New member wanting to buy LC for my 16 year old son

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E

emanting

Joined
May 24, 2016
Threads
67
Messages
236
Location
Lake Orion MI
Hello,

New member here. I live outside of Detroit area and want to get a LC for my 16 year old son. Like the tank- like quality and reputation of the LC.

Searched the forum and seems like the 2003 might be a good model year to pursue as it has the 5 speed trans but doesn't have some of the problems listed with the 2004 -2007 model years. Am I on the right track? How big of a difference is the 4 speed to the 5 speed trans? I have been trying to find a couple to drive in the area, but not a lot of them for sale. I have a feeling my purchase will be a long distance one and I don't mind as I would prefer a non-salt area to make a purchase.

Thanks, Eric
 
I wouldn't put too much into the 4 vs 5 speed. I'd find the one with best service history and no rust and go with that one. Your son might prefer a 98-02 non nav model due to the fact you can upgrade and actually have a current nav system and audio player.
 
We went through the same analysis years ago with our now 28 year old daughter. We decided that the issue of speed and instability with the Land Cruiser combined with relative lack of judgment and experience (ie rolling the vehicle) mandated a different vehicle. We researched the most crashworthy smaller cars without the higher propensity to roll and ended up with a used 3 series BMW. As a support for our theory, I know of two friends whose children have rolled the family Land Cruiser over the last 2 years- speed combined with lack of experience in poor conditions. Both cruisers are still on the road, and there were no serious injuries, but things could easily been different.
My 2 cents!
 
pcut said:
We went through the same analysis years ago with our now 28 year old daughter. We decided that the issue of speed and instability with the Land Cruiser combined with relative lack of judgment and experience (ie rolling the vehicle) mandated a different vehicle. We researched the most crashworthy smaller cars without the higher propensity to roll and ended up with a used 3 series BMW. As a support for our theory, I know of two friends whose children have rolled the family Land Cruiser over the last 2 years- speed combined with lack of experience in poor conditions. Both cruisers are still on the road, and there were no serious injuries, but things could easily been different.
My 2 cents!
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I have to agree with this. If you want a tank and reliability, buy a Volvo 940 or 960. If you want a reliable car that won't kill your son, and make it harder for him to kill others, buy something half the Landcruiser size and weight. I forget the name of the theory, but there is scientific evidence that the perception of relative safety in a "tank" will invite more unsafe behavior and/or overcompensation by doing unsafe things.

I would not suggest a BMW (I have had 4) because rear wheel drives are notoriously more difficult to drive under slippery conditions, especially for the inexperienced driver that likes to show off for his friends or overjudge his ability to carry speed through a turn/corner. 4WD's are a different story.

I wouldn't go so far as to say the LandCruiser rolls easily, but surely there are better options out there for a 16 year old than a LandCruiser. I don't know what is considered cool over there for 16-year olds, (different culture here in the EU) but surely there is a balance to be found between safety and reliability and coolness. I don't know pricing or availability over there, but the BMW X5, early editions and with the inline 6 are very good and reliable. Avoid the 8cylinders. The first series is basically a raised E39, arguably the best platform (along with E46) that BMW ever built. An E46 330xi is a great car, but probably hard to find over there.

For the rest: the 5spd transmission on post-2003 Cruisers is way better than the 4spd, in terms of comfort, MPG, etc.
 
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The same could be said about pickup trucks. So many 16 yo in the south get full size pickups or tahoes...... And those are just as heavy / rollover prone.


I don't think it's a bad first car! Hell a 100 is my dream DD. Maybe it will teach responsibility, he will want to learn to wrench on his rig, work for $ for upgrades etc
 
We did go the Land Cruiser route with my son. We narrowed our search to the 2000-2002 (non-nav) model years. Our logic was that the 2000+ was new enough to have Atrac and VSC, but pre-2003 was old enough to be able to upgrade the stereo with an aftermarket system.

I wouldn't worry too much about 4spd vs 5 spd for a teen driver.

When we were looking, we found a whole lot more LX470s available than LC100s, we did end up with a LC100, but you may want to open up your search to include the LX470s.
 
