Several have asked me to provide these numbers, so I'm sharing with the entire 80 community. Here are the actual sales numbers and an in-depth breakdown for 40th Anniversary and Collector Edition Land Cruisers.
· Toyota Sold a total of 14,981 of the 1997 model year Land Cruisers.
· For model year 1997, 44% of the Land Cruisers were special editions. This includes both 40th and Collector Edition.
· The special edition sales were 26% 40th Anniversary and 17% Collector Edition.
· Of the 3,946 - 40th Anniversary models, 1,604 were equipped with factory diff locks for a total of 41% install rate.
· Of the 2,616 Collector Edition models, 822 were equipped with factory diff locks for a total of 31% diff lock install rate.
In short, the Collector Edition equipped with factory diff locks is the most rare of the 1997 Land Cruisers. Fewer Collector Edition LCs were built and even fewer had the factory diff lock option.
How rare are is the diff lock option on the 1997 Land Cruiser?
· Of the non-special edition Land Cruisers, only 2,449 were equipped with diff locks.
· For the 1997 model year (all LC including special editions) Land Cruiser, 4,875 were equipped with factory diff locks for an install rate of 33%.
What was the difference between a 40th and a Collector Edition? What is the most rare of the models?
· The 40th Anniversary Edition was built between 1/5/1995 and 5/11/1997
· The 40th Anniversary Edition package included: two-tone leather seats, leather headrest, leather steering wheel, body side moldings, unique paint color option (1B2 Antique Sage), 40th badging with unique number and 40th floor mats.
· The 40th Edition was only available in two colors.
1. 1B2 Antique Sage Pearl (3,063 built)
2. 6M1 Dark Emerald Pearl (2,960 built), but not unique to 40th only.
· Many options were standard with the exception of Sunroof and Premium Audio. The premium audio was ordered on 100% of the 40th Land Cruisers any way. The sunroof was ordered on all but 4.
· The most rare 40th Anniversary Land Cruiser was built without sunroof and in the 1B2 Antique Sage Pearl color. Only 4 were built in that configuration.
· The 40th Anniversary Edition was so popular that Toyota Motor Sales decided to build an additional limited edition model loaded with options and call it the Collector Edition.
· The Collector Edition was the second to be produced and was built between 7/31/1997 and 1/21/1998. In fact, the very last of the 1997 model year Land Cruisers built for the US market was a Collector Edition with VIN ending in 188468.
· Collector Edition package included: automatic air conditioner, leather steering wheel, privacy glass, leather power sport seats, leather headrest, premium audio, sunroof, body side moldings, black pearl badging, collector’s edition badge, collector edition floor mats.
· The Collector Edition was available in all colors other than the 1B2 Antique Sage Pearl, which was exclusive to the 40th.
· The Collector Edition came standard with almost all available factory options. The only factory options that could be changed was to add diff locks and/or change the color.
· The most rare Collector Edition was a two-tone green/gray exterior with diff locks (9 built in this configuration). Second to that is the Moonglow Pearl with diff locks (24 built) and this is what I have.
What does all this mean in terms of value?
Your Land Cruiser is worth exactly what someone else is willing to pay for it. Things that add to it's value are:
1. Overall Condition - Low mileage, no rust, clean interior, good paint, no accidents or body repair history, solid maintenance all add to the vehicle's value. Some amount of normal wear is expected, but a vehicle with no signs or very little signs of wear will be worth a lot more.
2. Maintenance records - Having the ability to prove the vehicle's history and showing maintenance records is very important to some used vehicle buyers and can add to the value
3. Rarity - Let's face it, no car company, including Toyota is building vehicles with the durability, capability and reliability of a stock Land Cruiser 80. Lots of 80s are no longer on the road due to accidents, cash-for-clunkers, etc. Every year your 80 survives, it becomes more rare. The value of these trucks in various conditions is going up for that reason.
4. Collectability - There are lots of Land Cruiser enthusiasts with pockets overflowing with money that want to buy and preserve these vehicles for their personal collections. For these buyers, special editions are desirable.
I hope this helps to answer some of your questions. I know there are a lot of people out there wondering about these numbers and trying to find out how rare their LC is. Now you know…
Cheers...
