Is the 100 series really more reliable than the 80? (1 Viewer)

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100 series for soccer mom stuff and possibly overlanding, and if you want to play on rocks, 80s is the only way to go. There are far better platforms for IFS nowadays over the 100s.
No there arent lol. If you say 4Runner Ill laugh. Come drive my LX and then a 4Runner right after and tell me one doesn't feel like you're driving a rental car. Neither one is a rock crawler so who gives a sht about hardcore offroad performance. RFB has probably the best set up 5gen T4R but the amount of money hes got in that build you can buy a nice 4 bedroom house in the midwest.
 
80 series was Toyotas flagship vehicle.

The 100 series was never Toyotas flagship vehicle.

After the 80 all the high caliber engineers were tasked with making the Prius Toyota's next flagship product.

My neighbor was a higher up in engineering at Toyota Japan during the 80 series reign. Straight from his mouth.
 
80 series was Toyotas flagship vehicle.

The 100 series was never Toyotas flagship vehicle.

After the 80 all the high caliber engineers were tasked with making the Prius Toyota's next flagship product.

My neighbor was a higher up in engineering at Toyota Japan during the 80 series reign. Straight from his mouth.
What's defined as flagship? The most expensive? If that's the case than the 100 was definitely the flagship. There wasn't a single Toyota model that cost more during its production in the US. Not even close. The Lexus LX470 was also flagship until you can argue the LS430 came out and even that only surpassed the price of a LX470 if you bought the super loaded up ULTRA LUXURY variant with the air suspension. LX was going for $60-75k in the early 2000s, that's huge money for that time period.
 
What's defined as flagship? The most expensive? If that's the case than the 100 was definitely the flagship. There wasn't a single Toyota model that cost more during its production in the US. Not even close. The Lexus LX470 was also flagship until you can argue the LS430 came out and even that only surpassed the price of a LX470 if you bought the super loaded up ULTRA LUXURY variant with the air suspension. LX was going for $60-75k in the early 2000s, that's huge money for that time period.

No, Flagship doesn't mean most expensive. From my neighbors inside perspective the 80 series was the vehicle all the engineers wanted to work on. It was where they had the freedom to do really cool stuff- The bean counters didn't shut things down.

Nobody cared about the 100 series. All the top engineers went to work on the Prius.
 
I bet the reason why the 105 only came with the 1hz or 1fz is cheaper to manufacture and the ease of maintenance in the field. Maybe reliability too I don't know.

105 was a transition model.
They had the body and frame sorted, but not v8 or the updated 1HD-FTE diesel.
 
105 was a transition model.
They had the body and frame sorted, but not v8 or the updated 1HD-FTE diesel.
I didn't know that. Learn something new everyday, thanks.
 
An 80 with the 2uzfe from factory would be the ultimate. 100's slab-sided body was never really a looker nor the Camry swoopy interior.

The ultimate ultimate for me would be a brand spanking new LC 70 GXL here in the US of A. Sometimes I peruse the Toyota Australia site and build one out. lol

View attachment 3654477
Simple: just order one up and take delivery in Australia, rent a storage unit and pay someone to fire it up and drive it around the block periodically... in just 25 short years, you'll be able to bring it home! (Provided the rules don't change in the meantime)
 
No, Flagship doesn't mean most expensive. From my neighbors inside perspective the 80 series was the vehicle all the engineers wanted to work on. It was where they had the freedom to do really cool stuff- The bean counters didn't shut things down.

Nobody cared about the 100 series. All the top engineers went to work on the Prius.
So define what you consider flagship then? Sounds like in your head the Prius was Toyota’s flagship model? This a joke?
 
I don't have data to answer the OPs question on reliability between the 80 and 100. I've owned three 80 series, one 100 series, and two 200 series. All of them have been incredibly reliable, none of them have ever left me stranded. To me that defines reliability.