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I would also expand that search to 3rd gen 4Runners. I got mine when I was 19 and still have it 10 years later. Excellent vehicle and pretty cheap to build up easily. Plenty of space, power, and fun without being dangerous.

The 100 is alot of vehicle for a kid. I think the 4Runner would fit the lifestyle a little more. I grew up and bought an LX with a more comfortable seat for my bad back!
 
Not much to add to what has already been said; we all know the Land Cruisers are great vehicles. However, maintenance IS higher (especially the older you go) than a Honda Civic of the same year model. More moving parts to keep up with. For someone with an established income, this isn't much of a problem. For someone looking to go off to college in the vehicle, the cost of a steering rack can buy a bunch of books.

Also, from the college perspective, a Cruiser will eat that kid alive in gas money. If you are looking for a decent compromise, check out a 4.0L 4Runner. Better fuel economy, and no timing belt to change. The simpler and cheaper to feed the better. Really a RAV4 or a Corolla would be a better first vehicle, but it doesn't have that "cool factor" either. Just my $0.02 from someone in their 20's.
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone. I understand the LC is a big car for a 16 year old, but my son has been driving my 2007 Yukon XL for most of his training. And, I really want some good sheet metal around him. Feddomw, I appreciate your comment about getting a vehicle half the LC's size and weight, but with a good portion of the vehicles on the road these days truck or SUV, I think mass would win in an accident. It is my hope that my sons behavior on the road will be one of safety and respect...I'm more concerned about the other guy.

I am curious about the statement that the LC's can roll over easily. Does that mean they are more likely to roll over than most other SUV's?

Thanks for the idea of the 4Runner, too. Unfortunately, I had a family member who had one, got in an accident, and she sustained a lot of injuries. Didn't give me a lot of confidence in that truck.
 
WingNutLG said:
Not much to add to what has already been said; we all know the Land Cruisers are great vehicles. However, maintenance IS higher (especially the older you go) than a Honda Civic of the same year model. More moving parts to keep up with. For someone with an established income, this isn't much of a problem. For someone looking to go off to college in the vehicle, the cost of a steering rack can buy a bunch of books.

Also, from the college perspective, a Cruiser will eat that kid alive in gas money. If you are looking for a decent compromise, check out a 4.0L 4Runner. Better fuel economy, and no timing belt to change. The simpler and cheaper to feed the better. Really a RAV4 or a Corolla would be a better first vehicle, but it doesn't have that "cool factor" either. Just my $0.02 from someone in their 20's.
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Thanks, Wing nut. I a not concerned that much about the maintenance and fuel costs at this point...safety trumps that for me.
 
emanting said:
Thanks for the replies, everyone. I understand the LC is a big car for a 16 year old, but my son has been driving my 2007 Yukon XL for most of his training. And, I really want some good sheet metal around him. Feddomw, I appreciate your comment about getting a vehicle half the LC's size and weight, but with a good portion of the vehicles on the road these days truck or SUV, I think mass would win in an accident. It is my hope that my sons behavior on the road will be one of safety and respect...I'm more concerned about the other guy.

I am curious about the statement that the LC's can roll over easily. Does that mean they are more likely to roll over than most other SUV's?

Thanks for the idea of the 4Runner, too. Unfortunately, I had a family member who had one, got in an accident, and she sustained a lot of injuries. Didn't give me a lot of confidence in that truck.
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Since safety seems to be your number one concern, I'd definitely go for a 100 with skid control (VSC) and as many airbags as you can get (not sure what year got the curtain bags). The buyers guide on slee offroad website will probably outline a lot of features you might be interested in.

100 series doesn't have any propensity to roll over more than any other big SUV or truck.
 
I have two teenage children now and they are both driving 100 series. My son (now 18yrs old) got my '99 100 when he was turning 16 and I got a '98 100 for my daughter last year when she turned 16. The '99 has 265k miles and runs like a top. It does have the ARB bumper and is slow as a pig. I justified some of this in that even if they bang them up a little bit, they will still be worth something in resale when it comes time for them to be replaced. So far so good with them both and I do feel better knowing that they are in reliable tanks.

