Recommendations on buying a 2nd gen Sequoia

I'm looking at a second gen Sequoia as a family vehicle. Looking at the different trims, the pro, the limited, and the platinum. Like the idea of a platinum and love the look of the red rock interior. Just did some research though and found issues of it melting and having issues on the door panel. Did toyota ever fix this? I'd be shopping in the 2020-2022 year range. Is redrock just bad or do the other interiors have this issue such as the gray. Found some nice Platinums with redrock that have low mileage so I was just wanting to learn from experience of other owners

 

I haven’t heard of those issues with the interiors - they may just be a few vocal customers dominating the complaint circle since it is an admittedly small circle.

Considering those three trim levels, I would be more concerned about the suspension options and middle seat options, as that’s basically the differences. The pro came with upgraded Fox shocks, a mild level kit with softer spring in the front, upgraded sway bars, but standard rear coil springs.

The limited and platinum, IIRC, came with the option for self leveling airbag rear suspension with adjustable dampers front and rear. I want to say most platinums came with the option while Limited offers it (though I may be wrong about that). The air suspension is a nice setup if you plan on leaving it untouched. The self leveling feature is great if you load it up with kids and gear and/or pull a trailer. The adjustable dampers are also nice - at least until they need to be replaced, at which point they are very expensive.

So pick your poison with suspension.

Middle seat options so varied but I seem to recall platinums coming with a captains chairs and a center console in the middle row. Lower trims and I think Limited came with the three seater bench as standard. Though, it’s not a real bench seat; each of the three seats is independently adjustable, and the center seat can be removed to make captains chairs if desired.

Interior trim will differ aesthetically between the trims, but few interior features are not available between the three.

Otherwise, the basic running gear of the vehicles is identical. Engine, transmission, multi-mode 4x4 (if equipped, including true AWD mode).

We opted for an SR5. I knew I would be modifying the suspension (simple mods, but no lift), it had fewer items integrated in to the head unit so I could easily swap it for a newer in-dash DVD unit with headrest monitors, aftermarket speakers, sub, and amp, and my wife is silly and doesn’t care for leather. With kids and dogs I don’t blame her; leather is easier to clean, but also easier to tear and puncture and stain in ways that are costly to repair.

When we were shopping a few years ago, pricing was such that a well equipped higher trim level either had a lot of miles (usually necessitating a lot of money in refurbishing suspension parts) or were priced as basically new. Or more. Or you get a pile of of rolling garbage for 15-20k. The SR5 that we found was a bit of a unicorn compared to what he had been looking at - reasonable miles, reasonable price, minimal refurbishment (I expected shocks and fluids because I would
do them anyways), for a simple, reliable rig. It was just new enough that the bank would finance it at better rate as well (even though we paid it off very early). I was hoping to find a low-option limited for her but this one worked out well.

We’ve been very happy with it and are still happy to drive it.

 

Get the Platinum.

 

We have a 2015 SR5 w/tan leather and have zero issues with door panels. It had the entertainment package (ceiling mounted DVD player) which was perfect for us at the time since we had a 1 year old. We bought it w/68k miles and it now has about 150k. Zero issues except for the stupid sunroof leaking due to an incessant need to have the drains cleaned.