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Yup, it's another Rubicon or 4Runner question

mwilk012

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Well, no matter what you’ll need a steel front bumper and winch, rear would be optional, realistically. You may want decent frame mounted sliders.

How big are the rocks you plan on crawling over? Are you planning on going to 37’s?
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8flat

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A Jeep becomes a mechanical member of the family. Everything else, no matter how reliable, is just another vehicle.:flag::jk:
Man this is SOOO true! One way I was able to justify the cost of a new JLUR is it can do double duty as our SUV (sorry guys), and I was telling my buddies if I spent the same money (or more) on a new SUV what do you have left at the end? A tired out old Tahoe that nobody wants and isn't good for shit. In 20yrs our kids will be so attached to this JL we'll probably keep it in the family for 2-3 generations and it can be restored a time or two because everyone loves them.
 

JDinSOCal

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Hi Jeep enthusiasts,

I have a question that I'd love your thoughts on—which should I buy: a new Rubicon JL or a used 4Runner Trail (2014-2016).

Yes, it one of those. BUT, I'm not here to incite a flame war. I'd like to tell you my specific needs, to get specific feedback to help make sure I get the best thing for what I want to do.

My 3 primary aims for this vehicle are: Off-roading, Rock crawling, and camping/hiking.

Context:
This will not be an everyday vehicle (I have a small Prius C banger for that—and while boring, is insanely reliable and has stupid-high gas mileage).
• This will not be a soccer mom, mall cruiser, or wishful thinking vehicle. I don't have kids (nor will I). Just my mrs and our dog who love the outdoors. So I want it to be functional, not just "look" functional. This will be exclusively for outdoor adventures (and maybe the occasional dog park).
• I plan on keeping this vehicle for a long time—adding mods as I go.

Why a Rubicon JL and 4Runner Trail?

From what I've seen and briefly experienced, the new Rubicons drive much nicer on the road, and have an interior (finally) that puts the 4Runner to shame. To me, the TRD Pro is pointless and overpriced. I can get a used Trail for around $27k, and spend $10-$12k on mods overtime that will give me an absolute beast of an off-roader. But that starts to creep up right around what a base Rubi goes for (since a used Rubi is still much more money) that gives me things like front and rear lockers, nicer interior, tires I'd actually want to use, and more. But even with that, I can build a used 4Runner Trail for cheaper than a new Rubi.

And here's a bit more for each aim—with a bit more context, too:

1. Off-roading:
I use to do a lot of off-roading with my first Toyota truck—mudding, fire roads, etc. We love to just get away and see different kinds of terrain. We like to do this a few times a month (weekends mostly). We'd be out all day doing this—so driving home has to be comfortable.

2. Rock crawling: I love to crawl. But I haven't done it for a while. So I need to walk, before I can crawl (that makes sense, right?). I won't be crawling every weekend. I'll upgrade things and do smaller crawls to get the hang of it again. This will be almost exclusively on weekends. And to start, maybe once a month. But the aim is to go several times a month as I get back into it.

3. Camping/Hiking: This kinda goes hand-in-hand with the other two. We love to hike. My mrs and I want to visit as many National Parks as we can. So this would mean driving long distances across the country. So it not only has to be reliable (yeah, I know most will say Toyota right away), but have the space to have a rooftop tent. or tow a small teardrop trailer instead. But when we get to these locations, we'll also want to off-road or crawl.

Questions are welcome. Your passion is encouraged. But let's keep it civil :)
Hi There!

I have a 2018 JLUR and a 2017 4Runner TRD. I would honestly say hands down the Jeep is far and away better vehicle. The creature comforts with the new JL take it to another level. The 4Runner tech is probably 10 years behind, yeah sure it has navigation and blue tooth but it's old tech. The 5spd trans is not comparable to the 8spd on the JL, which on longer trips will help on the gas mileage. The storage area when you fold the seats down is about the same, you get a little more with the 4Runner but not much. The 4Runner does feel more car like on pavement, but off road the Jeep is much better. As for towing you should be fine with a teardrop or a smaller trailer for either. Reliability, yeah sure the Toyotas are good but this is my 2 Wrangler and I have never had a single problem (knocking on wood), with my JL the first 2 years of oil changes are free and you get a pretty good warranty with it, I'm not sure you will get the same with a used Toyota. My 4Runner has Crawl Control and Rear locker, with 3.42 gears, JLUR has front and rear lockers and 4.10 gears. Then you have the after market to specialize your rig, I think the Jeep wins here again, there is so many companies out there the competition keeps the prices some what lower, I mean if you really look you can find deals. I am sure that I missed something but for your initial questions I think I covered them all.

Joe
 

8flat

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I don't see my 2019 Rubicon as having a nicer interior than my 2017 TRD Pro, nor as comfortable...but regardless, your intended use doesn't really require a comfortable interior. The Rubicon has endless exterior performance upgrades available. For your use I would think the TRD Trail would be subject to extensive body damage eventually if you are banging it around in the rocks, where as the Jeep might lose a fender (easily replaced). I believe the top options for the Jeep would provide more options, though a soft top might not stop a bear. Not sure why you need a new Jeep, other than the price of the older ones are outrageous. Then again the new JL's are pretty expensive compared to the JK's (more expensive options to check off)

As many have noted on these pages, if you plan to extensively modify your Jeep perhaps starting with a Sport and then spending mega bucks is the way to go.

