How good/bad would an 80 be for my Daily Driver? (1 Viewer)

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

As some say. Smiles per gallon. In my 80 I get anywhere from 10-14 mpg depending on where and now I drive. They are big and tough to park sometimes. But worth every penny in fuel
 
If you just paid off your car, keep it and drive that!!

This. Period. Otherwise, get the newest vehicle you can afford... the 4Runner appears to be just that. Lets be realistic, working in an apartment parking lot sucks and, short of dire needs, is unrealistic. Working on an 80 with your grease-covered (gloved?) hands may sound romantic but it isn't; a newer 4Runner is unlikely to need that sort of attention. Last of all, I'd like to point out, the age old adage of "if you have to ask..." you probably don't want to daily the 80 series Land Cruiser.

Full disclosure: Although my biceps don't fill up my polo shirt sleeves 😆 I've managed to daily my 80 series for over 5 years now; with a long, 3.5 mile, daily commute. Fuel mileage sucks but trucks' easy to work on if you have the space, tools and a basic understanding of working on cars. It's also nice that often times you don't need to use a floor jack in order to do some work underneath the car.
 
I DD my 80 about 35-40 miles per day. I also travel some days for work so I'll get 350 miles in a day.

I absolutely LOVE my 80. My wife and kids don;t like riding in it because the seats are too close / too hard / too uncomfortable for them. Mine's fine 'cause I'm fat and have my own cushion.
I love driving the 80 and I get 30 MPG and I have 500 HP with 1300 lb-ft of torque. At least in my dream mind......

I love it because it's reliable and people ask me about it and tell me it's cool (they really do!)

Think about what you REALLY need at this stage of your life. You just paid off a car. These trucks are NOT cheap to own and drive. I go through at LEAST one tank a week, I have oil changes and regular maintenance. I did not pay even REMOTELY close to $15K for my truck. I don't even have that much IN my truck, total.

If you buy it for that amount, it better have a perfect maintenance record, freshly done, and THEN you do all future work yourself.

Drive the paid-off car for three years and make a payment to the bank every month to save up. THEN consider what to do. Don't burn money you don't have.
 
I have driven mine every day since I bought it.

If you want to keep it real in a sedan, get the sedan version of an 80: Lexus LS430. Pretty damn awesome car too.
 
I daily drive mine and it’s been fine for 5 years and I drive 80 mph everywhere I go. I don’t care about mpg. If you’re a baby and need to sit in something “nicer” then get a 4Runner or a GX. I wouldn’t spend 15k on a stock 80 regardless of how many miles are on it. At the end of the day, it’s only money... you’ll make more of it tomorrow so who cares.
 
It seems that the land cruiser is not only a vehicle but a lifestyle choice.

Especially true for older models.
I drive a 93 fzj80 daily. It's definitely a lifestyle choice.
I could easily package a new pickup in my salary, spend less on fuel, have more creature comforts, and quieter, cleaner, shinier etc.
But I enjoy my 80, enjoy knowing I can throw some gear in the back and take off camping, and if I decide to head down a random forestry trail, I don't have to worry about pin stripes.
 
I wanted to get back to everyone and say thanks for the input; and that I am headed to Florida in the morning to get my new 12' 460! Found a great deal finally last Friday and decided I had to find something and go with it so I did. Base with 40k for just over 26k, can't wait to get my hands on it! I never made it to drive the 80 but I drive too much daily for it to be feasible I think.

As far as the new rig, maintenance items first before I start spending otherwise. I don't think the 40k service is much more than an oil change and basic checks. After that, I think some WeatherTech or Husky floor liners, a Dobinsons/OME lift 2-2.5" and sliders are the next items. Still getting that in order, don't want to rush and make a bad decision.
 
Expensive crappy DD. Get a cheap 3rd gen runner.

Best thing I ever did was buy a s***box daily, keeps miles off my nice vehicles. Don’t care if it gets beat up. Its great.
 
Last edited:
Congrats on the decision. Sounds like a nice setup. Photos of this grocery getter! 😎
 
I wanted to get back to everyone and say thanks for the input; and that I am headed to Florida in the morning to get my new 12' 460! Found a great deal finally last Friday and decided I had to find something and go with it so I did. Base with 40k for just over 26k, can't wait to get my hands on it! I never made it to drive the 80 but I drive too much daily for it to be feasible I think.

As far as the new rig, maintenance items first before I start spending otherwise. I don't think the 40k service is much more than an oil change and basic checks. After that, I think some WeatherTech or Husky floor liners, a Dobinsons/OME lift 2-2.5" and sliders are the next items. Still getting that in order, don't want to rush and make a bad decision.
Good deal! You will love it. All I’ve done to mine is to add 265/65 ATs and I’m thinking about a better roof rack.
 
Been a daily driver of mine for the last 16 years. Do I wish it was more comfortable/more power/faster, yeah sure. Sometimes think about an "upgrade" absolutely, but at the end of the day, she's paid for and I'll run this damn thing till the wheels fall off.
 
I daily drive my 80, about 30 minutes each way every day. Get terrible gas mileage, but it drives super nice and I feel safe and comfortable. So I think it’s a great idea!
 
I either dd my 80 or my 100... depends which has more gas that day :)

Gas is expensive but otherwise I don't really see a problem with either of them. Is it practical? Not really, but it makes me happy and they are both paid for... I may get better mileage with something smaller, but it'd likely cost more to buy since I wouldn't enjoy wrenching on it... so the cost is a wash.
 
My 97’ has been my daily driver since 97’. Never cursed the gas mileage. I’ll never get anywhere in a hurry, but I assure you I WILL get there (anywhere). Walking up to my 80 pretty much every time even after 22 years, I smile .
 
I've got a BMW M5 and the 80 for DD duties. Love my M5 but the 80 gets driven way more.

Same here - I love driving my M Roadster but even on nice days I'll often grab the keys to the 80 just because there's something about it.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom