I daily drive my LX450, I love it, but I mainly do city driving so gas is what screws me over. I drive 20 miles, not that much, but it adds up, and on days when I have school at night add about 4 more miles, depending on campus. I spend about 40-55 a week on gas (midgrade 87). it does need a little bit of work as well (oil pump seal leaking, passenger side axle leaking). I'm thinking of buying a cheap corolla or something to daily, but I am first going to repair my 80. (sorry for rambling, this is my first reply)
80s as Daily Drivers?
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I DD mine, all D, every D. I love the position, the view, literally everything about it.
I've flirted with getting a hybrid, an e-car, or even a beater, but haven't for many reasons. The only times I don't DD my 80 is in the summer or when the weather's nice; then I am on a bike or moto-- saving on petrol
I've flirted with getting a hybrid, an e-car, or even a beater, but haven't for many reasons. The only times I don't DD my 80 is in the summer or when the weather's nice; then I am on a bike or moto-- saving on petrol
'96 lx450, daily driving 30 miles round trip, pretty flat, 90% interstate; Geolander AT tires, ARB front bumper (no winch yet) and new oem shocks. This has been my daily driver for 5 years; just about to roll 100k miles.
Rock it like the mid/late 90's pimp vehicle that it is. windows down, letting cars pass you by, no worries. trouble on the highway, no worries; you've got that median/curb. Seats 7, amazing visibility and if your interior is stock, it's a pretty clean & quiet setup.
Altitude certainly will slow things down a lot more, so keep that and steep grades in mind. I tried pulling a 20' catamaran 8 hours to TX last year and had to keep it under 65mph to not overheat, so it's not the perfect all-purpose vehicle, but it is certainly more interesting than a lot of what is out there.
Lifting and additional off road modding will deteriorate the on-road enjoyment, but it's a trade off either way.
If you don't try tomato it look like a highly modded Jeep wrangler and then drive it every day, then you will likely be happy so long as you know you need to brake early and will never be first off the light.
Wc
Rock it like the mid/late 90's pimp vehicle that it is. windows down, letting cars pass you by, no worries. trouble on the highway, no worries; you've got that median/curb. Seats 7, amazing visibility and if your interior is stock, it's a pretty clean & quiet setup.
Altitude certainly will slow things down a lot more, so keep that and steep grades in mind. I tried pulling a 20' catamaran 8 hours to TX last year and had to keep it under 65mph to not overheat, so it's not the perfect all-purpose vehicle, but it is certainly more interesting than a lot of what is out there.
Lifting and additional off road modding will deteriorate the on-road enjoyment, but it's a trade off either way.
If you don't try tomato it look like a highly modded Jeep wrangler and then drive it every day, then you will likely be happy so long as you know you need to brake early and will never be first off the light.
Wc
chapel gate
GOLD Star
My 80 has been my only car for the last 12 years, im a carpenter so the space in the back is handy, i also have a 14 foot 3 tonne trailer, it tows it well. It takes me and the lads mountain biking with the bikes on and all our kit. We go on holiday in it every year with the rtt or caravan. Its taken us to norway, Austria, south of france, countless trips to scotland and hopfully iceland in the next couple of years. We now have a 7 month old so the middle row has gone back in and the little fella loves it! It has allways got me home one way or another and never left me stranded.
the 80 is versatile and comfortable if unmolested, being bus shaped all round vision is very good, and i allways feel somehow safe in the 80.
i love it and wouldnt want to dd anything else. .
the 80 is versatile and comfortable if unmolested, being bus shaped all round vision is very good, and i allways feel somehow safe in the 80.
i love it and wouldnt want to dd anything else. .
Bludozer
SILVER Star
I thought about this once but then I remembered I like living.
I'm on my second 80 series currently that I DD 70 miles round trip everyday. A trip to the grocery store will add another 30 miles RT. I average about 30k a year driving on 37's in a lifted and fully armored tank. I additionally travel to 7 different sites for work every quarter for accountability of assets, the furthest site being 9 hrs away.
Sure there are other vehicles that would be better suited to my commute. But I wouldn't enjoy driving them the same way, nor would they be as versatile as the 80.
But in the OP's interest, have you considered a GX470?
