Automobiles

[j44ke]

Spent the weekend driving the V60 up to and around the Catskills and back. If you are tall and bony, this is a car you should test drive. And the handling is terrific, very smooth, predictable, kind to passengers. And we averaged 30mpg for a combination of stop and go and highway driving with some mountains and four passengers plus junk.

[NYCfixie]

Spent the weekend driving the V60 up to and around the Catskills and back. If you are tall and bony, this is a car you should test drive. And the handling is terrific, very smooth, predictable, kind to passengers. And we averaged 30mpg for a combination of stop and go and highway driving with some mountains and four passengers plus junk.

I am short and not bony but I too loved my S60. Unfortunately, the move to Boston downsized us to 1 car and we kept the Subaru Outback. This generation of S/V60 starting in 2012 has the best front seats ever of any car I have ever driven. One of the many reasons we originally bought it over BMW, Audi, Mini, and a few other brands we test drove.

Does your model have the engine-auto-stop? Is it 5 or 4 cylinder turbo? My younger brother was amazed at how much gas was saved when he went from a 2012 (no engine stop) to a 2016 (with engine stop) model S60 but I think the motor went from 5 to 4 cylinders.

[j44ke]

Engine stop and 5 cylinder. I picked the car on the basis of its seats. As UN Ambassador in this family of two people, I am glad I was able to push the negotiations in a direction that was mutually agreeable for all of us.

Edit: No sorry - 4 cylinder. It is all running together now. And like I said I bought it for the seats. And the mileage.

[NYCfixie]

Engine stop and 5 cylinder. I picked the car on the basis of its seats. As UN Ambassador in this family of two people, I am glad I was able to push the negotiations in a direction that was mutually agreeable for all of us.

Edit: No sorry - 4 cylinder. It is all running together now. And like I said I bought it for the seats. And the mileage.

I really hope you enjoy it.

When I bought my 2012 S60 the only way to get AWD was to also purchase the 6 cylinder motor which added several thousand dollars and was not worth it. A good set of snow tires is the same if not better with that car. I had the FWD, 5 cylinder turbo, no auto stop model and while it was fast as hell (for a heavy car) the MPG sucked even when I was being really careful (60MPH in the right hand lane on the highway). With the newer 4 cylinder models the claimed MPG is actually what you get from what I have been told.

Be mindful of the auto-brake. It scared the heck out of me the first time it activated. I guess the Swedes (and Chinese) did not account for NYC area "yielding" and "merging" at the Lincoln Tunnel when they programmed that feature.

[Matthew Strongin]

Be mindful of the auto-brake. It scared the heck out of me the first time it activated. I guess the Swedes (and Chinese) did not account for NYC area "yielding" and "merging" at the Lincoln Tunnel when they programmed that feature.

My wife's Jeep got me with this for the first time the other day. I was pulling off the highway and someone snuck in between me and the car in front of me...very typical Miami driving. An alarm went off and the brakes engaged and it scare the shit out of me. I now love everything about the truck with one exception.

[j44ke]

Need to review the manual this weekend when we'll be out of town and I can try things in the church parking lot. I was fumbling around for the high beams last weekend until I realized they were automatic on/off. Same with the rear view mirror - auto dimming. Nice. Now if I can just find where they put the window cranks....

[NYCfixie]

Need to review the manual this weekend when we'll be out of town and I can try things in the church parking lot. I was fumbling around for the high beams last weekend until I realized they were automatic on/off. Same with the rear view mirror - auto dimming. Nice. Now if I can just find where they put the window cranks....

Don't forget the driver and passenger mirrors that move down when you are in reverse. The garage guys in NYC asked me to turn it off because it was screwing them up. Apparently they are much better at parking by "feel" which led to a few dents in my otherwise very well cared for S60.

[robin3mj]

Assuming no surprises when my local mechanic looks at it, I'll be driving a 3rd gen 4Runner this time next week.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

[Too Tall]

Assuming no surprises when my local mechanic looks at it, I'll be driving a 3rd gen 4Runner this time next week.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Welcome to the club brother. Awesome vehicle.

[deano]

Assuming no surprises when my local mechanic looks at it, I'll be driving a 3rd gen 4Runner this time next week.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Welcome to the club brother. Awesome vehicle.

We're about to turn in our TDI and I'm seriously thinking about looking for one of these. I had a Toyota Pickup way back when & that was amazing. Gen. 3 4runners are obviously newer than that was and it seems like they can be had with 100k or under if you're lucky. The clearance, the back window, the seating arrangement/cargo capacity, all awesome.

How practical would you'n's say it truly is to have one of these as "the family car"??

Wondering same about late 90s/early 2000s Landcruiser. I'd jump on a situation like that in a heartbeat - but my wife's going to be the primary driver and I love her a lot and don't want to put her in a headache of a car.

[robin3mj]

We're about to turn in our TDI and I'm seriously thinking about looking for one of these. I had a Toyota Pickup way back when & that was amazing. Gen. 3 4runners are obviously newer than that was and it seems like they can be had with 100k or under if you're lucky. The clearance, the back window, the seating arrangement/cargo capacity, all awesome.

How practical would you'n's say it truly is to have one of these as "the family car"??

Wondering same about late 90s/early 2000s Landcruiser. I'd jump on a situation like that in a heartbeat - but my wife's going to be the primary driver and I love her a lot and don't want to put her in a headache of a car.

Honestly, for a daily driver, I’d be more inclined to go 4th Gen. If you can find a 3rd Gen with under 100K miles, you’re finding a needle in a haystack.

For my purposes, I want something cheap, reliable, and inexpensive to fix- whose purpose is to get me to work (or partially to work when I drive/bike combo) to the tune of about 3,000 miles/year. No highways. Don’t care about super cold A/C, etc. This is really so our minivan can be at home with the nanny and 3 small kids more than anything else.

My brother has been driving a ~2005 4Runner for years, and its significantly more modern feeling than the late 90’s versions. (They also recently traded in his ’86 Landcruiser for a ’14 4Runner on the news of child #2 arriving, so you can see how bought in my family is becoming on Toyotas- in addition to our Sienna and the Scion that my sister cannot kill.) Also, LATCH attachments for car seats weren’t mandatory until ~2003, if that matters.

I like the looks of the 3rd Gens better FWIW, but overall was looking for any generation in my price range that seemed well taken care of.

[sailor]

I had a third gen for a year and sold it due to lack of headroom. I also think it wasn't very good in the snow compared to our subaru or bmw awds. They have a lot of space inside for the size, but are easy to roll and I can't imagine they do well in a crash compared to something newer. If I wanted a reliable wheeling rig I would consider another one, but can't imagine going back when I don't drive anything worse than a gravel road.

[j44ke]

I think just from roll-over potential any of the truck-based SUVs would be horrible family cars. If you live some place where you need all-wheel traction at times, check out the Volvo XC60. We thought about it, but it was more expensive than we wanted to go and got worse gas mileage and we don't have kids. But it is a nice car, Volvo leases a ton of them, and then takes them back after 2-3 years for certified resale at $10-20k less than new. The ones we saw were super clean.

Not to sound like an auto evangelical, but we spent two frustrating years looking at stuff and the Volvo was the end result of a lot of consideration. And family diplomacy.

[nahtnoj]

Wondering same about late 90s/early 2000s Landcruiser. I'd jump on a situation like that in a heartbeat - but my wife's going to be the primary driver and I love her a lot and don't want to put her in a headache of a car.

I have a 99 Lexus LX470. 100 series. 1998-2007.

I'll be back later with details.

Ask me anything...

[nahtnoj]

100 series trucks (they are trucks) are quite a bit more refined than earlier models. But they still require a firm push on the brake pedal, and take a lot of steering input. Not exactly fun in urban driving. If you're wife is on the smaller side, she is going to get a workout driving it.

So that said - they are awesome.

We own one because Amie has had three major back/neck surgeries in the past three years and the Lexus is essentially an extremely plush vault. On trips, she has all sorts of options to recline/lay down, etc. I drive defensively and rarely in excess of 70. Its happy at 75, but at 80, I'm out. Gets 18mpg at 70. In the city - barely 14. Rollover risk has never once entered my mind. Punting family sedans that drift into my lane - sure. Plows through weather like it isn't there.

No children, so no input on access for them. LX has height adjustable suspension which rides amazingly is and is great for loading and unloading.

Mine has 173K. Bought it with 143K 3.5 years ago. Done brakes, a battery, 2 O2 sensors (it has 4) and oil/fluid changes. Really solid, but parts are not cheap. It needs brakes with some frequency and they are not cheap. The engine - a 4.7L V8 - produces substantial torque and is dead silent.

If I had a 100K, I'd buy a new LX570 and not think about daily transportation for the next 25 or 30 years.

[mmoore]

I shared with you guys a few months back how I hacked my fenders apart...

Cressida fender work by HellaFab Fabrication, on Flickr

Cressida fender work by HellaFab Fabrication, on Flickr

taken forever to do with family priorities and doing some other projects.

You can see how much bump clearance there is from the height the suspension was set at this summer. Currently waiting on a pair of wheel spacers to build fenders off the current wheels, with intentions of fitting 18x11et15 enkei rs05rr wheels with 285/30 sized tires (front wheels will also get fit for a square wheel setup with full bump clearancing once the rear is done)

Debating if i want to build them in fiberglass for a more complex shape or take extra time to do metal.

[Badonkadonk]

and now a diversion into full throttle stupid town from the normally enlightened and urbane VSalon import wagon discussions...

as part of an ongoing (and possibly expanding) midlife crisis, i decided a new wilderness property for the fam to bond at in southern VT required a proper Bro Truck, with an attendant totally logical fixation on the 7.3 power stroke. yes, there's a very robust internet forum dedicated to that engine. and yes, i did put in the performance chip to modulate boost and fuel flow etc. at top setting this is going to be a completely idiotic burnout machine.

here's the new old girl on her way to getting a little mechanical once over, a 2" lift, and of course the al czervik caddy shack air horn installed. haters of full sized SUVs, you aint seen shit yet. ROLL COAL!

truckf350.jpg

[chris7ed]

Just bought a Prius plug in. Maybe balance the impact. I've driven a hybrid a few times but spending time in one makes me more conscious of the ability to save fuel. Sure can't haul tons so it won't work for everyone.

[robin3mj]

Doin' work. (ha ha)

This thing is fun- no frills, no electronic, just a reg'lar ol' vee-hickle.

[Tamu8104]

and now a diversion into full throttle stupid town from the normally enlightened and urbane VSalon import wagon discussions...

as part of an ongoing (and possibly expanding) midlife crisis, i decided a new wilderness property for the fam to bond at in southern VT required a proper Bro Truck, with an attendant totally logical fixation on the 7.3 power stroke. yes, there's a very robust internet forum dedicated to that engine. and yes, i did put in the performance chip to modulate boost and fuel flow etc. at top setting this is going to be a completely idiotic burnout machine.

here's the new old girl on her way to getting a little mechanical once over, a 2" lift, and of course the al czervik caddy shack air horn installed. haters of full sized SUVs, you aint seen shit yet. ROLL COAL!

My brother in law has a 7.3 power stroke that he loves. I think if you gave him the option most days he'd chose driving it over his 2017 F250 Platinum with all it's creature comforts.