The Sequoia is one of the largest trees in the world. Incongruously, today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Toyota Sequoia isn’t the biggest deal SUV in the brand’s catalog. Let’s see if its price proves equally confusing.
You know, if you think about it, the term custodian doesn’t get the respect it deserves. In fact, it’s a career that’s kind of looked down upon. That’s too bad since it’s the soap in the restrooms, the lights in the halls, and the timely removal of stinky trash that keeps our schools, businesses, and public buildings humming.
When it comes to cars we also give the custodial mindset a bit of a short shrift, oftentimes belittling someone for maintaining a car by keeping the miles low, questioning why they didn’t enjoy it more.
Yesterday’s 1990 Ford Taurus SHO didn’t have exceptionally low mileage, but it was a very clean example, so you can applaud its seller both for having enjoyed the car in the manner it was intended, and for keeping it in decent shape despite that. At just $3,900, its price was a bit of a no-brainer as well, and it cleaned up with an 75 percent Nice Price win for its troubles.
Do you ever think that one marque can have too many SUVs and crossovers in their lineup? I don’t mean companies like Land Rover, for whom SUVs and its bread and butter. I mean companies who seem to have more time on their hands than one might expect and hence pop out extraneous tall-riding models seemingly at the drop of a hat. I’m looking at you BMW and Toyota.
The latter of those two, Toyota, has fully six crossover/SUV models presently on the market here in the U.S., not even counting the company’s derivative models for the Lexus brand. Confusingly, many of those occupy market niches that seem to overlap. The Highlander and 4Runner are similarly sized, and with AWD each is also similarly capable on the road. The Land Cruiser, which represents the pinnacle of Toyota’s SUV ecosystem, is the oldest and most venerated of the marque’s models. It also rubs shoulders with the like-sized and closely kitted Sequoia which raises the question of why it was anointed in such a manner while the ‘Quoia gets the shaft?
Consider this 2001 Toyota Sequoia Limited for example. It’s based on Toyota’s largish pickup, the Tundra. That makes it family sized just like the beloved Land Cruiser, and with its 4.7-litre V8 engine and available AWD, it has similar power and capabilities too. The Land Cruiser however, is the one everybody wants to ask to the prom. The Sequoia has been living in that car’s shadow its entire life, to the point that I’ll bet now you probably forgot it even existed.
Maybe that’s too bad because looking that this ’01 Limited model with its aftermarket grille and wheels, you have to begin to wonder what all the Land Cruiser fuss has been all about.
First off, this is a big-ass truck. There are three rows of seats inside, and as this is an all-singing, all all dancing Limited, those are all covered in leather everywhere you’d put your butt. The fakest-looking of fake wood trim does abound in here but that is countered by a full spate of convenience and luxury options and a trio of aftermarket gauges in the center console. Everything looks to be in really nice shape in here, a plus since Toyota leather isn’t the most durable material and these usually look pretty punky by this age.
The exterior is equally decent, in all black and with that aforementioned aftermarket grille. That’s a pretty nice upgrade and masks some honkers that probably will wake the neighbors. The chrome wheels are an acquired taste, and are something I apparently am vaccinated against since I don’t like them. Still, wheels are a relatively easy fix.
The roof rack shows some loss of its paint, another common problem on Toyota trucks of this era. Out back all the badging has been removed, with a small TRD emblem placed mid-hatch in their stead.
There are 180,000 miles on the truck and as folks will tell you, that’s just getting started on a Sequoia. The iForce V8 puts out 240 horsepower and 315 lb.-ft. of torque which is put to use by a four-speed automatic that’s also taken from the Tundra. A two-speed transfer case doles out power front and rear and the whole shebang is bolted to a boxed-section ladder frame upon which the wagon body sits.
In AWD form such as this, that means a curb weight of over 5,200 pounds which coincidentally means mileage in the teens. Fortunately, the 4.7 is happy to run on regular gas to save you a few pennies at fill-ups.
There’s a clear California title and the seller says that the folding mirrors still work, both admirable additions. The asking is $6,977 and you now need to determine if that’s a fair deal for this big SUV. That brings us back to the question of whether that price might be considered more acceptable if this were a Land Cruiser instead of a Sequoia.
What do you think, is this Sequoia worth that $6,977 asking? Or, is that price just as forgettable as the truck?
You decide!
Stockton, CA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to EdHelmsBakery for the hookup!
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