New Tacoma or 4 Runner

Has anyone purchased a new Tacoma or 4 Runner lately? I know both are in short supply. I have another little one on the way and need more room so I am considering switching from a Tacoma to a 4 Runner. I am wanting a Trail Edition, and they are very difficult to find. The only one I’ve found is 3 hours away, and still in transit to the dealership. They assured me they would not be adjusting the listed price up or down. My worry is they’ll add to the price since there is such short supply. Has gone to purchase anything new and been hit with a much higher price than stated (outside of taxes and normal dealer fees)? I don’t want to drive 3 hours and work up a pre purchase if the price is going to be jacked up when I get there.

 

Idk...it may be a test of your faith in humanity--and an unfamiliar sales person. How crowded will adding another child car seat in the back would be exactly?

 

We have both a 2019 4Runner and a 2017 Tacoma. The 4Runner is an SR5 and not a trail edition but we love them both. It really just depends on your needs. We use our Tacoma far more as it is more practical for our needs. I'm not sure if there's anything specific you're looking for.

Also, if they do jack up the price just show them the ad you found for it. We still managed to get about $1300 off our 4Runner by driving 2 hours to get it despite the advertised price being the 2nd cheapest in the entire country (the other being across the country and only $100 less than this was advertised for). I know times are a little different now but the fact is this was also the end of the year and they knew they had the only new base model (exactly what we were looking for) and the cheapest within 1800 or so miles but still negotiated with us anyway.

 

"New Tacoma or 4 Rubber"

At my age I'll just choose the new Tacoma. There were many times in my youth that I would have chosen the 4 rubber date.

 

Well you have a truck, so why not try it?
If it still doesn't fit your needs, trade it in when the market cools. I get resale is high, but if you're not selling off or downsizing, you're going backwards.

 

I guess my question is, do you actually need a truck?

I use my truck bed all the time for yard supplies, beach trips, etc. Putting all that dirty stuff in the back of a new SUV isn’t optimal (although I know people do it).

My 4 door works well with 2 kids, and I’m replacing my 2010 with a 2021, same 4 door configuration.

On the other hand, if you really need a family mover with space for all the crap kids require on family road trips, you need an SUV.

We test drove a 4Runner, but ultimately bought a Honda Pilot Elite for my wife. The Pilot is roomier, less noisy, and offers way more features than the 4Runner. Plus, the full time AWD on the Pilot is much simpler for my wife than having to manually engage 4WD.

If you are heavily into camping and off roading, the 4Runner is the way to go, but for on road family duty, there are probably better choices.

 

Same here. Not sure what the resale is on a 4 rubber either... Tacoma all the way.

 

I've heard of doubling up but not having to use 4 rubbers!

 

I went through the same decision process in May when I bought my Tacoma. Our situation is much different though. We are older empty nesters who married off all our kids We had a Rav4 that I drove and a Prius that my wife still drives. Back in December I got a Honda Goldwing after selling my Harley and being bike-less for 2 years, and I wanted something that could tow the bike on a uHaul motorcycle trailer (well under 3,000 lbs with gear). The Rav wasn't going to cut it for towing. I'd had full size pickups before and knew I didn't need that much truck, and I knew that either the Tacoma or the 4Runner would do the job. Both vehicles were more than comfortable enough for the 2 of us. In the end the Tacoma won out because it was the less expensive option, did what we needed it to do, and gave us the flexibility of having a solution for those times every couple of months I'd find myself saying "damn, I wish I had a truck right now!" No regrets going the way we did.

 

My wife bought a 2021 4Runner 9 months ago. Got it for a good price. Fair bit under MSRP. I have a Tacoma Pro coming in a few months. Will be just under MSRP. At this point in time that's a relatively good deal.

As for your 4Runner vs Tacoma question:
The 4Runner is definitely more of a "family" vehicle. Lots of cabin space. If I had to chose between just a truck or an SUV for family duty I'd go for the SUV.

I almost went through with buying a Bronco this year as well....So we'd end up having two SUVs. That would have been ok to deal with. Probably would have bought a trailer so I could still do truck stuff. But at the end of the day I figured I should actually just buy another truck.

Basically it boils down to how often you need a truck for truck stuff. A trailer is a fine replacement if you need it once or twice a month but if you need it daily it becomes a hassle.

Not sure if that's helpful. Ha. Just my situation. Yours may be different.

 

It will fit, but I think it will be pretty tight. My oldest child is forward facing in a Diono so that’s no problem. I’m afraid the rear facing seat will compromise some front seat room. I’m 6’4 and my seat is all the way back already. I think we’ll probably give it a shot and then go from there rather than impulsively buying a new vehicle. We have until early next year before our baby is due.

 

I would love to have both, but at the moment we need at least one fuel efficient vehicle so unfortunately I would have to sacrifice my truck for now. I’ll get another Tacoma eventually if I decide to trade this one.

Thanks for the info! It’s good to know there are dealerships not totally exploiting the high demand situation we’re in.

 

Just purchased a 2021 4Runner OR Premium for my wife. Supply was limited here in San Diego. Went to 5 dealers in the morning and all were asking about $1K over MSRP i.e. $49K. Decided to go back to the nearest dealer in the afternoon to make the purchase. They had changed the sticker and added another $5K since the AM citing market adjustment. I walked away and called 3 more dealers in the area and they had each done the exact some thing (clearly no collusion). I kept calling increasing the circle and found a dealer willing to sell me one at $49.5K if I could get there before closing. Needless to say - we hightailed it down to the dealer. Good luck.

 

4Runners have pretty good resale. I'd go for the 4Runner, if I had to deal with kids in the backseat. If he needs something hauled, he can always put a hitch in the receiver and use a trailer.

 

Might take a peak at the Lexus GX460. If you're not going too far into the wild with offroading, this is a great street and medium duty off road SUV.
V8 with full time 4WD and great comfort features.
Figure about $10,000 more than a well equipped 4Runner Venture Edition.

 

I do use my truck bed quite often and it is very handy. I have always wanted to try a 4 runner, especially the 5th gen, but you make some valid points. I know the ride will be less smooth than any of the other comparable SUVs, but I like the rugged look and off road capabilities of the 4 runner vs others. Thank you for the input!

 

Thanks. I’ll check it out. I’ve been regretting not getting the Tacoma in cement. The 4 runner we want is cement, but super hard to find. Nice truck BTW.

 

Wow! I’m worried about a similar situation taking place. Especially since practically every 4 runner around me is still “in transit”

 

Why not get a Tundra? More room plus you keep the truck bed

 

That’s definitely helpful. I have a trailer, and might actually use my truck for “truck duties” 5 times a month or less so it shouldn’t be an issue. I’ll have another Tacoma when it’s more practical, but it may be 2-3 years down the road. Congrats on the new Pro, beautiful trucks! Thanks for the input!