80 Series or 105 Series (3 Viewers)

[revduncan]

Hey guys,

My first post on ih8mud, not sure if this is the right forum to post this in but here I go. I’m in the market for a new car, was thinking of getting an 80 series or 105 series as I both know they’re extremely reliable and hardy off roaders as most of my mates own one of the two and my dads owned both in the past. Just want your guys opinion on which I should get, I know both have solid axles and I’m not worried about the engines because I’ll be swapping in an FTE motor.

Cheers in advance.

 

[mudgudgeon]

If you've got mates with both, test drive one of each, see which you prefer.

80 and 105 are basically the same in terms of suspension, chassis etc.
105 is slightly bigger in the cab, slightly wider. More comfortable, less noise, less vibration.
A bit more modern in terms of dash etc.

I've had both. Currently have an 80 series. I like both. I enjoy driving my 80 every day.

 

[Feistl]

Get a 105 as it’ll be unique/decent resale.
Swapping in a FTE into an 80 is a lot of work to end up with essentially a HDJ80. I’d just buy a FT 80 as there’s not enough difference to the FTE (IMO) to warrant the effort/cost

 

[revduncan]

If you've got mates with both, test drive one of each, see which you prefer.

80 and 105 are basically the same in terms of suspension, chassis etc.
105 is slightly bigger in the cab, slightly wider. More comfortable, less noise, less vibration.
A bit more modern in terms of dash etc.

I've had both. Currently have an 80 series. I like both. I enjoy driving my 80 every day.

Yeah I have, only off road though, 105 was a tad comfier, couldn’t say if that was down to the suspension/tire setups though. What’s the reason behind you dailying your 80 over your 105 seeing as you said it’s more comfortable, less noise, less vibration etc.

 

[revduncan]

Get a 105 as it’ll be unique/decent resale.
Swapping in a FTE into an 80 is a lot of work to end up with essentially a HDJ80. I’d just buy a FT 80 as there’s not enough difference to the FTE (IMO) to warrant the effort/cost

In the short term i’d agree with you, but long term I see the 80 series going the way of the Defender, a classic car that’ll only go up in value. But i know what you mean, it’s just i’ve already put money down on an fte.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Get a 105 as it’ll be unique/decent resale.

Not so unique in Australia.

What’s the reason behind you dailying your 80 over your 105 seeing as you said it’s more comfortable, less noise, less vibration etc.

My 105 became a long term project, but it got wet inside while in storage. It ended up destroyed by black mould.
I wheeled the piss out of it, so the body was rough.
Penicillin farm inside the car took it to being not worth fixing.

The 105 was better on road. A bit quieter. They have a lot more insulation in the cab on the firewall, on the floor etc
I'm a big, tall dude, so the extra cab space was nice.

 

[Feistl]

Not so unique in Australia.

as in a 1HDFTE 105 series is pretty rare. as you know the 105 wasn’t offered with a turbo diesel, whereas there are a lot of FT 80s floating around.

So for someone who wants a turbo diesel 105 there are limited choices (only ones that have been converted) hence good resale. Whereas I wouldn’t pay a massive premium for a FTE converted 80 over a factory FT.

and yes, the 80s are going up in value more but probably require more work to baseline them compared to a much younger 105.

 

[DivByZero]

Obviously this is a subjective judgement with no right or wrong answer. Ideally, you'd get both, right? If you could only get one though, I'd get an 80. Why?

-Better recognition. An 80 is iconic. People know what it is. A 105 is a bit more niche, which makes it a good second vehicle, IMO.
-Better community support. There are a lot more people out there who can assist, and more resources to help you maintain and troubleshoot an 80 than there are a 105. This is important, as you'll need to take responsibility for maintaining the vehicle no matter which one you get.
-Better aftermarket parts support. Plenty of vendors are out there supporting the 80 series with aftermarket mods and replacement parts. The 105, in my opinion, won't do as well on this in the long run.
-Better parts availability. This may seem odd, since the 80 is older, but the 80 was produced at a higher volume in more markets than the 105. Looking forward to the next 20 years, I'd put money on it being easier to get new and used 80 series parts over the 105 series. Others may disagree, but this is my bet.
-I prefer the 80 interior/dash. The 100 series style just seems a bit off to me. Just my opinion, haven't tried to figure out exactly why, I just prefer the look of the 80.

