It is funny I'm reading these replies and I have to laugh at some of them. I had to do the starter the day I bought our 100. It had 119k miles on it. It took me 3.5 hours and I just did contacts. They were less than $15. We drove it to 230k miles or so and sold it to my folks. They drove it a year, a lot more than they thought they would. It was supposed to be a hunting and go to the mountains rig. But all of a sudden they ended up driving it all over the country pulling their wood boat. They left their 2010 Tacoma 4 door at home. I never had to replace a CV and they didn't click or have any other issues. I broke the front diff and replaced it with an ARB. At the time I had 35" tires on it. People claim the steering racks are week and the exhaust manifolds are prone to leaking. I had neither of those problems. I did the TB and Water pump at 15Xk miles because I had read the water pumps started leaking about 160k. I had a summer full of trips planned so I did it before it became a problem. The surprise was the previous owner lied about having the timing belt done at 98k miles. So I was way over. I've never heard of any issues of sway bars. I've heard lots of issues on Nav units. Never any radio issues and I thought the stereo sounded decent for a 4wd vehicle. It doesn't sound like our new Lexus but I never had an urge to dump money into changing it. Some people have had issues with coil packs. I did not. However, if I ever did have problem I'd order Denso coil packs on Amazon and replace all 8 at once. They are cheap on Amazon. I had an oxygen sensor fail at 180k or so. 5 minute fix. The cat shield rattled a bit and I had to have a tab welded on it. I never abused that truck but it did get used a lot. And used off road, way off what most would consider a road. It was my family's favorite overall vehicle. My wife loved it more than our BMW sedan and she loved that car. Amazon is also great for radiators, timing belt kits, spark plugs etc... Search Nippondenso or Denso or Aisin all factory suppliers. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat if I could use it on a regular basis. I have too many vehicles. I can't keep all the batteries charged in them. The last year we had our 100 it sat a lot because we bought a Cummins (which almost always has dead batteries due to sitting so much) to tow with and we had two other Wheeling LCs. And we had a car and fuel prices were high. Had fuel prices been what they are now we would have probably sold the Lexus sedan and kept the 100. Back to my parents. This summer they decided they wanted to sell the 100 I sold them and their Tacoma 4 door and upgrade to a slightly new 100 with less miles. I found them a creme puff truck with all the maintenance up to date with 96k miles. My parents are older and I imagine this will be their last 4wd. It will last them 10-15 years at 10-15k miles a year. When I went shopping with them we drove a LX570 which they did not like. They thought it was too big. For awhile they considered a LX460. But the 100 series was what they felt was just right. And they are very happy with it. I'll buy another. If not a 100, I might splurge and go for the bigger 200. Other than fuel mileage there isn't much that really is a downfall.
Is owning a 100 all it's cracked up to be?
- Thread starter clandr1
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My wife is still in her lx470 (2001) purchased in 2004... ( intent/meant to get us through the muddy eating 6 kids in the car soccer kid years) this after 20 years of bmw 3's then 7's and for the last 7 years I've been trying to buy her a new "car" this is what I hear... "I love my car" and "I don't see anything else I'd rather have" to this day I'll wash it and she'll walk out and say... "you know that is a pretty car" ( she thinks it's a car) but my LC in her minds eye is a "truck" I guess because hers is white and has running boards... and mine is Black and doesn't... yet no matter where we go we go in "my truck" I guess because I've gotten older but I have a fleet of really nice cars in my past... e-types, 930's, 911's 928s,M3 and I really have loved them all... but now for me it's either jump on one of my bikes or the LC... or the dually if i need to tow... I have never been more satisfied long term than I am with the 100 series... and i was pretty in love with my 450lx but that was before I'd ever been in a 100...
