1998 vs 2006: trade up or not?

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Own the newest, least used, lowest mileage land cruiser you can afford.


A 2011 with 350,000 miles on it is not going to leave someone better off than a 2004 with 35,000 miles on it.

Little extreme, no
Having owned several in most cases each year brings a better Land Cruiser. The difference between a 99 and an 06 is huge(owned both at the same time). Hard to put a value on a safer vehicle for your family, side air bags save 100's of lives every year. That alone is worth the upgrade for me.
 
Little extreme, no
Having owned several in most cases each year brings a better Land Cruiser. The difference between a 99 and an 06 is huge(owned both at the same time). Hard to put a value on a safer vehicle for your family, side air bags save 100's of lives every year. That alone is worth the upgrade for me.

Using 350,000 miles was to make a point. The newest is best hardly covers wear and tear on individual vehicles. Reliability and longevity speaking, a car with fewer miles and less wear is going to be a better choice than a newer vehicle with twice the miles.

I agree with the safety factor. My '99 and my '04 are two different vehicles as well but I wouldn't say the differences are huge. But our '13 is light years behind our '16.

OP's dilemma is vehicle specific and his concerns are valid.


Also, OP, from my own experience, replacing the head unit on an '06 is a nightmare.
 
Using 350,000 miles was to make a point. The newest is best hardly covers wear and tear on individual vehicles. Reliability and longevity speaking, a car with fewer miles and less wear is going to be a better choice than a newer vehicle with twice the miles.

I agree with the safety factor. My '99 and my '04 are two different vehicles as well but I wouldn't say the differences are huge. But our '13 is light years behind our '16.

OP's dilemma is vehicle specific and his concerns are valid.


Also, OP, from my own experience, replacing the head unit on an '06 is a nightmare.

I'll agree to disagree. Your points are dollar based I put a large value on my families safety.

Side airbags cut fatality risk in cars and SUVs
 
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I'll agree to disagree. Your points are dollar based I put a large value on my families safety.


It's not just a dollar amount although having to dump money into an unreliable car doesn't help your family at all.

I agree family safety is the most important. So is owning a reliable vehicle. Breaking down in a rough area would not be safe for your family. Can't put a dollar amount on peace of mind.

Land Cruisers in and of themselves, regardless of the year, are still one of the safest vehicles on the road.

Safety is a priority, yes.
 
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Again, all great points of view and you can see where the dilema comes from for me.
One thing to add: my other vehicle is a 2015 F250. So I have some grace time built in if the 98 or the potential 06 goes down. My current game plan is to drive the 06 today or tomorrow. If it looks as good in person as it does in the pics, I will pull the trigger if we can agree on price.

Squatchy Adventures
--> I'd be curious to know more about your LC background, based on your location and current fleet.
 
Again, all great points of view and you can see where the dilema comes from for me.
One thing to add: my other vehicle is a 2015 F250. So I have some grace time built in if the 98 or the potential 06 goes down. My current game plan is to drive the 06 today or tomorrow. If it looks as good in person as it does in the pics, I will pull the trigger if we can agree on price.

Squatchy Adventures
--> I'd be curious to know more about your LC background, based on your location and current fleet.


Haha, I've owned and worked on 40's, 60's, 62's, 80's, 100's and currently have (2) 200's. Just sold the 80 to a friend of mine. I'm currently trying to sell the 2013 bc I bought a 2016 to take its place.

Most of the trucks I've bought however, have been from out of state. Alabama seems to be limited in the number of quality LC's available for sell. The 2013 came from Kentuck I believe, and the 2016 is from FL. Like Phil suggested, I try and find one every couple years or so and sell them before they get to 50,000 miles. Features and resell are top priorities for me personally however, I wouldn't trade up based solely on year. I drive my '99 more than anything.
 
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If it was me, just like you, having owned several Land Cruisers in the past, with the knowledge of how they should perform and how reliable they should be.
Currently owning a 100 Series (so knowing exactly what to expect from that platform), I'd go drive the 06 and see which one feels better.

I'd go with the one that feels better TO ME....

TB needs to be changed? No biggie, do it right off the bat for peace of mind, TB Aisin Kit (same manufacturer as OEM) on Amazon is around $170 + labour costs.
 
Haha, I've owned and worked on 40's, 60's, 62's, 80's, 100's and currently have (2) 200's. Just sold the 80 to a friend of mine. I'm currently trying to sell the 2013 bc I bought a 2016 to take its place.

Most of the trucks I've bought however, have been from out of state. Alabama seems to be limited in the number of quality LC's available for sell. The 2013 came from Kentuck I believe, and the 2016 is from FL. Like Phil suggested, I try and find one every couple years or so and sell them before they get to 50,000 miles. Safety and resell are

Yeah, I just realized that your charcoal-ish colored 200 is the one I've seen on Craigslist lately. REALLY, what I need to do is keep the 98, buy your 2013 and sell our 13 w/ 132k miles. But that's for another thread...... If Santa puts $10k under the tree, I'll holla.
 
I'd want it to
Yeah, I just realized that your charcoal-ish colored 200 is the one I've seen on Craigslist lately. REALLY, what I need to do is keep the 98, buy your 2013 and sell our 13 w/ 132k miles. But that's for another thread...... If Santa puts $10k under the tree, I'll holla.

Where abouts are you located WDS?
 
Good Ole Birmingham (area). Home of the 2016 Birmingham Bowl.

Lol, at least it's not the Beef O'Bradys Bowl.

On a side note and somewhat unrelated to the thread, I passed this on the road and had a good chuckle.
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