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Post by Woody Williams on Jan 2, 2024 18:38:57 GMT -5
….And having a tough time. I had some great help from IndianJoe on here. The 4Runner looked great but we found out it was just a RWD. That won’t work.
Had a lead on one in Danville KY off if Facebook Marketplace, but something told me it just wasn’t right.
While doing searches I keep seeing Toyota Highlanders pop up. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of difference size wise than the 4Runnner. Almost identical in cargo area, which is important.
I have no belief that the Highlander would be as off road able as my old 4Runner, but like most folks 90+% of my driving is on the road.
Does anyone on here have any experience with the Highlander?
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Jan 2, 2024 19:26:32 GMT -5
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Post by deadeer on Jan 2, 2024 19:46:16 GMT -5
My wife has a 2011 Highlander. I will be taking it over as my work ride eventually. Its AWD and a very nice machine. It is only a unibody type chassis, whereas the 4runner is a frame like a pickup truck. Smaller V6 in the Highlander too, but you would never be underpowered. It is very strong. We have a hitch on ours, but never hauled our boat, just a hitch carrier. I wouldnt think it would have anywhere near the towing capacity of the 4runner, with unibody and independent rear suspension. All I can say is take one for a test drive to see if it works for you.
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Post by bill9068 on Jan 2, 2024 19:48:20 GMT -5
I’ve owned both a highlander and a forerunner. Forerunner was a 96, Highlander was a 2015. The forerunner is much more capable off-road, not sure about older Highlander models but a 2015 all wheel drive like we had I would not trust off-road.
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Post by Woody Williams on Jan 2, 2024 22:09:39 GMT -5
LCH, I did look at a couple local Lexus. One had been rode hard and put up wet and the other was nice, but it was black. This one was the nice one- www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/369550228894986/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A85cd633d-6616-41b9-8db7-6a0444804f54For some reason they did not appeal to me. Both had the 3rd row seats and I see them as a waste and something that cuts down on cargo space. They fold up somewhat out of the way but still take up room. One thing I sure did not care for was the swinging hinged back door instead the raised door like the 4Runner. Might be a fall back if I cant find what I want in the 4Runner. My main desires are a grey or silver. I don't like white, red or black and certainly not the gold. Has to be 4WD and a V6. Not particular on SR5 or Limited.. although the Limiteds are nice. Not real particular on which generation. I really liked my 1999, but to get one in that condition and low miles is super tough. I'd like to keep the miles at 200,000 or less. I really don't "need" one until close to turkey season. The Highlander is just another fall back option I'm looking at so I just wanted some opinions on them. No better place to come with a question than to H-I! |
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Post by esshup on Jan 3, 2024 0:36:03 GMT -5
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Post by beermaker on Jan 3, 2024 6:28:10 GMT -5
My brother is particular beyond reason about vehicles. He drives a used Highlander and said he will give it to his daughter in a few years and buy himself another one. That's a real testament for me.
We have had two Lexus cars and did not spend a dime on either for repairs. My wife drove them both to about 150K miles.
I don't think Toyota quality can be questioned by too many people. As far as "off-road" capability? I've always thought that if you truly need anything beyond normal 4wd, you are probably somewhere that you shouldn't be to begin with.
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Post by indianajoe on Jan 3, 2024 7:02:49 GMT -5
I had a highlander. it was a great car but not made for off road. like others said plenty of power, roomy, comfortable, reliable. not made for offroad use
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Post by Woody Williams on Jan 3, 2024 9:05:29 GMT -5
I appreciate all the good advice. I really don’t do “off roading” through a bunch of wallers or mud. One place I’d have to drive to pick up a dead one IF I killed a section of my ground would be across a ditch. Easily crossed with my 4Runner. Not sure about a Highlander.
Esshup,
I have been shying away from the salt belt 4Runners. In my search on a Facebook group I’ve seen a lot of great looking 4Runners that the frame is completely ate up with rust and the seller is selling it for parts. The ones I’ve been interested in I’ve asked for pictures of the undercarriage and frame. I asked the one seller how much rust the truck had and he posted back “not much”. Not a good answer and I wrote that one off.
The one IndianJoe was helping me in had the cleanest frame I’ve seen. Too bad it was a RWD.
If I come across any more in Indiana I might ask one of you (that’s close) to check it out for me.
Thanks guys..
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Post by deadeer on Jan 3, 2024 9:42:14 GMT -5
If you can see any rust, it's too much! It will only be 10 times worse underneath where you cant see!
