New member; Intro and questions

[Gray Matter]

Greeting folks. Former (reformed?) Jeep and Land Rover owner who is now looking at a 100. I have my first child on the way and I need more room then a TJ, 4 runner or even the upcoming FJ. I will not even consider another Land Rover. The new unibody jeeps do not hold up and I want a long term vehicle. My last offroad vehicle

was great but I can't put 3 dogs, 2 adults and one kid plus crap in it.

Thus, a 100. Wife has always wanted a Land Cruiser and frankly I have always liked them.

I often take week long wheeling trips to Moab, Colorado and California

and need room to carry crap. I know a 100 will never be a long armed locked TJ. But I had just as much fun in my locked Grand Cherokee and I could actually carry a lot of crap in it.

I test drove a 06 LC and loved it (who wouldn't?) but, with kid on way, a tad too much money. This vehicle will not be a rock crawler like the rubicon was and will be driven daily. That does not mean It will not be modified. I will take to places I shouldn't and do things to it i will regret. However, it must remain comfy for the wife. No 37" tires and SAS. Sooooo, I like the idea of puting 33" tires, skids bumpers etc and getting either 1) ome lift or 2) the AHC. I like the AHC bc leave it at normal height 95% (daily driving, hunting) of the time and raise when needed (wheeling). It was also very nice to switch from comfy setting to the sport setting. Neat feature, but will it really last????

Problem though is only the 06 LC has it. As stated previously, expensive. So, older LX is the other option. I dont really want the lexus version. LC is a LC. In conclusion to this horribly long first post, does the 2003+ LC with the OME lift drive nice? Will I regret getting the AHC when I beat the crap out of this truck for the next 10 years? I will run it hard and hate things breaking down. TIA and greetings


For all those AZ people, I am in Tempe.

 

[jjbodean1970]

AHC has great long term reliability and dependability in the LX 470 with very few failures to date IIRC

 

[jjbodean1970]

btw - Welcome to IH8MUD!

 

[tabraha]

Yup, AHC seems to be pretty reliable so far. Most of the early LX's are between 80-200k miles now and suspension problems have been very few and far between on the board. Most of the 100 guys that went from stock to OME don't regret it, plenty of good feedback to be found on that. No one (has posted about it anyway) has taken off the AHC suspension yet and gone OME so far so there won't be much feedback but that says something in itself I guess.

I had reservations because I wanted a cruiser that said cruiser on it too but I never catch any crap for having the LX. I may catch some crap for having a Lexus on swampers but hey, I deserve that. The fun part about having a 100 is catching people off guard on the trails, that's just amplified with a Lexus.

You can't go wrong with either. The older you go, the more money for mods!!!!

 

[e9999]

welcome to the forum!
good choice!

 

[stewbo]

Welcome!

 

[SINCITY100]

Welcome aboard !!

If you do decide on a 100/LX...you wont be dissapointed !

 

[jmarlo]

I'm a new (02) LX owner. The thing I dislike most about it is that it says "Lexus" on it. Other than that, I am very happy with it. Its surprisingly smooth, quiet, and has been very adequate in the snow/dirt bone stock. The hydraulic suspension works great, and I was sceptical having had the air suspension on a Range Rover. Its a good size, carries lots of stuff and people, and easily tows my boat. Overall, I am very happy with it. Although I have owned it 1 month, I have put on 3500+ miles, without problem. When I was looking, there were several reasonably priced LC on the market, and a few LX, at least here in car mecca, Southern Cal.

 

[macneill]

Welcome. Nice looking Jeep.

 

[tabraha]

Welcome. Nice looking Jeep.

That Rubi's got some good lookin' mods. The only mod that bugs me is the air vent coming out of the luggage rack. That's a bit much.

 

[cabron]

I know I shouldnt say this but that's a nice looking J%^P. Welcome to the forum, you wont be dissapointed with a Cruiser

 

[subspd]

Welcome, I am a former Jeep/Range owner as well and have never for one minute looked back, best choice for all the way around is a 100.

