Considering Replacing My Tacoma with an FZJ80, What Should I Know?

[Samuel642000]

It's hard to recommend not knowing all the factors for you, but my 80 is my daily. However, I work from home and the only drive typically is going to the gym. But it does everything I need it to from those short trips, to getting a few sheets of plywood on a small utility trailer, and pulling my zero-turn around.

Mine has 305k on the clock and my oldest daughter and I did the continental divide in it over the summer. It was packed to the gills, on 35s with a RTT, factory gearing and I didn't have a worry in the world outside of filling up, often. It lived in 2nd gear for the majority of the trip and I had semi's passing me going up the mountain passes but that never really bothered me personally. Although, I would be a little hesitant to pull a overland style trailer (think Smittybilt Scout) on the same trip without some sort of re-gearing so that should be in the back of your mind.

It's not as comfy as my Longhorn Ram was while I had it but it's not overly bad. If one were to update the seats, add some sound deadener, and update the stereo it's not terrible. Caveat being that while I enjoy creature comforts, the more spartan-ish 80 treats me just fine.

I enjoy my 80 because I can work on every part of it, and I wouldn't hesitate to jump in it and go anywhere right now. They have their quirks and most are over 26 years old, but that's part of their charm.

Main thing to remember is if you get an 80 just embrace the 65 mph life, from the right lane course, and it won't be that big of a deal. I find it much more relaxing to be the guy going 65 and not the guy trying to go 85-90 everywhere and everyone being in my way.

 

[Marco Lau]

It's hard to recommend not knowing all the factors for you, but my 80 is my daily. However, I work from home and the only drive typically is going to the gym. But it does everything I need it to from those short trips, to getting a few sheets of plywood on a small utility trailer, and pulling my zero-turn around.

Mine has 305k on the clock and my oldest daughter and I did the continental divide in it over the summer. It was packed to the gills, on 35s with a RTT, factory gearing and I didn't have a worry in the world outside of filling up, often. It lived in 2nd gear for the majority of the trip and I had semi's passing me going up the mountain passes but that never really bothered me personally. Although, I would be a little hesitant to pull a overland style trailer (think Smittybilt Scout) on the same trip without some sort of re-gearing so that should be in the back of your mind.

It's not as comfy as my Longhorn Ram was while I had it but it's not overly bad. If one were to update the seats, add some sound deadener, and update the stereo it's not terrible. Caveat being that while I enjoy creature comforts, the more spartan-ish 80 treats me just fine.

I enjoy my 80 because I can work on every part of it, and I wouldn't hesitate to jump in it and go anywhere right now. They have their quirks and most are over 26 years old, but that's part of their charm.

Main thing to remember is if you get an 80 just embrace the 65 mph life, from the right lane course, and it won't be that big of a deal. I find it much more relaxing to be the guy going 65 and not the guy trying to go 85-90 everywhere and everyone being in my way.

even my 3FE on 37s and tons of weight go and avg. 70-75 mph comfortably....your 1fz-fe should be doing 75-80 mph without fuss and still keep your mpg above 13... if stockish,,,,

 

[GraniteChief]

even my 3FE on 37s and tons of weight go and avg. 70-75 mph comfortably....your 1fz-fe should be doing 75-80 mph without fuss and still keep your mpg above 13... if stockish,,,,

This is what’s confusing me. My Tacoma has 245hp at a higher peak hp rpm than the land cruiser, and probably weighs at least 5k lbs with 33’s/bumpers/winch/shell/full size spare/upgraded rear axle…probably closer to 5500 tbh. It gets ~14mpg with 4.10’s and goes 80mph at ~3k rpm and I routinely drop into 5th and 4th gears going up grades (6spd manual). So the 80 is 5600lbs stock…it’ll be heavier with bumpers and a winch and big tires, but has power available at lower rpm’s.

Is an 80 really going to be that slow? I towed a CJ7 with my Tacoma and averaged 35-40mph going over Donner Summit in California, and 65mph through Nevada on the flats.

 

[bhsdriller]

They do good on flats, I can basically go as fast as I want no problems.

