hey new to the forum and looking for some help. I currently own a fj cruiser but I just had my first kid and plan to have more on the way, and the fj is just not family friendly. My favorite landcruiser is the 80 series but I’m looking and the 100s due to bigger interior and more creature comforts for day to day dad life. I live in Colorado and enjoy going to Moab so my ideal setup is an overland focused rig that if I want to occasionally take on a more difficult trail I can. My thought for either 80 or 100 is a 3.5’ lift and 35s! What’s y’all’s thought on this set up and the two vehicles?
100 series vs 80 series
- Thread starter EGKilborn
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80's are cool, but 100's are better. And I think you'll really appreciate the 4.7L V-8 on Vail pass on your way to Moab. Try to get one with the 5-speed transmission...
I think a 3.5" lift with either takes you down a rabbit hole you don't want to go down. And 33's took my mpg from almost 16 mpg to 13.5 mpg.
A 2" lift on a 100 Series with 285s is the perfect balance between offroad-ready Dad mobile & almost minivan comfort.
I think a 3.5" lift with either takes you down a rabbit hole you don't want to go down. And 33's took my mpg from almost 16 mpg to 13.5 mpg.
A 2" lift on a 100 Series with 285s is the perfect balance between offroad-ready Dad mobile & almost minivan comfort.
The fzj80 is a more capable wheeler, the uzj100 is a more comfortable "overlander" with more power.
My first Landcruiser was an 80 series and then I purchased my 100 series. I had them both for a short while. I always felt the 80 was a more solid vehicle that seemed more confident off road. That being said I found that I nearly always chose the 100 for road trips as it handled highway speeds much better and had the better amenities. Needless to say I ended up selling the 80 and keeping the 100. Hope this helps. Cheers, Scot
Skip the 100, get a 200.
Simple, but that sums it up.
As far as the setup you're after, I think you'd be disappointed with a 100. You really can't lift the front end of a 100 more than 2-3" because the of the torsion bar setup, you'd lose all down travel. Honestly once I finally got my 100 to a good place with F+R lockers, 35s and the biggest lift I could, I started getting disappointed with it. 35s kept hitting the fenders, my steering rack wasn't happy and I couldn't do anything with the suspension to get more capability. Next step was a solid axle swap which is a whole other can of worms.
In this little rock garden for example, the 80 walked right up, much easier than I did.
At that point I started wondering if I should go up to a 200 with more power and better suspension, or go back to an 80. And honestly the 200 market is reaching a point where it's easier to find a reasonable and clean 200 than it is to find a clean 100.
US 80s are kind of slow and getting old and hard to find clean examples. They're amazing offroad with very few mods but the trip there on the highway isn't nearly as nice as a 100 or 200.
I ended up getting a JDM import 80 with a turbo diesel which solves most of those problems - the power is great, the highway ride isn't that bad and the offroad capability is great. You can fit 35s and a 3" lift so easy.
Anyway if I had to do a 100 again I would keep the lift around 2" and the tires 33"-34", do a mild "overland" build and call it good. They're great platforms, just not easy to build for real wheeling.
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Have you ever had to figure out car seats and children and an 80 before one of my fears of the 80s is just the room for kids and car seatsSimple, but that sums it up.
As far as the setup you're after, I think you'd be disappointed with a 100. You really can't lift the front end of a 100 more than 2-3" because the of the torsion bar setup, you'd lose all down travel. Honestly once I finally got my 100 to a good place with F+R lockers, 35s and the biggest lift I could, I started getting disappointed with it. 35s kept hitting the fenders, my steering rack wasn't happy and I couldn't do anything with the suspension to get more capability. Next step was a solid axle swap which is a whole other can of worms.
In this little rock garden for example, the 80 walked right up, much easier than I did.
At that point I started wondering if I should go up to a 200 with more power and better suspension, or go back to an 80. And honestly the 200 market is reaching a point where it's easier to find a reasonable and clean 200 than it is to find a clean 100.
US 80s are kind of slow and getting old and hard to find clean examples. They're amazing offroad with very few mods but the trip there on the highway isn't nearly as nice as a 100 or 200.
I ended up getting a JDM import 80 with a turbo diesel which solves most of those problems - the power is great, the highway ride isn't that bad and the offroad capability is great. You can fit 35s and a 3" lift so easy.
View attachment 4049998
Anyway if I had to do a 100 again I would keep the lift around 2" and the tires 33"-34", do a mild "overland" build and call it good. They're great platforms, just not easy to build for real wheeling.
