I looked at the FJ's a while back. The interiors are the worst part and a lot of owners say they aren't meant for long distance drives. Seats are very uncomfortable too.

Have you looked at 4Runner's? I picked up an Toyota Certified 2004 4Runner Sport over a year ago for just under 20,000 and it only had like 30k on the odomoter, V6 and its 4WD. They have that reliability you're after, gas mileage is decent for an SUV, very comfortable, towing ability, and their resell value is awesome.

 

He's a big guy and 4Runners are horrible on room/space.

 

i agree the 4runner is great i have an 04 aswell bur mines a v8, siprisingly it does great on gas for what it is, the 4runner is roomy but i test drove the fj aswell and that might be a little roomier in the front, i was originally lookin at the fj before i bought the 4runner, but i ended up with the 4runner i liked it better, but you can get the fj in a 6 speed, and as far as navigation goes when i asked they said it wouldn't be a problem having it factory installed

 

I have two coworkers one of them has the edge and one has the FJ, both have 2 to 3 kid each. The one with the FJ drives from suffolk to NOB 5 days a week and she just got the FJ. Sorry for her she doesnt drive it to work anymore gas suck and the blind spots are too she said. She now only drives it on the weekend. As for the edge the interior is nice but they are pretty expensive, well the one she got was around 30 grand I believe. I would say go with neither. I would go with either the new tundra or highlander or maybe even the new dodge ram 1500 quad cab, my neighbor works for dodge and told me they are taking upwards to 10,000 of msrp. Also my wife picked up an 08 highlander a couple months back and it has third row seats, dont know how much it tows but its an nice SUV, and not to bad on gas. Well good look find the right SUV or maybe even truck.

 

I LOVE the way the FJs look when they're lifted slightly on some nice white letter BFG All-Terrains or Goodyear Wrangler MT-Rs. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure whatever I'll get will remain factory stock though.

That sucks. I REALLY want a factory navigation.

For some reason, I don't really mind that interior. If it wasn't for all the painted bits, I think I'd like it a lot more. It seems very utilitarian to me. But I definitely think the Edge has the nicer interior.

I was thinking about that after I made this thread that four doors is really what I want in a daily driver/trailer puller. Combine that with the lack of navigation and it's a huge ding against the FJ. As much as I like to go off roading, it's something I could never see myself doing in a new vehicle.

What makes the FJ win in the towing department? I'd like to think they're both pretty equally powered and weigh around the same. The Edge is rated slightly lower, but will that make much of a difference when it comes to pulling a 2,000lb trailer? I've never towed anything before...

Additionally, the truck will be daily driven ~90% of the time. It'll only be pulling a trailer occasionally on the weekends or weekday evenings. However, when it is pulling a trailer, I want it to do so effortlessly.

You're the second person to mention the blind spots. While pulling a trailer with ~$70,000 worth of equipment/aircraft inside, blind spots make me a little disconcerted. I'm highly intrigued by the Edge's features and amenities though. Sync and the Vistaroof to name a few...

I don't really buy into the whole "Toyota's are so reliable" kick as I'm a firm believer every manufacturer makes a reliable product now-a-days. Also, I'm only really concerned with the FJ or Edge at this point, but thanks for your post.

 

Geez, that's another complaint on the FJ's visibility...

Thanks for your input, but I'm only interested in the FJ or Edge at this point. I can't afford to feed a Tundra or Ram with gas $4/gallon.

 

Who are you going to believe? Somebody your size or a queer in an Insight? It's clearly nowhere big enough for us on a permanent basis.

And yes, four doors would be a must.

 

I'm going to have to go with the queer in an on Insight on this one.

 

I'm just kidding.

I <3 you, boo.

 

FJ Cruiser hands down. I love the utilitarian look and "cool" factor of it. Also, I hate factory navigation because most of them will not let you do anything unless you are stopped with the parking brake on. being able to type in an address while doing 60 mph up an onramp while smoking a cigarette, drinking coffee, screaming into your cellphone, and typing on your laptop FTW. Seriously though it is a pain in the ass if you are on the interstate and want to do something and have to pull off...