Looking to buy an imported turbo diesel have some questions (1 Viewer)

[Shanidar]

The front speakers are missing. And the door lining isn’t attached fully attached so it flops around. I can’t do anything but change the oil myself.

If you are worried about the cost of owning a Land Cruiser and you don’t do your own maintenance or can’t do your own maintenance then an old Land Cruiser is not for you!

Not trying to be mean or negative but that is the simple truth.

Something sounds fishy, for the low mileage the interior should not be trashed, if it is then prior owners didn’t care so I can imagine just how well the mechanicals were maintained!

Also, isn’t everyone worried about the cost of owning any car when shopping? I just don’t want to spend thousands every year and have it laid up in the shop for weeks on end wait for parts. I do long road trips for a couple of months and need it to work consistently, it’s not going to be used for weekend warrioring. A random mechanic in Durango, Salt Lake or Cheyenne needs to be able to help me. I guess something in the 20,000 is reasonable for these imports, but I just need help getting a third opinion on the mechanicals i think.

 

[fjbj40]

Find a shop local to do a PPI so you can go into it with your eyes open. A Land Cruiser that has been neglected is going to cost you s*** loads and it can be laid up for weeks . If you need a dependable DD then it sounds like this one is not for you. You would be better posting a wanted ad in the classifieds section and buying from a member who has probably done most of the necessary work. The large majority of members here are dedicated to the Cruisers and their machines are probably what you need. Secondly they probably have a thread documenting all the work they did and finally want to maintain their reputation!

 

[Shanidar]

Find a shop local to do a PPI so you can go into it with your eyes open. A Land Cruiser that has been neglected is going to cost you s*** loads and it can be laid up for weeks . If you need a dependable DD then it sounds like this one is not for you. You would be better posting a wanted ad in the classifieds section and buying from a member who has probably done most of the necessary work. The large majority of members here are dedicated to the Cruisers and their machines are probably what you need. Secondly they probably have a thread documenting all the work they did and finally want to maintain their reputation!

Perfect, thank you!

 

[panamacruiser]

Those prices are way too much...after Corona, come on over, I would even sell you mine...also, diesel LC have a "sound" that you will understand once you are familiar with them...having owned mine for 17 years, I know what I am talking about on this subject...

 

[greentruck]

No way a diesel 80 series out of Australia has only 68,000 miles (or kms, whatever). Unless someone drove it intio the outback around 1999, died in it, andf they didn't find the results until 2019...thus explaining the rough interior.

If you're willing to spend the money on it to get it up to par, then a rig like these tends to be pretty reliable. But it can get expensive to do that, especially if the only labor you can put in is oil changes. There are nice turn-key 80 series out there, but finding a screaming bargain on one would be very lucky. The reason a lot of these trucks go cheap is deferred maintenance. Keeping up with it is not inexpensive. Thus when one sounds too good to be true, lots of caution is in order.

Find an importer with a good rep and work with them, prepared to pay what a decent example is sure to cost. You can come up with a good truck that way if you make a deal that hinges on it passing your inspection. You can have good, cheap, and well-maintained in an 80 series, but only 2 out of 3 at any single time

 

[Shanidar]

1994 Toyota Land Cruiser (Sold)

We have this awesome Land Cruiser in stock and ready to hit the road or the trails today! Equipped with a 3 inch TJM KGS lift kit, brand new 35x12.5x16 BFG K02 AT tires, 16 inch alloy wheels, intake snorkel, baja style front bumper, XRay 3 pot lights, tire carrier rear attachment, brand new...

rhdspecialties.com

this is the truck.

 

[ccslider]

1994 Toyota Land Cruiser (Sold)

We have this awesome Land Cruiser in stock and ready to hit the road or the trails today! Equipped with a 3 inch TJM KGS lift kit, brand new 35x12.5x16 BFG K02 AT tires, 16 inch alloy wheels, intake snorkel, baja style front bumper, XRay 3 pot lights, tire carrier rear attachment, brand new...

rhdspecialties.com

this is the truck.

I have a car from them and it has more issues / priced higher than others. They are slow to respond like its a bunch of kids working there. I'd look elsewhere!

