[scrappyslexus]

Does anyone have an idea on how long the truck is designed to last?

[hedydd]

Originally Posted by scrappyslexus

Does anyone have an idea on how long the truck is designed to last?

While most saloon cars have a design life average of 10 years/150,000 miles but can last much longer if well looked after, I think [with no evidence] that the Land Cruiser has a design life of 20 years or 250,000 miles. That's not to say it won't last longer or that it will be trouble free over that time. Some will live longer and some will die sooner. Just like humans really, who have a design life [apparently] of three score years and 10, yet many die sooner but with today's better maintenance many exceed the design life, sometimes by quite a margin.

[uzj100]

100 series LC was designed to be on the road 25 years according to the press relases from 1997.

Design of UZJ100, as the '98 Cruiser program is coded, was frozen in mid-1994, says veteran chief engineer Takeo Kondo. At that point, the previous FJ80 model was three years old. And as on every previous Cruiser, UZJ100 has body-on-frame construction.
"There was never any consideration of unibody design," Kondo tells AI. "Long-term durability has always been the number one goal of the Land Cruiser program," he explains, "and we expect these vehicles to be on the road for at least 25 years." Range Rover was the program's primary benchmark, particularly for suspension articulation, chassis stiffness and interior appointments.

[hedydd]

Its easy enough to say that they expect them to be on the road in 25 years time but I'm willing to bet that few will actually be in daily use by then. Well, maybe in India or somewhere where labour to repair them is cheap and the chassis can be repaired by welding and patching any cracks or holes. In most developed countries they will just not be economical to repair and there will be plenty of dirt cheap ten year old more modern and efficient vehicles ready to take over their duty at less cost than any medium sized repair. The economies of running these things long term depends very much on where you are and the tenacity and determination of the owner to keep it roadworthy. Given the will, the time and the money, some will be visiting vintage shows in 50 years time. Some 100 series will already be at the scrap yards for various reasons. I cannot see why a Prado will last any longer than any of its contemporaries like the Trooper/Bighorn or Mitsu Montero/Pajero/Shogun. A friend has both a 90 series with 110,000 miles and a Shogun with 170,000 very hard miles on it. He should have scrapped the Shogun at 160,000 miles when it was 11 years old as up 'till then it was 100% reliable. At that point it had a new clutch and since then everything has started to go wrong and it is no longer dependable. Its not the big things but starter, water pump, alternator, wiper motor, chassis cracking and rusting, electric windows failing, seat sagging and so on. It was not worth putting that new clutch [its first replacement] in it. As a business vehicle it is just not a viable machine any longer. And who wants it? How much is it now worth? Well its worth £1k as a scrapper until the scheme ends, that's for sure.
His 90 will probably last longer but that is down to an easier life more than any intrinsic superior engineering longevity. Like my 100 series, it has a very good, almost perfect record so far. But so had his Shogun at that mileage. The D4D engine does seem to me to be more rattely now than it used to be but that may be down to the performance chip that was fitted just about when it was bought new.

[Jetboy]

I'd say most 1985 toyota vehicles that have been maintained and not wrecked would be just fine as daily drivers. Most of us want more creature comforts, but I don't think 25yrs of service life is out of the question. Hell, my 75 cruiser still runs on the very same drive train it came with. I don't see any reason why my 96 4runner won't last another 10 years or more.

I remember reading somewhere that the prius batteries were designed to last for 180k miles as that what they determined was the expected life. Not sure whether that number has any basis though.

[AJP]

25 years is a reasonable expectation if maintained - and you repair/replace the little bits as they break. BUT rust is the major factor imo ... in areas where winter roads are salted .. this will have a big impact ... use appropriate rust prevention measures and you may "delay" the inevitable - but not avoid it.

[pagemaster]

I don't see why any of the current Toyota trucks or SUVs would not last 15-20 years. I see plenty of 80s GMC/Chevy roaming around. I also see a lot of older Toyota 4runners and Tacomas....what the older Land Cruisers, Toyotas and Chevy's didnt have were hydraulic suspensions, air suspensions, fancy navigation, power everything....so maybe they won't last 25 years

[Expedition40]

Not apples to apples, but its pretty common to see the older cruisers with 300K+ easy, still running strong. Of course the older ones were built with a bit different mindset than the newer breed, AKA overbuilt for 3rd world conditions.

As for newer rigs, my buddies 96 Tacoma has a gods honest 265K, runs great and is tight and rattle free and it gets used pretty hard, not a highway queen. Of course he fixes little hiccups here and there (tie rod ends, axle seals, misc.), but its been rock solid and reliable.