92 or 94?

[Ntgm37]

Hello forum members! Just joined the forum, and it looks great. Here is the big question:

I've got $5k to spend on a LC, and two locals selling. The first is a Green 94 that is in good condition inside and out with 193,490 miles. She wants $4,600 for it.

The other is a 92 also Green and looks like good condition inside and out. It has 134,320 miles on it, seller wants $3,000 for it.

I'm test driving and dropping both off at the mechanic the next few days, but am unsure what route to take. I'm new to the LC scene, but not Toyota as I have owned 5 others. This will be a backup vehicle that I will also use for Hunting, off roading, etc but not a daily. If in my position what would you choose? Looks like the 92 has less power. Anything else I'm missing? Thanks in advance!

 

[mct75]

The engines are the major differences, but I'm not going to start a 3FE vs. 1FZ flamewar just yet.

That said, the 92 has lower miles and is a lot cheaper. I paid more that that for one with twice the miles.

 

[DirtScaresMe]

I bought a 94 because it's a "better" engine, which I think is pretty easy to argue. But honestly the better 20+ year old vehicle will come down to how well it was maintained, in my opinion. If the 92 was treated well and replaced with oem parts and never driven hard it would be better than the 94 that was kicked around and went 30k miles between oil changes.

 

[ZackR]

Test drive both and see what you think. There will be a ton of feedback from the forum on the pros and cons of each. I have a green 94' so I'm partial to that one....

In Wyoming the elevation won't be your friend for horsepower on either one. If its purely a low speed dirt road truck the power difference won't be as much of an issue.

 

[Ntgm37]

Thanks for the answers so far! How do the prices seem? The dude with the 92 was pretty old, so that encourages me a little bit hoping it was maintained and taken care of.

 

[ToothDr]

The 94 will have disc brakes in the rear assuming it had the abs option. Most 1994s did. Big improvement over rear drums.

 

[mct75]

Also check for lockers on the 94.

 

[Seth_O]

I believe the 3FE parts (the '92) are being actively discontinued.

Might be a consideration.

 

[rc51kid]

Personally i think the 93-94 are the best years. I like the motor over the 91-92 motor, like OBD1 better than OBD2, like no airbags and the earlier dash style. I like the FF rear. To me they are the best combination of old and new. But all of this is personal preference and not a big deal. I would go with whichever one is in better condition. But the 92 is cheaper AND lower millage. But dont let that fool you. go with whichever is in better condition.

Keep in mind that some stuff will need to be replaced on BOTH trucks regardless of condition or mileage. just basic baseline stuff. So read up on that so you can ignore those kind of things. Personally i can fix mechanical things. So tome i would really put a priority on on body condition followed by interior.

Whatever you do i would skip anything that has had major work done to it. Something like "motor rebuilt 10,000 miles ago" or "HG just replaced". Unless it can be verified that it was one of the few LC shops that i would trust to work on my truck. Smomeone like Slee or Robi, Torfab, you get the idea.

 

[baldilocks]

The older package is known for unquestionable reliability and longevity n the engine department but it gives up 60 much needed horse power to the 1fz which is tough and reliable itself. Don't let head gasket mania get to you.

It depends also on what you will ask this vehicle to do. I agree with @rc51kid on pretty much everything he said above and would like to add that the full float rear axle with ABS and disc brakes is a big step up especially if you plan to carry a lot of weight. Over the years, many people have gone to great lengths to add these features to there 4x4. I see you are in Wyoming so ABS might be something you could appreciate one day. Does the 94 have lockers?

 

[Ntgm37]

Not sure on the lockers, will find out tomorrow. How do the prices seem to everyone? Sounds like the 94 is the favorite thus far. My brother in law said something about the computer system on the 94 being one of the worst for the L.C. anyone have the same experience?

 

[baldilocks]

Not sure on the lockers, will find out tomorrow. How do the prices seem to everyone? Sounds like the 94 is the favorite thus far. My brother in law said something about the computer system on the 94 being one of the worst for the L.C. anyone have the same experience?

Many of the 1993 cruisers had engine ecu problems that Toyota fixed by coming out with a new ecu that continued on through the 1994 model year with no known common problems like the previous ecu had. I had an94 and now a 93. The 93 has the old part number engine ecu still in it working fine after 272k.
My 94 got rolled but when I set out to buy an 80 after much reading here on Mud, I purposely searched for a 94 for some of the reasons previously mentioned. Once it was wrecked I searched the west coast for a good deal on a triple locked 93 or 94 because I knew that model and many parts from my 94 could eventually be used on my "new" 80.

The only thing that might be nicer about the 95-97 models is OBD2. And of course styling preference is purely subjective.

 

[elripster]

I had a 60 with a '91 3FE mated to an H55F, custom exhaust, every sensor in the engine new, and my 94 80 series will massacre it in performance and still get better MPG's even behind the auto trans. After owning both engines I would go with the 94 over anything with a 3FE. The 1FZ is just plain better at moving a truck.

Frank

 

[jonheld]

Always go with the better maintained of the 2. You're going to add about $2K in parts regardless of your choice so be prepared for that when purchasing a 25 year old vehicle.
Don't be put off by the 3FE. It will move an 80 along just fine if it's properly set up.

 

[elripster]

The prices would be very good for SoCal. I am not familiar with your area but they don't seem high. Having not seen the trucks in person I'd say they are in the ballpark and maybe on the low end.

I will second up vote the 94's full floating rear axle, a major convenience if you need to pull the diff for a regear/locker/whatever.

I can speak from experience that the 3FE parts are getting harder to find. A few years ago I threw a belt about 6 hours from home and had to visit 3 stores to finally match up something that was good enough to get me home. On the 94 I can get parts like that off of the shelf everywhere.

Frank

 

[Ntgm37]

I didn't consider the parts problem. Good info there. I think I was always leaning toward the 94, but the savings in money was nice with the 92. We will see what they drive like today. Thanks again guys!

 

[elripster]

Test driving trucks is fun either way!

 

[Ntgm37]

Where at in SD?

 

[elripster]

Me? Rancho Bernardo.

Frank

 

[450LX]

If the 94 had lockers then yes. However, if the 94 had lockers I'm sure it would have sold 60 minutes after being for sale! Smoking deals on Land Cruisers are far and few between. The supply and demand is extremely uneven. If those 2 Land Cruisers are rust free I would buy them both! The more I think about the 1fe the more I like them, there is something about their cloth seats, simplicity, and being a bit under powered that speaks to me. All the previous generation Land Cruiser's were under powered and to me that's their heritage and so having that 92 instead of that 94 isn't such a bad idea anymore.

I know you are doing your due diligence, but dont fart around too much on getting stuff checked out and worrying about if they $500 too much in price. People want these trucks and people snatch them up fast! You will miss out!