I need guidance from those with the knowledge of 80 vs 100 (1 Viewer)

[ReactionDT]

First off I joined the forums a few days ago and there is an awesome amount of info here! I'm from north Alabama and I'm a Detective for the state. I'm provided a work vehicle that I have to drive 24/7 due to being on call so I put roughly 1-2k miles on my personal vehicle a year. I recently decided to jump into overlanding due to having a couple friends that go to Moab every fall and I'm wanting to tag along if not this year, the next. I'm having a very difficult time deciding on the 80 vs 100 with the use that I'm going to have with the vehicle. Something like Moab would account for 5% of the total use of the vehicle however I don't want to underbuy/underbuild and regret it.

First off with the 80. I feel like I NEED to buy either a LC or LX450 with the lockers. Plain and simple if for nothing more the resale/sought after aspect. Problem with this is that I literally can't find one remotely close to me. If there is one it's built completely and $40k. I'm looking to spend 10-15k on one that is not modded or has very little done to it. I've mainly been looking for 96-97 models and the closet to me that I can find is one in OH at a Porsche dealer that doesn't have lockers -_- however its in pretty good shape, one owner outside of the dealer and has service records with 135k miles. See here (97 LX450). I wouldn't be keeping the rack or wheels and tires from it as I want to go with 35s and a Gamiviti rack. Problem here is that it spent every bit of its life in Brooklyn NY and there are zero undercarriage photos which is a big ole sign for me. Dealer is contacting me Tuesday with more info on it and I'm going to have pictures sent of the undercarriage.

Here's where I need help on which would be better suited for me. Yes it has a straight axle, yes they come with lockers. Will I ever need the flex of the straight axle. Probably never, maybe once. As far as reliability I like the fact that the 80s seem to be a lot more mechanical than the 100s are. 80s also take dual battery setups easier? The backup camera of the 100s on later models is nice to have but that's something I can easily add to anything. I don't really know all the creature comforts of the 80 vs 100.

So here are my drawbacks on the 100....AHC. I actually prefer the LX470 over the LC looks wise but every LX470 I've seen and assuming all of them come standard with AHC. Since I want to run 35s this is a no go for me and I have no clue how much it costs to take a AHC vehicle to a standard spring and shock ride vs just lifting a LC without AHC. The main thing that I see as a plus to the 100 vs 80 is the 100 having more power with the V8. Specifically looking at the 2006-2007 models.

So in summary I want to build either/or with 16s, or 17s, 35s, 2.5 inch lift, winch, F and R bumper, sliders, Rack, awning, and probably adding a tent later on that I can take off the majority of the time. All of this will probably be added over the course of six months starting with the more functional items. In north Alabama there aren't areas that I would go to camp where I'm going to have to crawl rocks or cross deep water or heavy mud. I'm not going to have the vehicle in full flex is any of these spots. But at the same time I don't want to regret my decision if we go outside of our area to places that are going to throw an occasional curve ball.

Its funny to me to even be typing this but kinda like an analogy of I'm wanting to buy a diesel truck to pull a lawn mower trailer just in case I ever pull a car hauler to California.

So give me the opinions. I keep bouncing back and forth.

 

[tominboise]

Welcome and I am sure you will get a lot of opinions. A couple of thoughts - its not a big deal to add ARB or Elockers to an 80 series that doesn't have factory lockers. I wouldn't necessarily let the lack of lockers steer me away from an otherwise good rig. The newest of the 80 series is 23 years old, so they all have or will have a certain number of parts failures. In this respect, the lowest mileage, least rusty unit would be on my radar. I've not owned a 100 series - i went from an 80 series to a 200 series. 80 series are slow on the highway, compared to a lot of rigs. If you are driving across the country to Moab, this might be a factor to you. The 100 series has a V8, so more power.

I know they make replacement suspension for the AHC equipped 100 series, so if you are lifting it anyway, might not be a big deal.

All of these are expensive to own unless you do your own wrenching.

