I've DD an 80 for the past 12 years and love it. My bank account, not so much.
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Another daily driven FZJ80 here, about 185,000mi and counting with 45mi/day added since last August. Gas is costly, but overall cost of ownership is very low. I drove a Nissan Juke from 2015-2018 and that cost me about $650/month for payments (depreciation) and comprehensive insurance. That adds up mighty fast. I can buy plenty of parts and gas for the difference in cost between the best 4x4 ever built (FZJ80) compared to an entry level Datsun crossover (Juke). If I stumbled on a bag of cash tomorrow, I'd probably get an old Toyota Matrix XRS commuter just to keep the miles off the '80, but it really isn't about saving money.
Let's run some rough numbers: I could spend $5K on a car that gets twice the MPG as the '80, taking my fuel costs from $300/month to $150/month. At that rate of savings it would take 33 months to break even on the purchase price, not taking into account the insurance costs or other cost of ownership. And that's for a 15 year old, $5000 economy car. Anyone shelling out $30-40k on a hybrid to save money on gas needs their head checked. Do it for the heated seats, or to impress your neighbors, but saving money on gas is laughable when you've gone into debt for the car.
I prefer the way older cars drive and feel. Japanese cars from the 1990s have some of the best engineering ever done by the hands of man. If I'd rather have a 20+ year old car than a brand new car; it makes sense to buy the one that has the best engineering/reliability, thus the lowest cost of ownership. The FZJ80 is one of the best engineered, most reliable, vehicles ever made. I can't afford not to daily drive one.
QED
Let's run some rough numbers: I could spend $5K on a car that gets twice the MPG as the '80, taking my fuel costs from $300/month to $150/month. At that rate of savings it would take 33 months to break even on the purchase price, not taking into account the insurance costs or other cost of ownership. And that's for a 15 year old, $5000 economy car. Anyone shelling out $30-40k on a hybrid to save money on gas needs their head checked. Do it for the heated seats, or to impress your neighbors, but saving money on gas is laughable when you've gone into debt for the car.
I prefer the way older cars drive and feel. Japanese cars from the 1990s have some of the best engineering ever done by the hands of man. If I'd rather have a 20+ year old car than a brand new car; it makes sense to buy the one that has the best engineering/reliability, thus the lowest cost of ownership. The FZJ80 is one of the best engineered, most reliable, vehicles ever made. I can't afford not to daily drive one.
QED
I've decided to sell my couch and place the 80 in the living room right in front of my 65" 4k........
It wasn't supposed to be a DD, its supposed to be my weekend toy and mod hobby....
It's my DD....
It's my DD....
I am right now. My company car is so boring so I have been driving the 80 the last few months. Luckily I have a company gas card.
It's my primary vehicle, but I work from home so that doesn't mean much.
I don't know how y'all DDing it can afford the gas. I'm getting 200 miles before the fuel light comes on. My second car, an e39 540it, at only 19mpg feels like a Prius compared to the LC.
I don't know how y'all DDing it can afford the gas. I'm getting 200 miles before the fuel light comes on. My second car, an e39 540it, at only 19mpg feels like a Prius compared to the LC.
Daily driving here...around 30 miles a day. 13 mpg, can usually go 250-260 miles before I see the gas light on 33's. 153k miles.
I swap between my 80 and my 630 hp built C63 for DD.... and more often I drive the 80...... after an sc'ed 100 and fully built 200 I just love the 80 ......this is my 5th and it's almost as good as my long missed 40th....
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Not daily, but it’s in rotation. My 1977 Mercedes 300D is too. Both are cushy and comfy, but the heat and AC work in the 80 
When I need to go fast, G63 or motorcycle is the choice.
When I need to go fast, G63 or motorcycle is the choice.
Weekend use for my 80, mostly off pavement. I have a take-home work truck, and use my Celica for errands (I'm 40 miles one way from town) and to get my go-fast fix.
Every day but I swapped it to a Cummins and I get waaaaay better mileage, and I can pass people 
Got mine a year ago, went through the motions with the rebuild and catching up on some maintenance, but need the capability of the 80. I also work in the disaster relief category (power lines) and travel for work when I need/want to, and while it’s not the most fuel efficient, I drove her for maybe a 14 hour day doing paperwork and getting to the job in upstate NY and through the miles / gallon conversion I was coming out with 15.1 mpg 
/e
And also prefer my 80 for around town / any trips over her 18 TRD Pro 4Run
....mostly because I’m ‘allowed’ to haul the dog in mine
/e
And also prefer my 80 for around town / any trips over her 18 TRD Pro 4Run
....mostly because I’m ‘allowed’ to haul the dog in mine
Daily driven including school pickup for the kiddos. Slightly entertaining seeing the kids with 20 pounds of books in their backpacks trying to get in the car.
Fairly short commute at 12 miles round trip. With our recent snow in the Seattle area (Snowpocalypse) its great not having to worry if I will make it home after work. New 315s and chains are packed if needed. Looking forward to the second round of snow this weekend...
Fairly short commute at 12 miles round trip. With our recent snow in the Seattle area (Snowpocalypse) its great not having to worry if I will make it home after work. New 315s and chains are packed if needed. Looking forward to the second round of snow this weekend...
mudgudgeon
Resident galah
ewillis
SILVER Star
Yeah...we've obviously never met.Or the clasp on a girls bra ever!
I mostly drive my 1984 Subaru GL. It's a hilarious car to drive. It's super easy to park. It's exceptionally rare (I easily see 20 80s for every similar era Subaru I see, I have yet to see an exact match). It gets double the MPG and it's better for the environment when the drive doesn't call for a Cruiser. It has almost no features and a lot of them only partially work in one way or another. It's also unstoppable in the snow (with snow tires and legit 4wd, it seriously outperforms almost every other car besides the Cruiser). It saves miles on the Cruiser for what the Cruiser is actually made for. It was $900.
mudgudgeon
Resident galah
Touche!
