80 vs 100 Series

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Oh last weekend fit an entire 90 inch sofa in the back of a sequoia without removing the second row (third was removed) just folding second row forward. even closed the hatch...

drews2566 said:
I'm shocked you pick that as the reason you back up the "not much of a 100 series fan at all". The 4.7 was used in literally all the other vehicles you listed there (besides the Tacoma).
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I would also not be a fan of the 100, the engine isn't nice enough to make up for how complicated everything else is like the brakes, and IFS and fixing leaking steering racks etc.

Spent most of last year working on restoring a sequoia (first gen) 98 100 series and my 80. I very much prefer to fix the sequoia and 80 series just from my own personal frustration level boundaries. But others may be better mechanics than myself.

the 100 series and sequoia will smoke my 80 on the drag strip.
 
To be totally fair. I don't have opinions on the 100 series. I don't think I've ever even been in one. Just feel that the 4.7 shouldn't be the reason you're not into a 100 series.


the 100 series and sequoia will smoke my 80 on the drag strip.
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Totally agreed haha. I've spent a lot of time in a VVTI equipped Sequoia and a non VVTI equipped GX470 and they'll run circles around an 80 series all day long.

None of them are an 80 series though.
 
I own one of each, and was DD'ing a 5th Gen 4Runner for years. I took in my old man's locked '97 80 a year and a half ago before Mom gave it away, it was a total sentimental move on my part. The end result after baselining, getting tires and suspension so I could actually drive it was that I found that I really enjoyed driving it. So much I decided to part with the 4Runner and go with the 80 as a DD. I wheeled it hard a couple of months ago and it went places my 40 struggles with and in comfort, twist the little knob on the dash and go. I'd call it reasonably comfortable on the road but a joy (for me) to drive, even though its a slow tank.

My 100 was purchased 10 years ago to leave at a cabin in Idaho, it gets a wide range of uses when we are up there running around, accessing fishing spots and exploring in the national forests. It sits on its rear all winter and fires up every spring no questions asked. It's an older model so its got the rear locker which has come in handy a couple of times. The 100 has more get up and go than the 80, its quieter and has better highway manners, its solid all around vehicle. I find it very comfortable on long drives and it has more interior space than the 80.

Others have offered other alternatives to consider, but if you are stuck on picking one of the two I would lean 100 based on your intended use. I think it would be a more comfortable platform for the family and for driving to and from your destinations. Dirt roads and exploring it will do fine and get you where you want to go.
 
drews2566 said:
> The 4.7 is a so so motor.

Now that is a hot take.

The 4.7 is a total tank. It doesn't have the head gasket issues that so many other toyota vehicles had. It in general is super easy to work on. It gets almost the exact same gas mileage as a 4.5.

I'm shocked you pick that as the reason you back up the "not much of a 100 series fan at all". The 4.7 was used in literally all the other vehicles you listed there (besides the Tacoma).

I just sold my GX and loved every minute of the reliability the 4.7 provided.

To answer the OPs question, if you're really looking at the 100 series definitely have a look at the GX470. Not quite as big, but the after market support is pretty much the same as the 100 series at this point and they're becoming widely used for off road/overlanding builds. Plus the interior feels wayyy nicer than a runner, sequoia, or tundra of that vintage.
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I believe that the 100 series is the only LC with a timing belt instead of a timing chain, that alone is a deal breaker for me, someone correct me if i'm wrong. Solid Axles are a +++++ for over-landing / off-roading. Oh and one more small thing, the 100 series is the ugliest LC ever made, it may be just my opinion but it's true!
 
