2008 Landcruiser 200 Buying Experience and a few Q

[CWK2]

Have always been a die hard Toyota owner. Have had three generations of 4 runner and still have a 04' Limited V-8. Also own a SC430 Lexus. Trade my 07' GX 470 for the 2008 Landcruiser. I had a little incident in my GX and it was just never the same after insurance company had Lexus and body shop do their work. Should have been educated on Diminished Value. After a year of a crooked rig (3/4") I decided to trade in. I had a hard time finding a used or new LC for sale in the 200 series. Much different here in the NW. A few months back a 08' came locally and I made multiple offers to Toyota dealer. In 2 weeks time they got full sticker of 58k. NO thanks. Then a few weeks ago another Toyota dealer went to Cali and came back with a pair of 09's with 400 miles. I offered 65k. Not even a little interest. That Toyota dealer sold a 10' before it even hit the lot at full sticker. There was a red one in MT that was of no interest to me. Sorry not feeling red. So last week I found my ride at last. White 2008 with 33k miles. Upgrade package and at a Lexus dealer. This was good for me as I was trading a Lexus. Had a agreed price over phone contigent on condition being as represented. Left Seattle at 9pm and was in Reno NV at 10 am next morning very tired. Flipped when I got there with no sleep and found a big spot on carpet and some other little things. GM dropped price another grand and I gave them the keys to my crooked ride with 56k miles and cut a check. Immediately jumped in the beast and headed straight home. Arrive 2am very very tired and wondering what I just did. I knew I just bought my dream car but it had not set in yet. Paid 52k which for the state of Washington is pretty good. I had some dealer friends checking auction prices at Manheim auto auction and given what I received for my trade I am happy. Going to have friend at body shop take the stain out and replace one trim piece in center console. Outside of that the car is cherry.

Ok that was the buying experience. Now I need some help with some things I would like to do to the car. I am an avid boater so I am not too nuts about my cars but I do like to have them a certain way. Love the LC so far. First off the fish bowl needs tint. Is there anything I should know going in about tinting the windows? That is the only big thing I want to do. Also plan on replacing cheapo Fuzion xti tires with somethig decent that is All Season. The Nav override has my attention as well. I would like to do the body side moulding but would like the chrome look rather than painted to match. Lastly can I kill the Daytime Running lights. Talk about a dumb look. I did so on my SC430 at dealer using the personalized settings adjustment. Does the LC have this?

Anybody know why this car does not have a Altimeter. The Lexus GX had one and I thought it was a cool feature. The other features I miss are the wood trim along with the Mark Levinson sound system. 3 Pro's for the GX and about 50 Pro's for the 200.

This site seems pretty cool and appreciate all the great information. Any advice is appreciated. Thoughts on Window Tinting would be great.

 

[donjuanmiguel]

Welcome! Your gonna love the cruiser. If you are going to tow, first thing I'd recommend is an upgraded suspension. Any amount of weight will cause you to squat. Not an issue during the day but at night, on-coming traffic will hate you. Plenty of info on this topic, do a search and plan away!

 

[sptsdn]

Much different here in the NW. A few months back a 08' came locally and I made multiple offers to Toyota dealer. In 2 weeks time they got full sticker of 58k. NO thanks. Then a few weeks ago another Toyota dealer went to Cali and came back with a pair of 09's with 400 miles. I offered 65k. Not even a little interest. That Toyota dealer sold a 10' before it even hit the lot at full sticker. There was a red one in MT that was of no interest to me. Sorry not feeling red.

My what a year or so does. Last year, two local Spokane dealers were sitting on some new '08's at $11K off MSRP. Recently, only one local dealer had any '09's and I have yet to see a '10 on either lot. It's definitely a different market there in Seattle. I called a few dealers when I was shopping and none of them seemed very motivated sell a car at any sort of discount.

I saw the red one in Montana as well but like you, I wasn't sold on the red (plus, it didn't have the Upgrade Package). It's been for sale for quite some time so I'll bet if someone didn't mind the red and didn't need the UP, they could probably get it for a decent price.

Congrats on the purchase!