Since you're talking engine swap, I'm assuming cost isn't a huge barrier here, and you'd be baselining either vehicle anyway, so it doesn't seem to me that'll be a big factor in your decision making. Both vehicles are incredibly robust and well designed, so I don't think the couple of mechanical improvements swing things, and a lot of them can be back-ported to the 80 anyway.

At the end of the day, pick the one that'll put the biggest smile on your face seeing it in your driveway. Only you know what that is.

 

[flintknapper]

Both is the correct answer.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

105 …..

 

[SNLC]

105

Cheers

 

[Heckraiser]

I vote 105, all things being equal. All the offroad prowess and durability of the 80 with a nicer cabin.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

Both is the correct answer.

 

[revduncan]

Not so unique in Australia.




My 105 became a long term project, but it got wet inside while in storage. It ended up destroyed by black mould.
I wheeled the piss out of it, so the body was rough.
Penicillin farm inside the car took it to being not worth fixing.

The 105 was better on road. A bit quieter. They have a lot more insulation in the cab on the firewall, on the floor etc
I'm a big, tall dude, so the extra cab space was nice.

Fair enough, hope you get to restore the 105, better keep us updated.

 

[revduncan]

as in a 1HDFTE 105 series is pretty rare. as you know the 105 wasn’t offered with a turbo diesel, whereas there are a lot of FT 80s floating around.

So for someone who wants a turbo diesel 105 there are limited choices (only ones that have been converted) hence good resale. Whereas I wouldn’t pay a massive premium for a FTE converted 80 over a factory FT.

and yes, the 80s are going up in value more but probably require more work to baseline them compared to a much younger 105.

Exactly what I was thinking, but I’m up for the project, already have a reliable daily, so no stress there. The thing is that I’ve already put money down on an FTE, but that can easily be sold as it seems like everyone wants an FTE here in aus. Probably make a profit too.

 

[revduncan]

Obviously this is a subjective judgement with no right or wrong answer. Ideally, you'd get both, right? If you could only get one though, I'd get an 80. Why?

-Better recognition. An 80 is iconic. People know what it is. A 105 is a bit more niche, which makes it a good second vehicle, IMO.
-Better community support. There are a lot more people out there who can assist, and more resources to help you maintain and troubleshoot an 80 than there are a 105. This is important, as you'll need to take responsibility for maintaining the vehicle no matter which one you get.
-Better aftermarket parts support. Plenty of vendors are out there supporting the 80 series with aftermarket mods and replacement parts. The 105, in my opinion, won't do as well on this in the long run.
-Better parts availability. This may seem odd, since the 80 is older, but the 80 was produced at a higher volume in more markets than the 105. Looking forward to the next 20 years, I'd put money on it being easier to get new and used 80 series parts over the 105 series. Others may disagree, but this is my bet.
-I prefer the 80 interior/dash. The 100 series style just seems a bit off to me. Just my opinion, haven't tried to figure out exactly why, I just prefer the look of the 80.

Since you're talking engine swap, I'm assuming cost isn't a huge barrier here, and you'd be baselining either vehicle anyway, so it doesn't seem to me that'll be a big factor in your decision making. Both vehicles are incredibly robust and well designed, so I don't think the couple of mechanical improvements swing things, and a lot of them can be back-ported to the 80 anyway.

At the end of the day, pick the one that'll put the biggest smile on your face seeing it in your driveway. Only you know what that is.

100%, I love both, parts are definitely easier to come by for the 80 and the community support even just from scrolling through a bit on here is definitely more. Leaning more towards getting a petrol 80 with less ks and putting in a diesel engine whether it’ll be an FTE or 1HDT as it’ll be cheaper up front and I’m not fazed by doing all the work.

 

[mudgudgeon]

If you've already sourced an engine, I'd probaby go for a petrol engine model. You'll get one a lot cheaper than a diesel.
You've got to do a bunch of wiring anyway, then it's just a few fuel system changes

Leaning more towards getting a petrol 80 with less ks and putting in a diesel engine whether it’ll be an FTE or 1HDT as it’ll be cheaper up front and I’m not fazed by doing all the work.