Based on other (not related to reliability) criteria, the 100 is my least favorite of the three, and I don't have any desire to own another. I still have both an 80 and a 200, and love them both, albeit for different reasons. I'd still rather have a 100 series more than most other vehicles on the road if an 80 or 200 wasn't an option.
 
I am looking for a 100 series (or a nice HDJ81 😆) what about an HDJ101? If you don’t mind the RHD, it has the 1-HDFTE. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
So define what you consider flagship then? Sounds like in your head the Prius was Toyota’s flagship model? This a joke?
AI says: "A flagship model is an automaker's most important, largest, or best vehicle, and is designed to showcase the manufacturer's capabilities.."

Considering the Prius became the world's first production hybrid car around then (2001), the shoe fits doesn't it?
 
I've owned 3 80s and still own my 93 model. We sold the 96 to our daughter, but I still handle all its maintenance. A year ago my brother dropped off his 100 intending to perhaps come back out west and go on some offroad trips. He got busy, and bought a new Cruiser - last before the current downsized.

So he asked me to sell it, which I eventually did. I drove it around to keep the seals lubed and such, and it had around 275k if memory serves. Obviously it was newer than our 80s, which have 250 and 314k respectively. Sure, the hundy drove better, but I was disappointed at all the stuff that seemed to indicate a less robust build quality. This was his petite wife's car and was never offroaded, for perspective. Not once, and he's a pilot and extremely good at maintenance. So it should have been a creampuff.

Here's a litany from memory: The rear exterior hatch handle had broken off before it arrived here. It had some kind of water leak that caused the interior to smell moldy. The ignition tumblers failed and needed screwing with. The electronic key heads all failed (physically broke and were replaced), The exhaust manifold gaskets failed and were failing again. The steering wheel tilt/telescope broke. The A/C system developed a leak and quit working. The touch screen HVAC controls were balky, the transmission (regularly serviced) would lurch when cold, the wheel bearings were replaced (all on both my 80s are original), and it rusted badly. The buyer called me after arriving home and reported he found the frame rusted through up front and the sway bar was completely disconnected.

Granted, my 80s both got new head gaskets (an industry wide problem when the automakers were forced to remove asbestos with zero warning or time to prove new materials), I've replaced window motors, and the power locks are finicky. But they feel much more overbuilt and up to the task of offroading, or driving across country than that hundy did. Sure, I'm biased but I feel the 80's DNA is "industrial tractor" where the 100's DNA was the first step toward a mall cruiser. Not a criticism, as it remains best in class in that tasking, but a difference I perceive as a movement away from what I have - a 31 year old rig I bought new that still serves me today exactly like it did when I bought it.
 
No there arent lol. If you say 4Runner Ill laugh. Come drive my LX and then a 4Runner right after and tell me one doesn't feel like you're driving a rental car. Neither one is a rock crawler so who gives a sht about hardcore offroad performance. RFB has probably the best set up 5gen T4R but the amount of money hes got in that build you can buy a nice 4 bedroom house in the midwest

ok.lol

exactly what i said...
 
So define what you consider flagship then? Sounds like in your head the Prius was Toyota’s flagship model? This a joke?

When Toyota developed the Hybrid drive system for the Prius it was a big deal. In comparison, the 100 series design purpose was to achieve a lower cost to build than the 80 series, which it did. Doesn't matter what it sold for.

Toyota sold 183,000 100 series.

Toyota sold 6 million Priuses.

Toyota has used the same hybrid drive technology they developed for the Prius in over 14 million vehicles.
 
No, Flagship doesn't mean most expensive. From my neighbors inside perspective the 80 series was the vehicle all the engineers wanted to work on. It was where they had the freedom to do really cool stuff- The bean counters didn't shut things down.

Nobody cared about the 100 series. All the top engineers went to work on the Prius.
The JZA80 (MKIV Supra) was the other flagship at the time. Part of it was the Japanese bubble economy in the 80s (When the 80 series was presumably developed) that popped in the early 90s, which may have given the bean-counters greater influence within the company.
 

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