Buy a Prado, or no Prado???

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Funksolid

Funksolid

Joined
Sep 5, 2006
Threads
38
Messages
112
Location
Calgary, Alberta
O.k. A buddy and I are looking at (very seriously) bringing a TLC's in from Japan. I have looked at the Prados and liked what I have seen. I have also test drove 2 at my local Toyota dealership and loved the drives. NOW, I have read soooo much about the 2L-T that I have a head ache, but need to come down to some final conclusion. I have 2 major questions, and I need some help from the Pro's.

#1 Is the Prado (If it fits my lifestyle and driving application) good, or the 2L-T gonna make me go scooters? Secondly is the head gonna crack and it will cost me X amount of dollars to fix and then everything should be o.k from there on in?

#2 Or is the cracking and overheating too much to handle and just get a "Normal" Cruiser with the 1HZ engine.

I know it seems dumb, but I love the look of the Prado, and I am just driving around the city, and going into dirt and mud @ work (I frame houses and need 4X4 to get in and out sometimes. I have NO desire to take it "off roading", just love the diesel, and its practicality. And honestly would prefer to drive the nicer looking Prado, but don’t want to “look nice” if the 2L-T is gonna drive me into the ground.

Lastly I need a Ball Park figure on how much it costs to Fix the cracked head, and bring in a "fixed one" from Aus. I believe thats the worst case scenario with the 2L-T but I could be wrong.

If someone could help that would be awesome.
I live in Calgary, Alberta and know that a couple of shops could help me out mechanically if the head blew up.

Thank You for your time.

Andrew
 
The 1HZ powered cruiser will be a better option all round.
As a work vehicle you dont want downtime and the 1HZ is very reliable.

Nearly %100 of all homes built in oz have at least 2x1HZ powered vehicles on site at all times;)
 
i sit here and shake my head when i read these questions. people, it is very simple, the 2LT(E) has head problems... it really IS that simple. Mike is doing 2 a week. Dan is selling these things by the hundreds and there is a reason... the heads SUCK!!

that being said, the Prado (other than the engine) is a robust rig that can crawl down the narliest trails with ease (proven once again this past weekend) even in stock condition. the head problems is a SERIOUS issue and shoudl not be taken lightly. the repair cost will be between $2000 and $3000.

here is my take on the matter, those that have these for sale will make light of the head issue since they have money tied up in stock and want to move them. i have 2 left in stock and will not sell them. i have spent $9000 on warranty work on the heads for my customers. i have almost $6000 into Berni's wheeling LJ78 to combat the overheating issues. oncy you warranty the head there is no profit in the lj series. the other one left in stock is Berni's daily driver.

my recommendation is DO NOT BUY A LJ78 unless you budget for a new head.

the engine is too small for the weight it has to move and has to work too hard. the fuel milage is worse than a HDJ81, the milage is actually the worst of all the diesel equiped land cruisers.

on the up side they come with 4.90 gears from the factory, the coil suspension is a beautiful ride and works EXCELLENT off road. there is lots of room inside and yo can stick 6 people easily inside or 8 people in a pinch...

my suggestion is either a PZJ or a HZJ model.

cheers
 
Buy a KZJ-78 if you want a Prado. Reliable, good ride, decent power, and fuel mileage. It is worth spending extra money for one. Stay away from a 2L-T. I own a LJ-78 only because it was cheap and the top speed here is only 80km with no large hills. Also I have a few spare heads if needed.
 
BJ-44 said:
Buy a KZJ-78 if you want a Prado. Reliable, good ride, decent power, and fuel mileage. It is worth spending extra money for one. Stay away from a 2L-T. I own a LJ-78 only because it was cheap and the top speed here is only 80km with no large hills. Also I have a few spare heads if needed.
Click to expand...

I dont think their 15 year rule will allow KZJ ** just yet but they would be preferable.

Australia only got very limited quantities of 2LT.
I think Toyota Australia must have smelt a dud early on.
I could just imagine the negative publicity of people stranded on the Canning stock route 1100 klms from the nearest town:rolleyes:
 
Well, I agree with everything being said.
Wayne makes some good points about warranty cost vrs profit.

______________________________________

Andrew, May I also pose a questions for you?
Why look at importing a type/brand of vehicle you know little about?
It seems a little risky. While Land cruisers are generally solid trucks, the 78 is probably the worst of them. It would very likely cost you more than you would make.

The LC community is also pretty tight. People prefer to buy from people who know and are passionite about them. Not someone just out to make some cash on the side. Even if you do go ahead, are you aware of the compliance issues with liecing them? There are quite a bit. You could spend days searching and reading the forum,

I am not trying to be hard on you.
Just trying to say there are many things you will need to be aware of.

If you are looking to make a little extra cash on the side, you might want to try working some overtime. I could see you importing 78's (or any land-cruiser) more trouble then its worth. I could also see you loosing money, or making very little, and certainly not enough to be worth it.
Also, there are already many people doing it full time, who stand behind there trucks 100% with more resources then we could ever acquire.