Once there's any kind of hill is another story lol
Coming back from Moab on some grades i'm in 2nd at 4,000+ rpms. Then you better hope your cooling system is up to speed or it's going to overheat

 

[KliersLC]

This is what’s confusing me. My Tacoma has 245hp at a higher peak hp rpm than the land cruiser, and probably weighs at least 5k lbs with 33’s/bumpers/winch/shell/full size spare/upgraded rear axle…probably closer to 5500 tbh. It gets ~14mpg with 4.10’s and goes 80mph at ~3k rpm and I routinely drop into 5th and 4th gears going up grades (6spd manual). So the 80 is 5600lbs stock…it’ll be heavier with bumpers and a winch and big tires, but has power available at lower rpm’s.

Is an 80 really going to be that slow? I towed a CJ7 with my Tacoma and averaged 35-40mph going over Donner Summit in California, and 65mph through Nevada on the flats.

It would be comparable. I towed my 1963 Mercury Comet from Sand Diego to Virginia beach with my 80 on 33s. It was slow getting out of California, but did fine through everything else, as I took the southern route to avoid the high mountains. I also towed my FJ55 through most of Idaho and didn't have any issues until the uhaul trailer failed...link in sig line.

As to the original question, I started daily driving an 80 series in 2003 and sold my 3rd one in 2020--one wrecked, one sold for a military move, and one sold to fund getting a 100 series.

I miss my 80 series every time I go off road, and every time I think about putting 35s on the 100. However, I do not miss the 80 series the other 355 days of the year. I have some physical damage from a military career and the 80 was not treating me well. After buying my wife a 100 series and driving it for a few hundred miles, I was sold. I also realized that 90% of the mods I had done on the 80 series were included from the factory on the 100.
Cup holders
interior lighting
rear cup holders
rear power
increased hp
better towing
better brakes
auto windows
outside temp gauge
auto climate control
arm rests
fog lights
heated mirrors
heated seats
memory seats(on the LX)
rear AC
etc..

I realized on one of our trips to Uwharrie, that while my 80 had an easier time on some of the obstacles, the 100s were still doing them, and I've found since, that while driving an 80 was more of a point and shoot type of wheeling, the 100 will still get the job done in almost every situation, just not as gracefully.

At this point, I don't think you could convince me to go back to an 80 unless the following were true (highly unlikely)
-I lived in the PNW or inland northwest
-the head gasket had been replaced
-the exhaust had been replaced
-the window tracks and motors had been replaced
-the seats had been replaced with something more accommodating to those over 6 ft
-low price

As you probably know, the above list is a pipe dream. That said, a 100 series fits the bill nicely and they can still be found for decent prices.

The torsion bar IFS will not be able to match a bolt-on long travel kit in a tacoma for desert running, but it will handle desert running better than an 80, and there are a few upgrades you can do before going full custom.

Just to be clear, I think the 80 is a great platform and some of the cautions against it in this thread are a bit overblown. However, without the need for a solid axle, the current pricing trends and inherent advantages of the 100 series make it a better replacement for a Tacoma in my opinion.

 

[Marco Lau]

It would be comparable. I towed my 1963 Mercury Comet from Sand Diego to Virginia beach with my 80 on 33s. It was slow getting out of California, but did fine through everything else, as I took the southern route to avoid the high mountains. I also towed my FJ55 through most of Idaho and didn't have any issues until the uhaul trailer failed...link in sig line.

As to the original question, I started daily driving an 80 series in 2003 and sold my 3rd one in 2020--one wrecked, one sold for a military move, and one sold to fund getting a 100 series.

I miss my 80 series every time I go off road, and every time I think about putting 35s on the 100. However, I do not miss the 80 series the other 355 days of the year. I have some physical damage from a military career and the 80 was not treating me well. After buying my wife a 100 series and driving it for a few hundred miles, I was sold. I also realized that 90% of the mods I had done on the 80 series were included from the factory on the 100.
Cup holders
interior lighting
rear cup holders
rear power
increased hp
better towing
better brakes
auto windows
outside temp gauge
auto climate control
arm rests
fog lights
heated mirrors
heated seats
memory seats(on the LX)
rear AC
etc..

I realized on one of our trips to Uwharrie, that while my 80 had an easier time on some of the obstacles, the 100s were still doing them, and I've found since, that while driving an 80 was more of a point and shoot type of wheeling, the 100 will still get the job done in almost every situation, just not as gracefully.

