From Hundy to 2024 LC 250?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Okay, choose one:

LC 250 or Imported 105? (Keep in mind, both Diesel and Manual 105's are available to import into U.S.)

I like the 250 1958 but over a solid axle 100 Series??? Nope.
I imported a diesel 100 series with 60k miles. I forsee a lot of highway use so I deliberately chose ifs over a diesel 80 series. Thought about the new taco but I'll wait and see how the new power train fares.
 
Last edited:
Note also the Prado (centre and rear diff locks) appears to have more off-road features than the base GXL LC300 - with only a centre locking diff. (Again this is the Australian picture).
No ATRAC ? And just center and rear diffs in the new 250 LX/GX with no ATRAC?
 
A 100 series and a 5th gen 4Runner are also very similar in size but there is a lot more than that to each truck.
Can’t be said enough, I loved my 4th 2UZ 4R but wow it’s not an LC, not close. 100 is older, smother, quieter, better view, over built, more comfortable, etc.

Does this “new” LC (Prado to mud) become successful? If it does will it kill 4R sales, or will it be the next FJ Cruiser?
 
  • Like
Reactions: jLB
do you have an idea how much it would cost including transport/import fees? I have a feeling it would be more than a new 250
It is far far less. It's less than a late model 100 series in good condition. All in about $21k for 60k mile hdj101k. I expect the prices will rise as more people find out though. As someone else said vehicle price plus $4-5k.
 
Gonna be worth even less when the EPA/DMVs decides to crack down on imported vehicles as is already happening...


The justification is clear, the engines were never tested for emissions compliance and the vehicles were never crash tested in their imported configuration. Can argue this or that but it is happening.
 
The justification is clear, the engines were never tested for emissions compliance and the vehicles were never crash tested in their imported configuration.
It’s crappy mostly because it’s a one sided standard, at least in PA. Also believe we’re one of the worst states on bridge condition.

1691522076965.jpeg


I think it’s fair to say most of us see unsafe roads (wheel eating potholes/terrible bridge transitions) and drivers over imported vehicles(we get yearly inspections….)
 
Last edited:
Gonna be worth even less when the EPA/DMVs decides to crack down on imported vehicles as is already happening...


The justification is clear, the engines were never tested for emissions compliance and the vehicles were never crash tested in their imported configuration. Can argue this or that but it is happening.
That's some nonsensical bs by the states and bureaucratic tyrants but it seems to be about safety and mini trucks. The 100 series has already been ruled federalizeable. EPA restrictions ended before the 25 year expiration requiring federalization.

So I don't see how this particular nonsense would affect me. I doubt my state will enact those laws and other states have no jurisdiction over vehicles not registered in them. Also I trust jalopnik about as much as gas station sushi.

Worst case I can sell the engine and transmission for more than I paid for it.

P.S. diesel pollutes less than coal powered EV's. For a mere ~$240k you can get close though.
 
Last edited:
Here's what happened:


Toyota pulled a Pontiac, and slapped a very important name on a very unimportant and uninspiring vehicle. The GTO would have sold great if it didn't look like a huge Cavalier and it wasn't called GTO. But it did, and it was, so it was a huge disappointment.

The 250 could be a cool economy truck (and it would only ever be an economy truck with that drivetrain), but they called it a Land Cruiser. They could have called it a Prado. They could have called it a successor to the FJC, which would have made so much sense because they're both chick- trucks. But they didn't. They're going after the Bronco and the Wrangler. When in the last 40 years has a Land Cruiser been cross-shoppable with a Wrangler? Who could have every guessed that a Land Cruiser would be cross-shopped with a 4-cylinder Ford SUV?

Toyota ****ed up, and for all the reasons some of you goons think this will tank 200 values, you're exactly wrong and the opposite will happen. People wanting a flagship at a "I don't give a s***" price aren't going to bat an eye at the 250. Maybe they'd buy one for their house cleaners to pick up supplies in. No, instead they are going to go with tried and true and with what checks their boxes. The LC occupies occupied a space that discerning buyers wanted filled. Now it won't. It'll fill a space of JK guys who are tired of their trucks breaking.

