After a month of test driving land cruisers and lx570's, I went ahead and purchased my first 200 today: 2009 Land Cruiser w/125k miles Blk/Blk fully loaded.
Initially I was planning on buying a 2009 LX, but every time I test drove one something was holding me back. I loved the exterior, the leather, the wood veneers, the chrome accents, the stereo, the nifty electronic features, the easy entry feature, etc. I tried soo hard to fall in love with it but for the life of me I couldn't. I just couldn't find a suspension setting I liked, especially in the earlier models. Also, I found driving the LX not to be enjoyable. I think the Hydraulic suspension was disconnecting me from the road too much and I would feel much more body roll. I even had greater difficulty backing a brand new 2016 today out of a parking spot (I drove the LC out much easier and with more confidence - it might have been the many hours of driving I had with the LC).
It was not an easy decision for me. Both vehicles had their pluses and minuses but after getting used to a Slee OME lifted LX470, I knew I had to have another lifted Cruiser with upgraded OME springs. I have been waiting for years for the prices on the 200 to drop to level where i feel comfortable to do mild off roading through trails. I was originally waiting for prices to come under $25k but got a little anxious and pulled the trigger ahead of schedule. I saw Toyotas sales figures of 3800 (2008) + 2261 (2009) and was worried I would have had a hard time finding a mint condition black/black one for under $30k.
Here is a pic of my 2 Cruisers from back:
Immediate upgrades: Bel STi-R Radar (I keep blowing by cops accidentally), tints front and rear, I bought 6 TRD RW 17" Wheels now I need to get tires.
Initially I was planning on buying a 2009 LX, but every time I test drove one something was holding me back. I loved the exterior, the leather, the wood veneers, the chrome accents, the stereo, the nifty electronic features, the easy entry feature, etc. I tried soo hard to fall in love with it but for the life of me I couldn't. I just couldn't find a suspension setting I liked, especially in the earlier models. Also, I found driving the LX not to be enjoyable. I think the Hydraulic suspension was disconnecting me from the road too much and I would feel much more body roll. I even had greater difficulty backing a brand new 2016 today out of a parking spot (I drove the LC out much easier and with more confidence - it might have been the many hours of driving I had with the LC).
It was not an easy decision for me. Both vehicles had their pluses and minuses but after getting used to a Slee OME lifted LX470, I knew I had to have another lifted Cruiser with upgraded OME springs. I have been waiting for years for the prices on the 200 to drop to level where i feel comfortable to do mild off roading through trails. I was originally waiting for prices to come under $25k but got a little anxious and pulled the trigger ahead of schedule. I saw Toyotas sales figures of 3800 (2008) + 2261 (2009) and was worried I would have had a hard time finding a mint condition black/black one for under $30k.
Here is a pic of my 2 Cruisers from back:
Immediate upgrades: Bel STi-R Radar (I keep blowing by cops accidentally), tints front and rear, I bought 6 TRD RW 17" Wheels now I need to get tires.