And I find your comment that the TRD is overpriced with some amusement as my Rubicon was $59,400 and my TRD Pro was $42,679. And it still has a retail value over the MSRP 2 years later.
Wranglers top the lists of resale value retention, so I think it's going to be the better choice in this case.
https://www.kbb.com/new-cars/best-resale-value-awards/best-resale-top-10-cars/
 

@OUTDOORTREE

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OnlyOne

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OnlyOne

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Not to piss on your cornflakes, but lets get one thing straight.....while the 4runner is a good vehicle, especially for the overland crowd (whatever that means), even with all the mods, it isn't going to be as capable as a STOCK rubicon, let alone a modified one. The transmission in the 4runner is ancient. The interior of the 4runner at this point is similar to a well equipped piece of farm machinery. It's a dated platform, and it shows. To sum up, if you REALLY analyze them both carefully, you'll see that there is no comparison.
You’re kidding right. Nothing against the Toyota at all, but forget the Rubi the Runner isn’t even 1/4 capable as the the bottom of the line sport with open diffs. This isn’t even a comparison. I’m sure the 4 runner is nicer inside than the stock basic JL. But let’s not mince words.
 

mwilk012

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You’re kidding right. Nothing against the Toyota at all, but forget the Rubi the Runner isn’t even 1/4 capable as the the bottom of the line sport with open diffs. This isn’t even a comparison. I’m sure the 4 runner is nicer inside than the stock basic JL. But let’s not mince words.
Have you seen inside the 4Runner? They are as outdated as the JK.
 

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Wranglers top the lists of resale value retention, so I think it's going to be the better choice in this case.
https://www.kbb.com/new-cars/best-resale-value-awards/best-resale-top-10-cars/
Too generic of a comparison. A Sport Wrangler will hold a lot higher % of its MSRP than a loaded Rubicon. A TRD Pro will hold a lot higher % of its MSRP than an SR5. My 2 year old TRD Pro is still retailing for what its cost to me was. My 2 year old JK lost $10,000 in 30,000 miles. I found that acceptable. I imagine my loaded Rubicon will lose much higher %. You can't really compare any of them to the used value on a TRD Pro though. Well, I guess you can, but the used car market won't agree.

In this particular case, a used Toyota that has already depreciated will probably do significantly better than buying a new Rubicon. It's really apples and oranges when you compare a used TRD to a new Jeep.

But with that being said, I would buy the Jeep based on what he says he wants to do
 

mwilk012

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Too generic of a comparison. A Sport Wrangler will hold a lot higher % of its MSRP than a loaded Rubicon. A TRD Pro will hold a lot higher % of its MSRP than an SR5. My 2 year old TRD Pro is still retailing for what its cost to me was. My 2 year old JK lost $10,000 in 30,000 miles. I found that acceptable. I imagine my loaded Rubicon will lose much higher %. You can't really compare any of them to the used value on a TRD Pro though. Well, I guess you can, but the used car market won't agree.

In this particular case, a used Toyota that has already depreciated will probably do significantly better than buying a new Rubicon. It's really apples and oranges when you compare a used TRD to a new Jeep.

But with that being said, I would buy the Jeep based on what he says he wants to do
Not sure it's relevant, OP clearly intends on holding onto the thing for a while.
 
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jeep4runner

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Well, no matter what you’ll need a steel front bumper and winch, rear would be optional, realistically. You may want decent frame mounted sliders.

How big are the rocks you plan on crawling over? Are you planning on going to 37’s?
Great questions. I WOULD be getting hardcore front and rear bumpers (Pelfreybilt, C4 Fab, etc.) and sliders (RCI or Bud Built). As for tires, I'd probably stick with 33's (unless I decide to change out the front axle for a Dana and extend the wheel well space, then...maybe bigger).

As for rocks, I have no idea. I'm not stupid (debatable)—I wouldn't be going for insane rocks right away. I don't mind building up to bigger ones—both in experience and parts.
 

mwilk012

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The new 3rd gen dana 44 axles on the rubicon can absolutely handle larger tires out the door.
 

FPrice

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I just sold my 2004 4Runner V8, Icon suspension, total chaos UCA, Demellow sliders etc etc. Great vehicle but I always felt I was at the outer edge of its capabilities. I’ve taken it extensively through Baja and just discovered CO. The upgrades are expensive on the 4runner. BTW, Pelfrey went under with people’s money.

Upgraded to my Rubicon. No long off-road trips yet but I can already tell it was the right choice. I went up the same rocky trail on the way to Vegas for comparison of the 2 vehicles... 4runner would do the whole traction control thing, ( beeping and braking) on the 3 wheels etc. I didn’t even get a tire slip on the JL. Oh and 35’s on the 4runner will require new gears, axels, body mount chop, UCA, coil overs etc.
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