My RHD car is fun to drive, I would never have one as a daily. It was down for over a month while a sourced a radiator and fan clutch. The fan clutch was 800 dollars from Japan so I rebuilt it myself. Now the steering rack is leaking, its not like you can goto the auto parts store and just buy a new one. I ordered parts from the UAE and will have to rebuild it myself which means more down time. No biggie because its a car I drive once a month if that.


Are you stuck on a manual? If I had 24k to spend I'd be looking at the 200 series. You're getting close, it makes a good daily, less work and is very capable. I think there is a big hype to have a diesel land cruiser but usually people have a comfortable daily because they know that the land cruiser is a maintenance hog.

Do yourself a favor and go read about some others that bought diesels and all of the baselining they needed. Like rod / main bearings. How capable are you as a mechanic?

 

[Shanidar]

I have a car from them and it has more issues / priced higher than others. They are slow to respond like its a bunch of kids working there. I'd look elsewhere!

My RHD car is fun to drive, I would never have one as a daily. It was down for over a month while a sourced a radiator and fan clutch. The fan clutch was 800 dollars from Japan so I rebuilt it myself. Now the steering rack is leaking, its not like you can goto the auto parts store and just buy a new one. I ordered parts from the UAE and will have to rebuild it myself which means more down time. No biggie because its a car I drive once a month if that.


Are you stuck on a manual? If I had 24k to spend I'd be looking at the 200 series. You're getting close, it makes a good daily, less work and is very capable. I think there is a big hype to have a diesel land cruiser but usually people have a comfortable daily because they know that the land cruiser is a maintenance hog.

Do yourself a favor and go read about some others that bought diesels and all of the baselining they needed. Like rod / main bearings. How capable are you as a mechanic?

Thanks for the info!
I have a comfortable daily but I wanted a truck I could take on a 2.5 month road trip around the western US without it being a liability but also being capable of long fire road driving. I am realizing this car is not that car. I love manual, especially on fast access roads and I love the gas mileage you can get with the diesel. That being said I would love a 200, but they get horrendous gas mileage. They sell the 200 in a manual twin turbo v8 diesel internationally, I would sell my fiancé for that truck haha. Thanks for the info I will look at the tundra and 200 used market too.

 

[Dave 2000]

These engines have a reputation for big end bearing failures. Personally I think it's blown out of proportion. Many people change them at 100k km intervals. I would recommend running it as is, give fresh oil and filter, and at the next oil change get an oil sample analysis done. If it does any bearing metal, then change them.

I agree I think the longevity of these engines is brilliant, and purchasing the 80 was one of the best things I ever did! I have had her for around 10 years, by far the longest I have ever kept a car, and I see no reason to sell it.

I think given that the bearing failures are a definite issue and because the mileage is unverified I would simply change them. It is a couple of hours work and worth it for the peace of mind. As can be seen from viewing the link below it is a real problem, but I would have thought that pretty much by now these will have all been done.

I am around 5000 miles from having done 100,000 miles on the replacements, and have considered pulling the sump and changing them again thinking about how easy it is. I have not seen a post where someone has actually gone back in there and pulled a replacement set and it would at least be a marker for everyone else?

BEB just observations

OK following up on https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/365673-my-lc-80-thread.html I decided to go for the big end bearing replacement. It was a straightforward affair apart from my torque wrench deciding it would fail just as the shops closed on Friday and with little hope of getting...

forum.ih8mud.com

regards

Dave

 

[panamacruiser]

A diesel engine well mantained will last about 600 000 kilometers for it to have an overhaul done...if you need BEB then it has a lot of kms or was poorly mantained...as I said before, mine has 17 years with me...it has about 750 kms and now Im thinking about doing an overhaul

 

[greentruck]

SNIP
I love manual, especially on fast access roads and I love the gas mileage you can get with the diesel. That being said I would love a 200, but they get horrendous gas mileage. They sell the 200 in a manual twin turbo v8 diesel internationally, I would sell my fiancé for that truck haha...

The 80 is the first vehicle I've ever owned with an auto transmission. You'll mostly get over that, although I still pine for a manual myself.

An imported 200 series needs to be 25 years old, so you can defer that dream for about a decade. And keep in mind that having the better mpg of diesel would be nice, but a Land Cruiser will never be an economy car.

 

[ccslider]

The 80 is the first vehicle I've ever owned with an auto transmission. You'll mostly get over that, although I still pine for a manual myself.

