Convert me to Toyota !! please, advice needed

[Knottingmoof]

Hi There, newb here and not yet a Toyota owner.
Wife and I with new child are in desperate search for a reliable used Mid-size SUV. We've been debating between the Pilot, Outlander, Santa Fe and of course the Highlander.

We want Japanese reliability - our current GM SAAB is a real lemon and we need an A/4WD car thats not in the shop every 6 weeks.

Never being Toyota owners, we're skeptical with recent quality control issues..although we understand its mostly Media-hyped nonsense.

Are Toyota's, specifically the Highlander as rock solid as the well-known rumors claim? I know at the end of the day its the luck of the draw and I don't mind the odd repair as long as it doesn't come back.

Consumer Reports praise the vehicles we're looking at but it seems fairly Japanese biased.

Cheers,
newbie.

[bawazir_chicago]

Originally Posted by Knottingmoof

Hi There, newb here and not yet a Toyota owner.
Wife and I with new child are in desperate search for a reliable used Mid-size SUV. We've been debating between the Pilot, Outlander, Santa Fe and of course the Highlander.

We want Japanese reliability - our current GM SAAB is a real lemon and we need an A/4WD car thats not in the shop every 6 weeks.

Never being Toyota owners, we're skeptical with recent quality control issues..although we understand its mostly Media-hyped nonsense.

Are Toyota's, specifically the Highlander as rock solid as the well-known rumors claim? I know at the end of the day its the luck of the draw and I don't mind the odd repair as long as it doesn't come back.

Consumer Reports praise the vehicles we're looking at but it seems fairly Japanese biased.

Cheers,
newbie.

Make sure you go with a Japanese made , the vin # start with a J meaning there made in japan, if i was u i go with a 06 and up toyota 4 runner, theyll go over 200000 no problem,
do some search on a 4 runner, U'll be happy

[Knottingmoof]

Yep, thanks I always look for the 'J' in the VIN.

As for the 4Runner, did I mention this was for my wife? She'll be moving up from a Nissan Sentra and gets frightened when she stands beside a RAV4, so getting her into the thought process of a Highlander was tough enough. I considered a 4Runner several times, but its definitely more of a truck and will be too big for our needs.
I do appreciate the fact that Toyota has done most things right with the 4Runner and friends who have owned them swear by 'em.

Thanks for the reply.

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by Knottingmoof

Hi There, newb here and not yet a Toyota owner.
Wife and I with new child are in desperate search for a reliable used Mid-size SUV. We've been debating between the Pilot, Outlander, Santa Fe and of course the Highlander.

We want Japanese reliability - our current GM SAAB is a real lemon and we need an A/4WD car thats not in the shop every 6 weeks.

Never being Toyota owners, we're skeptical with recent quality control issues..although we understand its mostly Media-hyped nonsense.

Are Toyota's, specifically the Highlander as rock solid as the well-known rumors claim? I know at the end of the day its the luck of the draw and I don't mind the odd repair as long as it doesn't come back.

Consumer Reports praise the vehicles we're looking at but it seems fairly Japanese biased.

Cheers,
newbie.

Hello, and welcome to Toyota Nation!

As an owner for 2 1/2 years now of a Highlander I can attest to it being a fantastic mid-sized SUV. I travel into deep back-country on a regular basis and reliability is my #1 priority, and I get that from my Highlander. Among its strengths are excellent fuel mileage for its class of SUV (I average 19/20 city and 27/28 highway), excellent AWD/4WD capabilities, and a very comfortable interior for long road trips. The only negative I'd offer is the Highlander is notorious among owners for developing squeaks and rattles in the interior, particularly around the windshield which often have to be shimmed to get the rattles to stop. The big question is would I buy this vehicle again? The answer is yes! If you have any specific questions about the Highlander I'd be happy to answer them. One additional thing. I noticed in your 1st Gen Highlander forum thread that you were considering an earlier model, and I'd suggest the 2nd Gen models as many owner have found the extra interior room to be more agreeable with small children.

[Knottingmoof]

Originally Posted by TrailDust

Hello, and welcome to Toyota Nation!

As an owner for 2 1/2 years now of a Highlander I can attest to it being a fantastic mid-sized SUV. I travel into deep back-country on a regular basis and reliability is my #1 priority, and I get that from my Highlander. Among its strengths are excellent fuel mileage for its class of SUV (I average 19/20 city and 27/28 highway), excellent AWD/4WD capabilities, and a very comfortable interior for long road trips. The only negative I'd offer is the Highlander is notorious among owners for developing squeaks and rattles in the interior, particularly around the windshield which often have to be shimmed to get the rattles to stop. The big question is would I buy this vehicle again? The answer is yes! If you have any specific questions about the Highlander I'd be happy to answer them. One additional thing. I noticed in your 1st Gen Highlander forum thread that you were considering an earlier model, and I'd suggest the 2nd Gen models as many owner have found the extra interior room to be more agreeable with small children.

Awesome summary and point of view on the reliability in the back-country. I think I'm narrowing down the choice to Toyota. I'd like to know if there's anything specific to look for in 2005 or 2006 model years. We want side impact airbags which was an option in those years but it turns out most of the vehicles I've looked at have them. Otherwise, the 2005 pre-owned prices are better obviously. ..
Thanks again.

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by Knottingmoof

Awesome summary and point of view on the reliability in the back-country. I think I'm narrowing down the choice to Toyota. I'd like to know if there's anything specific to look for in 2005 or 2006 model years. We want side impact airbags which was an option in those years but it turns out most of the vehicles I've looked at have them. Otherwise, the 2005 pre-owned prices are better obviously. ..
Thanks again.

I guess that depends on what your primary needs are. Even with one child many owners who switched up to the 2nd Gen Highlanders were much happier with the increase in interior space. Still, 1st Gen pre-owned HLs are hard to beat on price. IMO, when it comes to reliability you generally can't go wrong with Toyota, Honda, or Nissan. Sure, there have been some problem vehicles which every manufacturer has, but on the whole their vehicles are very reliable. I can attest to the reliability of the Highlander for sure.

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Traildust has given you some great advice. When I was looking for a new truck, I drove both a Frontier and a Tacoma. They both drove nice, but there was just something about the Toyota that made them stand above the other. After further research I found that Toyota's will also hold their value the best. I never plan on selling my truck and will probably get 300k out of it with nothing more than normal maintenance. I put my faith and money on Toyota's reliability and I have zero regrets! Get the Highlander! You won't regret it!