Possibly Trading for 4Runner

It’s ok. Someone else will appreciate your Tacoma

 

I appreciate the hell out of my truck. I just appreciate my wife and kids more. Maybe some say I’m crazy for having that philosophy, but oh well.

 

Happy wife equals happy life.

 

OP, I feel your pain. I had a 2005 SR5 Access Cab. Mint condition. Loved that truck. We only used it on the weekends. But with a wife, a kid, a dog and my wife wanting another dog not matter how much I tried to ignore it, it was just too uncomfortable. So we upgraded to a 2020 TRD Or. It is a great truck. But it is a bit tight as my kid gets bigger, the dog gets bigger and my wife wants to get another big dog. So I feel you !

You will do what is right by the wife. I totally get that having been happily married for 20 years Two thoughts:

1) Sit tight and wait to find out if she is pregnant with twins. No sense jumping the gun until you know. Congrats, by the way!

2) Decisions like this are best left to the boss, if you know what I mean. Take the current kid and the car seat to a Toyota dealer and have the boss sit in the current truck with the kid and car seat in place, then repeat with a Tundra (trust me, it is worth it), a 4Runner and toss in a Sequoia for good measure.

You will quickly be told what the right decision is for your family.

But seriously, best of luck to you !

 

hey op we have both. The Tacoma is less comfy and the 4runner is miles better interior wise and also comfort wise. For what it’s worth I’m close to selling my Tacoma and picking up a mega cab Cummins Laramie for 59k and calling it good lol. I’m sick of being crammed into Toyota vehicles right now. I love our 4runner but when you have tons of shit and gear and need to drive long distance I’m tempted to go full size.

 

They're both excellent vehicles. Off-road capability will be similar. Go drive a 4runner. You might love it!

 

Well, you could trade your wife and keep your truck....

 

I really appreciate it. Thanks for the advice.

 

@averagejp is spot on. If you have twins the 4runner is out. Screwing around with car seats even in our 4runner sucks I can’t imagine two.

 

Ha ... ! I can't say I disagree. It may be mini van or bust ! Or just go for broke and get the Land Cruiser. It will be the last car you ever own.

 

I guess it’s all about perspective. I went from an access cab Ford Ranger to a DCLB OR Tacoma once we had our second child. From what I was driving to this truck is way more spacious. I have a rear facing car seat and a booster seat in mine with no issues. My wife is 5’4” though, so I’m sure that helps. In the end, Happy Wife = Less Miserable life (I’m a realist, sorry). Man I think I would just find a way to buy the second vehicle and keep the Tacoma. I Love this truck!

 

The new Sienna is nearly out and I would 100% get it if my wife announced twins.

It's hybrid and has crazy mileage numbers on test reviews.

With twins you want auto close doors and they now have foot sensing closing.

 

We have a 9 month old and a 3 year old, and also have a 2017 4Runner Limited and a brand new 2021 Tacoma TRD OR double cab that I just bought. There are pluses and minuses with both. First, I have no problem fitting a rear facing and a forward facing seat in the back of my Taco. The rear facing takes up more space than the front facing, so I put it on the passenger side because I’m taller than my wife (I’m 6’ 0”). But unless your wife is 6 feet tall, there shouldn’t be an issue with her sitting on that side with the rear facing behind her. If your car seat now isn’t a great fit, I definitely wouldn’t sell a nice new Tacoma just to keep using a particular car seat when there are dozens of other car seats on the market that are just fine and safe and will fit fine.

A few other things to think about... The 4runner has 2-3 more inches of room in the back seat area, but again, I don’t find it necessary for car seats. The 4runner gets about 2 mpgs worse gas mileage than the Taco and the 4Runner noticeably slower than the Taco, especially in the acceleration dept. It’s a great family SUV, but it’s kind of a pig TBH. Some others have said the 4Runner shifts smoother and is more solid than their Taco, but I find them to be pretty equal in those areas. Maybe it varies from truck to truck, but my Taco feels as solid as can be.

We just drove 3 hours with the whole fam in the Taco to Thanksgiving and is was perfectly comfy. Loaded the back with all our stuff (under a tonneau cover and I have the OEM bed divider to keep things from sliding forward back there). All in all, I find the Taco is great for my family of 4, and so is the 4Runner. I love them both, but for when the fam is not with me, I prefer the Taco a lot more. When we bring the dog with us, we take the 4runner and he gets the cargo area and the back window open.

I took a couple pics for you of what the car seats look like in the Taco and also exactly how much room we have up front...

 

When I had 3 kids I could cram them all in it. Now 4 it doesn't work as easily. Only 3 are ready to go offroading for now.

LX570 is the new build for the entire family but there's less cargo room which would be the same consideration for a T4R as mentioned.

 

The more I read this thread, I get the feeling the op is just trying to justify to himself why it is ok to give up his truck because the wife said to, or this is just a really late Friday thread. I agree with a previous poster that it is crazy to get rid of a $40,000 truck over a $200 car seat. Something is off here.

 

HUGE THANKS. What’s the car seat you have behind the passenger? That may be the same Graco we have in my father in laws Ram 1500. I sincerely appreciate it. I’ll show this to my wife.

 

It would if he went with a lower trim SR5. His fully loaded TRD OR which it appears (prem, adv tech, LEDs) commands $38k trade in right now (ask me how I know) and are selling for $40-42k on used market with the COVID demand issue, new that truck would sticker for $44-46k, a new SR5 4Runner Premium can easily be had for $38-39k. But like you said probably not straight across for an OR Premium T4R.

 

Exactly, I've sat back there myself and like, f**k this shit sucks. Even my mom's JLU has more rear passenger room.

 

How’s the RAV4’s back seat leg room? Would you say more than an 11th gen Corolla? I’ll have to look into the Ravs.