Convince me to buy an FZJ-80 (1 Viewer)

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Huntsville, AL.
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Hey everybody! I have been a die hard rover owner for the past few years of my life but after my volvo got totaled over the holidays I have seriously been thinking about buying a Land Cruiser as my next truck. Give me some positive reasons about why I should get one. The rear overhang of the 80 series reminds me to much of a Discovery series two and it seems so wide compared my disco 1. Also do people run 255/85 tires on Cruisers?

Here is a pic of my discovery that blew up the rear diff last christmas.
n78204578_30993062_3963.jpg
 
Hey if it wasn't for the hub bolts sheering I would have installed my spare rear diff sitting in the garage :p. The disco may get a toy conversion for the rear anyway since I am thinking of keeping it as a front lawn ornament.
 
Well, no-one on this board will talk you out of it... read through the FAQs and you may convince yourself.

Yes Cruisers are wider than rovers.

Yes stock 80s have some rear overhang, but those factory bumpers will rip right off instead of hanging you up :D

You can run pretty much any size tire you want on an 80 with the appropriate lift.

People are passionate about their Cruisers, just as people are passionate about their Rovers. Drive whatever puts the biggest grin on your face. ;)
 
it seems so wide compared my disco
My friend, "pilargo emilio" when off camber and cornering on the streets.

Also do people run 255/85 tires on Cruisers?
255/85s would be kind of small, but you could do it. Personally, I like my 315/75s.

If you would like to not have to worry about your axles blowing up then you might like owning an 80.
 
Ok I am think I am moving towards a yota the more I think about it. It just has been a pain trying to find one with the factory lockers and hopefully a lift and tires.
 
Ok I am think I am moving towards a yota the more I think about it. It just has been a pain trying to find one with the factory lockers and hopefully a lift and tires.
Many would suggest making your first priority finding a 95-97 year with the OBDII computer since there are some power mods that work well with that ECU including forced induction. Those years also have the much preferred 1FZ-FE motor as well as the rear floater axle.

If you find one that doesn't have lockers use that to lower your offer and then take the difference and apply it towards the purchase bomb proof ARB air lockers. Though the stock lockers are very good there is a rare problem with the rear when running 37"+ tires in extreme situations.

Most will say that you can run up to a 33" tire without a lift.
 
Some good advice so far. 33s without a lift :cheers:. If I wanted to put 33s on my discovery I would have way to much work to do to get them to fit (3in. lift, gears, driveline angles etc.....)
 
had a rover... it kept breaking and although it never left me stranded i never had a lot of faith in it. so many misc. problems. the cruiser is larger (which i like). i can get 3 friends and myself and all our gear and go to mammoth for the weekend snowboarding and fit everything in the back. no rack needed. that's nice. also my mtn bike goes in the back without putting a seat down. nice. feels much tighter. better overall build quality, less rattles. tail gate uses hinged steel instead of cables which break.... little details that make the cruiser a stronger rig. also... parts are less expensive with the cruiser. rover parts were too much
 
had a rover... it kept breaking and although it never left me stranded i never had a lot of faith in it. so many misc. problems. the cruiser is larger (which i like). i can get 3 friends and myself and all our gear and go to mammoth for the weekend snowboarding and fit everything in the back. no rack needed. that's nice. also my mtn bike goes in the back without putting a seat down. nice. feels much tighter. better overall build quality, less rattles. tail gate uses hinged steel instead of cables which break.... little details that make the cruiser a stronger rig. also... parts are less expensive with the cruiser. rover parts were too much

That is exactly what I needed to hear.
 
Drive one that hasn't been thrashed, and you will be impressed with how solid of a vehicle it is, even at 10-15 years old.
 
