Considering an 80 Series over my GX470 (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Nov 23, 2020
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3
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Location
Ashburn VA
Looking at past discussions comparing these two seem to cover the general differences, feel, etc. I'd like to discuss the off road capability and reliability between the two.

My friends all have Jeeps and I'm the only Toyota in our group. So far we've been doing mild/medium trails but they will progress to more difficult trails. We're all new to off-roading.

The only modifications done to my GX are a 2" lift and 33 AT's. I'm not planning on doing much else other than basic armor.

I feel like that IFS is my biggest limiting factor, not only in it's capability, but reliability considering failures of CV's, tie rods, etc. on the trail.

I'd like to know how much more capable and reliable an 80 series will be over my GX. If it's worth it for me to sell and look for one.

I definitely don't want to be the one to get stuck or break down while my Jeep friends drive off into the sunset.
 
Find an 80 you like and go drive it. I think you will find the 80 better off-road then on road comparing what you have now.
 
In all reality, an 80 is more capable offroad than an ifs Toyota. But it’s not by as much as you think. A lot of my friends wheel locked 3rd gen 4Runners on 35 and there isn’t a trail that I could do, that their 3rd gens won’t. 80s are just easier to set up to wheel moderate/ hardish trails.

If set up well, your gx will wheel well. Their are plenty of people who reliably wheel hard trails with ifs rigs on 37s or 38s, it just takes some work, a bit of know how, and some driving skill. But so does wheeling an 80 on 37s or 38s. Look up fj Pritchett canyon on YouTube🤷🏻‍♀️.

I love 80s and I’ll always own one, but I think their offroad prowless is a little over rated. The axle and gearing end up being a limiting factor eventually. If you want something easy to build into an extremely capable offroader, get a jk, bolt on one tons, run 40s, and never look back.
 
How deep is your pocket? Either many parts need replacing (since its a 25+ yr-old) or be ready to spend $$$ on a trail ready all sorted out 80.
It took me 3 yrs to get it to where it needs to be for my use but not to the levels of other 80 owners here on MUD. But once you have a well maintained 80, it's a keeper for many hundred thousand more miles.
Just make sure you either find one with 3x lock or put lockers yourself. You will be suprised how capable they are.

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@Singh100 are you an "or" or an "and" person? and are you the kind of person who will work on your vehicle? If you are wanting to be an "or" person then as mentioned above there maybe some work to do on an older vehicle (or less depending on how nice of one you get), but if you are an "and" person and will be just adding an 80 to your stable then the you should have both. I like what you have, maybe even more than a 100 series. What you have can be VERY capable and aftermarket support is there as well. I like the simplicity of the 80 for trail fixes etc, as well as its tractorish like feel sometimes. I am not saying my 80 has a bad ride, mine actually rides very nice. Be aware that you need to know what you want to do, from ride trails then wash and take to dinner, to full sending with dented panels and ripping out anything unneeded... You are going to get all kinds of answers from the various people who are on all different areas of that spectrum.

If i wanted to bang up, crush, scratch and beat a rig, it would be a 4runner but if i had an 80 that was rusted pretty bad, then that would be a good candidate for me too. You could hang with your buddies in either.
 
I think one of the maxims I read on this forum early on, regarding owning an 80 went something like “You either need to be rich or resourceful, but hopefully you’re both…”

I work on my 80 every week. Some of the work is basic maintenance and repairs, other work would be considered restoration and general mods/ improvements.

And I bought a well maintained 80 from a respected member from this forum. Just food for thought.

If you have money and lots of it, send it off to a professional as needed ( @OTRAMM since you’re in VA) and drive happy, but one of the biggest rewards for me has been learning about working on my own rig, where and when I can. I have no garage and my driveway is gravel, sloping and off camber. If I can do it, so can you.

GX’s are sweet though and all the third party equipment for them has been blowing up. It’s a good time to be a GX owner these days. Check out the 4X4 Labs Instagram page. They’re working on tons of good looking GX’s.
 
Is this a dedicated trail rig or just the occasional run in the daily driver? If it is the driver, definitely keep the 470. However, if you're looking for a dedicated trail rig, the 80 will be superior (off the pavement).
 
80s are expensive to run all around - fuel, parts, servicing. For most people this means that they have to work on their own trucks, is that something you're cool with?
 
Looking at past discussions comparing these two seem to cover the general differences, feel, etc. I'd like to discuss the off road capability and reliability between the two.

My friends all have Jeeps and I'm the only Toyota in our group. So far we've been doing mild/medium trails but they will progress to more difficult trails. We're all new to off-roading.

The only modifications done to my GX are a 2" lift and 33 AT's. I'm not planning on doing much else other than basic armor.

I feel like that IFS is my biggest limiting factor, not only in it's capability, but reliability considering failures of CV's, tie rods, etc. on the trail.

I'd like to know how much more capable and reliable an 80 series will be over my GX. If it's worth it for me to sell and look for one.

I definitely don't want to be the one to get stuck or break down while my Jeep friends drive off into the sunset.


Since y'all are new to this sport, I say stick with what you got and grow into it. A good driver can make any 4x4 go over harder obstacles while a bad driver keeps getting stuck with a modified rig.

Capability isn't always synonymous with vehicle modifications.

Investment has been made so I suggest learning you rig, respecting the limitations of it and most important of all, keep your ego in check. Most of us have incurred damages due to our ego driving vs the brain driving. ;)
 

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