I'm on my 2nd 100. That should tell you something right there. Should have never have sold the first one, but really like the 5-spd in the 03+. My only real mechanical issue so far has been prematurely replacing the steering rack. Vehicle was bone stock and I don't think it had been offroad at that point in its life, 8-9 years old and only 50K miles. I didn't really have time to think about it when it happened because I was 2 days away from shipping my vehicle half way around the world, so I just told the dealer to fix it. However, the steering was much tighter after the fact. Only other things would be range and mpg as mention, and only because we drive it so much!
If you are questioing it, you might not like it. Its just your average vehicle. s*** happens and things break. I can see you being one of the minority that buys the vehicle and something breaks, comes here and whine about how the land cruiser was suppose to be reliable and such. Little harsh? Maybe. If you can swallow purchasing the vehicle and expecting $$ repairs when they ever happen, youre going to love it.
I have both a 100 and a 200. If you are going to spend $25k on a 100, you might want to dig a little deeper and look for a 200 for around $30k.
To the OP----I'm concerned about your negative approach to vehicle buying ("....what sucks....") and your unreasonable expectations for a used vehicle ("....only have to do maintenance ....."). Given that, perhaps you should use the $25K to buy a reliable new vehicle for your wife like a CRV, Outback, RAV4, etc. I love my 100 and consider this forum one of the most valuable things about ownership, but really, you may happier with a new vehicle based on your needs.
DirtDawg
"It'd be alot cooler if you did"
In my opinion, the 100 series is better than many newer vehicles in its price range. For Example: My father drives a newer Infinity QX56 (SUV), and he has had to do more maintenance and repairs than I have had to on my 100. Plus every time I go visit the parents he always wants to drive it 
. I'm currently in the process of trying to get him into a 200 series.
. I'm currently in the process of trying to get him into a 200 series.
I own both a 100 (2002, purchased in 2003 - first Cruiser) and a 200 (2010 LX-570). I DD the LX. My oldest daughter DDs the 100. I still grin when I get in and drive the 100. The 200 is nice, but I don't get the same feeling as I do in my 100. (The LX tows way better than the 100 though.) I have debated on selling the 100 to fund two vehicles for my two teenage daughters. My wife's response, "Like HELL! Elsie is going NOWHERE!". What's a guy to do... Here is a snapshot of my wife's mentality when driving the 100, "Why did I pick this trail.... because I CAN." Elsie has never let her down.
Maintenance items - Hood and rear hatch struts. I am about to replace another set of both. This will make it the 3rd set since 2002. Brakes have lasted quite a long time for being such a heavy vehicle. Shocks, torsion bars, and coils have been replaced with a lift. (Wife purchased, I installed.) Leather is looking a bit worn, but has NO breaks or tears. Carpet has seen better days = 4 kids... you have to expect that sort of thing. No issues with CVs. I have replaced the bands holding the boots on with SS ones. I have not had to touch them otherwise. I now have a couple of blown speakers... teenage girls, you know.
The true good - While I was in Australia for work, my wife was in an accident. A teen boy in a full sized 70's era full size pick-up tried to make a left hand turn from the right hand lane. My 100 was in the left lane. Although I almost choked... no... I did choke... when my wife texted me the pics, she did not really feel the hit. She said that it was just a little jostle. She drove home. He was towed. ~$7700 in damage covered by insurance and my wife did not break a sweat... until she remembered that she had to tell me. I did not yell. I did almost cry. (Hey, men can cry too... dammit.)
Maintenance items - Hood and rear hatch struts. I am about to replace another set of both. This will make it the 3rd set since 2002. Brakes have lasted quite a long time for being such a heavy vehicle. Shocks, torsion bars, and coils have been replaced with a lift. (Wife purchased, I installed.) Leather is looking a bit worn, but has NO breaks or tears. Carpet has seen better days = 4 kids... you have to expect that sort of thing. No issues with CVs. I have replaced the bands holding the boots on with SS ones. I have not had to touch them otherwise. I now have a couple of blown speakers... teenage girls, you know.