Just got mine after looking at a disco... first word my mechanic said when he saw the disco was, "You know these are expensive to fix?." Took it stock out into the desert and followed my jeep friend everywhere he went easy. Except the arroyo almost took me :) see profile pic
 
I was talked out of buying a Disco about a month ago, and I am not regret that decision. My two Cruisers are very reliable. When I need parts, a lot of Toyota parts are interchangeable, not to mention the GM part that I run in my older Cruiser. The only thing that has stopped one of my Cruisers was a tree. See the pics, right now I'm looking for a replacement.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/266222-el-tractor-rest-peace.html
 
There is no way I could convince you to buy an FZJ80, nor would I talk you out of one. However, if you needed a push in the right direction toward an FJ80, then I could help.
 
Disco v Cruiser

I love the style of both(actually the rover a little more). I went with a '97 LX450 and am very happy with my decision.
 
I think just being on the site and looking around you'll find not a single regret of purchasing an 80 or much less any LC. Enough convincing for me. I didn't even know mud existed until after I bought mine. Loved it before this site... love it even more after.
 
There are people running 285/55 tires on their 80s. I will be running 255/85s when it's time for new treads. 80s come stock with an approx 32 inch tire, the 33-33.5inch 255/85 tire should fit on stock with no issues. Just make sure to correct the speedo.

Marlin makes a nice wheel spacer that's fully inspection legal. The spacers will keep your 255/85 tires from looking like they're fully tucked inside the wheel wells.

Between the reliability, the looks, and the level of refinement in the 80, you'll be a happy guy, especially since you know capable off road vehicles already. Genuine Toyota replacement parts aren't that inexpensive, but they last forever, so once you've fixed something, you can pretty much forget about it for another 200,000+ miles.

Although there are a handful of other vehicles out there I'd love to have as the DD, I am very happy I went FZJ-80.

As with all older vehicles, make sure to do a full preventive maintenance when you get one to address simple coolant system, etc issues.
 
It sounds like you have already convinced yourself...take it from a former Rover (91 SWB) owner. In one 6 month period I spent US$10,000 dollars "fixing" things on my rover...from blown brake lines to a new transfer case. When I finally got it running just the way I wanted (several years and thousands of dollars later)...I was too worried to take it anyplace without a ton of extra parts...all the what if this breaks or that breaks parts.

I sold my SWB in 2000 and haven't looked back. I love my 80 and wouldn't drive anything else off road. Yes, things break on an 80 but, you usually know what they are and when they are going to give...the Rover was like playing Russian Roulette.

I have absolute faith in my 80 and would drive 3,000 miles in it tomorrow in total peace and confidence...I couldn't drive 200 miles in total peace and confidence in my SWB.

Go with an 80 or a 100 and never look back.

Cheers.

- Mark

(reformed Rover owner)
 
I can tell you that I would never buy a Rover (even though I do think some of them look nice) after all the experiences my buddy has had with his girlfriend's Disco. She has a 96, same year as my Cruiser. I've spent just over $3000 in the last year and a half, mainly on stuff that this site has made me OCD about (replacing hoses, rebuilding front and rear axles with new bearings, replacing u-joints, and on and on we go). However, I would say a good 75% of the work I have done was voluntary, not necessary. I did it because I wanted to, not necessarily because the truck needed it.

This Rover has had all 4 oxygen sensors replaced, a new ECU, a new ABS computer, and a ton of other work done on it (at the dealer), and it still randomly, without warning, craps out. Last week the engine died while sitting in an intersection downtown. The engine would start up again, rev really high, and then die if you took your foot off the gas. After getting it home (by holding the revs up and dropping the auto into gear each time), it started fine the next day and hasn't done it since. There have been so many similar stories of failure with this truck over the past few years that I would never even consider owning one. Even my buddy (who loved the truck when his girlfriend got it) would now never touch one (his Xterra has enough problems of its own!).

For another testimony search for a couple of IdahoDoug's threads about his brother-in-law's 80. Minimum maintenance, 330,000 or so miles, and trouble free reliability. That's why Landcruisers rock!
 

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