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My first 4Runner

Hey Everyone,

I've driven nothing but Toyotas for the last 25 years and finally decided to trade in the old corolla, which had 200K miles on it. I decided to splurge and picked up a mint 2001 sr5 4Runner, gas prices be damned (I get 24 - 26 mpg highway, which isn't bad). My question is, what kind of maintenance prices am I looking at now for things like brake pads, oil change etc? And does the 4runner require more maintenance than the average auto? I do 3/4 highway 1/4 city driving with no off the road (yet). Thanks.

Reply to
jeff a
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Oil changes should cost the same as you are used to paying. The oil change shops do not adjust prices because the vehicle is a micromini or a land yacht. They do adjust for 5 or 6 quarts though ...

No, a truck does not require more maintenance than a car. The maintenance demand is set by the usage. Your 4Runner does weigh more, so you may see higher brake wear depending on your driving style. It's entirely possible that you will see no difference in driving your Corolla or your 4Runner, beyond the obvious difference of size and distance from the roadway.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Although I don't have a 4runner, I maintain both a Tacoma and a Corolla. I find that even though the components are stouter and heavier in the Taco, it is slightly easier to work on - more room and better access.

In some cases, parts for the truck are more expensive than the sedan, e.g. tires. In other cases there isn't a lot of difference.

Maintenance is about the same - perhaps more grease fittings in the truck.

-- Mike Harris Austin, TX

Reply to
Mike Harris

Thanks for the replies. I'd like to start doing some of my on work on vehicles again but I haven't popped a hood in 20 years and 15 years of working on computers doesn't add a lot of mechanical skill. I really love the 4Runner but the part of me that has a social conscience says, "you should have gotten something smaller". Maybe during the winter it will earn it's keep.

Reply to
jeff a

I really

Jeff,

If we never use up all of that cheap gasoline, we'll never get anything better. You're doing your part to make our children's world a better place!

The difference in the resources that you consume driving "something smaller" and driving your 4Runner are negligible, especially considering the infrastructure needed to build and support cars in general - roads, factories, refineries, etc. - not to mention the vast quantities of energy and resources needed to support the infrastructure itself. Those who get the "warm fuzzies" by saving a couple of thousand gallons of gas over the life of the vehicle seem to overlook this.

Unless you're prepared to live a car-free lifestyle (with the huge investment in time and effort that it would require), what you drive is pretty much irrelevant.

My two cents...

-- Mike Harris Austin, TX

Reply to
Mike Harris

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