Where we live in the NW, they treat the roads with a beet juice solution. They pretreat long before a weather event shows up. I have had to junk several cars and trucks over the last 20+ years from the frames literally rusting in half. The outer body still looks fine, but the undercarriage gets trashed. Frames, mounts, gas tanks, fuel lines, and brake lines just rot to nothing. I've always washed the cars body, which still look good. With my newest truck, I'm doing a commercial car wash program religiously to try and help the longevity. It is heavily undecorated throughout, plus I'm giving it a little bath with some fossil fuel "rust preventative" where needed. 😉 Will see how it holds up.
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Post by Woody Williams on Jan 3, 2024 10:49:31 GMT -5
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Post by esshup on Jan 3, 2024 11:35:55 GMT -5
The problem with undercoating a used truck is that if there is ANY rust underneath, all you will do is seal that rust inside and allow it to work where it isn't visible. You have to use a product that turns any rust into a compound that doesn't attack the parent metal any more, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_converter THEN apply something that keeps moisture and O2 from getting to the steel to convert more of the steel to rust. i.e. a rust preventer. Let Deadeer tell you about how fast a good looking frame/undercarriage will go to heck with the super corrosive beet juice that they use now and how much faster it works on steel than them just using salt like they did 10-15 years ago. Like he said earlier, it's not just the frame. It's the brake lines, belly pan, etc., etc. With the big push for better fuel economy one thing that helps is to reduce weight of the vehicle so less energy is needed to get it rolling (and stopping). So that means thinner steel, smaller brakes, thinner brake line brackets, and so on, and so on. When a vehicle starts to rust there is less parent material now to hold it together so it falls apart even quicker. Dad would keep a vehicle 10-12 years and then get a new one. He'd buy a brand new vehicle and take it to Zebart right from the dealer. He wouldn't pick it up if it was raining out or if there was snow on the road. He didn't have rust issues even though we lived in the middle of the rust belt. Unless these rustproofing companies will give you a lifetime warranty that covers replacing the parts that rust out, NOT just your money back if it rusts, I'd shy away from them - this is in regards to getting a used vehicle rustproofed. I bought a 1986 GMC Suburban in 1988 or '89. Got it from a guy that worked at GM in Detroit. He ran the truck through their rustproofing line and had the guys give it an "extra" coat. Whenever it got hot out for the next 4-5 years I had rustproofing dripping off of the truck on the driveway. It wasn't the black tarry stuff, it was a tan colored waxy coating. I never had rust problems with the truck. |
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Post by deadeer on Jan 3, 2024 12:23:40 GMT -5
We use(d) that waxy stuff at work on new trucks. It was with the last company, so only 4 years worth. Not enough time to see the benefits. We always wanted to spray our personsl stuff. But the company wouldnt let us, even if we paid for the material and did it on our own time.
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Post by Woody Williams on Jan 7, 2024 21:34:01 GMT -5
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Post by esshup on Jan 7, 2024 21:59:58 GMT -5
That will work, BUT you have to coat everything, even inside the square box frame rails, then you somehow have to protect it from being sandblasted off the steel by rocks/sand/dirt as you go down the road. Undercoating is soft and forgiving, so stuff bounces off. |
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Post by Woody Williams on Jan 7, 2024 23:14:49 GMT -5
That will work, BUT you have to coat everything, even inside the square box frame rails, then you somehow have to protect it from being sandblasted off the steel by rocks/sand/dirt as you go down the road. Undercoating is soft and forgiving, so stuff bounces off. OK... at my age if I get another 5 years out of it I'm probably home free! |
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Post by esshup on Jan 7, 2024 23:58:46 GMT -5
That will work, BUT you have to coat everything, even inside the square box frame rails, then you somehow have to protect it from being sandblasted off the steel by rocks/sand/dirt as you go down the road. Undercoating is soft and forgiving, so stuff bounces off. OK... at my age if I get another 5 years out of it I'm probably home free! Lets see what everybody else says about that vs something else. Here's something to read to help you make a decision on which way to go, or to do nothing. garage.eastwood.com/2015/09/19/encapsulator-vs-converter/ |
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Post by Woody Williams on Jan 8, 2024 16:40:04 GMT -5
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Post by greghopper on Jan 8, 2024 17:01:00 GMT -5
Mileage?…. Hmmm
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Post by Woody Williams on Jan 8, 2024 17:19:16 GMT -5
I had not noticed that. I was asking about the weld on the frame. Is that an add on repair? Dealer says the frame has never been repaired and the frame is clean. I went to their site and the truck has 431,986 miles on it! 😳 No wonder it’s low priced. Hard pass. |
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