Well, I take that back. Even a JK owner isn't going to want to downgrade to a 4 cylinder from their V6s. Especially with the only option being a hybrid power train that will effectively give you an anemic 4-pot to pull the truck in 10 years, with a 300lb cell phone charger where you'd want to keep aux fuel, water, air, spare, etc.

The really, really screwed the pooch.
 
Here's what happened:


Toyota pulled a Pontiac, and slapped a very important name on a very unimportant and uninspiring vehicle. The GTO would have sold great if it didn't look like a huge Cavalier and it wasn't called GTO. But it did, and it was, so it was a huge disappointment.

The 250 could be a cool economy truck (and it would only ever be an economy truck with that drivetrain), but they called it a Land Cruiser. They could have called it a Prado. They could have called it a successor to the FJC, which would have made so much sense because they're both chick- trucks. But they didn't. They're going after the Bronco and the Wrangler. When in the last 40 years has a Land Cruiser been cross-shoppable with a Wrangler? Who could have every guessed that a Land Cruiser would be cross-shopped with a 4-cylinder Ford SUV?

Toyota f***ed up, and for all the reasons some of you goons think this will tank 200 values, you're exactly wrong and the opposite will happen. People wanting a flagship at a "I don't give a s***" price aren't going to bat an eye at the 250. Maybe they'd buy one for their house cleaners to pick up supplies in. No, instead they are going to go with tried and true and with what checks their boxes. The LC occupies occupied a space that discerning buyers wanted filled. Now it won't. It'll fill a space of JK guys who are tired of their trucks breaking.

Well, I take that back. Even a JK owner isn't going to want to downgrade to a 4 cylinder from their V6s. Especially with the only option being a hybrid power train that will effectively give you an anemic 4-pot to pull the truck in 10 years, with a 300lb cell phone charger where you'd want to keep aux fuel, water, air, spare, etc.

The really, really screwed the pooch.
Correct
 
Speaking of Prado, in many places where it's offered, it's considered the poor people's Landcruiser. People in Asia actually pay twice the price of Prado to import 4Runners from North America. (They can import brand new vehicles and don't have the embargo like US/Canada do.) The price rank goes like: LC>4Runner>Nissan Y62>Prado>Mitsubishi Pajero 😂
 
But how is it going to ride with 200k miles on stock everything?? We really won't have any idea on how "Land Cruiser" this new 250 really is until they get some mileage on them. My stock LC100 with 218k miles rides better than my buddy's 2011 4Runner with 140k miles which has been his wife's DD since they bought it new. One of the main reasons we all love LC's is because of how they are built and their service life.
 
some of you goons think this will tank 200 values, you're exactly wrong and the opposite will happen. People wanting a flagship at a "I don't give a s***" price aren't going to bat an eye at the 250. Maybe they'd buy one for their house cleaners to pick up supplies in. No, instead they are going to go with tried and true and with what checks their boxes.
Pretty sure they will just buy the new Lexus LX.
 
@MongooseGA, but the opposite could be said, couldn't it - that Toyota f***ed up by driving the Land Cruiser up - bigger, heavier, more expensive, etc. The sales numbers in the U.S. have been abysmal. For more than 10 years, Land Cruiser sales numbers have been in the 2,000-3,000 range. That's on par with Ferrari and Lamborghini. Add to that, they had the same truck with a Lexus badge - cannibalizing their own sales.

The numbers are clear - the U.S. doesn't have enough interest in $100,000 off-road SUVs. Land Rover figured this out years ago. The once venerable Range Rover long ago traded in its boots for loafers. And, their sales numbers are in the 15,000-17,000 range.

I don't know if the 250 is the solution, but I'd rather see the Land Cruiser brand repositioned... than dead.
 
The US consumer has it messed up too, they continue to buy crap that breaks down and needs to be replaced. We all know people with new trucks/SUVs every 3 years or sell at 60k miles. Gotta keep up with the neighbors.

