4Runner sounds like a no brainer then if she is fairly indifferent/flexible with cars. I'm sure the Lexus is more car-like, but if the 4Runner doesn't particularly bother her, I think its capabilities and construction outweigh any negatives from being built like a truck. If I were buying a vehicle to keep for 20+ years, it would definitely, hands down, no contest be the 4Runner over a hybrid Lexus. Hybrids reach a point of obsolescence much sooner than a body on frame truck, and outside of warranty, repairing them can be very expensive. My dad bought a Civic hybrid brand new and kept it 11 years. He says if it was not for the warranty, it would not have been worth it. Honda was very good about covering things on it, but it did need multiple transmissions and batteries to pull off that 11 years and slightly over 100K miles. He got next to nothing on trade for a conventional powertrain Subaru because the transmission was failing again and there was no hiding it. It was a very early hybrid and the CVT problems were unique to these early hybrid Civics, but still, at some point you have to deal with that battery pack and the added complexity of a hybrid powertrain. It's almost like adding a second engine or trans as far as replacement costs go. The 4Runner on the other hand should be pretty predictable and not much hassle to keep on the road a long time.