Dan Armino said:
I believe that the 100 series is the only LC with a timing belt instead of a timing chain, that alone is a deal breaker for me, someone correct me if i'm wrong. Solid Axles are a +++++ for over-landing / off-roading. Oh and one more small thing, the 100 series is the ugliest LC ever made, it may be just my opinion but it's true!
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I don't think the timing belt is a big deal, I did mine this winter and I'd call it a forced refresh. I drove it home last fall (COVID) and had the winter to get all the PM's done that I wanted to do, even refreshed the suspension and brakes. Doing the timing belt gave me a reason to assess all the things that might fail in the next 100K miles, I replaced all the hoses, fan bracket, fan clutch and the radiator (which had turned brown) as part of the timing belt replacement. All in I spent about $1,100 in parts and have piece of mind that it will be fine for a long time. The belt itself looked darn new for having not been changed in 10 years so it had a long way to go before it would have failed. For me it was a worthy endeavor since I now have a really good grasp of what's under the hood.
 
Timing belt is a one-day job in the garage. One day every 90k miles is not a deal breaker in my book. In fact with the usage the OP describes, if he does ever have to do a timing belt, it will be a one-time affair, or maybe twice if he keeps the truck over 10 years. Also the 4.7 is so common, every decent sized town has a mechanic that can be trusted to do the timing belt for $800. Timing chains are better, but they too can wear or break. Just not a significant concern in my book.

The pre-vvti 4.7 is no powerhouse, but better than a 4.5 both in power and fuel consumption. The vvti 4.7 with the 5-speed transmission is genuinely strong.

I love my 80 and have no plans to get rid of it, but if I was starting from scratch and didn't have serious wheeling in mind, I'd take any of the other yotas (4.7 ot 4.0) over the 80.
 
I own both and the LX/100 series is the best choice for 90% of the people. When you add in the family the smart choice goes to 95% to a 100/LX series. With that said Im in the 5% and the 80 series is the best choice for my needs hands down.
 
Tachycardic said:
At the end of the day, if your emotions lead you to an 80-series, buy an 80-series. Do you buy a toy to justify your rational side? Heck no!
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Would a 91 with the 3FE and 270k miles be a bad buy? It's the cleanest one that I've come across the last couple weeks. And the guy has replaced the alternator, starter, radiator, and water pump. It's got a clean car fax and has spent most of its life in California. So far I haven't found any decent FZJ's, except for the ones people are asking $20,000 for.
 
OffRoadRN said:
Would a 91 with the 3FE and 270k miles be a bad buy? It's the cleanest one that I've come across the last couple weeks. And the guy has replaced the alternator, starter, radiator, and water pump. It's got a clean car fax and has spent most of its life in California. So far I haven't found any decent FZJ's, except for the ones people are asking $20,000 for.
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What is your budget?

I suggest drive both. Fzj80 has more HP than FJ80 and that could be your deciding factor. In the realm of 20k is "now" the new norm. If you find one that has been well taken cared of, 20k+ is what you will end up be spending to get it the way you want it. But I doubt the 20k that you saw has the goodies (lift, sliders, roof rack, bumpers, regeared........35")
20k plus with mine:

20210519_141031.jpeg
 
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efjayatee said:
What is your budget?
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Maybe $15k for a 80 series if it was a nice one? A 96 LX450 sold on cars and bids for that much and only had 122,000 mi on it. That I can get behind. It's hard for me to spend that much on a vehicle that has 200,000+ mi on it and is 25-30 years old. The examples that I have seen for that much money do not seem like a good value, to me. For example there's one in my hometown that is triple lock from the factory, but has 330,000 mi on it and they want $17K for it. That's kind of what got me on the 100 series is that they are newer and less miles generally for about the same amount of money.

The 91 as I mentioned in the other comment is attractive because I'm pretty sure I could get it for $7-8k and put three or four into lift, armor, tires, etc, and have it built for under 15. But I want something that will last me another 10 to 15 years through my kids childhood.

Maybe down the line I throw a V8 in that 91? But at the same time I was thinking maybe I could get a 100 series and and not need to throw a V8 in it, but do a SAS instead?
 
Too.... the 100 series and a booster shot of testosterone.
 
Drive both the 3FE & a 1FZ, see if you really think the FJ is do-able for you, and the fam/gear & all armor you add.

