Toyota Stalking, er...um, SPOTTING with Charlie™ (T4R Edition)!

@Running Man

Here’s another preview for ya...

A mint 2nd Gen with old school wheels accent-painted to match the color of the truck!

 

October 12th, 2019:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

A lifted 5th Gen Limited!


October 12th, 2019:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

October 13th, 2019:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

October 14th, 2019:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

@Running Man

Beautiful black SR5 with a 5-speed millennial anti-theft device!


October 16th, 2019:

Warminster, Pennsylvania

 

October 16th, 2019:

North Wales, Pennsylvania

 

1st Gens are hard to come by because the vast majority of those seem to have been used up the early 2000s. Most rusted and ended up being scrapped. However, I still see more 1st Gen T4Rs than 2nd Gens these days.

4th and 5th Gens are a dime a dozen in my area, so much so that I rarely take pictures of just any 2003-present T4R I see these days. Beige, silver, and white seem to, unfortunately, be the most popular colors on the 4th Gens, with black also being fairly common. 3rd Gens are still fairly common too, but nowhere near as common as the newer ones. When I see a 3rd Gen in a parking lot, I take pictures whenever possible. However, it would seem dull neutral colors were also popular on the 3rd Gen.

5th Gens are just as popular as the Prius in my area (Southeast Pennsylvania), even the TRD PRO! They are so popular that I rarely stop to take pictures anymore.

 

One of my theories as to why there are so few 3rd Gen T4Rs is the choice of engines. The 22RE was actually more reliable than the 3.0L V6 in my opinion, but wayyy underpowered for such a large vehicle, even with a 5-speed handshaker and low diff gearing. The 22RE is at least bulletproof.

The 3.0L did not offer much of an improvement in the way of power, again even in stick shift forum with lower gearing. On top of that, it had reliability issues.

My dad has always loved Toyotas, but two of the reasons he bought an S-10 Blazer instead of a T4R in 1993 were the engine and the price. The Blazer had a 200hp 4.3L V6 and was easily $5,000-$6,000 cheaper than a comparably equipped 4Runner. Also, the 4.3L isn’t known for munching head gaskets at 130K!

My dad really had his heart set on the the new-for-1996 3rd Gen T4R, specifically the Limited. However, the Limited had an MSRP of over thirty grand ($32K if I remember correctly), and no dealer within 50 miles of our house would sell below sticker. My dad ended up getting the also new-for-1996 Nissan Pathfinder below sticker, and not only was that Pathy a great vehicle, but it holds the record for longest time my parents ever kept a vehicle (purchased new in May 1996 and traded for my Tacoma in September 2009).

 

So my theory as to the lack of presence in the 2nd Gen community (at least in my area) consists of three things:

• A mediocre V6 that kept it from being competitive.
• High price tag for a loaded example.
• Toyota’s infamous rust issues.

 

That said, the 2nd Gen T4R is a good-looking rig in my opinion. The fit and finish, and overall build quality, is quite good (At least until rust sets in).

 

@El Duderino
@Mitch76
@Running Man
@Taco critter

Gold star (and a beer if we ever meet) for the person who finds the picture of the bright green, body-dropped, V8-powered 2nd Gen T4R in this thread (I’m too lazy to do so); Picture originally posted by @Navelfunk...

 

I wasnt tagged but... I like gold stars

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/charlies-t4r-pics.557903/page-4#post-18229833

 

November 9th, 2019:

Lahaska, Pennsylvania

 

November 2nd, 2019:

Perkasie, Pennsylvania

 

November 2nd, 2019:

Perkasie, Pennsylvania

 

November 2nd, 2019:

Perkasie, Pennsylvania

 

November 15th, 2019:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

very nice