally Posted by cyclops

Okay, so this time I listened to my heart and bought a nice clean 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD. Man, its a monster!!! Its my first real SUV and so far I am loving it. This vehicle has a cult following within the 4x4 community.

Any recommendations on a good garage around Edison NJ area? Enclosing a pic taken when it was the dealer lot.

Congrats

Ah. toyota SUV's , My favorite.

You are having a vehicle who's reliablity helped a country win a war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_wars

Have great miles of happy cruising.

Some more videoes, on toyota trucks,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTPnIpjodA8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFnVZXQD5_k

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by cyclops

Okay, so this time I listened to my heart and bought a nice clean 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD. Man, its a monster!!! Its my first real SUV and so far I am loving it. This vehicle has a cult following within the 4x4 community.

Congratulations!!

As for mileage, well, on highways i would get around 23-24mpg cruising at 65mph. In cities, i get out of D mode and work my way up the gears coz this way i can redline in the first two gears at least and keep the MDS off as well. But then the mileage drops to 18-19mpg. But i am not complaining. All good things in life come at a cost.

[cyclops]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Congratulations! What are the specs? Is it the v6 or the I4? How many miles has it run? How much did you pay? Did you buy any warranty?

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Booyah! Congrats and welcome to the single digit mpg club .

As a preventive, Flush/Replace all the fluids - Transfer Case/Front and Rear Diff etc. - Would cost you between 300-350$.

How many miles has the truck done btw and what was your final OTD?

Congrats again.

Thanks guys. It's a 3.4 L 5VZ-FE V6 engine with 4WD and has done 168K miles, I got it for around $4500. Yes, I would be getting all the fluids changed pretty soon. Any recommended garage around Edison, NJ?

Originally Posted by aah78

Won't be that bad. The lowest figure I achieved in a V8 SUV @ stop & go traffic is 10-12.

The lowest mpg figure I've seen so far is 7mpg in a V12 idling in traffic.

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

True. Last couple of months, the traffic for my daily commute has been pretty bad - 2 mile commute takes around 10-15 mins. I have been getting around 10-11 mpg due to this. This is after me switching off the truck at every stop that exceeds the 10 seconds. Then again,mine is a 13 year old american renowned for its gas guzzling capabilities.

Yes. Even I am a bit concerned about the mileage part, but not a lot as I don't commute by car. Earlier I had a Camry, which used to run for around a month for me with $50 worth of gas, now if I can do with $100 - I should be fine!

I beat you, mine is a 16 year old though Japanese!

Originally Posted by maddy42

Congrats!!! This is awesome! This forum is one place which reinforces the fact that we do take some risks and do have a passion.

Thanks. Yes, it was a tough decision but I just went ahead with it.

Originally Posted by chevelle

The lowest i saw in 5 mph bumper to bumper traffic is 7-8 mpg on my Corvette. Almost gave me an attack.



Congo on the new to you acquisition. I dig this SUV. How many miles on it? How much you got it for? Enjoy and hope the mod bug bites you soon so we can see some lifts and other off-roading package.

Thanks. I answered your questions in the previous quote. The possibilities to mod this truck are amazing, checkout the dedicated forum T4R.org to checkout the awesome things people have done with this.

Originally Posted by Jomz

Congrats

Ah. toyota SUV's , My favorite.

You are having a vehicle who's reliablity helped a country win a war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_wars

Have great miles of happy cruising.

Some more videoes, on toyota trucks,

Thanks. Wow, those videos are great!

Originally Posted by amitoj

Congratulations!!

As for mileage, well, on highways i would get around 23-24mpg cruising at 65mph. In cities, i get out of D mode and work my way up the gears coz this way i can redline in the first two gears at least and keep the MDS off as well. But then the mileage drops to 18-19mpg. But i am not complaining. All good things in life come at a cost.

I am expecting the real life mileage to be around 15-17, will get to know in a few days.

[JMaruru]

A friend is looking for a used SUV/sedan with good rear seat leg space. He had considered MDX and Q5, but he is not satisfied with the rear seat leg space/comfort. He is 6' tall and is expecting his parents to join him soon, and has plans for long road trips. He has a budget of around $30K.

Pl. advise.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

A friend is looking for a used SUV/sedan with good rear seat leg space. He had considered MDX and Q5, but he is not satisfied with the rear seat leg space/comfort. He is 6' tall and is expecting his parents to join him soon, and has plans for long road trips. He has a budget of around $30K.

Pl. advise.

I have found that the Chevrolet Equinox/GMC Terrain to have really good rear seat legroom. You can get a 1-2 year old car in these brands.

With sedans - the Avalon, Charger/300, Buick Lacrosse and other large full size sedans have really good rear seat leg space.

The MDX is a three row SUV, so the second row may not be the largest.

[maddy42]

Here you go. This is the right side two wheels. I need to change the tires it looks like!

I found a place which has alloy repairs. Could you let me know if anyone has tried it?

http://www.awrswheelrepair.com/









Thanks !!
Maddy

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by cyclops

...

Congrats on your truck! How are the interiors considering its age? Do share more pics man.

Originally Posted by JMaruru

A friend is looking for a used SUV/sedan with good rear seat leg space. He had considered MDX and Q5, but he is not satisfied with the rear seat leg space/comfort. He is 6' tall and is expecting his parents to join him soon, and has plans for long road trips. He has a budget of around $30K.

Pl. advise.