 

[ReactionDT]

Welcome and I am sure you will get a lot of opinions. A couple of thoughts - its not a big deal to add ARB or Elockers to an 80 series that doesn't have factory lockers. I wouldn't necessarily let the lack of lockers steer me away from an otherwise good rig. The newest of the 80 series is 23 years old, so they all have or will have a certain number of parts failures. In this respect, the lowest mileage, least rusty unit would be on my radar. I've not owned a 100 series - i went from an 80 series to a 200 series. 80 series are slow on the highway, compared to a lot of rigs. If you are driving across the country to Moab, this might be a factor to you. The 100 series has a V8, so more power.

I know they make replacement suspension for the AHC equipped 100 series, so if you are lifting it anyway, might not be a big deal.

All of these are expensive to own unless you do your own wrenching.

Thank you! I've already been looking at the ARB air lockers and compressors haha. Sometimes they trailer to Moab and sometimes they drive. They mostly have Toyota Surfs with turbo diesels from the early 90s. My truck in the avatar is a 92 HiLux with the NA Diesel. So we all have unusual things but I say this because I'm not sure if their utes go over 80 . So if its a drive its going to be a long one. I'm not quite at the foot of the Appalachians so grades here aren't too steep. As far as the 80s. The one I linked is the cleanest and lowest mileage I've found but the price may be on the high side of things. I'm not familiar enough with the going rate of the LX450 with those miles.

 

[Squeegee]

After having an 80 for almost a year and a friend bought a 100 series, I’d say that you can’t go wrong either way. I honestly got the 80 over the 100 because it was right across town and for a good price.

They both have lots of pros and cons. The 80s great because it’s pretty easy to get your head around how it’s all put together. All the issues are sorted out and wits end has a kit for pretty much everything. The axles will hold up fine to 35s once you service them, the transmission bulletproof, and the engines last forever IF the person before you took care of it. And honestly the interiors really nice, I like the layout and the seats are comfortable. The downside is that compared to a modern car, they’re slow. I don’t mind it, but my last jeep was a 2.5L that would top out at 65. In my experience the interior of the 100s waaaaayyy more comfortable and modern. Not super modern but it’s not a car that was designed in 1989. AND THE SEATS HAVE ARM RESTS. The v8 in the 100 makes a lot more sense then the i6 in the 80 and you’ll be able to do 80 on highway without it shifting all over the place. The issue with the 100 is that the front diff doesn’t like abuse. The carrier in it likes to flex around and Slee says that people need to just swap arbs in the front if they intend to wheel it. With that being said though, I know a guy who’s been wheeling a 99 (weaker diff) on 35s for the last 100k miles and he’s had no issues. The rear axle on 100s also is a semi float so it’s a little weaker then what comes in the 80. Oh and the braking system for the 100s is reeaaalllyyy expensive to fix.

It’s a tough choice between the two. Honestly I’d go after what’s close/ in better shape. I’m apart of the local land cruiser club and everybody loves what they have. It’s hard to go wrong.

ps everybody correct me if I was wrong on something, it’s been a while since I looked into 100s.

 

[Squeegee]

Oh and there isn’t a ton of hard wheeling here in Montana. If my 80 didn’t come with 35s on it, I would have probably gone with 33s. The trails that used to be super fun and hard.... just aren’t super fun and hard anymore. My Jeep with no lift and 31s made everything exciting. The 80 just monster trucks over everything and 35s really aren’t a big tire anymore. So unless there’s fun trails around, I recommend sizing down the tire Just my opinion

 

[ReactionDT]

Oh and there isn’t a ton of hard wheeling here in Montana. If my 80 didn’t come with 35s on it, I would have probably gone with 33s. The trails that used to be super fun and hard.... just aren’t super fun and hard anymore. My Jeep with no lift and 31s made everything exciting. The 80 just monster trucks over everything and 35s really aren’t a big tire anymore. So unless there’s fun trails around, I recommend sizing down the tire Just my opinion

Greatly appreciate all the info and 33s may be the route I go then. I didn't realize how much easier it is to find 17 inch wheels vs 16 inch now. Is the braking system a ton to replace on the 100 due to it being used as part of the power transfer or traction control? As far as highway driving the nearest interstate is an hour from me so I won't be doing much of it. I've got other vehicles if need be for that. Arm rests are definitely always a plus. As far as the 80 my dad has had a 1985 Toyota Pickup since new and I've rebuilt the knuckles on it a couple times so I'm familiar with that part of wrenching and mostly I can cover doing things myself outside of requiring some special tools which I know come into play with differentials and what have you. I honestly need to find the closest of both and just go drive them whether interested in that exact one or not. Then I can wrap my mind around adding 1500 pounds to it and driving it. I had even looked at the GX460 and 470 but once I saw their rear door should be used as a NACOLG Handicap ramp entry I went against it.