I've had car seats in my 100 and my 200 and obviously the 200 is the winner, but the 100 was good. The 80 has a little less room but my kids are out of the car seat phase so I never tried it. I'd say 80s probably have slightly less room than a 100 but it's still doable.
One other thing to consider is that all you have in an 80 is a seat belt to hold in the car seat, none of the new car seat anchors. And I don't think early model 100s got them either - you'd have to research what year those were included.
I will say if you are thinking about family safety, the 200 is the winner there, followed by the 100. 80s seem pretty safe but they didn't get airbags until '95 and it's just an older design.
Also I don't know what your particular family situation is but I know my wife prefers it if I take the 200 or my 2nd gen Tundra on longer trips with my boys for safety reasons. She doesn't mind that I take the 80 on solo trips... I don't know what that says about my relationship hahah
Great question. Whenever I see an 80 Series I say "I love it!" Whenever I see a 100 Series I say "I love it!". Whenever I talk to the owners of said series they say the same thing. Hope this helps.
I have both and have had a 200. I have put a good amount of money into my 100, probably over $55k on top of buying the vehicle. It is my "overland" vehicle. It has done the IDBDR and the WYBDR with all of the hard sections. I have never had an issue until my last trip where I mistakenly topped off my fuel and started a chain of events that eventually had fuel boiling. Expensive and frustrating lesson learned.
Apples to apples the 200 is better than the 100 in every way. I do wish I had started with a 200 for my build. That said I am so much $ into my 100 that it is just maintenance and fine tuning my loadout now. Eventually I will probably sell it to get another 200.
My 80 is a bone stock 1997 CE without lockers (which I don't care about as I will eventually build it my way) and if I could keep only one I would keep the 80. I will never sell it. It will eventually be a trail rig that can do a few nights of "overland" but that is years off. Low on my priority list now, just doing parts accumulation while they are available.
Apples to apples the 200 is better than the 100 in every way. I do wish I had started with a 200 for my build. That said I am so much $ into my 100 that it is just maintenance and fine tuning my loadout now. Eventually I will probably sell it to get another 200.
My 80 is a bone stock 1997 CE without lockers (which I don't care about as I will eventually build it my way) and if I could keep only one I would keep the 80. I will never sell it. It will eventually be a trail rig that can do a few nights of "overland" but that is years off. Low on my priority list now, just doing parts accumulation while they are available.
Get both of them if you have the space, funds, and time. Each have their own merits 100 - best gas engine Toyota has ever made, great highway characteristics. 80 - great for wheeling, lacks power. Both are equally rugged and dependable in their own seperate ways.
In 2025 - both look amazing in terms of looks. It used to be 100 looked boring but it has now reached its prime golden years in terms of looks.
In 2025 - both look amazing in terms of looks. It used to be 100 looked boring but it has now reached its prime golden years in terms of looks.
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Simple, but that sums it up.
As far as the setup you're after, I think you'd be disappointed with a 100. You really can't lift the front end of a 100 more than 2-3" because the of the torsion bar setup, you'd lose all down travel. Honestly once I finally got my 100 to a good place with F+R lockers, 35s and the biggest lift I could, I started getting disappointed with it. 35s kept hitting the fenders, my steering rack wasn't happy and I couldn't do anything with the suspension to get more capability. Next step was a solid axle swap which is a whole other can of worms.
In this little rock garden for example, the 80 walked right up, much easier than I did.
At that point I started wondering if I should go up to a 200 with more power and better suspension, or go back to an 80. And honestly the 200 market is reaching a point where it's easier to find a reasonable and clean 200 than it is to find a clean 100.
US 80s are kind of slow and getting old and hard to find clean examples. They're amazing offroad with very few mods but the trip there on the highway isn't nearly as nice as a 100 or 200.
I ended up getting a JDM import 80 with a turbo diesel which solves most of those problems - the power is great, the highway ride isn't that bad and the offroad capability is great. You can fit 35s and a 3" lift so easy.
View attachment 4049998
Anyway if I had to do a 100 again I would keep the lift around 2" and the tires 33"-34", do a mild "overland" build and call it good. They're great platforms, just not easy to build for real wheeling.
And when you SAS a 100 you can’t get any real up travel unless you do 6” or more of lift. Since the 100 frame is designed for torsion bar suspension it is very flat where the front axle is located. So it’s fairly meh of a SAS too.
Cheers
Yes they are good for kids in my experience plenty of room. Rear facing car seat in the 2nd row using a seat belt lock/adapter to install them.
Wheeled Moab a few times and worked fine
Search "80 100", limited to titles only, 100 section only, lots of threads with the exact same question.
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What makes you like the 200 so much more
