First 4Runner/Toyota ever

Just got our first Toyota ever. We've been a Chevy family for quite a while, but my son turning 16 had me looking for something much higher on the reliability scale. We settled on a 4Runner.

Got him a black 2011 SR5 that is already tricked out how he likes it. Still have a couple things to do on it, but he loves it so far.

My wife insisted on the bow.

 

Congrats to your son!!! Welcome

 

Good choice - we've bought nothing but Toyotas for quite some time. Each time we look at the field with reliability being high on our list and we keep landing on Toyotas. I'm about a year and a half into the 4Runner experience and loving it.

 

Thank you

Once I landed on a 4Runner, I started to want one for myself too because of all the modifications that can be done. I drive a 2010 Chevy Avalanche so I'm more of a truck guy, but I will definitely be looking at Tundras when the time comes.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

welcome

 

Welcome! our family converted to Toyota from Chevy several years ago. Nice to be able to spend more time driving, than fixing.

 

You guys are great parents to buy your 16 y/o son something that nice. My parents helped me out with my first car also and I was blessed.

He must be a pretty good kid

 

Welcome!

 

We switched also from 20+ years of domestics: the kids each drive a corolla, one hatch, one sedan plus the 4R. Looking forward to the Tundra.

 

Congrats to your son, plus a official welcome to the forum.

 

Awesome lookin rig - welcome to the Toyota family and Forum---- my ENTIRE family structure (parents, aunts, uncles, me briefly and so on) worked for General Motors, many working there for 15+ years and several of them retiring from there with 30+ years. All working throughout different levels from assembly on the floor, supervising manufacturing, accounting, product engineering and so forth. ALL of them no longer drive General Motor vehicles - all drive Japanese brands - Toyota and Lexus being the most prevalent and some in Honda's and Acura along with Nissan......

 

Thats funny my Dad worked for Ford and we were always brand loyal. Around the time he retired my Mom got cancer and my Dad (non union) had his health care benefits revoked which at the time was part of their program. My Mom obviously had a pre existing condition fine and they scrambled to get insurance.

It was then I talked my Dad into looking at an Acura for a retirement car. He has not bought a Ford since.

I had an old Explorer I loved and paid to have a dealer fix many times but the dealer nor Ford stood behind repairs. Over $5k in repairs and they say Ford backs work done at a dealer for two years. I found out the hard way and even execs at Ford would not help me out. They just shuffle you to someone to do a dog and pony show.

So now I drive Honda and 4R.

I was raised in 80s to be loyal to Ford because they put bread on the table. But the took away promised benefits from my Dad and then I lost my loyalty. In addition they never stood behind their product.

Honda earned my respect when I had a piston slap and 5th cylinder went on a 7 yo Accord out of warranty. They replaced the whole engine and gave me a rental. That earned my respect. Ford or GM would never do that.

My friends tease me about driving “foreign cars” but the domestic name plates make just as much if not more over seas now. So what is “American”.

It’s really sort of sad the whole thing really especially growing up in the Motor City.

 

Man I'm so sorry about how your family had to endure that with your Mom. That sucks terribly - as if what you were going thru wasn't hard enough.
For my family it was ALWAYS brand loyalty also until they were not working there anymore and the switch was primarily because of quality and longevity of the products in comparison. I was the first convert, came home in a 1984 Honda Prelude I purchased after my Cutlass took an engine dump on me. They were not impressed at the time but came around later...
Same here on the 80's (born 1970). Damn how Miss music from those formative years

 

Yep it’s really sad for our generation. My brother in law comes from a Chrysler/Daimler family and they keep buying them, fixing them, and watching the depreciation keep adding up. He and I grew up together and he will never change. Oddly enough his Dad the Chrysler retiree recommend last year his daughter consider a Subaru. After 20 years of loyalty advised his own daughter against it.

Quality of domestic name plates has certainly improved but it still does not compare nor do residual values. We all have to make the best decisions we can.

My brother in law likes to say well I am missing out on the employee discount. I could get a Ford or GM discount from family. But in reality if you really shop it the discount it is nothing more than what the average Joe could negotiate pre pandemic anyway. I remember pricing out a Lincoln for my Dad when he retired. The A plan price versus a negotiated price on the same exact car were within $100. I called the dealer with a stock number my Dad got and asked for a price. He said no employee discount, I said nope no Ford connections and he gave a price $100 more than what he quoted my Dad. What a joke

I also tell him any money I saved on an employee discount will more than get sucked up on repairs and higher depreciation as well.

I will never say never to another Ford but is sadly unlikely. It’s ashame I used to be so loyal.

 

Welcome from Arizona!

 

What a nice gift! We made our daughter pay for half for her first car, so she definitely couldn't get the 4R... got a clean used Mazda 3 instead... which she loved. She went to a fairly wealthy beach school, so it was good to see her drive that car with pride! Now she's eyeing my 4runner. hahaha

 

Thanks for all the welcome wishes.

I've never been brand loyal to any vehicle manufacturer. Just so happened to like the vehicles Chevy was putting out at the time. I had a 2003 Chevy Avalanche for 255k miles. Sold it to a buddy and bought the 2010. It's now got 212k miles on it. Just put a new transmission into my wife's 2015 Tahoe at 125k miles. That has me soured a good bit on Chevy right now. I'm just so used to always be working on one of our vehicles. It almost doesn't seem right for his car to just sit there and not need me to do anything to it. Although I think the transfer case is leaking a little bit, but it's not too bad and I'll get around to it eventually...once I get a break from all the Chevy work.