Which gen 4runner is best?

>>15343320
First gen

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>>15343320
overall, third.

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>>15343320
Hands down the 5th.

120 prado

>>15343320
easily 3rd for 4th, probably 4th

>>15343909
thats a fucking minivan bruv, dont get confused

3rd=2nd>1st>4th>5th

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Depends on what exactly you're planning on using it for, and how much you want to modify it, and what your budget is.

I think the sweet spot is the third gen (I'm biased, I drive one). Stock ground clearance, good angles and bumpers that can take a scrape, narrow width, and availability of a stock locker all make it very appealing. Add to that adequate power from the 3.4L for daily highway commuting, and decent enough road manners when stock. Better articulation than gen 2 or IFS gen 1, and a better ride. Second row can accomodate two adults. Reliability is nothing short of fantastic mechanically, and body steel is galvanized much better than gen 1 or gen 2. Frames will need inspection on any northern truck since the newest one is now 14 years old.

Gen 4 needs a lift right from the factory IMO to even compete with gen 3. ATRAC is nice as is multimode 4wd with Torsen center diff. Loss of locking rear diff except for the very rare Trail Edition is a bummer. Much better vehicle for long highway drives.

5th gen is the heaviest and largest 4Runner to date, but still manageably sized (compare to LC80, pretty close). Regained stock ground clearance, but retained fragile plastic bumpers. Angles improved for 14+. Lost V8 option and worst of all Multimode 4wd with open diff setting for slick highway driving.

As a third gen owner, if money were no thing I'd buy a brand new 5th gen Trail Edition right this second. As a more reasonable near term target, I want to get an older 4th gen (with the unpainted plastic bumpers!) and do a mild lift on it. I do a lot of road trips and I'll be honest, the 3rd gen gets old. Kind of a handful in the winter, even with dedicated snow tires. Very bouncy ride that can unsettle the suspension on slick overpasses. 4th gen is awesome in these conditions.

>>15344209
>more torque
>more horsepower
>more luxurious
I honestly don't see where the previous generations have it beat.
The only thing left is the test of time.

>>15344423
How is the suspension on 4th gens? I've driven one and it felt horrible, it bounced like crazy over bumps, but I'm used to a car on coilovers. Not sure if it was just that one

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>>15344423
>I think the sweet spot is the third gen
I agree, for something you can DD and do moderate wheeling with. You did leave out that the 3rd gen is the last available with a manual though.

With how cheap 4th gens are, they're more and more attractive. The 4.0 is better than the 3.4 (not that the 3.4 is bad), the 4.7 isn't fast but has a bit of extra power. 5 speed transmissions and newer creature comforts are nice. 4th gen is probably better for mostly-DD that's wheeled a few times a year if you don't throw a ton of money at it, and probably the best all around choice if you're willing to throw bumpers and shit at it.

>>15344423
the interior is best in 2nd gen though

>>15344423
I just plan to have it as my daily driver and some offroading on trails and mountains i have a low budget so yeah

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>>15344629
>actually thinks this looks good

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Can't beat 5th gen interior.

>>15344476
They are made of metal instead of cheap plastic

>>15344652
>he actually thinks cheap plastic everywhere looks good

>>15344645
That looks pretty great i love the style of 90's trucks

>>15344652
>automatic

They're all shit and can't even go off roading without going to shit

>>15344645
Nice strong and comfy i love the look and design

>>15344701
really? then what would you recommend? i want something good i'm on a 5000 budget

Owner of a 2nd gen here, I dig it. Those cloth seats are actually the most comfortable I have ever been in for long trips. The 3.0 ain't thw quickest but there's a 4.3 in the 3rd gen which is very moddable. Either those, or get a 1st gen and keep it stock for the novelty.

I wish I could have gotten one.
I'm a big guy, and it felt like sitting in a car.

>>15344728
this anon get's it

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Isuzu is better

>>15344690
The interior of the 2nd gen is plastic and cotton seats. At least the third gen is more stylish and the seats are made of more durable and more cofortable material.
>>15344685
I'd say plastic can solve a few problems including pic related.
>>15344706
Cotton seats were a mistake.
>>15344694
Nostalgia isn't a defense.

