mcgaskins
SILVER Star
BACKSTORY
As some of you already know, I am a big Land Cruiser fan, and I really like the 200 series platform due to its combination of capability, durability, reliability, understated looks, and resale value. I've been able to find a few 200s for a good deal (08 LX, 08 LC, 13 LC, 14 LC, 16 LC), modify/enjoy them for a while, and move on to another to try the various iterations of the platform. I didn't do build threads on them all, but the last 200 I had was called Ruby (Builds - mcgaskins' 2016 build thread - Ruby - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/mcgaskins-2016-build-thread-ruby.1095080/). As much fun as we had with Ruby, I sold the truck due to a confluence of factors which included a move to California for a dream job opportunity. The long story short is covid changed my plans, and I moved back to Colorado only after a few months in California due to our physical offices being closed. I immediately missed having a Cruiser, and as luck would have it, a beautiful silver 200 popped up for a reasonable price about 4 miles from our house. It was a 2 owner, extensively serviced silver over black Land Cruiser with 98k miles, and it would make a perfect platform to build from.
WHY DID I CHOOSE A 2013?
One of the main reasons I was drawn to this one is that it's silver which seems to be a pretty rare color on the LC (hence palladium), and it was a 2013 which was the first year for the LC to get the radar cruise and basic pre collision safety system which I had the dubious honor of experiencing how effective it is here (Are the active safety features any good in the 200? Found out today). A few more features were added in 2013 like a heated steering wheel, cooled seats, HID headlights, and other small things, so while it is not quite at the level of features of the 16+, it's pretty close for significantly less money. There are definitely things I miss from the 2016 like the 8 speeed transmission (for off road not on road so much) and better button layout...and terra interior, but I could not justify the $15k+ premium between an identical 2013 and 2016. Some may say newer is always better, but it is such a significant premium for incremental features it is hard to justify. I love a good deal, and I feel like I got a very good deal on the 13 whereas anyone looking at the 16+ market knows there are no good deals to be had. I paid about $7k less 2 years ago for my 16 than what it would sell for today. It's a crazy hot market for 200s right now!
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS BUILD?
All of the 200s we owned previously had 34" tires, and 2 were fully built with front and rear bumpers, winches, drawers sliders, etc. I've realized some mods were worth their weight in gold, and others were a bit of a disappointment particularly relative to cost. The priority with this build is efficiency - balancing best value and performance. I'll try to discuss why each mod was chosen and why I like certain brands over another to give context, but feel free to ask questions.
BEFORE/AFTER
May 2020 (stock with Tundra TRD Pro wheels):
October 2020:
As some of you already know, I am a big Land Cruiser fan, and I really like the 200 series platform due to its combination of capability, durability, reliability, understated looks, and resale value. I've been able to find a few 200s for a good deal (08 LX, 08 LC, 13 LC, 14 LC, 16 LC), modify/enjoy them for a while, and move on to another to try the various iterations of the platform. I didn't do build threads on them all, but the last 200 I had was called Ruby (Builds - mcgaskins' 2016 build thread - Ruby - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/mcgaskins-2016-build-thread-ruby.1095080/). As much fun as we had with Ruby, I sold the truck due to a confluence of factors which included a move to California for a dream job opportunity. The long story short is covid changed my plans, and I moved back to Colorado only after a few months in California due to our physical offices being closed. I immediately missed having a Cruiser, and as luck would have it, a beautiful silver 200 popped up for a reasonable price about 4 miles from our house. It was a 2 owner, extensively serviced silver over black Land Cruiser with 98k miles, and it would make a perfect platform to build from.
WHY DID I CHOOSE A 2013?
One of the main reasons I was drawn to this one is that it's silver which seems to be a pretty rare color on the LC (hence palladium), and it was a 2013 which was the first year for the LC to get the radar cruise and basic pre collision safety system which I had the dubious honor of experiencing how effective it is here (Are the active safety features any good in the 200? Found out today). A few more features were added in 2013 like a heated steering wheel, cooled seats, HID headlights, and other small things, so while it is not quite at the level of features of the 16+, it's pretty close for significantly less money. There are definitely things I miss from the 2016 like the 8 speeed transmission (for off road not on road so much) and better button layout...and terra interior, but I could not justify the $15k+ premium between an identical 2013 and 2016. Some may say newer is always better, but it is such a significant premium for incremental features it is hard to justify. I love a good deal, and I feel like I got a very good deal on the 13 whereas anyone looking at the 16+ market knows there are no good deals to be had. I paid about $7k less 2 years ago for my 16 than what it would sell for today. It's a crazy hot market for 200s right now!
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS BUILD?
All of the 200s we owned previously had 34" tires, and 2 were fully built with front and rear bumpers, winches, drawers sliders, etc. I've realized some mods were worth their weight in gold, and others were a bit of a disappointment particularly relative to cost. The priority with this build is efficiency - balancing best value and performance. I'll try to discuss why each mod was chosen and why I like certain brands over another to give context, but feel free to ask questions.
BEFORE/AFTER
May 2020 (stock with Tundra TRD Pro wheels):
October 2020:
Last edited: