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I wish we could get these in the US. We lack basic cars anymore. This is why I still drive a 1988 Suburban. Yes, it requires a lot of maintenance (It's almost 3
by geocrasher 4y ago
I wish we could get these in the US. We lack basic cars anymore. This is why I still drive a 1988 Suburban. Yes, it requires a lot of maintenance (It's almost 35 years old!) but it's simple, and tough as nails and, in general, simple to repair.
- srj 4y agoTacoma with the 4cyl engine is an old reliable design you can still buy today.
- freeplay 4y agoI would stay away from the 4cyl Tacoma. Only because the V6 in the current gen is under powered as it is. This is coming from a Toyota fanboy (owned 2 Tacomas and now drive a Tundra).
- srj 4y agoThe problem is that squeezing out more fuel economy + power and reducing emissions has also made the engine design more complex. Not too big a leap to say this also makes them less reliable and more difficult to service. There's a video going over the new and old designs (pinned to where the 4cyl part starts): https://youtu.be/ei5yC4IdDhs https://youtu.be/ei5yC4IdDhs Wouldn't be too surprised if they retire it next year.
- kylehotchkiss 4y agoI think the engine offered in new 4Runners and tacomas is a 10 year old model. I like the “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it” mentality Toyota has managed to keep over the years. Emissions are catching up with them and they’re probably going to make a mess of transition to the new platform in upcoming model years though
- arh68 4y agoTacomas switched to the 3.5L 2GR-FKS with port + direct injection (& Atkinson cycle), years ago. 4Runners still have the old 4.0L 1GR-FE, port-injected. (and a 5-speed automatic! you're right about low-change mentality) Fuel economy is roughly similar (>= 11.0 L / 100 Km), as far as I know, as is power.
- orangepurple 4y agoIf you want this experience in the US and you are looking for a new car you need a new 4RUNNER
- jonwachob91 4y agoThe new 4RUNNER starts at $40k and is loaded with technology. You've completely missed the target
- orangepurple 4y agoI have seen a non-US spec Land Cruiser like the one in the article driving around Quantico with Virginia plates so it seems that it is possible to register them. When I look where to buy one it seems there is one company in Arlington that builds them for the defense market, but after the modifications I'm sure it costs an arm and a leg.
- lastofthemojito 4y agoThe US 25-year-rule means that 70-series Land Cruisers up through 1997 have been imported into the US with little fuss. You can find owners listing their for sale here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/forums/bj74-vzj95-hzj75-kzj90.332/ https://forum.ih8mud.com/forums/bj74-vzj95-hzj75-kzj90.332/
- geocrasher 4y agoA fellow ih8mudder! Fancy seeing you here. Fun fact: I used to run the ih8mud servers back in the early/mid 2000's :D
- coconut_crab 4y agoAs someone who have learned a lot from ih8mud, thank you for helping such a great community! I live in a 3rd world country where it's very hard to get proper maintenance services like in America, ih8mud is the reason why I picked the FZJ80. (now, if only I can find the emission manual for the 1fz-f...)
- ink_13 4y ago
- alexb_ 4y agoHave you considered that most people really do not give a shit? I would much rather drive a "deathtrap" that doesn't break in 5 years than a "safe eco friendly :)" car that charges me 12 grand a year to accelerate.
- dalyons 4y agoUntil you get in an accident, and then you’ll care (or be dead so you won’t). Safety has come an awful long way in 35 years. And I actually think “most people” do give a shit about their families not dying preventably
- HeyLaughingBoy 4y agoDunno. I'll take my chances in a 35 year-old Suburban in a collision with most other vehicles on the road.
- ivanbakel 4y agoThe vehicle would fare better, and you would fare much worse. Modern cars wreck to preserve their passengers, rather than vice versa.
- HeyLaughingBoy 4y agoIt's 35 years old, not 65 years old!
