learning about 80 series before purchase

[REDROVER]

my camping buddies and i decided that my range rover is not up to the job any more for our use, being small, i was working on getting defender 110 from Europe but its gonna be a rust bucket, and USA model defenders have 35 grand mark up when u consider its still the same land rover that is 2000 bucks in Europe .so that's out of question, the land cruiser is the choice being strong reliable and awesome looking .
my range rover will be going for sale on ebay this week and we wanna switch to Toyota

choice is from 90 to 97 model ,

whats the average annual cost to keep 80s going?

how many miles do those motors and transmissions go assuming it has been well maintained ?

i prefer a model with lockers , what year did they came with lockers? and if i find one without lockers how much off road performance does it cut ?

whats the average MPG ?

are the parts easy available ?

do the back seats fold all the way in? can it be sleeping platform?

most of them i see have over 180k miles what should i check before i buy it?

thank you very much for the help

Eric

 

[Falkon]

Check out ih8mud. Ton of good info on cruisers over there. Read the stickies, they are an excellent starting place with probably the answers to all your questions.

Good luck!

 

[jessejman]

Yep, Go to the FAQ's at ih8mud and it will answer every one of your questions and then some. That's where I started after realizing the '65 Series 2a wasn't up to family duty. Still have the rover but I love my FZJ 80.

 

[Mountainhound]

Honestly I hate that answer everybody seems to give. Muds great but for someone like me it stinks because I spend forever waiting for pages to load. Annual cost I cant tell you, but I have had my 94 for just over 6 months and 12k miles and not much. Lets see $130 for a fuel pump and thats about it besides fluid changes. 93-97 for lockers can exceed 300k, mpg poor. As for offroad ability still pretty dang impressive. Seats don't fold all the way in but are out of the way. Oh and by the way I absolutly love mine!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out ih8mud. Ton of good info on cruisers over there. Read the stickies, they are an excellent starting place with probably the answers to all your questions.

Good luck!

 

[reece146]

I like the 95-97 with the redesigned dash and dual front air bags. Other than that make sure you get the 1FZ and factory lockers.

 

[flyinwall]

my preferance would be to go with the 1HDT 4.2 turbo diesel as they will last to over 1 000 000 km (yes 1 million km) when serviced regularly (i had a HZJ80 with 1HZ ,non turbo, and it had almost 700 000 km on it on the original untouched motor and it would still accelerate up hills in 5th gear)

 

[Mountainhound]

Thats all well and great if they were available in the states.

my preferance would be to go with the 1HDT 4.2 turbo diesel as they will last to over 1 000 000 km (yes 1 million km) when serviced regularly (i had a HZJ80 with 1HZ ,non turbo, and it had almost 700 000 km on it on the original untouched motor and it would still accelerate up hills in 5th gear)

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

96-97 OBDII

Slee off road - Newbie guide is a great resource

 

[njtacoma]

I like the Newbie guide on Slee as well. A lot of information compressed into a more accessible package. Great way to get a good foundation before you jump into some of the conflicting opinions on Mud.

 

[Driver-Navigator]

x3 On Slee's 80-series newbie guide for a lot of good, solid specs and other info, including variations by year. That page is at http://www.sleeoffroad.com/newbie/newbie100.htm (yeah I know it says "newbie100" but it's really the 80-series page!)

I also like this page for the breakdown on colors by year, dash photos, etc.: http://gtcarlot.com/data/Toyota/Land+Cruiser/

 

[Douglas S.]

Thats all well and great if they were available in the states.

The OP swapped a diesel into his Range Rover so I'm sure he's capable of doing the same with a cruiser if he chooses to.

 

[Sempertoy]

choice is from 90 to 97 model , I would stick with the 1FZFE, from 95 forward I believe. It has more power.

whats the average annual cost to keep 80s going? I have had mine for 9 months and it has needed zero repairs. I have obviously upgraded certain things, but I could still be driving it the way it was when I bought it, and I am at 198k

how many miles do those motors and transmissions go assuming it has been well maintained ? There was a thread on Mud about this, I would say average that posted was about 250k before a major rebuild, some are reporting 400k on all original drivetrain.

i prefer a model with lockers , what year did they came with lockers? and if i find one without lockers how much off road performance does it cut ? dont let the lockers sway you, budget in for ARB, the factory lockers are nice but can be finicky, especially if not engaged by the PO. Also ARB is instantaneous and factory takes a bit of roll to engage. This is all from my understanding, I am not locked.

That being said having an unlocked vehicle it is still the most capable one I have ever owned. I love my LC and it has taken me everywhere I have wanted to go, even through black diamond trails in Big Bear.

whats the average MPG ? not good. 11-14

are the parts easy available ? yes. I always buy from CDAN or BENO on mud, they work for dealers and give discounts on OEM parts.

do the back seats fold all the way in? can it be sleeping platform? if you are over 70" it will be a tight fit. I am 70'' and I have to sleep angled to be comfy.

most of them i see have over 180k miles what should i check before i buy it? Find out about the head gasket if you can. Have the compression checked. Look at the birfields and see if they are messy, most likely an axle rebuild is in your future. See if the power steering reservior is leaking, mine is and its annoying. Also this may sound funny but see if the power seats work. They have a plastic gear that can come out and they stop working. Also read about and know what the PHH is and check the condition. Cheap part, pain to replace.

Also, as mentioned study Slee, and Ih8mud. Study for a long time before you buy. I researched for almost a year before I bought and I don't regret it at all, I knew exactly what I was getting in to. Budget a few hundred to baseline it when you buy it (fluids, brakes, etc)

All that being said, you wont regret your purchase at all. I love every second I am in mine. It's no wonder is one of the most well traveled vehicles on the planet.

 

[kletzenklueffer]

As far as sleeping in the back, two scenarios can work. First, is pull the rear seats (4 bolts) before going camping. This give more storage area and the needed 12" of room for sleeping, or second, and what I do, is leave the tailgate down and liftgate up and surround the rear with a tarp and sleep with your head on the tailgate. Then you have more than enough room. I can seal mine enough that bugs can't get in. I'm 6'3" and me and my 14 y.o. son that is 6"0" can sleep in the back. Otherwise, there are roof top tents and SUV tents that attach to the back that open up a lot of possiblities.

and 93 is the best year :ylsmoke:

 

[REDROVER]

thank you very much guys i am learning and working myself to land cruiser world

 

[alia176]

Eric,

whatever the cost will be, it'll be far less than owning and maintaining a RRC of the same vintage! I used to own a '91RRC so I've been there, done that!

PM me if you have any questions.

Ali