Thanks for the input, everyone - I bought a Highlander

After falling in love with about a half dozen wagons, sanity struck and reminded me that I can't shift gears for a while until my chest finishes being unhappy over being hit by the airbag.

Also, $40K for a REALLY nice car is out of my price range.

So, I ended up with a 2 year old V6 Toyota Highlander. 220 hp for a 16 lb/hp weight, 4 speed plus overdrive tranny. Super clean certified car from the dealer for $18,880. Rated at 29 mpg on the highway.

Hi Larry,
Great car with only one known significant problem. I believe that's the same 3.5L engine that has the reputation of "congealing" it's oil. You might be well-advised to stick with a synthetic oil (Mobil 1?) or at least consult with an indepentant mechanic about this situation.

Thanks for reporting back. I was about to ask.... Steve

My wife is concidering a new car & at this time it is top of her list(Highlander).Although I think she should buy the Camery.

The Camry is quieter, at least from a wind noise standpoint. I am going to find out how to remove the permanent roof rack, as that has to be the main source of turbulence.

The Camry would be slightly quicker, better cornering and better gas mileage, but is a bit of a pain for carrying big models.

As you all know, I didn't volunteer to get rid of the Camry =( !!

20 years ago I used to run a Renault 4GTL. (Sounds posh, actually it's a sort of chicken run on wheels, but a great little car). Adding a roof rack cost about 3 or 4mpg. (52 to 48/49).

You should be happy with the Highlander. If the engine in your Highlander is a "Sludge" motor, Toyota will replace it if the conditions occur. Check with your local dealer for the mileage limits, although it's pretty high. Also, you didn't really give up your Camry...the Highlander is built on the Camry frame. I am an Assistant Service Manager for a Toyota dealership and I would not have any reservations buying a pre-owned "Certified Toyota".

Mine is the 3.0 liter engine of 2 years ago. What are they doing, putting Castor Oil in the new engines?

Larry Renger
think S.M.A.L.L.

Larry,

This is a totally baseless urban legend about congealed oil in Toyota engines.

You're a mechanically-sensitive guy who would not think of running an engine for 30K-plus miles without changing the oil, which is the only way to develop such a problem. With any car.

You made a good buy, although you must be the only Highlander owner on the planet who knows the bhp/weight ratio for one of these things. Installed a new chip yet? And a turbo can freak the kids at stoplights...

Listen to Dan on this. He may no know much, but he knows Toyotas.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-02-04 AT 03:34 PM (CST)
 
So tell me more about the chip change. We have these miserable smog regulations that require testing every 2 years.

Where do you buy the chips, what do they do, how do you install them?

I know from nothing on this:-(

Toyota Racing Development probably has a supercharger for this engine, and theirs don't even void the warranty! The one for the Camry would have been about $5K installed. Hmmmm. I think the Camry one gave 40% more peak torque and 20% more power at peak rpm.

>So tell me more about the chip change. We have these
>miserable smog regulations that require testing every 2
>years.
>
>Where do you buy the chips, what do they do, how do you
>install them?
>
>I know from nothing on this:-(
>
>Toyota Racing Development probably has a supercharger for
>this engine, and theirs don't even void the warranty! The
>one for the Camry would have been about $5K installed.
>Hmmmm. I think the Camry one gave 40% more peak torque and
>20% more power at peak rpm.

Can't imagine a high-perf making your smog-testing problems any easier.

And I was kidding! It's a well-known "fact" amongst the ill-informed that chips such as I suggest cause the oil to congeal in these engines.

The chips simply re-map certain parameters of engine operation. If you buy one, get it from a guy who has an in-house dyno and can demonstrate the improvement(s). Some of these things are a lot like the 200-mpg carburetor, except the eeeeevvvillll Big Oil guys who deliver refined gasoline to us for less than the cost of bottled water haven't (yet) bought up the rights to them all...

A huffer for the Highlander will run about the same as for that Camry you so carelessly wrecked and sent off to no good end.

I think you'll be happier leaving it stock, saving your money for an all-motor kit car of some sort.

Actually, my next engine type purchase is likely to be a brand "S" Pond Scum 40.

I suppose that buying a used rice burner is not so bad as the profits have already gone to Japan(maybe they can afford another Montana Ranch).
I even allowed my son to buy a used Nissan 4X4 pickup at one time. Constant headaches despite low mileage and tender loving care and parts were priced as if made of gold.
I told him that anyone buying an import deserves it.
Any number of Chevy and GMC trucks and Cadillac automobiles have provided years of reliable, low maintenace, transportation for us and we have kept Americans employed and our money where it belongs-in the USA.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-02-04 AT 07:10 PM (CST)
 
Pardon me, but why would you even care about high-perf mods for this vehicle. It's NEVER gonna run like a Ferrari (or even a Camry) and if it could, there's no place on SoCal to do it, except out in the desert. 98% of the time you're stuck in 35 mph traffic; and if the road is open, it's 11 PM and you ought to be building anyhow.

At least in Texas, Radar Detectors are legal . . .

LAST EDITED ON Dec-02-04 AT 07:22 PM (CST)
 
Well, actually, in California we have these things called mountains, and I ski too. I live at 65 ft elevation, the LOCAL ski resorts are at 8000 to 9000 ft. If I go farther, up to Mammoth, we are talking a long, fast drive followed by a climb to 11,000 ft.*

Also, the roads to Tucson and Clovis run steady 80+ mph. And then there are those short freeway onramps.

Yes, performance matters, even in a Camry or Highlander.

* I once attended a ski show in Chicago, since it was at the same time as the RCTHA hobby show and the same building. The best of the resorts was exclaiming that it had 350 ft of vertical on its best run. And, they added, that didn't include the parking lot! I wonder if SUVs now count as moguls?

Hi Larry,
Hope you enjoy your Highlander. I really wasn't trying to be overly judgmental. We've really enjoyed the Pathfinder, although gas mileage sucks (15 mpg - on Premium)! Sharon's Mazda B2500 gets 25+ mpg with Regular on the road, and we use it most of the time on the road. It all depends.

A weird stat - When I drove the Pathfinder to Texas towing a 4000#+ trailer I got mostly 20+ mpg; almost every tankfull. I know the trailer-inforced 58 mph (any faster and it was "Wag the Dog") speed limit contributed, but 10mph shouldn't be THAT detrimental; especially considering the trailer.

What I'm saying is that with the "naked" Pathfinder we get 14-15 mpg at 70 mph average speed. When I towed the trailer at 58 mph, I got 20+ mpg. Explanations, anyone? Maybe I need a new chip, too??