- Karellen 4y ago1959 Chevrolet Bel Air vs. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu IIHS crash test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck Sure, a lot of advances in safety were made in the 28 years between 1959 and 1987, so your car won't fare as badly as the Bel Air, but there were plenty of other advances in the 22 years between then and when that Malibu was made in 2009, and likely quite a few in the 13 years since. It's a free country, so you can take your chances if you want. I wouldn't rate them that highly though, FWIW. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- kgermino 4y agoThat's why I'll be really sad when my Fit goes. Honda cheaped out in a few places (the seats could be a _lot_ more comfortable) but overall it's a fairly simple, easy to drive, practical car.
- devoutsalsa 4y agoMy mom's 2006 Honda Fit only has 35,000-ish miles on it. It's basically brand new.
- gehwartzen 4y agoMine just hit 250k miles of trouble free driving. I did change out the front seats to leather RSX seats at one point as I too hated the stock seats.
- seltzered_ 4y agoWhats your mpg on the fit after 250k miles? asking as i'm considering getting one from someone close to me, but recall it once getting 40-45mpg and now it seems stuck at 30mpg after ~180k miles.
- gehwartzen 4y agoI don't think mine was ever quite that high. Around 35-37mpg when I got it and probably around 30 now. Its a MT though and I think they get slightly worse mpg than AT.
- ChuckNorris89 4y ago>I wish we could get these in the US. We lack basic cars anymore. In the EU, if you want a basic no thrills car, there's the Dacia (Oh no! ... anyway) brand which is basically older, tried and tested, Renault-Nissan group parts put in a budget yet attractive shell, built in Romania. IIRC they're now the second best selling brand in the EU. The exact same cars are being sold under either Renault or Nissan badges in different parts of the world. There was also the Russian Lada Niva Taiga which was very popular here for those living in the mountainous countryside. Very basic and sturdy with almost no electronics at all. Not sure how the situation is now with the war and the sanctions.
- smooc 4y agoI did the Amsterdam-Dakar banger challenge a few years ago. The story was that a Lada Niva has never made it to the finish line :-). Oh and Landrovers you could track by the oil they were leaking.
- haspok 4y agoThe Lada Niva was popular because it was one of the very few socialist block cars that could officially go proper off-road, in other words, people had no choice (welcome to the wonderful world of socialism!). But it was - and still is, can't believe they still make it - a _terrible_ car by any standard, and I can't really understand anyone buying one today. They are not cheap, have terrible design, terrible build quality, terrible fuel consumption, they are loud, and break easily - and they are not THAT good off-road ironically. If you want to put them somewhere on a map, they are about as bad as 70s British cars were.
- nerdponx 4y agoI think part of the problem is that safety and fuel economy regulations have made it unprofitable to manufacture basic cars. But my slightly-conspiratorial view is also that companies want to engage in a kind of "customer indoctrination", where they want to train customers to expect and demand high-margin low-value features, so they can freely cut lower-margin sections of their product line. Sort of like the "starve the beast" approach, but for consumer preferences.
- ninth_ant 4y agoIt doesn’t require any conspiratorial thinking. If the math says that the company will lose sales to higher-margin products by offering low-margin ones, it’s a simple calculation to make the most profitable choice. Of course, potential consumers could switch to a cheaper product from another manufacturer — in a sufficiently free market the unfulfilled demand for the low-margin option should be enough warrant a new entrant if the market is big enough. TLDR if enough people wanted a simple car, someone would make it even if the existing companies don’t want to.
- aae42 4y agoLike an old thinkpad
- Sevii 4y agoThey already manufacture he toyota hilux at scale yet you can't buy it in America.
- notahacker 4y agoSounds like that underlines the OP's point. Toyota makes more profit in the US on a Tacoma designed for US tastes and price points. The US demand for Hiluxes isn't enough to either persuade Toyota to add it to their US line or importers to pay the import tariff.
