95 Land Cruiser?

[78 FJ40 LC]

I’m looking at a 95 Land Cruiser with 197,000 miles. I am looking at it for my daughter’s first vehicle. She takes care of things meticulously and is a good driver. I am wondering if everyone would agree to buying this vehicle for her. The vehicle looks like a solid tank. I live in Pennsylvania so our winters are horrible. Please give me your two cents.

 

[Travis 76]

Sounds like a great idea to me.

 

[REKCUT]

All my kids 1st car were cruisers. 1 of them went off a 20 foot embankment and walked away. I personally thing they are a great choice

 

[Cass007]

I'm also in PA, worst roads in the country and lots of back roads in my area that sometimes just get cinders dropped and not plowed so a vehicle with 4WD is a necessity. My wife and I decided that a solid 80 series would be our son's first vehicle since an accident seems likely at some point and at least the truck is big and heavy enough to hopefully keep him safe.

As an added bonus I can help him do maintenance and teach him some basic car care skills.

 

[4LowandSlow]

Being in the younger age category ill give my 2 cents of an 80 being a first vehicle as it was mine. Probably a little bit of being bias as i grew up with the truck most of my life i love mine. I think its the perfect balance of everything new driver wants. Its got enough get up and go to get onto the highway and maintain speeds but is not to the point where its excessive. with the armor around the 80 and the height i feel safe driving around. I don't feel like i'm in a smart car and if i get hit ill get launched like a rocket. In the 80 i trust my life with that truck to do its job and keep me safe, the truck might be totaled but i know ill be able to walk away. Space and being comfortable is another thing. Plenty of room in the truck, i can pack the back of the 80 full of stuff and have me and 3/4 friends in there and drive to the beach and nobody is really crammed or in much discomfort. As with reliablity if you keep up the maintanice and are on top of it these things IMO are crazy reliable, In the 10 years that my family has owned it, it has never left us stranded anywhere. *expect when i obliterated the front axle shaft*. IMO i think its the all around perfect vehicle

 

[Devils Paw 80]

If she must drive in winter, but doesn't drive many miles, then I think it's a reasonable choice.

Cons are relatively high upfront price, poor gas mileage, high cost of repairs and unnecessarily large for a single driver.

A friend of mine put her kids in an 80 for their qualifying HS years. I put mine in a similar vintage Subaru. No complaints from either camp but we got away a lot cheaper.

 

[rex in bama]

I’m looking at a 95 Land Cruiser with 197,000 miles. I am looking at it for my daughter’s first vehicle. She takes care of things meticulously and is a good driver. I am wondering if everyone would agree to buying this vehicle for her. The vehicle looks like a solid tank. I live in Pennsylvania so our winters are horrible. Please give me your two cents.

Solid, reliable, but will need regular maintenance - this ain’t a late model Camry! Biggest concern I would have as a dad would be parking fiascos (big) and the temptations of having that much off road capability (if not for her, pressure from friends). I am debating the same thing, as we have a gx that may go to my daughter, but we’re leaning towards an awd sedan.

 

[pnwcruiser]

I think it depends on who's paying for gas and maintenance.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

I think it depends on who's paying for gas and maintenance.

Indeed. Second kid in line at my friends' family was more of a miser than his older sister, and they paid for their own gas. (but not maintenance) He was always looking for an opportunity NOT to drive the LC in favor of the family Corolla. I think parents didn't allow this in winter, however. We're in a land locked community where it's literally impossible to drive very far.

 

[Cruzerman]

I'm going to be in the minority here, but I think that newer cars are safer than these vehicles. Better airbag systems, crumple zones, better antilock brakes, etc. all make them actually safer vehicles. Plus in winter driving, I'll take a Subaru with winter tires over an 80 series every time. Then add on way better fuel economy. I love cruisers (I have four) and have owned them for well over 30 years. Just think there are better choices if you are looking for the safest vehicle / best winter vehicle / affordable to drive vehicle.

 

[BILT4ME]

My 80 was the victim of a first car for a teenage boy.

He drove it into a guardrail and ripped up the RF corner. They rebuilt that.
He blew the head gasket. They rebuilt that (the RIGHT way!)
He drove it into a house (literally!) They rebuilt that. (Sort of.)

They did zero maintenance. They owned it for 5 years and put 45K miles on it.

When I bought it, with 196K, I went completely through front and rear axles, new calipers, pads, and rotors, completely new cooling system (mixed red/green). I bought it cheap, but threw a LOT of money at it to make it my DD.

My point is, it survived him and zero maintenance. These things are tough and he walked away from multiple collisions. Mass is important in a collision.