The true good - While I was in Australia for work, my wife was in an accident. A teen boy in a full sized 70's era full size pick-up tried to make a left hand turn from the right hand lane. My 100 was in the left lane. Although I almost choked... no... I did choke... when my wife texted me the pics, she did not really feel the hit. She said that it was just a little jostle. She drove home. He was towed. ~$7700 in damage covered by insurance and my wife did not break a sweat... until she remembered that she had to tell me. I did not yell. I did almost cry. (Hey, men can cry too... dammit.)
Why? Perhaps I should search the forum for 100 vs. 200 series but I am interested in hearing first hand why you recommend the OP go for a 200. My personal take after owning a 62, an 80, and then a 100 series, is go for the 100 out of all three choices. I like the 100 for its reliability and heated seats. My 62 and 80 series had parts that were wearing out and getting old and saggy. The only thing I liked more about the 80 was the factory locking diffs, while I liked the longer cargo space in the FJ62. I like my 100 and recommend it to the OP.
- Thread starter
- #51
I'm just playing devil's advocate. I'm more than handy in the garage and am fine with an occasional repair or expense. I also understand that it's the nature of the beast when you're dealing with a vehicle with 100k+ on it. This is meant to find the shortcomings of the truck so I can determine if it is something I'm willing to manage.
I'm not a whiner, I just want to minimize potential issues for myself down the road. I enjoy wrenching, but don't want to find myself constantly HAVING to wrench. I get that stuff wears out, I've had it happen on my truck (and more than I'd like on my wife's Jeep) and I'm ok with that. I'm just trying to set proper expectations for myself, and it is hard to do that when I don't have any first hand experience.
Valid point, but based on what I've seen the 200 has more electronics and electronically controlled systems than the 100, and that alone makes me want to steer clear. Simplicity = reliability, in my opinion.
TheWhiskeyWorks
Team Gooey
There are no glaring downsides. You're not going to find a better truck with less risk at 100k miles. If you've read through this forum you should know that. I sold an awesomely well built and maintained 2007 Tacoma with 100k miles for a 2003 LX470 with over 130k miles without blinking an eye. It's hard to go wrong with Toyota trucks in general, and the 100 series is at the top of that list.
- Thread starter
- #53
Believe me, I want a 100. I crave a 100. I'm just looking for any potential downfalls since everyone is so quick to sing it's praises. I figured if I asked a very blunt question, I would get honest answers.
The good news is nobody in this thread has said "I regret buying mine". Of course, if anyone felt that way, they probably wouldn't be on this forum anymore
OP
Only one way to find out.
Two words.
Get one.
Only one way to find out.
Two words.
Get one.
For me, one of the things that I don't really need is AWD, I wish it was part time 4wd, it's on paved roads 90% in a mild PNW climate. It puts a bit more wear and tear on the components but it's not a huge deterrent to where I wouldn't buy another LC because it's AWD.
As others have mentioned, LCs have a proven track record all over the world. You're the best judge if it will meet your expectations or not.
As others have mentioned, LCs have a proven track record all over the world. You're the best judge if it will meet your expectations or not.
I can't say this definitively because I've never driven a RWD 100 but in my 80 series I converted to part time and it completely changed the vehicle. I was expecting to get more mpgs. That really didn't happen. However the big surprise is I didn't like the handling change in the vehicle. It pushed more in the corners. It was a dramatic change. It was like driving a completely different vehicle on the mountain highways with all the switchbacks. I didn't like it. So I've never even contemplated going part time with another one.
The awd is one of the main reasons I have the 100. I drive quicker than most and awd allows for that in most situations. Plus rally slides on dirt and snow covered roads are fun. VSC complains but then I just engage the cdl. ;<)
I will say that an 80 feels more solid compared to a 100. For me it has to do with the noises that come from the rear fold out windows on the 100 when you go over a bump. It's a mental thing I guess. But I do love my 100 for sure.
