I bought my LC because I wanted a big vehicle to haul kids and dogs and camping gear, had 4x4, can tow my boat. Pickups didn't have enough passenger space. Vans were not towing/offroad capable. Most SUV's are lesser quality in my opinion and for the most part not well maintained from what I could see. My budget was less than $10,000. That led me to the LC, and I figured screw the gas mileage, something had to give and I made peace with it before I purchased.
Also, to make it feasible, I committed to doing all/most work myself to save costs. I use Toyota parts 95+% of the time so I don't have to do things over. I've bought about $500 in tools. I have to work in my driveway, no shop. I haven't really made any upgrades - to keep costs low. Just repairs and preventative maintenance.
All that led to a 1 owner, mostly dealer maintained with lots of service history, LC in standard condition that had been cared for. Almost new tires, a new Toyota battery, front brakes just done. No rust, not perfect condition but much better than I was hoping for. I was happy to pay $10,00 and did not need to do anything to drive and enjoy it. For any used vehicle I'd figure about $100/mo for maintenance costs, to keep running in very reliable condition, I'd say I'm closer to $130/mo. for parts and tools, and I've gone overboard on replacing things that certainly did not need to be done. I've only paid someone else to have LBJ replaced, steering rack bushings, alignment, muffler, and windshield. I rent tools (at no charge from O'Reilly's) so I don't buy things I don't use a lot.
Every fluid replaced with quality synthetic. All driveline items greased. Rear shocks. Rear brakes - rotors and pads. TB job (only because crank seal was leaking) with serp belt too, fan bracket, every coolant hose, pulleys, water pump, basically anything that spins, crank and cam seals. Heater T's and every hose attached to them. Removed and cleaned throttle body. Wiper blades. LED backup lights. Installed a new APPS. Replaced PCV valve and hoses. New headlight and foglight bulbs. New LED interior lights. Fixed or replaced small switches like exterior mirror control and passenger window switch, tightened up the A/C controls and rear view mirror, various plastic clips and so on. Bought floor mats for front, mid, rear. Got a small air compressor, some simple recovery gear.
There is nothing that I can think of that will do all the things that I want, and be so dang reliable, and (to me) luxurious, for the cost of what I've put into this rig. And way less expensive than having a car payment. It looks great, runs awesome. I've got 225,000 miles on it and it will go for a very long time.
Also, to make it feasible, I committed to doing all/most work myself to save costs. I use Toyota parts 95+% of the time so I don't have to do things over. I've bought about $500 in tools. I have to work in my driveway, no shop. I haven't really made any upgrades - to keep costs low. Just repairs and preventative maintenance.
All that led to a 1 owner, mostly dealer maintained with lots of service history, LC in standard condition that had been cared for. Almost new tires, a new Toyota battery, front brakes just done. No rust, not perfect condition but much better than I was hoping for. I was happy to pay $10,00 and did not need to do anything to drive and enjoy it. For any used vehicle I'd figure about $100/mo for maintenance costs, to keep running in very reliable condition, I'd say I'm closer to $130/mo. for parts and tools, and I've gone overboard on replacing things that certainly did not need to be done. I've only paid someone else to have LBJ replaced, steering rack bushings, alignment, muffler, and windshield. I rent tools (at no charge from O'Reilly's) so I don't buy things I don't use a lot.
Every fluid replaced with quality synthetic. All driveline items greased. Rear shocks. Rear brakes - rotors and pads. TB job (only because crank seal was leaking) with serp belt too, fan bracket, every coolant hose, pulleys, water pump, basically anything that spins, crank and cam seals. Heater T's and every hose attached to them. Removed and cleaned throttle body. Wiper blades. LED backup lights. Installed a new APPS. Replaced PCV valve and hoses. New headlight and foglight bulbs. New LED interior lights. Fixed or replaced small switches like exterior mirror control and passenger window switch, tightened up the A/C controls and rear view mirror, various plastic clips and so on. Bought floor mats for front, mid, rear. Got a small air compressor, some simple recovery gear.
There is nothing that I can think of that will do all the things that I want, and be so dang reliable, and (to me) luxurious, for the cost of what I've put into this rig. And way less expensive than having a car payment. It looks great, runs awesome. I've got 225,000 miles on it and it will go for a very long time.