I would probably look at Jeep GC or Ford Edge, you will be probably get a year or two old ones in the budget. They are powerful, and have decent space in rear too.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by maddy42

I found a place which has alloy repairs. Could you let me know if anyone has tried it?

Haven't tried this particular place, but I had my alloys repaired several times over. Stripping, straightening, fixing and respray about USD100 a wheel.
I'm very pleased with the result

Jeroen

[Fraz33r]

Originally Posted by cyclops

Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD. Man, its a monster!!!

Congrats Cyclops! Have your beast run through some Mud before the winters kick in!

Originally Posted by JMaruru

..used SUV/sedan with good rear seat leg space..

I would say go with the USED SUV option. Why? He needs something with space. SUV will be good as you may also like seating up high, Ingress/Egress will be easier for parents. + Long trips = more luggage so SUV will meet all your needs.

You should also look at a new Highlander/Pilot. Pilot has always got rave reviews in its SUV range, but hasn't really reflected on its Sales.

[VIPER_SRT]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Here you go. This is the right side two wheels. I need to change the tires it looks like!
Maddy

Try going for tires which have good sidewall protection. From the snaps it doesn't look like they are low profiles. My X5 alloys had similar damage and got it repaired under wheel protection package. Not sure how much they usually charge but they did a good job.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

A friend is looking for a used SUV/sedan with good rear seat leg space. He had considered MDX and Q5, but he is not satisfied with the rear seat leg space/comfort. He is 6' tall and is expecting his parents to join him soon, and has plans for long road trips. He has a budget of around $30K.

Pl. advise.

For rear seat comfort in a SUV, test drive following

1. CR-V (new)- Yes, its small but comfort and space at rear is quite good at the back. I am 6' too.

2. RDX (1-2yrs old)- similar to CR-V. Underpinnings are the same but more luxurious

3. cx-9 and pathfinder (1-2 yrs old) - haven't sat in CX-9 but a member here owns one, may be he can let you know. Sat in Pathfinder for 10-15 miles, it is very comfortable.

4. Highlandar and Avenza - (1-2 yrs old) both are comfortable. Interior of Avenza is cheap. Highlander has pretty good space.

5. Pilot, MDX (1-3 yrs old)- One of the very comfortable SUVs in the market. Both are 7-Seater so don't know if you really need those many seats. Also the mpg even if minor consideration will be less.

6. Terrain (new/old) - Excellent rear seat space and is sliding too. Interiors are not too bad and has excellent touring capability.

7. Ford Edge (1-3 yrs) - Don't know but is good option for long drives from the way it drives.

8. Explorer, Traverse (1-2 yrs) - both are 7-seater. Rear seats are strictly ok unless its captain seats.

Test drive all of above and short list some. If you are looking for American SUV, try to get the latest and greatest. They keep improving a lot every year so it will count.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by chevelle

3. cx-9 and pathfinder (1-2 yrs old) - haven't sat in CX-9 but a member here owns one, may be he can let you know. Sat in Pathfinder for 10-15 miles, it is very comfortable.

+1

CX-9 has sliding second row seats so if he wants a strict 5 seater, he can fold the third row away and slide second row all the way back. Advantage is that the third row is there when needed.

[Jomz]

Was Toyota Sequoia ever considered? Real Big vehicle--- tons of room. Sucks on mpg

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by mohit

+1

CX-9 has sliding second row seats so if he wants a strict 5 seater, he can fold the third row away and slide second row all the way back. Advantage is that the third row is there when needed.

This is interesting, as this is what he wanted in his ride. The ability to push the rear seats back and have plenty of real estate for the legs.

[VLOCT]

As someone who owns a 2011 CX-9 Grand Sport AWD, it's proven to be reliable so far. But then I put no more than 8000 miles per year on it, car has less than 16k on it. So, I cannot yet comment on long term reliability. Third row seating was a primary consideration for us.

Inside city limits, expect less than 20 mpg average, 23-25 mpg highway. 278 bhp, 280 lb-ft torgque is adequate power, nothing to get excited about for such a large vehicle. It can get you down the road easily and quickly enough. No scorcher though.

I find the handling characteristics to be very good. Steering feel is also very good. The ride is definitely on the Sporty side which, was important to me. No floating sofa this SUV.

I would say the standard equipment list is excellent. I got the built in NAV and all leather. NAV is mediocre at best but, does get you places. The BOSE premium sound system is quite good but, I wouldn't call it excellent. Never was a fan of Bose speakers/systems.

I find the fit and finish of the car to be very good. A/C is very good, even for our Las Vegas heat. The leather seats are comfortable, grippy and slightly on the firm side, not sofa plush.

At the time I bought it, it had won the best SUV two years in a row although, I wouldn't say that was a major consideration. I was able to get the car for $35k which was an excellent deal while, all the usual name brands were well into the $40k range with premium brands, higher than that. I still do not find anything they offer that I would consider superior to the CX-9 unless, you want true off-roading capabilities or, expect a zillion bhp like the Porsche Chayenne etc. For comparison, a friend of mine just bought a brand new fully loaded 2013 Nissan Pathfinder for $41k.

Additionally, aesthetics is paramount for me. I find the CX-9 to be one of the better looking SUVs. I do not understand the logic of designing automobiles that can run for 100,000 miles without needing anything, but looks like a duck or an oversized frog or, sometimes looks like it's designed by a 4-year old, eg; Ford Flex, Kia Soul, Honda Pilot, a box with 4 wheels. I remember drawing such things in kindergarten.

Hopefully, I've given a reasonable overview of CX-9. Good luck.