ALSO are there any certain year models to avoid? I can't go for the 4.0L in the early FJ80s, and any problematic 100 years. I know that 06-07 had a higher HP spec motor

 

[Feistl]

Do you guys get the 105 series over there?

 

[Squeegee]

Greatly appreciate all the info and 33s may be the route I go then. I didn't realize how much easier it is to find 17 inch wheels vs 16 inch now. Is the braking system a ton to replace on the 100 due to it being used as part of the power transfer or traction control? As far as highway driving the nearest interstate is an hour from me so I won't be doing much of it. I've got other vehicles if need be for that. Arm rests are definitely always a plus. As far as the 80 my dad has had a 1985 Toyota Pickup since new and I've rebuilt the knuckles on it a couple times so I'm familiar with that part of wrenching and mostly I can cover doing things myself outside of requiring some special tools which I know come into play with differentials and what have you. I honestly need to find the closest of both and just go drive them whether interested in that exact one or not. Then I can wrap my mind around adding 1500 pounds to it and driving it. I had even looked at the GX460 and 470 but once I saw their rear door should be used as a NACOLG Handicap ramp entry I went against it.

The break failure stuff is all over mud, it kinda turned me away from them a little. I’m a college kid and I can’t afford big money parts. But if I found the right 100 I still would’ve gotten it. And being able to work on your own stuff is kinda needed when you have an 80. They need lots of grease and adjusting. In my experience, it isn’t a car that you can just slap parts on and then drive across the country. They’re like plants that need tended to. It seems like 100 don’t need that quite as much.
And if you’re looking at getting lockers I would look into Aussie lockers, they’re 300 bucks and you don’t need to set pinion depth and backlash. Seems perfect to me! Oh! And yeah it’s hard finding a good tire that fits a 16.. that isn’t super expensive Everybody comes with 17s now, kinda wild.

 

[ReactionDT]

Do you guys get the 105 series over there?

We don't get the 105 in the US. At least not that I'm aware of. It was the Inline 6 and Diesel 100 right?

 

[White Stripe]

I would point you to a 100 series. Sounds like a 80 is a tad too rugged and slow for your purpose.

 

[jpoole]

I agree that you probably can't go wrong with either and that you should try to drive both as they have a pretty different feel and you may have a clear preference once you check them out first hand.

You will be impressed with the comfort and feel of the LX 470 if you test drive one and the 80 will handle more like a truck in comparison. I think it's relevant that the 80 is a little less complicated and easier to work on than the 100 which should make it easier keep on the road long term. The 80 shares a lot of tech with the older Landcruisers like a straight 6 and solid axles and is more capable off road. The 100 is more powerful, quieter, more efficient, handles better and is more comfortable in my opinion. I've wanted an 80 since they were introduced in the US so that's what tipped the scales towards an 80 for me but I may add an LX 470 to the fleet one of these days. I'll add that I personally have no issue with the power of my 80 and have yet to have any trouble keeping the speed limit, even with the AC on. I've not added weight to the truck though and am on close to stock height tires and close to stock ride height.

I'm not sure how much you've explored our area but there is a lot of off-roading to be done including rocker bashing, locker requed trails that I don't plan to take my own rig on given the inevitable damage. Dig around a bit and you can find a number of OHV areas in our region that you may want to explore in your cruiser some time.

This just popped up on Facebook and seems like a really good option for you if you want to check out an 80:

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www.facebook.com

 

[ReactionDT]

I agree that you probably can't go wrong with either and that you should try to drive both as they have a pretty different feel and you may have a clear preference once you check them out first hand.