>>15345123
>including pic related
where the fuck is the picture?

>>15345123
shit taste desu

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>4Runner
That's a funny way of saying Rav4

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>>15345146
tru

>>15345149
Why does this board hate everything new? Is it because they're too expensive? Is it because they're too mainstream?

>>15345239
>Is it because they're too expensive?
Most of the time, yes. But for shit you want to wheel, most newer stuff is too mall-rated with big plastic bumper covers and running boards and shitt approach/breakover/departure angles. Not much left that's body on frame and with solid axle even just in the rear.

>Anything but first

>>15345257
And older stuff is less reliable, and in many cases, less efficient.
And I know in 20 years, kids that were born in 2016 are going to consider the 2010s to be the golden age of automobiles.

>>15345225
plastic is shit just get a truck with good metal and use a fucking garage

>>15345358
What does a garage have to do with it?

>>15345210
I genuinely don't think I've ever seen a man driving one of these

>>15345289
older is better in everyway other than luxury

>>15345365
it prevents rust you dipshit

>>15345365
i think hes trying to take a shot at rust and preventing it but he fails to remember simple exposure outdoors and things like road salt for ice. garage cant do it all.

>>15345407
plastic is shit

>>15345406
Rust in the wheel wells, a huge problem with Toyotas in the 90s I might add, can't really be prevented by storing it in a garage, unless of course it wasn't being driven or wet, salty roads.
Toyota has fixed this with plastic wheel wells.

>>15345399
>>15345451
You can keep saying that, but it really isn't true.

>>15345468
one tiny reck and it's trashed

3.0 avoid
3.4 is good
Pretty much all you need to know.

>>15344714
Look at getting an XJ desu

>>15345495
how the hell would i get that with 5000 or less?

>>15345503
Uhh what?? You can get plenty of XJs for 3-4K here.

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>>15345495
oh wait if your talking about jeeps then no those are pieces of shit

>>15345508
?? I own a Toyota pickup, my brother owns and XJ and my friend has been through 3 4runners, after all the bull shit I've been through working on all his 4runners and how little I've had to do to this XJ; I'm all for jeep over the Toyota.
Esp when it comes to working on the Toyota engines, I hate it.

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>>15345517
it's been the opposite for me

>>15345517
If his 4runners look anything like that shit you took from a junkyard no wonder there are problems.

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>>15345530
Tbqh I just really hate working on the Toyotas, those engines are packed too tightly into that engine bay and everything is a bitch to get to.
Recently had to replace the intake gasket on a 3.4, then later had to do the knock sensor pigtail, God damn it why didn't they do a better job of protecting that fucking pigtail.
Both of those require you to remove the upper and lower intake which is a major bitch.
I'm just fucking done working on those motors, everything on the jeep is easy to get to, less sensors to go wrong and fuck up, less emissions bullshit.
Everything is more basic and easier to work on.

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>>15345535
What shit I took from a junk yard??

>>15345550
>old picture
Show the beatup shit after you rammed it into a pole you lying faggot

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>>15345550
>what happens when a furfag touches a Toyota

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>>15345555
I didn't ram it into a pole, my dad did.
I'm fixing it right now actually, pulled the core support out and got a new bumper, hood, fenders, head lights and turn signals.
Pulled the core support out bout to bolt the new bits on.

>>15345562
>dad so disappointed in his son he tried to end it all

>>15345555
Aye quads

>>15345564
I've put a lot into this truck 2bh, rebuilt the engine, had it bored out, new head new weber carb, rebuilt the transmission, it's basically a new truck under the shitty body.
I still would rather have an XJ though.
I plan on converting it to fuel injection eventually because carbs are just shit.

>>15345569
>xj over a straight axle Toyota
Now I've heard it all.

