ATX: land cruiser 80 or 60 or ? purchase

jonyotten

New member
hi all,

i am looking to buy a used land cruiser and would have purchased one previously but my toyota mechanic and - well really all mechanics i talk to end up convincing me not to buy one due to reliability issues. what i am hoping for is some direction on a specific make and model that will be extremely low maintenance. i don't expect to make many modifications to the vehicle but i do expect to get out to some off road (big bend) and out of the way locations (alaska).

would like's: air bags, 6 or 8 cylinder, 4WD, towing (1 or 2 motorcycles) and really, really reliable no hassle vehicle. going back to a stick could be nice as well.

i don't mind stepping up price-wise but i'd rather do it for reliability than farkles.

THANKS for any help,

jonathan

background:

1. i bought a 93 r100 gs bmw recently and have been wrenching on it as a new wrench so i have some relatively new found confidence in working on a vehicle.

2. i have had a 98 toyota tacoma 4cyl 4WD since 2000 which has been nothing but exceptional. it's got 196K on it, has angle iron welded to the bed and a bomber ladder rack bolted to the angle iron. so as far as working on a construction job or hauling material it is a beast but it is getting old for road tripping in and the 2-seater is inconvenient at this point. that said, i paid 10K for it in 2000, have about 12 grand worth of accidental damage by other to it and i basically put gas in it, change the oil and put new tires on it once in a blue moon.

3. i recently bought a 2003 V6 2WD 4 runner with 150K on it because i couldn't pass up the deal but it does not have 4WD and i basically don't want all the electronics. i'd like to move back to something simpler. i find the 2003 to be a pain ergonomically with the controls and something as simple as a bulb going out in the dash requires full removal of the dash. also, i want to drive a car and not have it try to drive me.
 

mtndude23

Observer
Well, both are reliable. But, don't forget they are older cruisers so things will pop up-which could be a hassle. 60's are slow and have no air bags. 80's aren't much faster, have air bags, but are autos. You really should think about test driving one of each and going from there.
 

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
My first thought is you should change mechanics! Anyone that says Land Cruisers are "unreliable" is clearly not all that smart. Reliability is exactly what TLCs are renowned for!

Your goals are somewhat at odds though. You don't want electronics, but you do want airbags? I agree with mtndude that you should go drive a couple of examples of both 60 and 80 series. Find the best one of each era you can afford and see which one speaks to you. I've driven a diesel 60 on a 15,000 mile trip, and while it was great, it sure wasn't fast. I had a small dirt bike on a hitch rack instead of towing. Doubt that would work with your GS.
 

bdp1978

Adventurer
I started a thread similar to this back in October and got some good advice. I really wanted to find a nice 60.....ironically I ended up purchasing a 4runner instead.
 

T4R@DNA

Observer
First of all get rid of Dah Mechanic. He probably hate Yota.
2. For my personal experience, Toyota(s) are All I Owned, 40, 80, 4runners, Supra. They are reliable exceptional vehicle to certain level. You must do basic maintenance.
IMG_6970.jpg
 

fullybalanced

Too many plans, not enough time
you gotta re-look at what he said.... his MECHANICS said not to buy because of RELIABILITY. ie... his mechanics would be out of work if he got either of these fine vehicles. I bet they are pushing for a Land Rover!

get a FZJ80 and don't look back (except waiving to your lost mechanics)
 

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