Looking at 2 LCs to purchase. Thoughts on price?
- Thread starter NCTroutHunter
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I'd say the 40k miles is pretty much a wash to the 1-2yrs newer plastic of the blue one. And apparently is the color you prefer. If you plan to keep the truck for 10+yrs, then i doubt when it has 240k miles vs 280k miles there will be much difference, so you might as well put that 5k towards something else. If you plan to sell in 2-3yrs, will you net that $5k back selling a truck with 80k miles vs 120k? Maybe I guess.
My vote is the blue onyx. It’s a more rare and sought after color.
The difference in mileage we are discussing on these machines is largely irrelevant as long as maintenance is kept up.
The difference in mileage we are discussing on these machines is largely irrelevant as long as maintenance is kept up.
The auto tailgate has a disable button if you want to go manual mode. I also recently discovered that even in auto mode you can double click the rear lift gate button to override the motor and open the hatch manually. So, other than simplicity's sake, not sure how the addition of the power lift gate is a huge downgrade.
I finally had a chance to read up on the RSCA (Roll-Sensing Side Curtain Airbags) Cutoff Switch issue, described here and here. This refers to the RSCA disable button that pre-2018 LC200s had. This button allows the driver to disable the side curtain airbags, with a 3 second push, to prevent the unwanted deployment of the side curtain airbags. In rare cases, with enough vehicle side angle or force, the airbags would deploy (even if the vehicle did not fully roll or crash) to the surprise of the occupants. Reportedly, US safety regulations for 2018 prohibit the disabling of these airbags, so Toyota removed that button and the ability for drivers to disable them. So, there is a lot of speculation and unknowns about how Toyota handled this change.
The only examples I have found of the unwanted side curtain airbag deployment has been for non 200 series Toyotas (4runner, Fj cruiser, GX460, etc); although I am sure some exist. I can find no examples of any 2018+ LC200s that have had an unwanted side curtain airbag deployment. There are examples of different makes and models of various vehicles having this happen on YouTube, but they are all older vehicles and all non 200's. I would think airbags and their engineering (and vehicle safety in general) have steadily improved since 2017.
So, I completely agree this could theoretically happen while off-roading, but so far it seems like a theoretical problem (or at least incredibly rare). As you can read in the links above, veteran Mud members like @TonyP and @mcgaskins believe in leaving it activated. I think what is far more likely is that when Toyota removed that button they adjusted and improved the programming to prevent an already rare event from happening. Are owners of 2018+ LC 200's not wheeling as hard as the older LC200's? Are 2018+ LC200s less likely to have an accidental deployment because of engineering changes that are undisclosed? Are 2017 and older LC200's more likely to have an unwanted deployment because that system relies on humans to disable a RSCA with different programming than the newer 2018+ 200s?
Again, I am not buying the removal a manual RSCA button is a huge downgrade until you can provide some proof, i.e. provide some examples, that this is a problem or a downgrade.
I never expanded upon the differences. @Madtiger pointed out the following in the Model Year Differences thread.
"2018+: KDSS bolt change, automatically power-folding outside mirrors, late-2018s have new radiator design, powered lift gate, non-mandatory rear entertainment, newer transmission software (flashable on 2016-2017), and new key (very cool) design."
The lack of deployments on early and late 200s can easily be explained by the statistics of how few get put into the situations that cause them.. with even fewer 2018+ getting wheeled hard. We’re talking about coding in safety systems.. there isn’t much incentive to save the “best” programming for the highest end platform.
There is also no indication the programming changed with the button removal.. it just went away.
Is that worth avoiding an otherwise great 2018+ with all the other changes? Personally I’d say no.. for my uses I dislike 2018+ because of the power lift gate (added complexity, more stuff to break), 8mm KDSS bolts (corrode more easily).. but I love being able to find no rear seat screens and the new key design doesn’t hurt. A 20 or 21 HE with no cool box or third row? I’d happily forget the other things I dislike.
Point is there are different value propositions for different people. I only bring up the lack of a button because this detail often gets left out and could be really, really important to someone that cares about it.. like the rare individual that had to fork out the thousands of dollars after an accidental deployment in their taco.
I have no problem with people having different preferences or value propositions; those are fair points. What I take issue with is saying something is a big problem purely based upon speculation. What I am asking is "is this even a problem in 2018+ 200s?" I can't find a single example of an unwanted side curtain airbag deployment in a 2018+ 200. There are lots of users in those trucks on Mud that are wheeling their rigs very hard. The unwanted deployments you find are all older vehicles; most of them not cruisers or not even Toyotas. And if we are to speculate; you can just as easily speculate that Toyota nearly eliminated the issue in the 2018+ 200s, because there are no examples of the problem.
Let's see those examples and statistics, and I will admit I am full of it and wrong! Just because I didn't find them doesn't mean they don't exist!
It looks like it's been over 5 years since I made the post saying I wasn't a fan of disabling side airbags, and I have done a lot of wheeling in various 200s since then. And, my position hasn't changed at all. There are a handful of vehicles that are as good if not better off road than the 200, but few match its safety which is one of the key reasons I love them. I have never seen a side airbag go off when it shouldn't on a 200 in person, social media, forums, etc., but I have seen it happen (online - never in person) on other Toyota models specifically 4th gen 4runners and FJ Cruisers and Jeeps, Fords, and Chevys. I have the button to turn them off on both of our 200s, but I've never used it and don't plan to.
Regarding the powered rear hatch, I am a big fan because you don't have to install a switch to open the tailgate from the inside. It sure would be nice to be camping in the back and just hit a button on the keyfob to exit or just get some fresh air!
There are plenty of examples of it happening on Toyotas and other brands though. I personally saw it happen on a 2nd gen Tacoma in Moab, and the angle wasn't sharp but the driver had just enough impact to make them go off. The downside to owning a vehicle with such low numbers is it is harder to spot issues or problems.
It is one of those things that you don't care about until it happens. As these age a bit and get used offroad even more, I'm sure it will happen. There are 100 series that have had it happen, some discussions in their forum. Multiple mentions of 4runner deployments on here too.
I'm glad to have the ability to turn it off. Unfortunately not simple to add back the button on the 18+ as the module and wiring are completely different
According to another member, Toyota stated that it was done to comply with government regulations. If you do a lot of offroading, it is definitely something to use as a factor. After seeing RSCAs go off on a not too difficult trail, I'm glad to have the cut-off.
If its Blue/Terra, go for it! (I may be a bit biased here).
I’ve spent a half hour so far unsuccessfully looking for the video I watched years ago of it happening in a 200 from some other market.. but even that one video doesn’t really change the conversation.
The possibility is there, and the ability to prevent it is valued by some. Therefore it should be part of the conversation. It’s up to the buyer to weigh things out. I’m not saying it’s a big problem! Just that it deserves a spot on the list.
The possibility is there, and the ability to prevent it is valued by some. Therefore it should be part of the conversation. It’s up to the buyer to weigh things out. I’m not saying it’s a big problem! Just that it deserves a spot on the list.
Do any NEW SUVs/trucks have side airbag disable button? My bet is that the sensor(s) have been improved or at least the algorithms for deployment have improved??
Both sound like a great deal. I’m partial to black and the lesser mileage though. Flip a coin, can’t go wrong with either or.
Call me vain, but yeah, key is cool. Thus i listed it as a 2018+ perk.
The only thing cooler is @suprarx7nut's YotaMD replacement fob shells. If he ever offers one for the fob above...I'm in!