- rhino369 4y agoI'm not sure where I read it, but Toyota apparently saves money in the USA by making optional features included in the base model. In the 90's and early 00's, US companies would churn out base models with crank windows, manual transmissions, etc. Toyota found it was cheaper to engineer/build cars with fewer options, especially one's that everyone chose anyway. And customers didn't feel nickle and dimed. That makes sense to me. That's part of why the Model T was so cheap.
- hijinks 4y ago4runner is as close as you'll get. The drive train really hasn't changed in almost 15 years.
- potta_coffee 4y agoI have several 4Runners, 2nd and 3rd gen, they're fantastic cars from a maintenance perspective.
- kylehotchkiss 4y agoAnd very fun to take off the road sometimes :) fun to see other 4Runner drivers on HN!
- gtk40 4y agoDifferent segment, but I've considered getting a Mitsubishi Mirage as they are quite simple and about the cheapest new car you can get in the US. My wife already drives a subcompact (Honda Fit) that we have been quite happy with.
- geocrasher 4y ago80's and early-mid 90's Monteros are very much the same way. They're originally 3rd world vehicles.
- Blue111 4y ago
- nvrspyx 4y agoI've stuck with my early model FJ Cruiser. It has such a unique, rugged aesthetic and I'm still upset that they discontinued it. I dread the day that I have to replace it and probably deal with a lack of an all-tactile interface. It seems like every car nowadays has some form of touch interface and/or endless menus for basic functionality. Every time I use my partner's car, I'm reminded of how good it feels not have to take my eyes off the road just to play some music or adjust the AC in my vehicle. I think what I'd miss the most, surprisingly, is the little glovebox-like compartment on the top of the dashboard right above the steering wheel that I use to hold my phone for GPS. My only complaints are the horrendous fuel efficiency and the windshield, which is prone to nicks due to its almost straight vertical position and is comparatively expensive to replace due to its abnormal size and the steps to remove/install it being rather involved. Beyond getting that windshield replaced twice, I haven't had to do anything besides general oil, tire, and light changes. It's seen better days with some paint chipping, but with more than 200,000 miles over 15 years, it's still going strong. I'm hopeful that I'll get to stick with it for the foreseeable future.
- kylehotchkiss 4y agoFun fact! They still sell new FJ cruisers in Dubai. Same look as the discontinued model. The locals love them. Probably the greatest testament to how good these things are if people want to keep buying the slightly older design over a Land Rover https://www.toyota.ae/en/new-cars/fj-cruiser/ https://www.toyota.ae/en/new-cars/fj-cruiser/
- nvrspyx 4y agoIt's being discontinued in the Middle East in December. https://www.carscoops.com/2022/10/toyota-ending-production-of-the-fj-cruiser-for-the-middle-east-with-2023-final-edition-special/ https://www.carscoops.com/2022/10/toyota-ending-production-o...
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- kylehotchkiss 4y agoThe current 4Runner is the closest reasonably priced alternative, until Toyota transforms to the new platform, probably making it worse.
- 0xffff2 4y agoI wish I lived in a world where the words "4Runner" and "reasonably priced" actually belonged in the same sentence. $39k for the bare bones base model is not reasonably priced. Signed a Nissan Frontier owner who still wishes Nissan hadn't killed the XTerra.
- kortex 4y agoYou must be in a relatively mild winter area, or avoid winter driving. Around upstate NY, you rarely see winter cars older than about 20 years. I got 18 years and 250,000 miles out of a Toyota Highlander and that felt absolutely ancient. The underframe was really starting to rust out. It was getting too expensive to maintain at that point. Everything old is either summer show cars that never see salt, or rust buckets barely holding together. I definitely see the appeal of simple cars though.
- wyclif 4y agoUnfortunately, Toyota has now discontinued the Land Cruiser.
- rocket_surgeron 4y ago>We lack basic cars anymore. There is a near-infinite number of basic cars rotting away on dealer lots. People don't want them. They want compact SUVs with 47 cameras and adaptive cruise control.