Your talking about throwing money down the toilet. But your also talking about an 80 series land cruiser. I've owned one for 10 years and over 100,000 miles. I've also owned GM, Jeep, Ford, Honda, Buick, Olds, and other Toyotas. This isn't a Chevy K5 and I'm not just saying that because I'm biased. It's the ONLY vehicle I've owned for 10 years. A lot of these guys have owned them longer and owned multiples. The LC's are legendary and for a reason, but parts aren't cheap, the work can be a litlte more technical in some case, and in other cases easier than other makes/models. They are forgiving but require some specific maintenance to be forgiving. If you skip on this stuff they'll puke all over you. At 400k, you don't know what's happened and have to be prepared to do all the stuff that gets neglected or mistreated. Using the wrong coolant can eat your HG, for example. Water crossings will get water in the axle or the seal from the birfs could be neglected and you wouldn't just have bad grease/fluid, you'll have worn parts and expensive repairs. Doing the repairs will get you something you'll love and wonder how you ever drove anything else, and you'll resurrect the thing when it dies rather than drive something else. It's an addiction.
Read the FAQ, especially "Thinking of buying".
When I bought mine I:
Baselined all the fluids using exactly the recommended types on this forum...full synthetic, amsoil, Toyota red coolant, etc. Maybe $200 - $300. I did this 3X during my ownership, probably should have been 5X.
PHH - Challenging the first time for an OK mechanic, but pocket change for $$. Probably every 140k mile job.
Birfields were changed in first 10,000 miles: $400 each side + $1,200 to have a knowledgeable mechanic do it because I knew I'd screw it up. Do it again every 160,000 miles or so.
Upgaded brakes to 100 Series rotors and pads: I don't remember the cost, a couple hundred $$? They lasted me 40,000 miles plus.
Something with the emissions where I took of the intake manifold and cleaned everything, trying to get rid of P0401 code: just time. Never fixed it, but the CEL light burned out, so it resolved itself.
That's really it. BUT, most of it isn't college student money, unless you're more fortunate than I was. After that it was just maintenance and mods. BUT, they last a long time, as seen by the 400k mile rig you're looking at. In addition to what I did there are other common issues that you may or may not have to deal with, but you should be expecting and budget for. HG around every 200k, O2 sensors ($$), catalytic converters ($$$), lots of things to keep it nice but without them it will still run, etc. It's all in the FAQ and the CORRECT info is in there. This is all from my faulty memory and generalization. The experts and Pros have posted in the FAQ's. Take advantage of their knowledge and write ups. It's time well spent.
Read the FAQ, especially "Thinking of buying".
When I bought mine I:
Baselined all the fluids using exactly the recommended types on this forum...full synthetic, amsoil, Toyota red coolant, etc. Maybe $200 - $300. I did this 3X during my ownership, probably should have been 5X.
PHH - Challenging the first time for an OK mechanic, but pocket change for $$. Probably every 140k mile job.
Birfields were changed in first 10,000 miles: $400 each side + $1,200 to have a knowledgeable mechanic do it because I knew I'd screw it up. Do it again every 160,000 miles or so.
Upgaded brakes to 100 Series rotors and pads: I don't remember the cost, a couple hundred $$? They lasted me 40,000 miles plus.
Something with the emissions where I took of the intake manifold and cleaned everything, trying to get rid of P0401 code: just time. Never fixed it, but the CEL light burned out, so it resolved itself.
That's really it. BUT, most of it isn't college student money, unless you're more fortunate than I was. After that it was just maintenance and mods. BUT, they last a long time, as seen by the 400k mile rig you're looking at. In addition to what I did there are other common issues that you may or may not have to deal with, but you should be expecting and budget for. HG around every 200k, O2 sensors ($$), catalytic converters ($$$), lots of things to keep it nice but without them it will still run, etc. It's all in the FAQ and the CORRECT info is in there. This is all from my faulty memory and generalization. The experts and Pros have posted in the FAQ's. Take advantage of their knowledge and write ups. It's time well spent.