>>15345579
All my friends drive Toyota, I drive Toyota, my brother got an XJ even though everybody wanted him to get a 4 runner, after working on it and off roading in it, I prefer it over all the Toyotas.
Sorry I'm not a brand fanboy tho.

>>15345589
K. Beat on an XJ and see what breaks. The engine is the only thing that's bulletproof. But hopping a few hills in a desert won't matter with either.

>>15345614
The ball joints on the 4Runner are a serious issue, I personally know 2 people who have had them fail.
Both of them have big dents under the driver door now from the truck falling on the wheel after it fell off.
So far nothing wrong with the XJ.

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>>15345626
Lol found a pic

>>15345626
>not replacing worn parts
>haha its junk

>>15345636
Google 4Runner ball joint failure and see what pops up, it's an extremely common issue.
What's hilarious is one of the people I know who it happened to, it literally happened a week after he replaced his ball joints.
He knew it was a known issue and replaced the parts and they still broke.
Read about them failing on the freeway too, that's good fun right there.

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>>15345639
They even had a recall on this, but even the brand new parts you put in will still break.

>>15344476
>Giant, clunky, plastic piece of shit

>only mall crawlers and soccer moms drive them

>worse visibility

>more electronic shit to break

the third gens have already stood the test of time, the oldest 3rd gens are now 20 years old and the aftermarket is still growing

>>15345289
>less reliable

youre dumb, sorry

>less efficient

who gives a flying fuck.

>>15345239

this thread is for an off-road specific vehicle. older is better is a very common sentiment around off roading communities because older vehicles are built stronger and more utilitarian, and people are less hesitant to take them on the trails. Newer vehicles, such as the JK wranglers and 5th gen 4runners are too new to wheel, and the 5th gen 4runners in particular are just waaaaayy to big. 4runners are supposed to be mid-size and agile.

>>15345636
could you possibly get btfo harder?

>>15345639
"extremely common"

[citation needed]

he probably used shitty moog joints instead of OEM


>>15345645

brand new OEM parts will not fucking break 1 week after unless they werent torqued or otherwise installed properly. its the idiots using shit NAPA parts cuz "m-muh warranty" who have it happen multiple times.

Even with OEM, its extremely common for them to last the entire life of the truck. Replacing them every 100,000 miles is an effective preventative measure.

>>15346745
>its the idiots using shit NAPA parts cuz "m-muh warranty" who have it happen multiple times.
[citation needed]

>Even with OEM, its extremely common for them to last the entire life of the truck.
[citation needed]

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>>15346735
This. Plus the older ones are way easier to work on. Only things that ever need replacing is the stuff that's 30 years old.

Replaced the original waterpump and alternator last month

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>>15345645
Shitty ball joins is a 3rd gen problem.

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>>15346759

I just preemptively replaced mine at 130k miles with new OEM Toyota units (made in Japan). The stock joints were still completely tight, but I was paranoid. The problem with this suspension design is that the balljoints are under tension rather than pressure. On many other vehicles, a loose joint will be heard long before it fails critically. On the 4Runner, the tension keeps noise or any hints of looseness to a minimum. On 3rd gen 4Runners, everything seems fine and then the wheel falls off. The typical failure is on lifted trucks with bigger tires whose owner neglected to change the original, 150k+ mile balljoints, and drive the trucks offroad. On daily driven on-road vehicles, the failures are very rare before 200k miles from what I've seen/heard. Some people who install cheap parts to infact see failures shortly after installation. I've never heard of a replacement OEM balljoint failing, short of some accident offroad.

>>15345396
earlier models yes, but I barely see any 07s anymore, much less men driving them

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Coming from a 3rd gen 4Runner owner, FJ80 Land Cruiser is the correct answer

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>>15348565

>More expensive to buy, to fuel, to repair

Frankly, for most people doing some overlanding stuff and just weekend camping type stuff, the LC80 is massive overkill. The 3rd gen does 95% of what the 80 can do, at about 60% of the overall cost.

Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to have an 80. They're all over the freaking place when I visit family in Siberia, and all I can do is seethe with rage.