At this point, I don't think you could convince me to go back to an 80 unless the following were true (highly unlikely)
-I lived in the PNW or inland northwest
-the head gasket had been replaced
-the exhaust had been replaced
-the window tracks and motors had been replaced
-the seats had been replaced with something more accommodating to those over 6 ft
-low price

As you probably know, the above list is a pipe dream. That said, a 100 series fits the bill nicely and they can still be found for decent prices.

The torsion bar IFS will not be able to match a bolt-on long travel kit in a tacoma for desert running, but it will handle desert running better than an 80, and there are a few upgrades you can do before going full custom.

Just to be clear, I think the 80 is a great platform and some of the cautions against it in this thread are a bit overblown. However, without the need for a solid axle, the current pricing trends and inherent advantages of the 100 series make it a better replacement for a Tacoma in my opinion.

all the upgrades you had mentioned above is creature comfort that a early 80s 90s vehicles will not give you. With that said, if those are you priorities, i am sure any newer IFS 4x4s will be superior if not comparable to the 100s. If you are into desert bombing and such, i am sure there are plenty platforms that is better than the 100s out of the box. The advantage of an 80s is simplicity, reliability and be able to take abuse offroad and still be able to cross over into the Overland realm. Gas mileage is not ideal, but so is any rig equipped with 35s + larger tires fitted with armors and recovery tools, etc. It really depends on what your intent of use for the vehicle is, plus there is a sense of nostalgia and style owning the 80s that cannot be replace by a 100s..

 

[Malleus]

Also an 80 series will easily be a 1+year project to properly base line and bring to proper working condition to where you can trust it for overlanding in places like utah without worrying about being stranded by a 25+ year old vehicle.

Easily? No. I have been driving 80s since 1999 and have never "had" to put more than a week or two into one. It all depends on where you live and what you buy.

Out west maybe the only options are to buy "rode hard and put up wet", but that isn't necessarily the case east of the Mississippi.

I'm not trying to get into a shouting match, but personal experience should be stated that way, and not as fact.

 

[Malleus]

I wrecked my 2005 Tacoma and the front end is destroyed. It’s a total loss with insurance, and the only way to bring it back to life is likely to SAS it. So, I can begin a 1+ year project, or buy something else. My currently running vehicle is a 1996 Jeep XJ, which is a bit on the small side but otherwise I really like. It’s a good crawler candidate, but my Tacoma was my desert overlanding rig that I slept in the back of. It hauled a LOT of gear, towed trailers well, and was both comfy and reliable.

Would an 80 series cover a lot of the same bases as the Tacoma, or is it closer to the XJ in size/comfort/ability? What should I know about the 80 series and what years to look at? I know 92+ has rear discs so I’d want 92+, but I don’t know other differences in later years. I haven’t been inside one since the 90’s.

Edit: my price range is limited to what my insurance will pay me for my 2005 Tacoma, preferably less…

I have personally owned and driven 3 40s, 2 60s, 4 80s, 2 100s and one 200 since 1993. My wife has driven a 2005 GX470 daily for the last few years.

Feel free to pm me and we can discuss my unbiased opinions on Land Cruisers. And why I would not drive anything else.

And I would buy a triple locked 80 for $12k every day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

They do good on flats, I can basically go as fast as I want no problems.

Once there's any kind of hill is another story lol
Coming back from Moab on some grades i'm in 2nd at 4,000+ rpms. Then you better hope your cooling system is up to speed or it's going to overheat

X2 on all of this. My 92 with a 3fe, 35's on stock gearing would do 80+ all day long on flat spots but even the slightest grade would slow it WAAAYYY down. I've driven my buddies 97 quite a bit over the last year with 10% reduction gears in the transfer case and it was doable but felt quite a bit slower than my 1999 100 series. I bring that up for your point about on paper the hp isn't much different than your Tacoma just like it isn't much different than the early 100 series. I don't know if it is shift points, or improved fuel management, or what, but the later 80 felt a lot slower.

Working on the 80 isn't any different than working on all of the other old vehicles I own. I think people try to compare the maintenance on these things to new cars but if you've always driven older vehicles like me, it isn't really any different. That being said, parts are getting harder and harder to source. Mostly the emissions stuff is what I'm referencing where the typical wear items can be found at any parts store.

