High Sierra Topix

Current: '96 XJ with 4.5" RE lift and 32s. Don't heavily wheel it a lot, but lifted because I drive unplowed roads in the winter. Easily handles almost any trailhead approach.

Near future: New or used 4Runner or new Taco.

I'm getting ready for a new vehicle. I'll probably go with another Toyota Tacoma when the 2014 is available, but I heard 2014 will be the last year they produce the FJ Cruiser and I'm wondering it that might be a good option seeing as it will be the last chance to get a new one. The prices are similar for ether vehicle - either the Access cab Tacoma with 4WD and TRD package or the FJ Cruiser with 4WD and TRD package. Anyone have an opinion on why they would go with FJ Cruiser over the Tacoma?

I love my Tacoma (not 4WD)with a camper shell because of the ease of sleeping in the back at trailheads (76" bed). It is also great for hauling gear and also for concealing gear and/or ice chests etc under a blanket; with the tinted windows it is hard to see into the back. Nice to have the sliding back windows with a screen when sleeping in there too. Only good for one driver and one passenger though - the tiny back seat works for short trips and kids only.

I've had two 4-runners and will probably get another one whenever it finally starts to fade. I had a '92 for many years that was underpowered with a V6 and it could barely make it up the Grapevine towards the end, but it was a great off road truck. I upgraded the shocks and tires and it was a blast driving up the crazy road to Dinkey Lakes. My current one is an '05 Sport w/ a V8 and tow package. The first time I towed a trailer I could hardly believe the difference, it felt like there was nothing behind me! My wife and I and two dogs have slept in the back at trailheads comfortably. The off road feel isn't as good as the older '92 model but the interior and overall ride is much better. Still reliable after 120,000 miles:) I'm at the car wash right now getting the the mud from the North Lake road cleaned off.

I have a big '07 Tundra and and old 4Runner, but I put more miles on my bicycle each year than either of them, and that's with 4000 miles round trip to the Sierra. When at home, I can go 2 months before I need to put gas in any of them. That's pretty much why I don't drive a Prius or something similar - it would never pay for itself.

I drive a lot for work still, but in a few years that will change and I hope to be able to do the same thing you do - ride my bike most of the time except when I head out on longer trips. Fishmonger, I envy you.

I have a shell on my Tacoma, and I think that it is the ability to load a ton of gear in the back and still sleep back there comfortably is the reason I'll go with another Tacoma instead of the FJ Cruiser. The more I think about it, the only thing I think I would like better about the FJ is that ability to go from the back to the front without going outside like I have to in the Tacoma and that is not enough of an issue to choose the FJ over the Tacoma. The 4Runner with an off-road package would probably be what I'd like best, but the price of that vehicle is over my budget.

I have my usual driving vehicle, if there are no rough roads: a 2001 Sentra, which has 120+k on it but still gets high 30's mpg on the highway. However, if things get rough, then the vehicle is a '92 Pathfinder that still low miles (80k) because I choose only to use it when it is necessary. I have highway truck tires on it (and needless to say, no extra lift), so I don't really do justice to its off road capabilities, but it has proved to be very capable on moderately difficult jeep trails, cutting down my hiking distance to many destinations over the years in addition to being used as a geologic field vehicle when called upon. As with many things, I'm probably getting more cautious as I get older, so I am less willing to push things to the limit of combined capability of me (as driver) and my vehicle off road. In the 90's I banged the Pathfinder around a bit and took on some jeep trails such as the Eagle Lake trail north of 80 that has a few Mitchell class 4 moves on it, but after a big binge running parts of some Highway 168 area trails back a few years, I've become notably more conservative--will do Mitchell class 3 but certainly not more. I suppose this mirrors my decline in guts on the climbing class 3 and 4 stuff, where I tend to shy away from anything above mid 3rd class nowadays.

GB: I think we all get a bit more cautious as we get older. I know it's happening to me too. I like having a vehicle that will get me down a backcountry road closer to where I want to hike from, but I don't always drive as far as the vehicle can go because I get too nervous once the road gets really bad. I'm also mostly alone out there; so I don't want to get the vehicle stuck somewhere way out there.

Well, It'll be the 2014 Tacoma. Really not a hard choice in the end.

In the fall of 2013 we bought both a small travel trailer and a boat. After pulling and backing both with my beloved 2000 4-Runner (this is the only vehicle other than my 78 International Scout that I have ever been enamored with) I decided that, especially if someone else had to do the driving and backing, that an auto transmission was now appropriate. I am kind of stuck on the reliability of Toyotas so the choice was between a 4-Runner, Tacoma, or a Tundra. While I would love to have a pickup with a camper Kathy had the final say and she preferred the 4-Runner because it was family friendly and it would fit in the garage. So we decided on a new 4-Runner despite the fact that to us they are ugly and lack the wonderful lines of our 2000. However with the 5 speed auto, stability and traction control it is a much safer road vehicle than the 2000. It also is more powerful even though the towing capacity is a little less. In the end we are getting about 1 mpg better gas mileage, it is a quieter ride and cruising down to California is a breeze, and it has high clearance and has more off highway capability than I have skill. The auto transmission makes it much easier to back and creep over rocky terrain. The rear camera makes it a cinch to back up to a trailer without any guidance from another person. All in all, with 15,000 miles on it in a year of ownership I am pleased with it even though it was ugly to begin with and has since acquired more than a few Arizona pinstripes! mike