 

[Gray Matter]

That Rubi's got some good lookin' mods. The only mod that bugs me is the air vent coming out of the luggage rack. That's a bit much.

Air vent????



Thanks for the welcome. Chatting with the wife last night. I think a 2003+ is the way to go. The LX, even used, seems to be about 7 grand more for comparable years and mileage.

 

[Greg B]

Air vent????



Thanks for the welcome. Chatting with the wife last night. I think a 2003+ is the way to go. The LX, even used, seems to be about 7 grand more for comparable years and mileage.

Look at the Rubi pic. There is a silver vent coming out of the top of the roll cage.

Oh yeah, welcome!

 

[Greg B]

Welcome, I am a former Jeep/Range owner as well and have never for one minute looked back, best choice for all the way around is a 100.

I too have been very happy with my 100.

I had a 93 Wrangler for about five years. I had to grow up and get a real suv. Clients weren't amused when I pulled up in Wrangler (6" SOA lift, 33's, ARB bumper, etc., etc.)

Then I bought a new Discovery Series 2 in 99. It had quite a few problems with it, but it did well off-road. I really loved the look and the feel of the Disco 2 but the reliability was piss-poor.

Then I bought a 96 Discovery XD which I built up into a pretty competent off-roader. But the on-road performance was marginal at best. And man did it leak! There was nothing on that drivetrain that wasn't covered in some kind of oil or lubricant.

Then I decided on the 100. It gave me everything I was looking for. I swore I would never own an IFS vehicle. But, after reading here and seeing what the 100 was capable of, it made my decision easy. I bought a low mileage 01 and have been very happy thus far.

Part of my decision was based on a second child on the way. Part of it was that I'm getting older and want some of the comfort options that weren't on my previous rigs. And part of it was that I wanted an SUV that was suited for many different tasks including off-roading, occasional towing, family vacations, camping, hunting, etc.

The only issues I have had are tied to the stereo. I have a bad amp that needs to be replaced and the power antenna died this week. Other than that, it has be very reliable, no leaks, and has done everything I have asked of it so far.

I would recommend a 100 highly and think it does everything well. Good luck finding the one you want.

 

[Gray Matter]

Look at the Rubi pic. There is a silver vent coming out of the top of the roll cage.

Oh yeah, welcome!

That's my wind speed velocity meter

 

[Dirk Diggler]

GM,

100's are awesome! I just bought an '04 with 16K on the odometer. It makes my 80 feel like a hard top jeep (which is a good thing I guess).

The 100 is extremely refined, but at the same time, it still feels like a capable off road vehicle.

Buy the 100. I drove several LX's and do not think they are worth the extra money for what you intend to do with the vehicle.

PS- Your jeep looks good. I hope you get to keep it.

 

[cabron]

"That Rubi's got some good lookin' mods. The only mod that bugs me is the air vent coming out of the luggage rack. That's a bit much. "



lmao...

 

[JJ_SC]

Get the 100! You'll love it. We always talked ourselves out of one because they were so expensive. But you get what you pay for. The LR3 we had was awesome as far as engineering and style, but the suspension went out the first time I went off road. Just get the 100 and be happy!

I also hope you get to keep that Jeep! Looks great.

JJ

 

[white_lx]

Welcome on board.

I'm a rookie and purchased an '00 LX470 with ~50k miles last summer. I bought an LX because the LC is not sold in Canada (why?...).

It sure means a lot when your vehicle has the famous words "Land Cruiser" written on it. However, the look on people's faces when you come around the corner on a trail with a big (gold, unfortunately) 'L' on the grill is priceless.

I prefer most Lexus dealerships over the Toyota dealerships. So, that is also an argument in favor of the Lexus. Mine came from a Lexus dealer, and even if it is a bit more $, it is worth it. This is a great vehicle, and I havn't regretted the purchase for a minute.