Have had a many different 80-series and a couple 100-series over the years.
My favorite 80-series was my 40th that ended up on HMMWV 37's w/ EMSPowered adapters, got the full treatment with Metal-Tech all the way around, and was completely freshened up mechanically. Needed some cosmetic love, but it was a beast and saved my life a couple times. Still regret selling that one.
My favorite 100-series was the one that I just traded in for the 200-series. It was used on a ranch for a while before I bought it. I had it less than a year, but in that year it got new leather on the front seats, went through 3 different sets of tires and one set of new wheels, went through the entire engine/cooling/suspension system and got all services up to date. And then we got a boat and needed more towing power. Although the LX470 pulled the 24ft boat just fine, it wasn't really comfortable doing over 55mph. So if we ever wanted to take it further than 30min from the house I would not feel comfortable. I traded the LX470 in at a dealership in Round Rock, TX. If anyone finds it for sale, all it needs to be perfect right now is a front driver side axle boot and steering rack. Other than that it is immaculate for a 2000 LX470.
Now I picked up a 2009 200-series. I gotta say, the overall build quality seems better than the 100-series. The suspension and steering are better than the 100-series. The seats are more comfortable. I miss having a simple double-din headunit that I can replace, the factory infotainment system is terrible. The power folding third row is nice, but hopefully I won't ever need to remove them for extra cargo space. The auto lowering suspension upon parking is a nice touch. It seems to tow much better than the LX470, the extra power is definitely nice.
Working on getting the all the preventative maintenance done. It looks like it already has a new brakes, water pump, thermostat, radiator, belt, and some hoses. Tires look new. The rest I'm not sure about, no documentation came with it. 2 owner vehicle with no accidents on carfax.
Cylinder compression test checks out good across all 8 cylinders. Have new spark plugs, new AHC fluid, new Toyota red coolant, air filter, cabin filter, iridium long life spark plugs, k&n oil filter, mobil1 0w-40 euro spec, and full set of 3d Maxpider mats on order. In the mean time I'm polishing up the headlights, fixing the wiggly mirrors, re-dying the front interior door handles and the front seat bottoms too, typical wear for 160k miles, but luckily no cracking.
Any other suggestions on preventative maintenance or fixes to get it ready for the next year of weekend use?
My favorite 80-series was my 40th that ended up on HMMWV 37's w/ EMSPowered adapters, got the full treatment with Metal-Tech all the way around, and was completely freshened up mechanically. Needed some cosmetic love, but it was a beast and saved my life a couple times. Still regret selling that one.
My favorite 100-series was the one that I just traded in for the 200-series. It was used on a ranch for a while before I bought it. I had it less than a year, but in that year it got new leather on the front seats, went through 3 different sets of tires and one set of new wheels, went through the entire engine/cooling/suspension system and got all services up to date. And then we got a boat and needed more towing power. Although the LX470 pulled the 24ft boat just fine, it wasn't really comfortable doing over 55mph. So if we ever wanted to take it further than 30min from the house I would not feel comfortable. I traded the LX470 in at a dealership in Round Rock, TX. If anyone finds it for sale, all it needs to be perfect right now is a front driver side axle boot and steering rack. Other than that it is immaculate for a 2000 LX470.
Now I picked up a 2009 200-series. I gotta say, the overall build quality seems better than the 100-series. The suspension and steering are better than the 100-series. The seats are more comfortable. I miss having a simple double-din headunit that I can replace, the factory infotainment system is terrible. The power folding third row is nice, but hopefully I won't ever need to remove them for extra cargo space. The auto lowering suspension upon parking is a nice touch. It seems to tow much better than the LX470, the extra power is definitely nice.
Working on getting the all the preventative maintenance done. It looks like it already has a new brakes, water pump, thermostat, radiator, belt, and some hoses. Tires look new. The rest I'm not sure about, no documentation came with it. 2 owner vehicle with no accidents on carfax.
Cylinder compression test checks out good across all 8 cylinders. Have new spark plugs, new AHC fluid, new Toyota red coolant, air filter, cabin filter, iridium long life spark plugs, k&n oil filter, mobil1 0w-40 euro spec, and full set of 3d Maxpider mats on order. In the mean time I'm polishing up the headlights, fixing the wiggly mirrors, re-dying the front interior door handles and the front seat bottoms too, typical wear for 160k miles, but luckily no cracking.
Any other suggestions on preventative maintenance or fixes to get it ready for the next year of weekend use?
Last edited: