Is it REALLY reliable?

[spammer]

I have read and read and read that the 100 is one of the most reliable vehicles ever made. I'd like to know if it's true. I've read around here about misc problems with AHC, not starting for certain reasons. I haven't stumbled on anything major except some early transmission problems and control arms, both of which look to be corrected by later cruisers.

1. Has your 100 ever left you stranded? What happened?

2. Has your 100 required any maintenance outside of regular scheduled maintenance? If so, what did it need, and how many miles were on your 100 when it needed the repair?

 

[CreeperSleeper]

2000 LX470 w/ 140k miles: Nothing beyond maintenance other than a sliced sidewall in a Duratrac on the trail.

 

[revoked]

Replaced the alternator after 8 years and 150k miles.

 

[hkeller]

With the exception of maintenance and problems we caused, I think we have $63 in repairs after 210,000 miles.

 

[hankinid]

I've had no surprise maintenance issues...only scheduled stuff. Bought her with 89K, now have ~160K. Cost of timing belt / water pump was a bit of a shock but not a major issue...I was lucky to have an experienced Toyota tech who walked me through the job in my garage over a 3 day weekend, interrupted by shooting a few pheasants in the back yard. He was paid a bit of cash but mainly beverages and pheasant fajitas.

Relative to the 3 Suburbans I had prior to the LX, I don't think my reliability could get better. Only time I was let down was with a dead battery, but that was easily fixed with a visit to the parts store.

For every fried or weird AHC problem you read about here, there are bunches still running with no issues. I would agree that surprise crap happens, but following the book with maintenance is a major help in minimizing issues.

Steve

 

[spammer]

With the exception of maintenance and problems we caused, I think we have $63 in repairs after 210,000 miles.

I'm in a state of shock and disbelief. I have a long history of owning Land Rovers, but let's not get off topic.

 

[spammer]

I should mention that the first one I looked at with <100k had a broken steering wheel adjuster. Wouldn't go up or down, just in and out. That's not a big deal, but it's more that $63 over 210k miles.

 

[SmoothLC]

1. Has your 100 ever left you stranded? What happened?

2. Has your 100 required any maintenance outside of regular scheduled maintenance? If so, what did it need, and how many miles were on your 100 when it needed the repair?

1. Yes. After spending part of last week in southern Utah, I returned home and after getting gas, the brakes went out. Silver lining? It didn't happen when we were in the middle of nowhere the day prior.

2. Yes. Front PS LCA @ 65k; antenna mast @ 75k; starter contacts @ 85k; new rotors (optional) @ 100k.

 

[TheForger]

Check out this thread https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/post-your-high-mileage-100-series.270848/ there are multiple people who have over 300k that have only replaced heater tee's and tires.

 

[TXLX100]

Stranded failures will likely be the starter, ignition (on older models), TPS (older models), thermostat which can cause a radiator failure, and heater T's breaking, and some people have had ABS fail.

Other than that, I consider everything else maintenance or non-critical repair... I had a door cable break, lumbar motor fail, CV boots (maintenance really), power steering rack (leaking), AHC globes will need replacement before 200k. I have a 98 LX with 140k. Ill hop in mine and go anywhere I want, I have an extra thermostat and all the stuff that can strand be has been addressed (except for ABS hasn't broken).

 

[stonepa]

331k miles and 16 years on my 98. Normal maintenance and replaced exhaust, brakes, 4 batteries, tires, 3 headlamp bulbs and 2 starters. Drove it all over north, central, and South America. Never left me stranded or even failed to start.

When I sold it the AC, power antenna , and every single other accessory worked like new. The 'D' light did not .

 

[whays]

Bought my 1999 LC from a Tampa Honda dealer in 2008 with 99k on it.

Just traded it on a 2002 LX with 117k that's in better shape today than the Cruiser was 8 years ago.
Over the last 8 years I had the following issues:
1. Cup holder lid was broken. (Fixed with some screws)
2. Antenna mast was replaced.
3. Steering rack started leaking after a trail ride. Cleaned out the leaking seal and added some fluid. Never leaked again.
4. Valve covers leaking. Tightened loose screws and was good to go.
5. Trailer light converter replaced with a tractor supply special
6. Power window switch failed. Epoxy fixed that.
7. Some of the HVAC buttons became rather unresponsive. HVAC worked fine though.
8. Replaced one ignition coil.
9. Replaced on O2 sensor.
10. Replaced a nipple on the intake resonator.
11. 3 batteries
12. D light was out of course.

