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Pearl City, HI Car Consumer Discussions

2010 4Runner Limited Test Drive

by tearlach on Wed Nov 25 12:24:58 PST 2009

First, I'm a little biased because I loved my 92 (2nd gen) 4Runner SR5 for 6 years and only sold it because we had twins and a 12 year old (don't ask) - the back seat wasn't big enough. I've been trying to find a AWD/4WD CUV/SUV that will haul 2 adults plus 3 teenagers+gear; checked out Highlander, CX-9, Santa Fe, Tribeca (sorry domestic fans, I've been burned too much by Ford and Chevy). This will backup our 04 Honda Pilot EX-L, still running strong. We took out a Blizzard Pearl 2010 4WD 4Runner Limited with NAV (base MSRP $39,800 + $2,638 Options + $795 Del. Proc Handling for Total $43,233) for a short ride because it was being traded between dealers tomorrow. First impressions - exterior seemed a little wider (OAW 75.8"/OAL 189.9"), had 9.6" clearance with P245/60 R20 tires and a higher cowling. It reminded me of a small armored car look, subdued but somewhat menacing. Once inside we enjoyed the higher front passenger seat position, thicker steering wheel and improved instrumentation, including digital temp readouts and voice activated touch screen NAV system. A 5 speed Electronically Controlled automatic Transmission with intelligence (ECT-i) and sequential shift mode along with Full-time 4WD with Active Traction Control and Locking Center Differential control knob in place of the usual 4WD L/H shifter was a welcome addition. After switching to the drivers seat I immediately drove in a tight circle a couple times at increasing speed while the X-REAS Sport Enhancement Suspension kicked in to keep the truck as level as possible - it cornered very well for a curb weight of 4805 lbs. plus 4 passengers. Venturing onto the road we appreciated the smooth new 4.0 L DOHC 24-valve EFI dual independent VVT-i V6 that produces 270 HP 5600 rpm / 278 lb-ft 4400 rpm, rated to give a 4WD gas mileage estimates 17 city/23 highway/19 combined. The coil spring independent double wishbone front suspension w/ stabilizer bar and coil-spring independent 4-link lateral rod rear suspension with stabilizer bar isolated our butts over pot holed macadam road, dirt road and interstate. The 4 wheel ventilated disc brakes w/ 4 wheel ABS, EBD and Brake Assist were very competent as it began raining on the interstate, afternoon dodging traffic. It doesn't have the acceleration of the 4th gen V8, but it was enough for my needs. Wish it had in glass antenna and LEDs too, but I'm guessing these were cost savers for Toyota. Sadly, we had to keep the drive short because they were to ship it out to another dealer and didn't want much mileage on it. All I can say is after a couple months of looking at most of the Asian CUV/SUV's out there and budgeting $35K, we now are seriously looking to spend $40-45K to get this vehicle. It has the road handling we need for 85% of our driving and I'm sure more than meets our need for the 15% on mountain snow, muddy dirt roads and sandy fishing trips on the OBX our family needs. Check out this fine road handling tank (5th generation 4Runner) if you can find one. Get it before the sliding US$ and customer demand drives the price up!

