Just wish they didn't love gas Stations so much.
A work mate was quizzing me about my cruiser once. He asked "how's it go on fuel"
My response, "yeah, really good mate! It fúcken loves the stuff!"
Was not what he expected to hear
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Just wish they didn't love gas Stations so much.
That’s my new line. CheersA work mate was quizzing me about my cruiser once. He asked "how's it go on fuel"
My response, "yeah, really good mate! It fúcken loves the stuff!"
Was not what he expected to hear
the surprising availability of parts (both OEM and aftermarket), overwhelming amount of documentation & intense level of OCD nerdiness around here make it a very viable vehicle imo. the cost of ownership is like death by 1000 cuts, but that's all self inflicted in most cases.
As much as I love dreaming of Oz spec vehicles, I love dreaming of the tracks I could driven them on more! Gotta plan a 4WD holiday there before I’m dead.Stick with non-IFS. If you don't like 80's get a 105 (not a 100). I think the 79's (the new ones) are solid axle all round still, but be prepared for 12 to 24 month wait and a $120k plus price tag (if buying from a Toyota dealer here in Oz).
Not many present-day 4wd/ute/pickup vehicles are going to last 30+ years like 80's 75's 60's do.
Compared to a 1st or 2nd gen 4Runner, I believe the 80 series handles better. It's wider and heavier with about the same ground clearance....Not as good handling as IFS, but the 80 series Land Cruiser, by my measure, is a very comfortable vehicle for what it is.
I just bought a '96 triple-locked, lifted, built 80 series to replace my built '97 that was "totaled" when I ran into a guy driving across a freeway at a 90 degree angle to traffic. The new one was $21,500, with 180K miles, perfect interior, roof rack, bumpers, 35s, nice stereo, snorkel, sound deadening, etc etc.Compared to a 1st or 2nd gen 4Runner, I believe the 80 series handles better. It's wider and heavier with about the same ground clearance.
An 80 seems fairly well planted on the road when cranking the wheel, more so than earlier 4x4 Toyotas.
I'm not sure my '90 4Runner gets any better MPG than the 80 either. The 3.0 is pretty bad!
Compared to a 1st or 2nd gen 4Runner, I believe the 80 series handles better. It's wider and heavier with about the same ground clearance.
An 80 seems fairly well planted on the road when cranking the wheel, more so than earlier 4x4 Toyotas.
I'm not sure my '90 4Runner gets any better MPG than the 80 either. The 3.0 is pretty bad!
Yea I think the LBJ issue on the 2nd gen Toyota IFS was a result of an engineering shortcut going from torsion bars to a-arms that ended up putting continuous downward pressure on the ball joint. Even then they're usually ok if you change them every 60k-100k miles or so, depending on how hard you wheel it. AFAIK the 2nd gen Tacoma, 120 series, and FJC/4th gen 4runner all share a revised version of that IFS that had far greater reliability. I'm pretty sure the 100 series uses a separate torsion bar set-up.Personally, I feel like for many, IFS is fine, but the 80 is still a solid rig.
Toyota had a weird sequence of events with its model lineup. First, they perfected a durable IFS with the mini-trucks. And I know that the torsion bar mini-truck IFS doesn't articulate as much as some, nor is as supple as some, but it is Toyota level durable, on par with the solid axles in my opinion, or at least close to it. The 3rd gen 4Runners were, overall, a notable step up in quality over the 1st/2nd gen 4Runners. They aren't as good on trails, being longer, but they're more comfortable, quieter, and I suspect more rust resistant. They also have the 5VZFE 3.4L V6 engine which tends to have a better reputation than the 3VZFE 3.0L V6, though I think the 3.0L is a bit over vilified and underrated. The mini-trucks / 1st/2nd gen 4Runners also came with the well regarded 22RE, but it is very anemic for a loaded down 4x4 vehicle. Fine for 2WD, though!
But with the 3rd gen 4Runner, which I think is a near perfect vehicle for many, they gave it their horribly designed lower ball joints that fail popping off. Absolutely terrible. Fine for most street drivers, but not suitable, in my opinion, for world travel. Whereas the mini-truck IFS should be more than fine.
The only vehicle that combined the mini-truck IFS with the 3.4L motor was the T100 for a couple of years. Which though underrated, is maybe a bit on the large side for trail use. It does sound like the 100 series Land Cruiser IFS might also be related to the mini-truck IFS as it uses a torsion bar, but I think it's a different system. The 100 series Land Cruiser is also larger yet, while adopting more questionable electronics.
Until driving the 80 series I thought that maybe a solid front axle is not great for daily driving. I now disagree, provided it's done as nicely as it is on a stock 80 series. Other than washboard, it really is supple and good on the road. Not as good handling as IFS, but the 80 series Land Cruiser, by my measure, is a very comfortable vehicle for what it is.
....It was great when I was 20 and my girlfriend bounced all over the west….I think my body would find it less comfy now.
This is all you need to know OP. If you're not willing to do the work / maintenance / repairs yourself, it's honestly not really worth it. But if you've got deep pockets, it is 100% worth it regardless. Find yourself a rust free triple locked 80 series under 10k, then do all the work yourself and you've got yourself a killer capable rig that you can be truly proud of.You'll get a bunch of opinions with a question like that (been discussed in the past, a lot), but here's some quick observations:
The cost of ownership is too much if you have to pay someone to work on it versus what some people might think is a pain in the arse if you do all the work yourself.
Most people who pick up an 80 series, all of which are now 25+ years old, spend at least a few thousand to bring them back into reliable working order.
Some of us with LC OCD spend more to bring them (or some systems/components) back to factory new condition.
And then add the poor gas mileage.
Some people who own both a FZJ80 for example and a 100 series say the 100 series (or LX470) is better for long trips with the family, more comfortable, and more power with less strain.
As mentioned above, once you've owned an 80 series you might not want to drive anything else.
They are getting older (obviously) so more components begin to fail and parts are being discontinued by Toyota,. At some point that will become an issue.
So it's kinda like if you ask the question then 80 ownership may not be for you.