05 Pilot or 04 4Runner?

[Cubatticus10]

Great forum here...first time poster. I'm torn between the an 05 pilot with 99,000 miles for 11,800 and an 04 4Runner with 124,000 for 10,200. Wife wants the pilot for the 3rd seat and I'm leaning towards the 4Runner. What can you guys do to talk me into the pilot and what should I be looking out for? I'm going to have each one checked out by our mechanic. Seems like the pilots have had a few tranny issues but nothing major. Seems like a pretty rock solid vehicle. Thanks for the help.

[humanoid]

It depends what you want to do with your vehicle. If you plan to just haul passengers and/or cargo the Pilot would be best, but if you plan to do some wheeling etc. and need the ground clearance the 4Runner would suit your needs better.

[xGS]

Consider the Pilot as an all-weather passenger car that can go off-pavement.
Consider the 4Runner as a truck that can go off-road and be better for towing.

What do you actually need the vehicle to be able to do?

When shopping/negotiating for the Pilot, keep in mind that the major service (timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, coolant, etc.) is due at 105,000mi or 7yrs and will cost in the range of $500-1000, depending upon who does it. If the service records are available, look for evidence that the transmission and rear differential (VTM-4) fluids have been changed regularly.

[rocky]

The 03 and some 04 were involved in tranny recall but not the 05.
That said I know of and 03 and 04 with original trannies and over 200k. I know of three 05 with over 100k Inc mine at 130k and original tranny.

[aka paco]

I personally like the Pilots a little better for my needs, even though i was set on finding a 4runner to start with lol..


I was looking at a 04 4runner and ended up coming across a deal on my pilot, I actually think i'm better off with the pilot, it's more comfortable mainly.

I think xGS said it best though, 4runner would be a better off road/ towing vehicle then the pilot..

[wirth315]

I can almost guarantee you the Pilot will get better gas mileage.

How tall are you? The Pilot has nice tall seating, while the 4runner feels like I'm sitting on a kiddie chair. YEP. The 4runner seating is among the lowest seat to floor of any vehicle I have driven.

Had two 4 runners before a Sequoia. Replaced Sequoia with Pilot and get 22 mpg on Hiwhway with ability to haul 8 on occasion. Priceless.

4-runner rear seat option is a joke with fold down side seats.

Otherwise, 4 runner has excellent resale and reliability ratings.

Buy which one fits you best!

[04exl]

Pilot for sure. I got the wife a 4runner. (17mpg), then a sequoia,(14mpg), then the pilot. (20mpg). She likes the pilot the best. Its a 2004 with 136000 on it. Runs like a champ.

[rocky]

Originally Posted by 04exl

Pilot for sure. I got the wife a 4runner. (17mpg), then a sequoia,(14mpg), then the pilot. (20mpg). She likes the pilot the best. Its a 2004 with 136000 on it. Runs like a champ.

Fwiw, I only track mpg on my long distance runs (950miles EW) and post TB change, the mpg improved from 19.9 to 21.3 Same route similar speed and load. Go figure.

[Hap]

Still deciding? I was making the EXACT decision between the two and drove several for test drives. I ended up getting the Pilot to replace my Explorer due to the fact I really wont be towing all that much, and the Pilot would get me through for what I needed. The biggest factor was that it was a HONDA!

[Mathspiffy]

I just got my Pilot yesterday, so I don't have extended experience with it, but I did test drive several 4Runners during my shopping excursions.

The 4Runner seats were uncomfortable to me. They were small and seemed to just not fit me well. Also, the 4Runner felt a lot more like a truck than an SUV (felt more bumps in the road, not as tight turning, different "feel" to the drive). 4Runner does have much better towing capacity without modification.

I was terribly impressed with the 4Runner's interior room either. It felt small and cramped for a vehicle that size especially in the back seat. Visibility in the Pilot was much better. The 4Runner had some blind spots that the Pilot doesn't have. Vertical space (headroom) is great on the Pilot.

The 3rd row seating is a very nice bonus in the Pilot for me since I needed a car with extended seating capacity. This gives me seating for up to 5 adults and 3 small people (children or small adults) plus a little room in the back for light cargo. The 3rd row seat is rather cramped, but for short trips, it's great.

You will need to get the timing belt service and probably want to go ahead with the larger maintenance service also. I had both done today along with the rear differential service, and it came to about $1,000 (before taxes and after 20% discount from my mechanic). If the timing belt service hasn't been done (ask for the maintenance record), use it to bargain down the price by at least another $600-$700 to cover that cost. I got mine down $1,000 by bargaining with the TB issue.

[jl_ss]

I assume that you have driven both. If not make sure you sit in the 4runner. I am not real tall (6 ft) and I needed an inch more headroom in the 4runner to just have my head at the roof. It did have a moonroof. I have plenty of headroom in the Pilot. As others have noted, there is not a lot of space in the 4runner.