On a side note, I missed the '99 so much that I am ending a BMW 328 GT lease early and just got a 2013 200 with 41k miles. Love it. I think LC's are the best all around vehicles on the road when factoring in depreciation, comfort and reliability.
 
WingNutLG said:
Man I wish I had parents like you when I was 16 :cheers:
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x2. No way my parents were going to get me something that stickered @ over $50k.

I had an old Volvo 245 that I beat the piss out of, and it took it all. Just like the jalopnik article, it was big, slow, safe, reliable. The rear seat did fold down, but I did not know any girls named Brianna in HS... :smokin:
 
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PabloCruise said:
I had an old Volvo 245 that I beat the piss out of, and it took it all. Just like the jalopnik article, it was big, slow, safe, reliable. The rear seat did fold down, but I did not know any girls named Brianna in HS... :smokin:
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Hence my suggestion for the Volvo 960 or 940. Design spec was that with the seats folded down you had to be able to fit 200cm length and close the hatch. Just to be clear, that is Euro standard spec mattress length.....
 
WingNutLG said:
Man I wish I had parents like you when I was 16 :cheers:
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For real! My parents made me buy my own vehicle, but I somehow sold them on a 1967 VW Bug - now THAT is a deathtrap and a lemon!

I think a 100 will be fine for a 16yr old. Lucky kid, I had to wait an extra 10 years before I got mine. Is he paying for his own gas and insurance??? Rollovers wouldn't really worry me in a 100, but in a 4runner yes - just as tall with narrower width and they're more "peppy".

My wife's a HS teacher, so we've seen all sorts of problems with teen drivers. As safe as a big SUV sounds, I'd be wary of the fact that it's capable of hauling 8 passengers. Wife had a group of like 8 students pile up in one of their SUVs after school one day and lets just say that graduating class was smaller that year.

My kid's getting put in a single cab Tacoma - it's got airbags for safety, a 5spd to actually learn how to drive, gets good gas mileage and low insurance, and he can't be the taxi with limited seats.
 
When I turned 16 my dad told me he was going to buy me a car. I was SUPER excited about that thought. My parents, sister, and I piled into the family station wagon and headed into town. I could not wait to see what was available at the local dealer. We drove right past the only dealer in town. My sister starting chuckling and I knew at that moment I had been punked. We ended up at a local junkyard and my dad told me to pick out any car I wanted. WTF!!!! After a teenage tantrum, I decided to walk through the yard and see if there was actually something in there worth having. They had a small section of cars that still "ran". I found a 1966 Cadillac Couple Deville. Totally rusted out and a complete POS BUT I liked it. We picked it up for $1000. It was the heaviest and longest thing on the road. It was also the ugliest and most embarrassing thing on the road. I had to drive that POS to school every day with all the smoke and back firing that came with it. Damn leaded gas!! My dad and I actually restored the thing all through highschool and I drove it proudly in college but those early days were rough. I had fathers send me home when I came to pick up their daughters in my car. I wasn't sure if it was the smoke or the 6' rear bench seat that scared them off. I can say with multiple personal experiences that having a big heavy car for a teenager has a real positive side. I gently and not so gently bumped many of things and the "things" always lost. I was nice an safe inside that 21' 5,000lb. boat. Here is what it looked like in 1997 when I went off to college. I miss that car so much. That specific 66' actually got restored on the show Counting Cars last year. The antique dealer who bought it from me after college was in Vegas.

 
highonpottery said:
My kid's getting put in a single cab Tacoma - it's got airbags for safety, a 5spd to actually learn how to drive, gets good gas mileage and low insurance, and he can't be the taxi with limited seats.
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THIS^^^

My brother and I both drove the same regular cab Dodge pickup for the reason that our parents didn't want us to be driving a bunch of other kids around. More distractions, more peer pressure, etc.

That said, I think the 100 is not a bad first car, I've known plenty of people who handed them down to their kids after mama got done driving carpool with them, lol. An 80 would be a nice ride too.

Kids are gonna be kids, just have to teach them to take care of whatever they get.
 
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