All of this being said, and if I'm reading your use of your Tacoma correctly, I'd stick with the Tacoma all day long. I love my 80 but a Tacoma is so much more usable in my opinion.

 

[Samuel642000]

even my 3FE on 37s and tons of weight go and avg. 70-75 mph comfortably....your 1fz-fe should be doing 75-80 mph without fuss and still keep your mpg above 13... if stockish,,,,

Best I got was a right at 13, while I was still in Texas. After I started gaining elevation it was a whole different animal. As mentioned by someone else above, 4k rpms in 2nd is about where it lived the majority of that trip.

I had the typical stuff on it for the trip and less while im at home. drawers full of tools, tent, fridge, full spare etc but with stock gearing.... its not the speed that concerns me as it will run 75-80 no problem, but drops the mpgs down to about 9 mpg even in flat Tejas

 

[dpeshkin]

For daily driving get a 100 series or newer.

An 80 will bleed you dry with little things and it won't be nearly as practical and comfy.

amen

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

amen

Not necessarily....

I spent more in maintenance on my 100 in 3 years of ownership than I have in 7 years of owning the 80. And keep in mind that when I bought my 100, the master cylinder, timing belt, heater t's and brakes had all been freshly done.

I had to replace:
1. Steering rack - $500
2. Throttle body - $600
3. CV - $500
4. Front diff - $2500 ( I did take the opportunity to add an ARB locker; a rebuild to stock would have been around $800)

An 80 doesn't have nearly as many expensive wear items. The only expensive things I've had to do on the 80:
1. birfs - ~$800
2. MAF - $150
3. knuckle rebuild - $300

Having said all of that, the 100 was indeed a much, much more enjoyable driving experience for everyday use.

 

[jpoole]

Agree with @Stuckinthe80s regarding the 80/100 maintenance cost differences. Ever compared the price of the master cylinders or the work in a starter replacement job? A 100kish timing belt vs a chain that can go much longer is another big difference and if you are enjoying the benefits of AHC that's another complexity, etc.. The increased power is the main benefit of the 100 platform in my opinion though the LX in particular is noticeably more plush.

If you don't add huge tires and a lot of weigh I think a well cared for 80 does well as a daily driver with the exception of fuel mileage. I find my 80 to be comfortable and fun to drive around town and never wish for more power. It's large enough to haul some gear, securely, but small enough to fit in street partking/etc. The only time I'd like to have more power is while towing or at higher elevations but those are so rare for me that I've gone with an 80 to avoid what I assume will be higher maintenance costs for 100 series LX/LCs as they age.

I'd love to hear that I'm wrong on the difference of long term maintenance costs of 80s vs 100s as they age from owners of both, then I can start shopping for that LX 470 .

The biggest factor on LC vs. Tacoma for me would be the bed/exposed hauling area of the Taco vs. the enclosed interior of the 80. A camper shell can bring those two platforms closer together but there is still a huge difference in functionality between the two based on that difference (truck vs. wagon) alone. Beyond that would be the desire to own/operate an older vehicle vs. a newer one. Newer roughly means more $$ but less time invested and older can spread the cost over time and $$ based on how much you want to DIY. Overall costs of newer vs. older are often comparable if the older car is kept in good condition and you count all related expenses and time.

 

[Dave 2000]

Over the years I have owned dozens of cars, trucks and vans, and could pretty much afford to purchase any vehicle on the road given my income at the time. And yet here I am with a diesel 80 approaching 27 years old, it has been super reliable and the longest I have ever owned a vehicle, like you I am still unable to drive (still recovering from brain tumour removal), but I simply cannot wait to get behind the wheel again. On or off road despite minimal mods it is a great car. Turbo diesels don't seem to be too phased by altitude and long climbs given the torque available, and of course the economy is outstanding for the size of the car.

As mentioned earlier I have to agree, I think the 80 is one of the best all round vehicles around on or off road. Find a rust free one and keep mods to a minimum, do you really need to have the biggest wheels and tyres in the neighbourhood, the heaviest bumpers and armour? Although cup holders are mandatory fitments, the 80 will IMO do pretty much everything you want it to do, decent spares are around and the knowledge base added to your own DIY thinking will keep running/repair costs to a minimum.

Regards

Dave