 

[CWK2]

Welcome! Your gonna love the cruiser. If you are going to tow, first thing I'd recommend is an upgraded suspension. Any amount of weight will cause you to squat. Not an issue during the day but at night, on-coming traffic will hate you. Plenty of info on this topic, do a search and plan away!

I actually do plan on towing a little. Doesn't the vehicle have height conrtrol? Those bladders should keep things nice and level when adding weight. My 04' 4Runner has that as did the GX I just traded. I need to go in the garage and check on this...

Now I assume most of you are tinting your windows right? Any suggestions? I plan on doing this ASAP.

 

[pagemaster]

I actually do plan on towing a little. Doesn't the vehicle have height conrtrol? Those bladders should keep things nice and level when adding weight. My 04' 4Runner has that as did the GX I just traded. I need to go in the garage and check on this...

Now I assume most of you are tinting your windows right? Any suggestions? I plan on doing this ASAP.

No bladder control and no air suspension or leveling. The LX570 has this but not the Land Cruiser 200

 

[CWK2]

I noticed that when driving today. Why did they take this option off. My 04' Runner has it. GX I traded had it. Loved the feature. No more Toyota sag. Is there any good reason the LC 200 opted out? If there is not a good reason that sucks. I don't tow a lot as my boat is 30k lbs. But I do have a smaller boat that is trailerable and love to tow. Tongue weight not huge so it should not sag the rear. If it does can I add the bags easily. Only would do if it was OEM quality. Wish I would have noticed but it probably would not have changed buying decision.

On another note I stopped by Toyota of Kirkland to see the 09' LC they had to compare and make sure I was not missing any items on mine. How am I to know I figured. Also wanted to compare overall. Wow. Same exact rig option wise. This 09' with 400 miles is now SOLD. Full asking price of $71,995. Some guy in Texas bought it to send down. ??? They were nice enough to unlock for me and I am good to go. The compartment in the tailgate on drivers side is empty and I thought something went there. Guess not. Also thought the cooler box had a divider but it does not seem to be. Nice rig but it made me feel good about driving to Nevada.

Car is going to Elite Tinting Tuesday for Tint job. Wednesday going to friends body shop for carpet shampoo, complete exterior wax. The grey trim around shift knob also has a scuff I may have them fix but it is pretty minor.

No self leveling. What gives?

 

[sptsdn]

No self leveling. What gives?

Someone else may give a better, more educated reason but I believe the main reason is because of the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System. Unlike it's twin, the Lexus Lx570, the LC is intended for off-roading so the suspension is set-up with that in mind. The Lexus has the self-leveling suspension probably to make it ride smoother on paved roads (it's primary habitat).

The LC is definitely not the first choice for towing. The Tundra and Sequoia are far better suited for that type of use. The LC isn't bad, just not Toyota's best offering when it comes to a tow vehicle.

This 09' with 400 miles is now SOLD. Full asking price of $71,995. Some guy in Texas bought it to send down. ???

Wow. So someone paid $72k for a used LC that stickered for ~$73k? Crazy. Twenty minutes on the internet should score you a brand new one with at least a $5-6k discount (even though 400 miles isn't far from new).

 

[donjuanmiguel]

No self leveling. What gives?

Look at it this way, one less thing to worry about while your wheeling away in the back country. My wife's lx470 has it along with the ride select. Nice when we take the parents out but other wise we don't fool with it. I don't miss it at all in mine and glad it doesnt have it. Makes suspension mods much easier.

 

[CWK2]

The GX Lexus I traded had both KDSS and Self Leveling. It is a feature I really like. I understand that most with LC are offroad enthusiasts. For me I drive it to work and on the weekends will use to pack the family with the occasional boat tow. The offroad prowess is something I like to know is there but don't intend on looking for those situations. I did not gravitate to the Sequoia based on its size and lack of interior refinement. Also it is too mainstream. I wanted the LC partially because of how differentiated it is. The little boat package is only 3,500 lbs. (180 Grady White CC) I am sure it will tow just fine.

Will post pics end of this week once car is finished getting detailed and tinted.

 

[tempestv8]

No self leveling. What gives?

Australian LC200 do not get self levelling but UK spec LC200 have them.

I think the self levelling may be unnecessary complexity and could hurt the "reliability" image of Toyota if things go wrong down the track. Perhaps Toyota is adopting the KISS principle.