 

[Feistl]

Just talking rough numbers, but a half decent petrol 80 will cost ya around $8-10k. Add in the FTE that’s worth $10k by itself, plus the cost of doing the actual conversion (tanks, fuel lines, wiring etc) plus and mods you want to do and you’ll be up to $30-40k depending how far you want to go.

thing is, you can buy an already modified FT 80 for that sorta price without having to go through all the effort. I mean the FTE is a better motor (no question on that), but is it good enough to justify all the work and effort over a factory fitted FT?

And as for resale... a FTE fitted 80 is the holy grail but a lot of people are nervous about buying a petrol converted vehicle so you may not get absolute top dollar whereas a factory FT 80 with a few tasteful mods is very desirable.

that said, a FTE 105 would be really sort after as there is no factory turbo 105 option.

edit - take this as an example...

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/1998-toyota-landcruiser-40th-anniversary-auto-4x4/SSE-AD-7348910?pageSource=details&id=SSE-AD-7348910

1998 40th anniversary FT with low kms (~350,000km) in pretty good condition for $31,000. You could possible knock a few bucks off the asking price, so say you get it in your hands for $30k (with transfer fees etc) that becomes a pretty good base to start from. Just something to consider anyway...

 

[revduncan]

Just talking rough numbers, but a half decent petrol 80 will cost ya around $8-10k. Add in the FTE that’s worth $10k by itself, plus the cost of doing the actual conversion (tanks, fuel lines, wiring etc) plus and mods you want to do and you’ll be up to $30-40k depending how far you want to go.

thing is, you can buy an already modified FT 80 for that sorta price without having to go through all the effort. I mean the FTE is a better motor (no question on that), but is it good enough to justify all the work and effort over a factory fitted FT?

And as for resale... a FTE fitted 80 is the holy grail but a lot of people are nervous about buying a petrol converted vehicle so you may not get absolute top dollar whereas a factory FT 80 with a few tasteful mods is very desirable.

that said, a FTE 105 would be really sort after as there is no factory turbo 105 option.

edit - take this as an example...

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/1998-toyota-landcruiser-40th-anniversary-auto-4x4/SSE-AD-7348910?pageSource=details&id=SSE-AD-7348910

1998 40th anniversary FT with low kms (~350,000km) in pretty good condition for $31,000. You could possible knock a few bucks off the asking price, so say you get it in your hands for $30k (with transfer fees etc) that becomes a pretty good base to start from. Just something to consider anyway...

Just talking rough numbers, but a half decent petrol 80 will cost ya around $8-10k. Add in the FTE that’s worth $10k by itself, plus the cost of doing the actual conversion (tanks, fuel lines, wiring etc) plus and mods you want to do and you’ll be up to $30-40k depending how far you want to go.

thing is, you can buy an already modified FT 80 for that sorta price without having to go through all the effort. I mean the FTE is a better motor (no question on that), but is it good enough to justify all the work and effort over a factory fitted FT?

And as for resale... a FTE fitted 80 is the holy grail but a lot of people are nervous about buying a petrol converted vehicle so you may not get absolute top dollar whereas a factory FT 80 with a few tasteful mods is very desirable.

that said, a FTE 105 would be really sort after as there is no factory turbo 105 option.

edit - take this as an example...

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/1998-toyota-landcruiser-40th-anniversary-auto-4x4/SSE-AD-7348910?pageSource=details&id=SSE-AD-7348910

1998 40th anniversary FT with low kms (~350,000km) in pretty good condition for $31,000. You could possible knock a few bucks off the asking price, so say you get it in your hands for $30k (with transfer fees etc) that becomes a pretty good base to start from. Just something to consider anyway...

Found a 40th Anniversary petrol 80 for 7 grand on fb marketplace, checked it out and just needs a few bits here and there, getting it checked out by a mechanic tomorrow. Already sorted out an FTE for 5 and a half grand. Not too worried about the resale value, as in the future I’ll be selling it to my dad (if I ever decide to get rid of it).

 

[revduncan]

If you've already sourced an engine, I'd probaby go for a petrol engine model. You'll get one a lot cheaper than a diesel.
You've got to do a bunch of wiring anyway, then it's just a few fuel system changes

Yeah i’ve found one already for 7 grand.