Hi. 130K Mile+ reliability question

[Absentminded]

I have spent hours perusing this site, reading the FAQ's, and some of the guides over at slee. The amount of content alone is encouraging. I have a really bad habit of buying cars that there is little support for and making my own parts etc. After a few years of cruising in a honda odyssey and cringing if even a paved road looks bad, I want to get back into a truck. I'm pretty set on getting a 2000-2003 UZJ100 (budgetary reasons). Most of them I have looked at have never been offroad that I can tell. I don't blame them...I wouldn't wheel a 70k vehicle either. The chassis looks solid and it will fit the fam for moderate trips to Moab etc.
Going through the used car listings I have noticed a pretty common thread. They all have a hair over 130k miles on them and very few over 160k. So I am a little bit worried. Aside from coil packs, cracking exhaust manifolds, and normal wear and tear does the 2uz-fe engine just take a dump between 130k and 160k?
Maintenance wise, is the 100 expensive at higher mileages? Anyone here regret buying a higher mileage 100?

I'm asking first, because I once bought a 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee and ended up with a loan and worthless car. I got a 98 R50 pathfinder after that it lasted me until about 170k before the transmission died, but even in the throes of dying it never left me stranded. The 100 seems like the perfect car to fill the void.

 

[El Cid]

There are questions like this on the board all the time. People constantly ask, "Is it really that reliable..?"


ANd the answer is, it depends on the vehicle, but let's just say that the Toyota brand is in a class all it's own. Top Gear even did a special where they drop a Toyota HiLux from a building that's being demolished. My advice is to budget 10-20% just in case over your purchase price.

Toyota parts are relatively cheap. If it is broken, it shouldn't be expensive to keep.

I meet people driving cruisers with 380k. I'm not worried about mine, let's just say that..

 

[ENGINE er]

This has been beaten to death. Take care of it, and it will take care of you...forever.

 

[Absentminded]

I will admit that the forums are a pretty small sample size, but people usually know what to look out for on them. Searching the site I see more of the "which one should I get" discussion. I found one I really like with 150k on it. Is there any advantage to the 5spd auto in the 03 or can I just save the money for mods and get the 2000?

 

[Grundletaint]

It seems to me that people dump them in that mileage range more as a function of value than of performance. If you're moving on for another project car you wanna maximize your sale and ANY vehicle over 130K is gonna take a big hit vs a lower mileage one no matter how sturdy it is. A few thousand miles can mean a few thousand dollars at that point.

My 2005 is about to hit 120K and I just put a fresh set of shoes on her and she sails smooth as silk. Kept up with maintenance throughout its life and no issues to report so far.

 

[VidereStudios]

I will admit that the forums are a pretty small sample size, but people usually know what to look out for on them. Searching the site I see more of the "which one should I get" discussion. I found one I really like with 150k on it. Is there any advantage to the 5spd auto in the 03 or can I just save the money for mods and get the 2000?

I think the sweet spot right now is with the MY 2000 100 series, at least on the LX470 side. It seems the second you jump to a 2001, you are spending at least $2000 more, across the board mileage wise. Much less of a jump between 2001 and 2002. Another pretty significant jump to 2003.

I am looking for a second LX470 and just declined to put an offer in on a 2000 here in Eugene for 11k. It was much more worn than I thought it should have been for 152,000 miles. I had an offer on a 2006 for 23.5k last month on a rig in Sacramento, but the guy got a higher offer after agreeing to sell it to me. I still think the best 100's to look at are the 01-02 or the 06-07.

What's the price differential between the two you are looking at? I am not a fan of the mandatory factory nav in the 2003...plus people are occasionally still asking ridiculous prices for them. My vote would be on the 2000, depending on how the previous owners took care of it.

 

[VidereStudios]

It seems to me that people dump them in that mileage range more as a function of value than of performance. If you're moving on for another project car you wanna maximize your sale and ANY vehicle over 130K is gonna take a big hit vs a lower mileage one no matter how sturdy it is. A few thousand miles can mean a few thousand dollars at that point.

I agree...and it doesn't matter on year. Across the board, I have seen 80%, or even more, of the 100's (primarily LX470's) for sale on Autotrader or Craigslist having between 100k to 180k miles. Very few below 100,000 miles, and a bit more over 200,000. People seem to be getting rid of them around 120-150k...anything over 170k seems to be plummeting in value...even 2006 and 07's.

Obviously, this doesn't reflect on the quality of the 100 series. It is just people's mindset...once over 100k, it is time to start looking for a new car. Even if the one you have will take you to 400k.

 

[Absentminded]

After digging through the forum, it looks like the a750 5spd is the one to get. I don't mind nav junk as long as I can ignore it. I found a couple 03's in the 12-14k range that I am going to check out.

 

[APKhaos]

I will admit that the forums are a pretty small sample size, but people usually know what to look out for on them. Searching the site I see more of the "which one should I get" discussion. I found one I really like with 150k on it. Is there any advantage to the 5spd auto in the 03 or can I just save the money for mods and get the 2000?

Bought my 1999 new. Ran it for over 200K miles before I came to the Mud forum. Nothing more than routine maintenance and a rusted rear muffler in that time. These are remarkable trucks.

 

[ENGINE er]

While the forum may be a small sample size it is a pretty good indicator of issues.

Any car I have ever owned I have used forum information to figure out the common issues to look out for and it allows for a much larger sample size than...1. So while 1% of 100 series owners are on the forum or use the forum, that is still a couple thousand trucks.

 

[APKhaos]

while the forum may be a small sample size it is a pretty good indicator of issues.

Any car i have ever owned i have used forum information to figure out the common issues to look out for and it allows for a much large sample size than...1. So while 1% of 100 series owners are on the forum or use the forum, that is still a couple thousand trucks.

Precisely. I've been on more car forums than I care to count for that very reason, but didn't really need to find a LC forum until mine had done a ton of miles. Every other vehicle has been a project, and some from very early in their life.

 

[MtnAddict]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/781809-100-series-over-400-000-miles.html