2010 4Runner Limited Test Drive

by tearlach on Sun Nov 22 17:27:04 PST 2009

First, I'm a little biased because I loved my 92 (2nd gen) 4Runner SR5 for 6 years and only sold it because we had twins and a 12 year old (don't ask) - the back seat wasn't big enough. I've been trying to find a AWD/4WD CUV/SUV that will haul 2 adults plus 3 teenagers+gear; checked out Highlander, CX-9, Santa Fe, Tribeca (sorry domestic fans, I've been burned too much by Ford and Chevy). This will backup our 04 Honda Pilot EX-L, still running strong. We took out a Blizzard Pearl 2010 4WD 4Runner Limited with NAV (base MSRP $39,800 + $2,638 Options + $795 Del. Proc Handling for Total $43,233) for a short ride because it was being traded between dealers tomorrow. First impressions - exterior seemed a little wider (OAW 75.8"/OAL 189.9"), had 9.6" clearance with P245/60 R20 tires and a higher cowling. It reminded me of a small armored car look, subdued but somewhat menacing. Once inside we enjoyed the higher front passenger seat position, thicker steering wheel and improved instrumentation, including digital temp readouts and voice activated touch screen NAV system. A 5 speed Electronically Controlled automatic Transmission with intelligence (ECT-i) and sequential shift mode along with Full-time 4WD with Active Traction Control and Locking Center Differential control knob in place of the usual 4WD L/H shifter was a welcome addition. After switching to the drivers seat I immediately drove in a tight circle a couple times at increasing speed while the X-REAS Sport Enhancement Suspension kicked in to keep the truck as level as possible - it cornered very well for a curb weight of 4805 lbs. plus 4 passengers. Venturing onto the road we appreciated the smooth new 4.0 L DOHC 24-valve EFI dual independent VVT-i V6 that produces 270 HP @ 5600 rpm / 278 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm, rated to give a 4WD gas mileage estimates 17 city/23 highway/19 combined. The coil spring independent double wishbone front suspension w/ stabilizer bar and coil-spring independent 4-link lateral rod rear suspension with stabilizer bar isolated our butts over pot holed macadam road, dirt road and interstate. The 4 wheel ventilated disc brakes w/ 4 wheel ABS, EBD and Brake Assist were very competent as it began raining on the interstate, afternoon dodging traffic. Sadly, we had to keep the drive short because they were to ship it out to another dealer and didn't want much mileage on it. All I can say is after a couple months of looking at most of the Asian CUV/SUV's out there and budgeting $35K, we now are seriously looking to spend $40-45K to get this vehicle. It has the road handling we need for 85% of our driving and I'm sure more than meets our need for the 15% on mountain snow, muddy dirt roads and sandy fishing trips on the OBX our family needs. Check out this fine road handling tank (5th generation 4Runner) if you can find one. Get it before the sliding US$ and customer demand drives the price up!

Dealership Worries of a New Car Buyer

by mystery2980 on Wed Sep 16 09:16:59 PDT 2009

My husband and I have been in the market for a New 2009 Honda Fit Sport 5AT in Blue Snesation Pearl. After jumping from dealership to dealership looking for best deal and who would have the car, we settled on one place. They didn't have the car but said they could order it from one of their sister stores and have it to us by the follwing Friday. We spoke of price and upon agreeing to the numbers, they had us sign an order form and leave a deposit. That was 9-4-09. The following Tuesday (9-8-09) we received a call from the dealership to say none of their sister stores had the color we were looking for and the car would have to be ordered from the factory. They told us that would take another 5-7 business days from then and we should expect a call from them either Monday/Tuesday, when car arrived. He mentioned we would discuss purchase/financing options when the car arrived and explained about qualifying for this or that, etc... My husband called the dealership on Monday to see of any news and the salesman said the car is in transport and they would hope to receive it by Tuesday. I don't care for the word "hope" coming from my salesman when he has promised to deliver the car we want. Whatever the case, my husband said we should just relax and see if we get a call Tuesday. Tuesday has come and gone. It is now Wednesday and we have heard no news. I don't feel too comfortable with being told a different estimated delivery time every time we call. My questions: 1) This is my first time buying a new car and I really don't feel too great about putting in an order for something and not having a solid date as was previously inclined when we first sat down with the salesman. What's the protocol for cars being ordered from factory? How long does it take and am I just being unreasonably impatient? Can't they track it through the Vin #, which was already provided to us? 2) We did drop a deposit and sign an order but no purchase/ financing information was presented or agreed upon. We just signed an order for for the specific model and made cash deposit. Will we have issues getting a refund on our deposit should we choose to pull back from working with this dealership? According to the document I have a copy of, we are not binded and are eligible for the refund because nobody has presented nor signed anything regarding the financing or actual purchase. 3) What's a good price for this particular car? We live in New York City. Any clarification to better understanding this new world I'm in would be gratefully appreciated!!!

Re: Piece of Junk Sequoia - Buyer beware! [johnc09]