Mr. T fluffed up the LC here, leather, nav all the bullcrap. They should’ve tried making it simple but overbuilt. Cloth, no sunroof, manual seats, no nav, no rear AC, etc. Not sure why they didn’t add more options to keep the price a little more varied.

We like the LC build without fluff, and they sell it overseas. It doesn’t sell super well in the states, but research and development when they’re selling them elsewhere can’t be that much more. They’re all built in the same plant.

Bring back the poverty editions!
 
@MongooseGA, but the opposite could be said, couldn't it - that Toyota f***ed up by driving the Land Cruiser up - bigger, heavier, more expensive, etc. The sales numbers in the U.S. have been abysmal. For more than 10 years, Land Cruiser sales numbers have been in the 2,000-3,000 range. That's on par with Ferrari and Lamborghini. Add to that, they had the same truck with a Lexus badge - cannibalizing their own sales.

The numbers are clear - the U.S. doesn't have enough interest in $100,000 off-road SUVs. Land Rover figured this out years ago. The once venerable Range Rover long ago traded in its boots for loafers. And, their sales numbers are in the 15,000-17,000 range.

I don't know if the 250 is the solution, but I'd rather see the Land Cruiser brand repositioned... than dead.
No.

I mean, it could be said, but it wouldn't be correct. Here's why:

How many people do you know who would want a 100/200 for all of the things that make them great, that would rather have a 250?

The answer is none people. None people who would want a 1/200 for their under-stressed v8s, spacious interior, incredibly robust build quality, ease of maintenance, capability on a trail, etc, would rather have a 250. It simply does not check the boxes of those buyers, myself included. I would love to have been in the market for a 60-70k vehicle in this space, but the powertrain in this model, for me, is a complete no-go. I wouldn't even mull it over in consideration.

If we're just talking about whether or not the 250 is a more viable volume seller, then that's a completely different discussion. Of course a smaller SUV costing about half as much as a bigger one will be a better seller. But, as far as I can tell, that's not the conversation. The conversation is, is the 250 a sufficient replacement for the outgoing models? I would say, vehemently, no. It's a successor to the 4Runner. Or the FJC. If the 4Runner still exists, as does a GX model, then there would be a spot for a flagship.

I'd rather see the LC skip a generation and come back worthwhile, instead of watered down and bastardized. I'm not so Toyota-fanboy-blind that I'll just trust that what they're doing is the best thing overall.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GTV
Pretty sure they will just buy the new Lexus LX.
Fair point, but the new LX is a TT V6. Not a what I'd consider ideal in that vehicle. It maybe makes more sense in the LX instead of the LC300, but it's too smart for me as a buyer regardless.
 
If they wanted a Land Cruiser in the U.S. they should have just brought in the 70 series with cloth, no sunroof and a stick shift. The vehicle was ready to go. It would have sold well at roughly this price point.
 
@MongooseGA I don't think we're disagreeing - at all. I'm just pointing out that WE are proving to be an insignificant buyer segment. What we want - the space, the V8, the lockers, the quality, etc. doesn't check the boxes for Toyota, or any manufacturer for that matter. Toyota has proved this to themselves.

We all talk about the great Land Cruisers the Aussies get. But THAT is a viable market for Toyota. Despite being 1/12th the population of the U.S., Australia buys 4x the number of Land Cruisers.

When Toyota cancelled the Land Cruiser for the U.S. market, my first thought was "Well, that makes sense." That they're bringing any Land Cruiser back, I see as pretty lucky - given how few they sold here in the past 15 years.
 
If they wanted a Land Cruiser in the U.S. they should have just brought in the 70 series with cloth, no sunroof and a stick shift. The vehicle was ready to go. It would have sold well at roughly this price point.
I could be wrong, but I've read before that trying to bring a 7x here would result in a much higher price point than the 250 will be. For a stripper model. The reason LXs sold better than LCs is because it's an easier pill to spend big bucks on a truck with luxury features than one with nearly no creature comforts.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom