1.8T or V6? Either are not particularly fun to work on but the 1.8t has the benefit or parts sharing with VW. IIRC the whole front end comes off and has to be put into “service position” to replace the timing belt and water pump on the V6.

Putting a car up in the air is the first thing you should do.  Change the oil and fluids, rotate the tires if needed, if not take the tires off anyways to inspect brakes, steering, and suspension also to make sure the lug bolts aren’t overtorqued and the tires can reasonably come off.

Sure, living in the NYC area (or most cities) you are less likely to use your vehicle for offroad. In the south, specifically around NC where there are a lot of drive on beaches, 4runners and tacos are super popular.  The roll down rear window is great because you can put your cooler in the back and keep it out of the…

I don’t know, my ‘92 100cs FWD with 5 spd manual (2.8 12v V6) was pretty darn reliable.  I did the timing belt and water pump around 200K and that was pretty much it.

In my experience most cars that “need an alignment” don’t just need that.  Typically the tie-rod ends (or inner tie rods) are worn.  Also check upper and lower ball joints, shocks, control arm bushings, etc.

Do the GM thing and label it Classic. I was always a fan of Ford and GM for doing one or two year carryovers of the old engine on the new body. Personal favorite is the 2003 F250 with the 7.3 diesel.  GM does the same thing with the Silverado and I believe the Malibu.

Notice that when SUV’s and crossovers became as efficient as sedans everyone just purchased those even though the sedans were getting even more efficient.  You can get the range your used to but with much more space.  MPG essentially stays unchanged and everyone is in bigger cars.

So, do expound on my statement, most people who own 4runners use them on sand. Specifically at the beach. I guess some people don’t consider that off road but I’ve seen a lot of supposedly off road vehicles get stuck (usually too much air in the tires or too soft sand for the vehicle). I’ve also seen a lot of vehicles…

“To be fair, though, we only drove the manual. All the better opinions are tied up with the CVT”

Builds an “off road” version, compares everything but off road specs to the competitor.

I don’t know a single 4runner owner who doesn’t take theirs off road so I call bullshit. The people that I know who buy 4runners are usually people who came from jeeps or other 4x4's but wanted better build quality or interior room without giving up capability.

Definitely a bigger story, also implies the possibility of a 4runner variant. The Taco is one of the vehicles that prints money for Toyota so an electric version is a very big deal.

Honestly probably wouldn’t even need to go that far.  You can probably jailbreak it with a reflash that changes like one line of code.  I imagine there is just something at the end of the code that allows the program to operate or not.

Elon should look at an old Mercedes E320 for how to do the mono-windshield wiper succesfully

Don’t forget rotational counter weights aka balance shafts. A common mod on the old Nissan Sentra SE-R’s was to lop off the chain connecting the crank shaft to the balance shaft and remove the shaft entirely. I wouldn’t suggest doing it on most cars but there is some consensus on the internetz that it doesn’t hurt the…

They’re used in hot water heaters all the time. There’s a sacrificial rod that you have to periodically replace so that the tank doesn’t rust out.

put it on a shirt with an upside down jeep

Have a clickidy-dooda on this clickidy-day

Star for the throwback. I expect you to comment about every Ferrari on fire now.

So we reduce emissions by using a product made from coal or natural gas that then has to be imported on a container ship from either China or Australia?  Sure makes sense.