by 08SeqPlt on Wed Oct 21 21:56:55 PDT 2009

Sorry to hear about your probelms... but not everyone appears to be having the issues you describe and although I respect your post and the information as it pertains to your specific situation - there usually are more posts about problems than there are no problems (most people don't write about things that work fine - i.e. when was the last time you blogged about the microwave working as it should?) We have a 2008 Platinum 2WD in pearl white ext with redrock interior... It's awesome! We ave about 15,000 miles on it with no problems (I admit I did have a slight whistleing noise that I couldn't figure out at first but turned out to be the aftermarket K&N air filter that wasn't allowing the stock box to close all the way and since they have a much greater airflow than stock air filters, it created a little whistle that you could hear when you really get on it... a little weatherstripping at teh opening of the box to ensure a tight seal and presto - all I hear are 381 ponies now.) We get about 14MPG city and 19 HWY but I did manage to get 22 MPG on a weekend trip to/from Santa Barbara (driving about 75-80) in August and that was fully loaded with family and gear - I think that's pretty respectable mileage for a vehicle like this. The big improvements (that are more nuances than they are problems) are the ability to close the exterior mirrors without the key in the "on" position (shouldn't be required to have the key in at all; and also - make that switch light up - please. Otherwise - our family loves the car - it's luxurious, holds up to my kids climbing all over it - powerful enough for me to grin when I'm on the highway - and safe and reliable for the wife and family. I'm definitely going to consider another Toyota when the time comes for another car - but that may be awhile cause this is gonna last us a good 10 years easy! (and I am not affiliated with Toyota in any way shape or form... I have bult and worked on many different types of cars a lto of 60's and 70's Chevys - Nova's, El Camino's, and a lot of other makes models - Mercedez, Camry, Saturn, Explorer, Jeep Cherokee, Crapolier, Acura TL, and more - The Sequoia is one of the best I have ever owned)

Re: 1st time car buyer - help would be great! [bigd519]

by blueiedgod on Mon Sep 21 10:02:49 PDT 2009

My wife and I are relocating to the western ny region and need a car for the first time (city folk!). We are pretty much sold on the CR-V and need to buy as soon as we move (next week!) so we cant wait for the '10s. Some info - looking for an 09 or used 07, 08 would like the EX trim awd, no leather needed. So - I was looking at this used '08 with a retail value of 23,995 - http://ps.getauto.com/group/details/91/6495/JHLRE48528C001115/ So i compared that pirce on kbb and they have a retail of 25,700 - http://www.kbb.com/KBB/UsedCars/PricingReport.aspx?YearId=2008&VehicleClass=Used- - Car&ManufacturerId=18&Condition=Excellent&ModelId=126&PriceType=Retail&VehicleId- - =197276&Mileage=25000&SelectionHistory=197276|31416|14224|0|0| Edmunda has a retail of 21,102 - http://www.edmunds.com/used/2008/honda/crv/100933618/options.html?tmvaction=vdpr- - esult how is kbb and edmunds so different? and why would the dealer be selling at 23,995 when truecar says a good deal can be had on a NEW 09 for 24,000 - http://truecar.com/Honda/CR-V/2009/best-price-report-3FA694E8.html?colorInfo=Roy- - al%20Blue%20Pearl,Black,25405,0,2009%20Honda,CR-V,4WD%205dr%20EX,2009_Honda_CR-V- - _Royal_Blue_Pearl.jpg&trimId=308102&modelId=18842&zipcode=14224 ? Thanks for reading and helping out! Based on the zipcode in your link, you are looking at East Aurora. If you are like many of NYC expatriats in the Buffalo area, you want to live in the Northtowns. You will have a lesser chance of being snowed in the winter. Northtowns get half as much snow as the Southtowns. Amherst, Clarence, Williamsville, East Amherst, Snyder, and maybe Lockport are where majority of NYC expatriats live, includng us. :) I moved here 5 years ago, and have not looked back. It is nice to visit NYC, but your life is much more peaceful living here. A few people commute to NYC. You'll see a "sea of suits" at the airport early on Monday mornings. JetBlue has flights as low as $29 to JFK. So, if you are planning for a Wednesday Matenee, you can get out of work at noon, go to the show on Broadway, and be back home same night. There are 4 Honda dealerships in the immediate vicinity, Don Davis (my favorite), Lia Honda, West Herr Honda and Ray Laks. Plus there are at least 5 more Honda dealers within 1 hour's drive. 1 hour's drive is not 5 miles, like in NYC, but rather 60-80 miles. I believe Don Davis will sell at Edmunds' TMV with just a mild mentioning of the TMV. Ray Laks is good too, they sell parts online at a deep discount www.hondaacuraworld.com and not only for cars, but bikes, and power equipment. Good luck with the move.

Re: 2009 Avalon Prices [kq0b1]

by 06graylimited on Thu Sep 17 10:10:16 PDT 2009

I live in the Kansas City area. I bought an '09 Limted, Blizzard Pearl, carpeted floor mats, power passenger seat & XM radio. Sticker price was $37,103. The discount was about $4,150 for brand new car, not a demonstrator. This was in June, 2009. If you are in the Midwest area, I highly recommend the dealer & salesperson I bought from in Lawrence, Kansas. Reply if you want more information.