1999/2000 4Runner vs. 2003/2004 Explorer XLT

4 Runner hands down.

newer explorers are having tranny and differential problems, and there is no way to know if you are buying one that will have problems.

There is a reason they are referred to as Exploders

Aside from the fact that you're trying to compare apples and oranges.... Job

2 Explorers in our area have been relatively trouble free.... There are NO 4Runners in our area....

Interesting point.... Fords concerns seem to be well known.... kinda like saying "we know there is a concern and we ae working to a resolution...." unlike other marques that downplay just about anything.

Good luck with your decision.....

Hello Jim, I would like to know when the job 2 Explorers started ? Just in case I get lucky and and upgrade my 2000 Explorer!

regards, Bill

I faced a similar dilemna and picked a 2002 Explorer. Although Toyota as a brand still owns the overall 'quality' crown, the gap between North American and Japanese has narrowed substantially over the past few years.

A few things to note:

1. starting with the 2002 model year the Explorer has better crash test and safety ratings than a 4Runner according to the NHTSA.
2. Explorers depreciate more quickly (north american, # on the road) so you'll get more truck for your $ if buying used.
3. Any differences in fuel economy between 4Runner and Explorer will be made up for in savings for insurance (YMMV).

In the end I got a 2002 Explorer XLT fully loaded w/ 80k km, with an extended warranty (3 years) since it was coming off of lease, for several thousand less than the average price of a 2000 4Runner. I bought the ext warranty out of fear of murphy's law, but haven't needed it within the first 6 months.

IIRC, job 2 was about midyear 02.... memory may fail me as our diesel sales have skyrocketed and I almost forget what a spark plug looks like. My hoist lifts 27,000 pounds so it is rare for me to work on anything smaller than an F350.

resolution...."

My daughter looked at buying a 98 or 99 4-Runner 2 years ago and the dealer was just way too proud of it. Way too many miles and wanted much more than retail. She ended up buying a 2000 Grand Cherokee with half the miles for less money. Her car has been about as reliable as my 2000 Explorer XLT was. I bought it with 25k miles on it and just traded for a new Sport Trac with

78k miles. The only problems I had were drivers power lock broke and back door latch on inside broke. 17 mpg city and 22 mpg hwy.

Three years ago I bought a 89 S-10 with 144K on it. Since then I spent about $1300 on repairs, mostly on front end repair because I just can't stand worn parts and put another 15K on it. A friend of mine bought a 94 4Runner with 110K on it less then a year ago for around $5000. Since that time, and in about 6000 miles, he's put $3500 into it for repairs. He keeps buying Toyotas and he keeps sinking big bucks like this into them. One of his earlier purchases went thru 3 motors in 10K miles. The last good Toyota he got was back in 1980 but he just keep buying them. He did buy a Chevy Astro van, which he put about 70K miles on and spent basically nothing on repairs but that seems to have not registered with him.