94 or 97? (1 Viewer)

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FJ809496TLC

80 series addict
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
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161
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1,933
Location
Texas, Pinas and Germany
A friend called me long distance and wants my opinion on which Landcruiser to buy. The 94 is dark emerald green with gray interior, 107k, lockers and in very good condition inside and out for 10k. The 97 is black with tan interior, 98k, lockers and in very good condition also for 13K. I told him to buy both. :D. Is the 97 worth the 3k difference? Thanks..
 
I'd go the extra 3k for the 97. That's a lot though. Others can disagree, but having OBDII, can save you some of that $ diff in the long run. Then again, the most important thing is the service that's been done to them. WHile they appear to be in great shape, can he get service records for either or both? That would be the differentiator for me.

Mine's a 97. :flipoff2: :D
 
Been hunting and driving for 2 months. As far as years go I don't think it matters as much as finding one you like.

Looking for a tan interior cruiser with lockers...

Whats your budies location ?

What your friends location ?
 
Good point Junk! :flipoff2: :D. I will tell him to ask for service and maintenance records. Squeezer, where are you at? What exterior color are you looking for and price range? I might be able to hook you up with somebody. :)
 
They both have the 24-valve engine, and the 9k milage difference is trivial, so I'd think that it's more a matter of maintenance, followed by color and option preferences.
Where is he that he has such a variety of choices?

LT
8)
 
If they are in similar condition with similar service history(assuming that he doesn't care for one color over the other, etc...), I think it just boils down to whether the 97 is worth the extra money for him.

To me, I would want a 95 and newer for the fact that they come with dual airbags since it will be my(or wife's) mall cruiser. I also like black better than green. Sorry, no offence to those with green Cruisers. ;)

Anyway, my 2 yen's worth :)

Good luck to your friend.

:cheers:

mot
 
An open question...Of the repairs that you've done to your 80, which ones were age related vs mileage related?

Ed
 
LT, he lives in Florida :) mot, thanks and :cheers: landandsea, thanks for the response. He will ask for the m&s records to compare the two from the present owners. :)
 
I'd be interested in the 97 if he's not. Where's it at? Also, if anyone sees any 95-97's for between 10 - 15g's in decent shape with lockers, please let me know. I'm looking for one. Find me one, or else I'll be forced to buy a 4Runner :'(
 
The 94 has the big 440 transmission that is a huge transmission (never heard of one failing). With the $3000 savings he could replace all of the hoses and belts and fluids and filters and tires and still have money to put away for future maintance.
 
There's no question the 97 is a better value; 3 years newer, better fuel management, new interior, better headliner, electronic tranny w/2nd start, 9k less miles, OBD-II, air bags, and only $3k more. There were several little improvements also... like lights in each door, rear dome operation is better, and some others I can't think of.

IMHO, being able to get the DCH is worth the $3k. :D

-B-
 
Hey Mot,


Mine's green..... :flipoff2: (yer discount just went south ;)



We have a bit of an issue here. 1996 was the only year for black. Is it black? is it a '97? has it been re-finished? Something is rotten in Denmark here......


D-
 
Dan,
Black w/tan or gray guts is listed as a '97 color in my documents. Toyota was the source of the information. Can't say that I'm certain that I've seen a black '97 but that's what the marketing material said.

Wasn't '96 the only year for the black w/chrome trim (i.e. mirrors)?

Also, I believe Drexx had a black '97.

-B-
 
B-
Look,

I know that Nixon said "trust me" but trust me.

Black (202) was used for 7 months of 96 production. :flipoff2:

Stop by the store and I'll show you the parts catalog.

Are you going to believe that or a POS brochure?....... :rolleyes:


D-
 
Go for the 97- the truck had all the kinks worked out by then. From what we've seen on this board, the trannies don't seem to differ in terms of reliability. In fact, I believe it was Christo who said that, if anything, he's seen more problems with the older tranny (of course since they are on older cruisers, it might be because of age). Bigger does not necessarily mean better. Cruiserdan recently had some shift solenoids go bad on his bus tranny, and I had my bus tranny fail after a power flush on my '93 (bad judgment on my part to get it done I know, but just a data point). We've also seen a 95-97 cruiser with over 300k mi on it being sold on ebay, and I haven't seen that kind of mileage on a bus tranny yet. So don't buy it because of the tranny. Airbags are a definite plus for safety on the 95-97 (they WILL NOT go off accidentally on the trail), the new tranny shifts smoother and has a 2nd gear start feature, the new dash layout is better, and the improvements made over the years are small but numerous.
 
Dan,

Discount? What discount?
Hey, wait a minute! You mean ... :'( :D

Did I say "green"?
I meant to say "white" :p

Sorry I'm kinda slow in reacting/posting sometimes. This time difference thing is hard sometimes, you know :)

mot
 
$2k buys an ARB front bumper, OME lift, and slee sliders. How many people here would choose the 97 for $13k over the 93 for $12k if the 93 had those brand new parts all fitted?

What shape are the tires and muffler in on these two? Have either had the front axle repack? These are big $ items.

Also has he carfaxed the VIN#'s on both? I would look for the one with less previous owners or that had lived in the least # of states.
 
You'll need that $3k back when your head gasket blows :flipoff2:.
 
Hey I got a white 94... New to me by almost 3 months...I love driving it!

Does anyone ever look at cars.com for LC's in their area?
 
[quote author=cruiserdan link=board=2;threadid=7133;start=msg59144#msg59144 date=1068013053]
B-
Look,

I know that Nixon said "trust me" but trust me.

Black (202) was used for 7 months of 96 production. :flipoff2:

Stop by the store and I'll show you the parts catalog.

Are you going to believe that or a POS brochure?....... :rolleyes:


D-
[/quote]
I looked at a black 97 lx450 here in town just the other day still for sale. I know it was black and i know it was 97
Dunno if it was a repaint but it sure didnt look like one to me.
 

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