You will be impressed with the comfort and feel of the LX 470 if you test drive one and the 80 will handle more like a truck in comparison. I think it's relevant that the 80 is a little less complicated and easier to work on than the 100 which should make it easier keep on the road long term. The 80 shares a lot of tech with the older Landcruisers like a straight 6 and solid axles and is more capable off road. The 100 is more powerful, quieter, more efficient, handles better and is more comfortable in my opinion. I've wanted an 80 since they were introduced in the US so that's what tipped the scales towards an 80 for me but I may add an LX 470 to the fleet one of these days. I'll add that I personally have no issue with the power of my 80 and have yet to have any trouble keeping the speed limit, even with the AC on. I've not added weight to the truck though and am on close to stock height tires and close to stock ride height.

I'm not sure how much you've explored our area but there is a lot of off-roading to be done including rocker bashing, locker requed trails that I don't plan to take my own rig on given the inevitable damage. Dig around a bit and you can find a number of OHV areas in our region that you may want to explore in your cruiser some time.

This just popped up on Facebook and seems like a really good option for you if you want to check out an 80:

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

Thank you for the link! Yea I'm not really worried about the highway driving at all or the speed of the 80. I mentioned the 100 having a V8 and more power due to adding weight to the vehicle. I've seen a lot of common complaints that once it's fulled rigged out and loaded with camping gear/tools and whatever else that owners of the 80 wish it had a little more. I know you can SC one but the whole purpose of getting an 80 would be the reliability of it and I think a SC at the miles most of these have is out of the question for me. Let alone the price for the amount of use. A 6600 pound vehicle loaded is a decent bit to move. The 80 just seems so much easier to mod when it comes to tires and suspension. The climate control and all that of the 100s is nice and everything but stuff like that scares me in older vehicles no matter the brand. Things like the built in nav. I'd rather just have a double din and analog controls. I'm all for wrenching on some mechanical. Not rewiring electronics.

 

[ReactionDT]

That 96 LX actually looks pretty solid for what I'm looking for. Already has aux tank, trip locked and body seems decent. I'll have to call about it in the morning. Thanks again

 

[jpoole]

Good luck on that lx 450 and drop me a PM if you make it up and anything while in Chattanooga. You probably know this but unless there are hidden problems with that 80 it should sell very quickly at that price. I'd call early and be ready to show up with cash quickly if you think it's a good fit for you.

Also, the '97 collectors and 40th anniversary 80s and the lx450s all have a version of "auto" climate control. I really like and constantly use the "auto" mode in my 97 and just touch the temp slider most of the time.

 

[ReactionDT]

Will do! Maybe it will check out.

 

[Railwelder93]

I think you will find in your investigations that IFS is, and always will be, for girls. Elementary, my dear Watson.

Jk, a 100 would probably be the move.

 

[mudgudgeon]

They mostly have Toyota Surfs

If you're wheeling with a group of surf's, either an 80 or 100 in fairly mild trim will put you at the top of that pack unless the surfs are extensively built up.

If wheeling is only going to be about 5% of your use, 100 series is a good option. Newer, more modern, more comfortable, quieter, more power, better on road manners, more spacious inside the cabin. Larger externally.

Take both for a drive and see which appeals the most

 

[tominboise]

As mentioned above, the LX450 linked looks like your huckleberry. The clue are the pics of all the OEM Toyota parts and the enthusiast mod like the extra fuel tank using OEM parts. Likely to be well sorted and repairs probably done correctly.

It will likely sell quickly, so don't take too much time thinking about it.

 

[ZackR]

You fit the perfect demographic for a up and coming 80 series owner, a stable income and have a second vehicle to use while working on the 80. All kidding aside its a great platform that has a strong following for a reason.

 

[ColoradoCarlisle]

Look at any 80 with without lockers
Find the best maintained mall cruiser you can find and Spend $1500 for a rear ARB locker if you need it - You would be surprised where a 80 can go without lockers

I have had both 100s and 80s
Most of my problems have been with 100 CV joints - You need to carry a spare and plan on having new OEM only ones installed as soon as you can

Factory lockers in my experience work sometimes so don't just get excited because it has a button - You need to engage them for sure

A 100 can run 285s pretty comfortably with no issue any bigger and its slow
100 is very pricey to lift over about 2.5 "

a 80 is cake to lift 4" and run 315s although you may need to re-gear

They are both comfortable to drive - the 100 being a bit more on road and the 80 a bit more off road