Considering a 100 series

[davemchine]

My daily driver is a Toyota Solara convertible. I love it but it is just terrible in the winter even with winter tires. So I am considering a 100 series for the V8 and the AWD. Are there certain years that are to be avoided? Any maintenance that should be considered immediately necessary? Thank you for your thoughts.

Completely unrelated, my previous two Landcruisers were FJ40's which I absolutely loved. Here's a pic from 20 years ago just for fun.

 

[yeti in ga]

Depends on what you want to do but here is a great start : Slee Off-Road 100 Series Newbie Guide

 

[cwmoser]

You might find like I did that its quite difficult to find decent LC's or LX's and end up with what you find.
I don't think any of the 1998-2007 100's have show stopper issues.

 

[LockedCollector]

These rigs have pretty simple preventative maintenance requirements to make them go 300+K miles. There ride quality is superb....at least my stock LX feels that way.

 

[nakman]

welcome! Love our 100 series... best years are probabaly 2005-2007, as that is the 5 speed and VVTI engine. other best years are 98-99 with the rear locker.. depends on what you want. If I were to buy another I'd be looking 2003 and up.

And yes, my other car is a 40

 

[davemchine]

Thank you everyone this is very helpful.

 

[Spike555]

'06 and '07's tend to have issues in extreme heat with the fuel pump overheating and shutting the truck down.
VVTI engines are interference engines.

 

[jblatl]

The 98 & 99 are more simple trucks, no air injection, no vvt, no a-trac, no vsc, 4 speed, no nav, LESS TO BREAK. I have a 99 LX and a late model 200. Love the power and comfort of the 200, love the truckness of the 100.

My little brother has an 03 LX. Nice truck...

The 06-07 100's are great, but add 5k more and get a 200, or save your pennies and get a 98-99.

 

[bamabrock]

100-series FAQ

 

[ETXLX450F]

I'd avoid 4speed models with hindsight being 20/20.

The only redeeming attributes for 98/99 was factory rear locker and factory rear air conditioning.

My wife LOVES the rear air in ours because she's always worried about the kiddos getting too hot.

 

[jblatl]

There was a group of 4speeds that had a early failure rate. Not sure but I think it was the 2000 model year.

There is something to be said about not having a vsc truck, I have heard some very bizarre stories.

If you can, jump to a 2008 200 if you can, that is do a hard comparison between a 2007 100 and a 2008 200.

Almost the same price... That is if you add a few miles. I have seen 2008 200's with 150k for mid to high 20's.

Just a side note, 200's have their own issues.

 

[BullElk]

The 98 & 99 are more simple trucks, no air injection, no vvt, no a-trac, no vsc,

A 98-99 without rear locker (which a whole bunch of them do not) and no A-TRAC.....what do you have? Other than one wheel spinning?

 

[slacker24-7]

Don't ignore the 4 speed ones, the failure rate is next to nothing more when compared to the 5 speed, I personally love the atrac , and would rather have that than just a rear locker. I have had several fully locked vehicles and that's awesome if your rock crawling or wheeling a lot, but for my 100 the Atrac works very well. I know many will disagree but You need to look at your planned useage , to me it sounds like a DD and something to handle winter roads. Dont know why a 00-03 wouldn't work well and the cost should be lower if that's a issue. Of course a newer lower mileage is more desirable if it's maintained properly, but don't overlook the earlier ones with maybe higher mileage if maintenance has been done. I absolutely love my 01

 

[Stealthmimic]

I agree with most of if not all of the above. I found out too late that the 2000 Hundy's had "hand grenade" tranny's - a $4K pill to swallow. The pin got pulled on a hunting trip 200 mi from home. Replaced trans at ~ 122K mi with stronger factory rebuilt unit. The factory rebuilds are alleged to have fixed the the original OEM problems. So far, at 154k mi mine is running fine and strong.

The ABS system can be a problem, too. If left to sit too long or if not properly maintained it can be a... $3.4k problem. Mine went out at 143K. Another of those jagged little pills. Flush and replace brake fluid regularly as per FSM and you'll probably avoid it. If and when it goes you'll know. The dash will light up like freebie night in a brothel and it will sound like someone is strangling a cable newscaster under the dash.

Apart from that...I have come to really love this truck.

It has taken me places I wouldn't walk and gotten me there in comfort and otherwise has been highly reliable. So far, it hasn't failed to take me any place my buddy's 80 could go (but our rag-tag group may not be as hardcore as some others on MUD). It is an excellent blend of highway comfort and rough road/almost no road, go anywhere wheeling awesomeness.

It also has substantially more power and better fuel economy than the 80 series though it does lack a solid axel front end. IFS can be a bit of adjustment and with an AutoHome RTT on it can feel a bit wonky. But who hasn't spent a dozen or so hours on the road getting to where the real wheeling starts in their 80 and felt like wet dog wobbles on arrival, only to face erecting a tent in howling wind in the dark? Not me. I arrive in comfort and in less than twenty seconds am upstairs in bed looking forward to unknown roads and wild views the next day.

Despite its congenital problems (now fully corrected and functioning better than ever), with some help from the folks at Slee and a lot of help from the kind folks and forums in the MUD community, my rig has evolved into one heck of an expedition vehicle. Don't hesitate to consider one.

 

[jblatl]

No matter what year you choose, the main point to take away is a good maintenance history and no no rust and enjoy the ride. Each revision on the 100 series has it's upside and down side. Drive a few and get a good one, if you get it and realize you wanted a different year they are easy to resale.

Just stay clear of rust!