100 or Fj Cruiser? 100!

[crackerjack]

Well after getting some solid advice from this forum and from the guys are Slee Off Road, I decided to get 100 series Land Cruiser.

I am planning on buying one, hopefully with 50 - 75K miles on it, in the next few weeks and having it shipped to Slee so that they can do the following:

OME lift, new tires, ARB/winch, Slee rear bumper, fog lights, and storage box in the back. At their suggestion, I am planning on having a major service performed as well - fluids,plugs, wires, belts, brake pads, water pump.....whatever needs done etc.

I live in Alaska and there is not much in the way of service anywhere near my home, so I am going to try to get as much done to get it into perfect shape as possible.

Am I missing anything? what would be the best Snow, ice, gravel mud tires?

Is there one year that is better than others in terms of reliablity?

I would rather bite the bullet and get it done right the first time.....

 

[G-Cat]

Well, the 98-99 require Premium Unleaded, while the 00-up do not. That would be a factor for me, as I would plan to keep it for 200-300K miles and that is a lot of gas.

 

[spressomon]

As you probably know the '98-'99 typically came with center diff locker as well as the rear e-locker from Toyota. The '00 added traction control but dropped the rear e-locker option.

If you have the green...get as new a model year as you can afford...and if it is a '00 or newer have the ARB lockers installed front and rear for the best of both worlds.

 

[stewbo]

The 00 and newwer have the stronger 4 pinion diff. I learned about it the hard way. Otherwise congrats on the new cruiser!

 

[Morty]

If you want factory e-locker, your only option is '98 or '99, and '99 is better because you get rear A/C. I think there are some late '99s with the stronger 4-pinion front diff, but I'm not sure.

If I did it again, I'd find the best '99 I could. Or even better, I'd do exactly what Slee says. That guy knows what the hell he's doing.

 

[hoser]

Just wanted to clear up a few things. All 100's prefer Premium unleaded but can use lower octane with reduced performance. The '99 LC has the optional rear AC... not all of them have it.

Personally, for snow and ice, I'd go with a '00+ model. Like Spresso said, get the newest one you can afford with '03 being the next big step in improvements over the '00.

 

[tabraha]

With as much snow and ice as you see; I'd make 00+ mandatory for the ActiveTrac.

 

[SINCITY100]

With as much snow and ice as you see; I'd make 00+ mandatory for the ActiveTrac.

I agree 100% !

 

[SamoL]

what would be the best Snow, ice, gravel mud tires?

There are no such tires. I guess your best pick is to use two sets: 1 set of winter tires (Bridgestone Blizzak) and one set of mud terrain tires (Goodyear MT/R, BFG MT or similar). On snow & ice it's the biggest problem to stop the heavy thing. And there are no electronic gadgets that can replace winter tires.

Regards

Samo

 

[calamaridog]

With as much snow and ice as you see; I'd make 00+ mandatory for the ActiveTrac.

I agree too!


I'd like to add that the most reliable one will probably be the newest, lowest mileage Cruiser you can afford.

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

Well, the 98-99 require Premium Unleaded, while the 00-up do not. That would be a factor for me, as I would plan to keep it for 200-300K miles and that is a lot of gas.

Really? My 2001 requires P.U.

 

[crackerjack]

Thanks

Thanks for the information. All I need to do know if find the right 100 for the upgrade. I have a guy looking in Colorado. Since I am in no hurry, I would think it will come along soon.

 

[spressomon]

crackerjack, what part of the country are you located?

 

[dclee]

I don't remember when it changed, but I know that my `04 does NOT require premium gas.

 

[jjbodean1970]

Well, the 98-99 require Premium Unleaded, while the 00-up do not. That would be a factor for me, as I would plan to keep it for 200-300K miles and that is a lot of gas.

my 2000 model says use premium unleaded, although i do not

 

[crackerjack]

Alaska