Daily Vs Trail question

[Cruzerman]

I would guess that your 4runner got about 50% better mileage meaning the 80 will use about 50% more gas.

 

[canman]

With 35s and stk gears I avg 22-24L/100 kms, but luckily most trails are only a couple hours away. Typically, I would use 1.5-2 tanks to get there and back incl a full day on the trail. Unfortunately, I don't get out as often as I used to, but that is because of time and not funds, but going out every week would get expensive qucikly. Maintaining and modding one of these trucks is not cheap by any means.

 

[Mandrake]

Mine is stock and compared to a friends with a 4" lift and 35's with stock gears, the difference in mileage is negligible. It's going to be in the low to mid teens no matter how you cut it, and if there's more than a $10- $15 difference in the gas bill at the end of the day between the two, I'd be surprised. We're lucky to live in an area with tons of trails close by, so I'd say the longest day would probably only require 1.5 tanks.

The question about sacrifices made is kind of a personal one, but since you asked... none. I'm single, don't have any kids, and am debt free, so I don't even think about the cost of maintenance on this thing. It's going to cost what it's going to cost. Besides, you can't put a price tag on being able to get to stuff like this...

 

[pilotuku]

Buying an 80 for leisure will be the best dumb decision you ever make.

This will be my sig line... with your approval of course!

 

[NCFJ]

This was my initial reaction too when I read the op. Not trying to be some kind of elitist douche, but if your tripping on mpg, you might want to seriously consider a different past time. These trucks are getting old. Mpg could be the least of your worries. For sure they're tough, well built machines, but they're machines. The older they get the more love they'll require (love = $... just ask my wife), especially if you frequent the trail. And then there's upgrades...

Not to suggest you can't be broke and own and actually use one of these. We got our poor, basically unemployed butts through grad school without selling it for food, and even managed to do a few trips each year.

Now we're actual contributing members of society. Far from rich, but still a half dozen or so times a year we do the 4... 8... 12 hour commute to get to the middle of nowhere. Plus all the cost of maintenance and repair. But we don't do a lot of movies. We don't have cable. Don't eat out a lot. Our poor neglected kids have never been to Disneyland. We've never been on a cruise. We still have wood paneling from the 70s in the basement... And I do all my own cruiser repair/maintenance.

I guess it comes down to what you're willing to sacrifice. Our neighbors think we're insane, but this hillbilly, smelling like a campfire, eating granola, living on the trail for days is our idea of fun, and to us worth the gas money. To my neighbor, their annual trip to California with all the airfare, hotel, car rental, buying overpriced churros and paying $100 a head to stand in line for a ride at Disneyland is worth it. Seems insane to me.

X2!!

We got back on the trail this past weekend after 1.5 year layoff. PRICELESS!!!!!
To the OP, if you have a long commute I suggest the small car route and drive the LC on weekends etc. You will save enough on fuel over a few years to make it balance out.

We love our Land Cruisers, they are part of the family. We name them, we even name customer trucks that come in without a name. We may be weird, but aint it grand

 

[atomicshawn]

Mantua?

 

[Mandrake]

Mantua?

Smith Lakes.

 

[Hornd]

For what they go for 80's make great 3rd Vehicles. I use mine for trips to the Lumber yard and to take trips. I wouldn't want the gas bill or all the miles on mine as a DD. My biggest problem is I would like to store mine inside, but I only have a workshop.

 

[atomicshawn]

Smith Lakes.

Above Farmington. Gotcha. Haven't been up there since i was in high school. I knew I'd seen it before.

- end digression

 

[DSRTRDR]

To the OP, if you have a long commute I suggest the small car route and drive the LC on weekends etc. You will save enough on fuel over a few years to make it balance out.

/this\

 

[808wheeler]

This was my initial reaction too when I read the op. Not trying to be some kind of elitist douche, but if your tripping on mpg, you might want to seriously consider a different past time. These trucks are getting old. Mpg could be the least of your worries. For sure they're tough, well built machines, but they're machines. The older they get the more love they'll require (love = $... just ask my wife), especially if you frequent the trail. And then there's upgrades...

Not to suggest you can't be broke and own and actually use one of these. We got our poor, basically unemployed butts through grad school without selling it for food, and even managed to do a few trips each year.

Now we're actual contributing members of society. Far from rich, but still a half dozen or so times a year we do the 4... 8... 12 hour commute to get to the middle of nowhere. Plus all the cost of maintenance and repair. But we don't do a lot of movies. We don't have cable. Don't eat out a lot. Our poor neglected kids have never been to Disneyland. We've never been on a cruise. We still have wood paneling from the 70s in the basement... And I do all my own cruiser repair/maintenance.

I guess it comes down to what you're willing to sacrifice. Our neighbors think we're insane, but this hillbilly, smelling like a campfire, eating granola, living on the trail for days is our idea of fun, and to us worth the gas money. To my neighbor, their annual trip to California with all the airfare, hotel, car rental, buying overpriced churros and paying $100 a head to stand in line for a ride at Disneyland is worth it. Seems insane to me.

This is the type of info i was wondering about.
I wasn't tripping on the MPG's, but never having an off-road rig of this size before, I wanted a general feeler for all things "not fun" related so I could get a grasp on how to allocate my budget as an owner.

 

[Heckraiser]

The 80 will probably require more "intermediate" maintenance jobs than a 22re mini truck/4runner. The 22re is possibly one of the most low-maintenance gas engines ever made. The trucks they came in were also ridiculously simple.

Coming from that vehicle, anything is going to be expensive to own. But the 80 is nice enough you wont be embarrassed driving around your wife/mother/coworkers around in it, and is genuinely pleasant to drive in most scenarios. It will stomp an '85 4runner in a drag race