Sure there are other vehicles that would be better suited to my commute. But I wouldn't enjoy driving them the same way, nor would they be as versatile as the 80.
But in the OP's interest, have you considered a GX470?
Box Rocket
SILVER Star
SSHHHHHH!!! we don't want them all getting snatched up.
I have a rust free low mileage '02 miata I've been DD'ing for two years. I bought it with intentions to swap and build it for auto cross, so last November I was looking for a 4 runner on craigslist when I stumbled upon a 140k '96 LX450. Having never seen another one for sale around here, I jumped on it despite the lack of maintenance records since owning an 80 series has always been a dream of mine.
It was supposed to be a winter beater. A week into ownership, I realized the previous owner was mechanically inapt and it had been wrecked and poorly resprayed (which I didn't notice until the right light in my garage); and I started to despise it. A month after ownership, I realized I was in love. It's still stock, but I've spent close to $1600 on preventative maintenance parts and fluids which I wasn't expecting, especially since I haven't scratched the surface on what I want to do it to guarantee a problem free long distance trip.
Long story short, my vision of building the miata is pushed back another season so I can DD it during the warm months while baselining the LX450. I usually get bored of cars and sell them within 6 months, and the Miata and now the LX are the only thing to change that. I'm dying to get another car now to preserve them both.
Should've bought an XJ Cherokee; Really glad I didn't
It was supposed to be a winter beater. A week into ownership, I realized the previous owner was mechanically inapt and it had been wrecked and poorly resprayed (which I didn't notice until the right light in my garage); and I started to despise it. A month after ownership, I realized I was in love. It's still stock, but I've spent close to $1600 on preventative maintenance parts and fluids which I wasn't expecting, especially since I haven't scratched the surface on what I want to do it to guarantee a problem free long distance trip.
Long story short, my vision of building the miata is pushed back another season so I can DD it during the warm months while baselining the LX450. I usually get bored of cars and sell them within 6 months, and the Miata and now the LX are the only thing to change that. I'm dying to get another car now to preserve them both.
Should've bought an XJ Cherokee; Really glad I didn't
I have a chevy volt as a DD to offset the impracticality of an 80.
If two vehicles is not an option for you, I would recommend a 4Runner as they are cheaper to own and easier on gas. Back when I only had funds for one vehicle, the 3rd gen 4runner was the perfect combination of relatively economical DD and pretty capable off-roader.
No question, if I could only have one car (due to space or funds) it would not be a Land Cruiser.
If two vehicles is not an option for you, I would recommend a 4Runner as they are cheaper to own and easier on gas. Back when I only had funds for one vehicle, the 3rd gen 4runner was the perfect combination of relatively economical DD and pretty capable off-roader.
No question, if I could only have one car (due to space or funds) it would not be a Land Cruiser.
Living in Pendleton Oregon means you can't complain about parts availability. That's not a Land Cruiser problem, that's a you problem. My parts are usually available for pickup the morning after I ask for them and only a short 5 minute drive to get.
True, but I bet you can't find an OEM lower radiator hose #2 in stock in Phoenix. There are a lot of OEM parts that are just hard to find for some reason.
I am in a unique situation, great Toyota dealer with Mud discount and pulls parts in from California, so I actually can get that hose almost anytime.
PS, I hope you got the sarcasm associated with the
. I liken it to Ricky Bobby's use of "with all due respect".
HA! I am trying to sell my Prius right now and go with my '95 80 for my DD from now on. I hate driving that little thing. Mileage be damned. But since I do find myself working on the truck a lot, it is hard to make sure you really plan your repairs well so you are left with an operating vehicle by the end of the weekend. Another car can be a nice insurance policy. But keep it maintained (PM's are a must), and it is pretty reliable.
LS1FJ40
SILVER Star
Or buy a second 80! That's what I did. I can rent a midsize vehicle for $18/day. If I knew I was going to be down with maintenance that I wasn't confident I would get done in a day I would rent a car to have.
I've made many part runs on my V-Strom, the folks at the hardware store call it my "other truck."
My wife calls my 80 "the other woman"
My ex said the same thing.
LS1FJ40
SILVER Star
My wife supports my habit.