My opinion, if your looking for some extra money. Try working some overtime, or heading up to the oil rigs. There is no free lunch to be had with importing. Its getting harder/stricter every day.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers,
Nick
 
Andrew stay away from the Prado. Too many threads on here about my head blowing up.


Buy a 1HZ powered cruiser. Or 13b-t. If a two door would work for you with a military trailer there is a nice one in Vancouver. Stone has it. You can see his pictures of it in the for sale section. Same as his trailer.

Its a proven truck that has been taken care of. Although its a two door. The 13b-t gets great mileage and is very tough.
 
Hello Andrew:

Just re read your post.
At first I thought you were importing land cruisers to re-sell.
However you might just be looking at one for yourself.

If your looking at importing to resell, my 1st post will apply (so I will leave it).
However, if your just looking for yourself, please ignore it.

At any rate, I would personally look at a 81 if you want a 4 door.
If you want a 2 door, I would look at 73 and 74's.
I am no 70 series expert. But a BJ73 with 1HZ, 5-speed (h55) and turbo would be sweet.
A trailer is also a good idea for all your construction materials.

Cheers,
Nick :)
 
The 2LT rules, its a super smooth engine, lightweight, easy to work on and a happy revver. As long as you don't overheat it and make sure the cooling system is perfect the heads should last at least 100,000km so a $2000 repair is only 0.02$ per km, This cost is easily offset by the fuel, insurance and noise savings. The ride of coil-sprung 70 series is fantastic, traction is unreal even with open diffs, gearing is perfect for offroad and lift kits are cheap. :grinpimp:
 
Last edited:
the fuel savings??
the larger diesels actualy get better fuel milage...
 
crushers said:
i sit here and shake my head when i read these questions.
cheers
Click to expand...

Damn...It does not seem too long ago I remember taking s*** from a certain person for holding up the banner of warning...how things change.

All indications are from those much more in the know then I that these engines are stout...once the new head/waterpump/rad are done. If you really want one, build into the budget and purchase price having this done right away.

And no denis I have not forgotten about the flame front thread: Waiting for some questions to be answered.

hth's

gb
 
the reason i ask is because of the test runs (everyday driving) of the different engines have shown that the 2LT/2LTE gets the worst milage of all the Toyota Land Cruiser diesels...the best has been the NA 3B...
now compared to a gasser...
;^)
 
denis said:
I'll be looking into it as soon as I'm done typing this :D

done - what questions ?
Click to expand...


Ahhh....I am awaiting some answers to questions I've asked of others...while doing some reading and research.

gb
 
Fuel mileage sucks on the 2L-TE?

Let's see...this weekend I left town with just over 1/4 tank. Drove one hour on the highway, filled the tank at a cost of $70. Drove another 3.5 hours to Bearberry; went on 5.5 hour wheeling trip; drove 4.5 hours to get home over rolling hills. Still have 1/4 tank left. Covered 750 km on about 70 l of fuel...who wants to do the math?

So much depends on how you drive it...

Funksolid, I love my Prado. It's slow, it's underpowered, and yes, I had to replace the head. I did it myself (along with water pump, timing belt, etc.) at a cost of about $1200. Now that the head is done, no more overheating issues. With proper maintenance, I expect to get 200,000 km from this head.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it you haters! :D
 
Well From my own personal experience I run back and forth to work, plus cruise around all week on about a 1/4 tank of fuel..
According to the fuel guage any way..:D
In the Gasser I used to have, I had to fill it twice which equated to 1/2 tank of gas just going to and from work no extra cruising.
So in this comparison I feel I'm doing better with the 2L-TE than I did with the old gasser (Villager minivan)
As far as the head is concerned:D If it goes it goes like everything else it can be repaired.. buying a used vehicle no one can tell you anything about is always a crap shoot.
If you want the truck you want the truck and nothing any one will say will detter you from your aquireing it.

We have 4 vehicles in the family and out of those the LJ78 gets the most use because everyone in the family loves it..Go figure..:eek:

Gosh did I just say all that:o

:beer:
 
1990 LJ78 said:
If you want the truck you want the truck and nothing any one will say will detter you from your aquireing it.
:
Click to expand...
isn't that the truth...
 
light_duty said:
Fuel mileage sucks on the 2L-TE?

Let's see...this weekend I left town with just over 1/4 tank. Drove one hour on the highway, filled the tank at a cost of $70. Drove another 3.5 hours to Bearberry; went on 5.5 hour wheeling trip; drove 4.5 hours to get home over rolling hills. Still have 1/4 tank left. Covered 750 km on about 70 l of fuel...who wants to do the math?

So much depends on how you drive it...

Funksolid, I love my Prado. It's slow, it's underpowered, and yes, I had to replace the head. I did it myself (along with water pump, timing belt, etc.) at a cost of about $1200. Now that the head is done, no more overheating issues. With proper maintenance, I expect to get 200,000 km from this head.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it you haters! :D
Click to expand...
there is exceptions to every rule...
;^)
BTW, your LJ78 performed excellent on Saturday...
 
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