80 Owner Looking For Your Opinion On An '03

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harrydunn

harrydunn

10 Year 15 Year
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Location
Columbia, MO
Greetings--

I've been considering jumping to 100 for some time as many 80 owners do. Miles typically don't scare me too much but I definitely do not know as much about 100's as I do 80's.

I've located a 2003 for a fair price. One-owner and it is being offered for sale by the same Toyota dealer where it was purchased. Timing belt and water pump have been replaced but I have not verified at what mileage yet. Currently has 168K miles on it which is up there. Your thoughts?

I almost bought a 2000 over the weekend with great service records but I noticed several threads about transmission failures, cracked exhaust manifolds, etc. so I decided to keep looking. The 5-speed in the 2003 is definitely a plus as well.

From what I've researched, 2003's seem to be in the clear of any glaring issues with regards to transmissions, manifolds, etc. The Nav units seem to have waited until the 2004 model year before they had problems.

Also, I'm assuming the 2003's suffer from the same starter contacts issue as the earlier Hundos?

Thanks for your input.
 
IMO the '03 was the most attractive 100-Series model year mainly because of the A750F. If there was a reasonably cost effective way to integrate the A750F on my '99 that would be my preference as I'm not a nav unit fan. But so far no one's come up with the electronics required to make that work...
 
The 03 is a great buy. Has the new 5 speed transmission which does give it a bit more pep. The new interior is nice as well. I believe it also has a few extra safety features such as the Rollover Side Curtain Airbags as an option. To my knowledge it is also immune to the 04 MFD issue.
 
Concerns with 168,000 miles? I'm getting a bit hung-up on that. Just heard back from the dealer that the t-belt was done at 124,000 miles which means it's good for quite some time. My '93 has 181,000 on it and it doesn't even phase me. Probably because I only paid $5,800 for it over three years ago. They are obviously asking more for this '03. Ha. ;)
 
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I love 80s, had 2 myself. As for the 2000 tranny failures, I'd really only worry about low mileage trucks as they tended to go between 70-110k miles. While still a concern there are a ton of 2000s on their original transmissions.

That being said, the 750 is the way to go. The 343 4 speed was fine in my 99 & 2001, but the 5 speed is far superior. The 750 hunts for the right gear quite a bit more though.

I've got 186k on my 03 and possibly getting another 03 next week with 122k, I wouldn't let 168k phase me unless it was priced as a low mileage truck.
 
harrydunn said:
Concerns with 168,000 miles? I'm getting a bit hung-up on that. Just heard back from the dealer that the t-belt was done at 124,000 miles which means it's good for quite some time. My '93 has 181,000 on it and it doesn't even phase me. Probably because I only paid $5,800 for it over three years ago. They are obviously asking more for this '03. Ha. ;)
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Your in the rust belt I would be more concerned about rust! Check it out.
 
Well, this particular '03 is not meant to be after discussing its condition with the salesman. I'm glad he was upfront with me. However, it seems to me that the '03 has become my target year during my search based on the Nav problems in '04 and the transmission and manifold issues in prior Hundos. I'm glad I was able to narrow it down. In the meantime, I'm still enjoying my 80 and now we just need about 12" of snow for me to play in. ;)
 
There's always one person to disagree- I like the trans in my 99 better than my 03! This is probably just a bias from the 99 cruiser becoming a bodily appendage over the years of ownership. As mentioned, the side airbag option on the 03 and newer models are a definite plus from the peace of mind standpoint for the family.
 
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:p

Have you had any exhaust manifold or front diff problems with your '99? I'm trying to learn as much about the 100-Series as I can.

Thanks.
 
While I didn't have to worry about the diff problems, I had the dreaded header crack on the PS manifold of my 2000. The DT headers fixed that nice and added a little more Powa!;).

All in all, I was extremely happy with the Y2K. The 5-speed 100s were substantially more when I was looking. The prices are starting to come down a little more now so it is easier to find an 03 or 04 ad a decent price point.

Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD
 
harrydunn said:
:p

Have you had any exhaust manifold or front diff problems with your '99? I'm trying to learn as much about the 100-Series as I can.

Thanks.
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No problems whatsoever with my manifolds or front diff, but the front diff issue is just a matter of how hard you push it, or luck with the 2 pinion. If this is going to be a road warrior, the front diff isn't going to be a concern. Starter replaced 8 years ago, and radiator 2 years ago were the only 'non wear' issues that I've encountered.
 
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