An imported 200 series needs to be 25 years old, so you can defer that dream for about a decade. And keep in mind that having the better mpg of diesel would be nice, but a Land Cruiser will never be an economy car.

I agree. I always had manuals and hate automatics but I like the auto off road, it's easy and you have alot more control. The downside being down hill control but some low range gears helps with that.

 

[Shanidar]

The 80 is the first vehicle I've ever owned with an auto transmission. You'll mostly get over that, although I still pine for a manual myself.

An imported 200 series needs to be 25 years old, so you can defer that dream for about a decade. And keep in mind that having the better mpg of diesel would be nice, but a Land Cruiser will never be an economy car.

yeah I know it isn’t going to be fantastic fuel economy, but Mid to high teens on the highway is great compared to the 5.7 gas v8 in the 200.

 

[greentruck]

yeah I know it isn’t going to be fantastic fuel economy, but Mid to high teens on the highway is great compared to the 5.7 gas v8 in the 200.

Actually, keep the roof racks and >33" tires off your rig and the gas MPG for an 80 isn't too bad. I regularly see 17 or 18 mpg at 70 mph on the highway. Stop and go or on the trail and it's pretty much 10 mpg.

 

[Shanidar]

Actually, keep the roof racks and >33" tires off your rig and the gas MPG for an 80 isn't too bad. I regularly see 17 or 18 mpg at 70 mph on the highway. Stop and go or on the trail and it's pretty much 10 mpg.

This is what I am talking about! Driving from Western Washington to Southern Colorado, a 200 is going to leave no money for coffee and beer.

 

[ThanatosAZ]

For reference (and FWIW): Here is a clean 91 LHD on BaT that was imported from Spain w/ ~237k miles... which didn't meet reserves at $22.75k. Seller says its going on eBay now

 

[mudgudgeon]

This is what I am talking about! Driving from Western Washington to Southern Colorado, a 200 is going to leave no money for coffee and beer.

If you're worried about affording coffee, an 80 of any kind is probably not for you

 

[Mudder]

If you want something you can drive for 2.5 months without much worry an imported diesel isn't the right answer. If you break down you could easily be SOL.

 

[fjbj40]

Here is my thought and experiences owning diesel cruisers. Parts are tougher to come by, not necessarily tougher but definitely not over the counter. They are more expensive also, and being in the US it will be even tougher. I have owned several and they were sold in Canada and parts were sometimes hard to come by here.
I just bought a 80 last March. I could have easily bought a diesel 80 here in Canada but I am not interested in rhd. I opted for a FZJ80. Yes it gets 15-18 mpg but I can get parts easily, lots of used parts available also.
I only plan on putting 5000 miles or less a year so fuel consumption vs a diesel is not going to be that big a difference. As stated it’s not like the diesel gets twice the mileage, maybe 30 percent better is realistically what you will see. But the extras of dealing with the hassles, for you who does not do his own work, and the extra costs I feel you would be better with a FZJ80.
As stated, if costs concern you, getting into a 80 series or most Land Cruisers, may not be for you.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Here is my thought and experiences owning diesel cruisers. Parts are tougher to come by, not necessarily tougher but definitely not over the counter. They are more expensive also, and being in the US it will be even tougher. I have owned several and they were sold in Canada and parts were sometimes hard to come by here.
I just bought a 80 last March. I could have easily bought a diesel 80 here in Canada but I am not interested in rhd. I opted for a FZJ80. Yes it gets 15-18 mpg but I can get parts easily, lots of used parts available also.
I only plan on putting 5000 miles or less a year so fuel consumption vs a diesel is not going to be that big a difference. As stated it’s not like the diesel gets twice the mileage, maybe 30 percent better is realistically what you will see. But the extras of dealing with the hassles, for you who does not do his own work, and the extra costs I feel you would be better with a FZJ80.
As stated, if costs concern you, getting into a 80 series or most Land Cruisers, may not be for you.

I made the same conclusion in Australia.
I love the diesel Landcruisers, and have one in the garage, but bought an FZJ80 a couple of years ago.

Parts aren't a issue, but I paid $5k for a FZJ80, if all else was equal a diesel model would cost me an extra 15-25k or more.

That's a lot of fuel, upgrades, coffee etc