If you can deal w/ it, then sure - down the line maybe a V8 esp if you plan anything over 33’s. The tq of a V8 would make the 33’s spin decent w/o doing R&P jobs.

A 1FZ will spin 33’s decently on stock R&P’s - but that’s about the limit.

As others have said, I’m not a fan of timing belts so I’m just not a 100 guy.
I am very happy they went back to a chain for the 3UR/5.7 in the 200’s.
 
OffRoadRN said:
Maybe $15k for a 80 series if it was a nice one? A 96 LX450 sold on cars and bids for that much and only had 122,000 mi on it. That I can get behind. It's hard for me to spend that much on a vehicle that has 200,000+ mi on it and is 25-30 years old. The examples that I have seen for that much money do not seem like a good value, to me. For example there's one in my hometown that is triple lock from the factory, but has 330,000 mi on it and they want $17K for it. That's kind of what got me on the 100 series is that they are newer and less miles generally for about the same amount of money.

The 91 as I mentioned in the other comment is attractive because I'm pretty sure I could get it for $7-8k and put three or four into lift, armor, tires, etc, and have it built for under 15. But I want something that will last me another 10 to 15 years through my kids childhood.

Maybe down the line I throw a V8 in that 91? But at the same time I was thinking maybe I could get a 100 series and and not need to throw a V8 in it, but do a SAS instead?
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You def need to do your homework. All the info is here on this forum. FZJ80 is the new FJ60/62. Any LC is over built and every LC is built in Japan. So stick with LC of any models cause I think that is where your mind set on and just needing justifications. There is no middle ground unless you are good with tools-there is no cheap "Rig" if you don't work on it yourself.

330K with a record of head gasket been replaced can get you another 200k miles. Does not matter if its 30yrs old-you need to find one that is well taken cared of and find one that has $$ been dumped into it so its practically "new" rig with new parts to last another 200k.
 
100% 100 series for your needs. Do not even consider a 3FE powered 80. Not only would you have the slowest "modern" landcruiser made, but parts availability is worse than the 1FZ, no rear discs, and SF rear axle.

The 4.7 is rock solid and easy to work on. As others mentioned, timing belt is a long day your first time, that's it. Get a 2003+ 100 for the 5spd.

I have noticed 100 series prices are creeping up, almost to the point of a high mileage 2008 200 series. That would be even better than the 100.
 
Owned a 4th gen non vvti v8, gx 470, a mid-cycle 200 series and current FZJ80.

hard passes: FJ80, v6 4th gen 4Runner, all 5th gens

would buy and mod: anything with a j vin 2uzfe so that = 4th gen limited, gx (460 is cool too) and 100 (but would spend more to get a halogen 200)

NVH is rarely mentioned. It’s a joy to have little of it for long hwy runs. While tolerable, I dont enjoy thinking about driving my 80 long distance. I’ve done it twice. Atl to LA in 3 days. LA to seattle and back. Did a one way seattle to Portland to LA in the 200. Much more pleasant in the 200. Both were lifted on 33-35” AT tires. Gx 460 interior is a huge step up from 4Runner. I like the look better as well. Tougher to lift but nowadays it’s so common I think sorted kits are easy to come by.

2uzfe is my fav Toyota truck engine. Smooth. Silky even. Powerful enough to not think about lack of it ever. I recall a tundra did 1m+ on just maintenance alone. Not happening with the 1fz.

My fzj80 is becoming an insurance and value paradox though. I think it can fetch high $30s and even $40k by end of year so long as gas prices don’t become perma-hiked. Im getting to the point where I may not be comfortable using it as a dd as I’ll be left holding the bag should sht hit fan.

enjoy the decision making process! Gl
 
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Bludozer said:
36 replies in and no one has posted the obligatory @zona post. Truly despicable what has mud even become?

Do you think cowboys are cool or do you piss your pants at night at age 38?
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What's the zona post?
 
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