That's all I can recall after 8 years, 147,000 miles. (246k on the odometer)

Maintenance:

2 sets of brakes front and rear
T-belt water pump, pulleys etc
2 sets of BFG all terrains
Probably 20 oil changes with Mobile 1

The reason I traded it was it was just getting worn out. Rust, leather, etc. Wives and kids will kill a car. The damn thing ran great and the A/C was ice cold.

 

[duggy]

If you are looking to get in and drive you might as well buy a brand new car. These trucks are approaching 17 years old and if routine maintenance has not been performed you will experience issues. With that said, the 80s and 100s are a strong platform that has been over-engineered. There are routine maintenance items that need to be performed, but other than that, they are rock solid.

 

[Slickspawn]

1. No.
2. No.

I wouldn't hesitate to drive my cruiser anywhere anytime. Yesterday I ran the Swansea-Cerro Gordo loop. Just a day trip. 550 miles round trip and it ran the entire day.

 

[TexasCrane]

I had the alternator fail in mine while coming back from Overland Expo east. I could tell it was starting to go, but as we got into Nashville, it had had enough. I managed to make it into the driveway of a fire station and the firemen were great. They let came out to make sure we were ok, made sure my pregnant wife had something to eat/drink and let us hang out til the tow truck showed up. We had it towed over Beaman Toyota (I was very impressed with them by the way) and got a room at the Comfort Inn next door. They had me first in line when their techs showed up at 7 (svc dept opened at 6) and we were out the door with a new alternator and drive belt by 11.

It actually took a little longer for them to repair because the alternator was working just fine after it had sat in their parking lot for 8 hours. The tech came out to discuss things with me and we decided based on my described symptoms that it was indeed the alternator and we should go ahead and replace it. Turned out to be a good move and we haven't had any issues with it since.

So, while I don't like the idea of the alternator failing out in the field, if I had been out in the boonies, the truck would have started the next morning and presumably I would have been able to drive the vehicle out to civilization.

All of the other issues I've had weren't things that would leave me stranded. I did have an issue with the air induction system, but that's emissions and the car will still run (although it might require disconnecting the battery to clear the codes if you were out in the field). I bypassed the system for $150 and it's a non-issue now. Only other issues I've had are the cupholder lid up front not wanting to open (I just leave it open now - at some point I'll replace it), and the rear wiper not running (not sure if it's the wiper motor or the relay, but I don't ever use it anyways so it's been pretty low priority).

 

[sum4all]

When your mechanic wants to buy it after you're done with it (no matter the mileage), I think that's saying something. I've got 225k+ on a 99 LC and it hasn't left me stranded. I was even on a skiing trip and parts of the tranny went out (planetarium) and I was still able to get home after driving 12 hours (just had a grinding noise on 1st gear, but cruised on the highway). That was about at 180k. Other than that, routine maintenance and not waiting for things to go helps keep this beast alive. I wouldn't hesitate to take my ride anywhere.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Keep in mind if you're searching, people post here because they have a problem. So it can make things like ignition bars and the like seem like a common problem when realistically there are tens of thousands of other vehicles out there with no issues.

 

[Pork Soda]

TPS Sensor (165,000 miles) and Ignition coil packs (110K and 135K ). I was able to get home in Limp mode with both, and they were easy enough to fix in the driveway (although the tps was $$$)

 

[krice118]

bought my 98 in January with 69000 miles. did TBelt and all fluids and rest of 90k service ~ 1500 work of maintenance then turned around and did a 400 mile road trip. then in the summer did a 1600 miles roundtrip STL to Hilton Head with no issues. My mom has a 2013 RAV4 and dad has 2010 infiniti and the 98 cruiser was the car of choice for the road trip.

 

[whitenoise]

i just bought my 03 LX470 and the only thing useful that I've got to add to the discussion is - if you're considering buying one, take your time! These vehicles are extremely rare and most people who buy them do so for their reputation to run forever. To many people, that might even mean neglecting scheduled maintenance. So it is hard to find a really good one that's been well taken care of.

I would suggest, in addition to the standard carfax or autocheck, also register yourself at the Toyota Owners website (Lexus Drivers if its an LX), and enter the VIN number of the car you're considering. You will get a solid understanding of every replaced part and every service that's been performed on the vehicle in excruciating detail. This is what I did, and it allowed me to separate the wheat from the chaff.