Non-daily and highway: 3-FE or 1FZ-FE?

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bikemaniac

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Feb 3, 2010
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Copenhagen, Denmark
Hi,

I consider buying a Land Cruiser with either the 3-FE or 1FZ-FE engine.

My uses:

1. Max 5000 miles pr year - primarily flat terrain and no mountains.
2. No off-road and mud - only paved highway
3. Possibility to tow 7000 pounds
4. Will not be used on a daily basis. Will likely stand for month(s) without use
5. Possibility to reduce RPMs by changing diff ratio and 5th gear ratio to improve fuel consumption when in use.
6. No need to race: 75 mph is plenty.
7. As robust and maintenance free as possible. Should last 20 years. Within those 20 years the combined mileage will be 100000 miles - which is low. Worry free and no weird oil leaks etc.
8. Only manual transmission - no automatic.

Which engine do you recommend and why?

Lucas
 
You are not being realistic.
You don't want ANY 80 Series towing 7K pounds. That's 2K pounds over capacity.
You're asking for a 30+ year old vehicle to last another 20 years with minimal maintenance?
C'mon now.
 
jonheld said:
You are not being realistic.
You don't want ANY 80 Series towing 7K pounds. That's 2K pounds over capacity.
You're asking for a 30+ year old vehicle to last another 20 years with minimal maintenance?
C'mon now.
Click to expand...
Yeah, pretty much what I thought. Anything like hoses and seals will deteriate based more on time and heat than miles.
Best bet is to rent (or borrow) a vehicle with the rating required for your towing situation.
Heck, in 20 years?
Like it or not; with AI's rate of progress...
Insurance companies and the government will force us into self driving vehicles. Assuming, AI hasn't destroyed the planet already.
:steer:
Have a nice day
 
bikemaniac said:
Hi,

I consider buying a Land Cruiser with either the 3-FE or 1FZ-FE engine.

My uses:

1. Max 5000 miles pr year - primarily flat terrain and no mountains.
2. No off-road and mud - only paved highway
3. Possibility to tow 7000 pounds
4. Will not be used on a daily basis. Will likely stand for month(s) without use
5. Possibility to reduce RPMs by changing diff ratio and 5th gear ratio to improve fuel consumption when in use.
6. No need to race: 75 mph is plenty.
7. As robust and maintenance free as possible. Should last 20 years. Within those 20 years the combined mileage will be 100000 miles - which is low. Worry free and no weird oil leaks etc.
8. Only manual transmission - no automatic.

Which engine do you recommend and why?

Lucas
Click to expand...
7k lbs is too much
you'll probably have some weird oil leaks and other issues in 20years with either motor even if you start out with a brand new engine build.

To answer your question 1fz all the way, it has more power, it would 5k lbs at a slow speed, parts availability in the next 20 years should be better. It will get up to 75 eventually. I've never taken a 3fe up that that speed, not sure if it will get there or not.
 
TheBussman said:
parts availability in the next 20 years should be better
Click to expand...
Better than what? Parts are getting difficult to source for the 1FZ-FE now. What do you think it will be like in another 5 or 10 years??
OGBeno

Thread 'The Ultimate 80 Series Parts Discontinued Thread'

I figured it was time to start this thread since there are threads like this in the older Land Cruiser series iterations.

While the other threads reflect parts that are still available, I would like this thread to reflect parts that are no longer available from Toyota in the North American market (which means that folks like CDan, Sam Stewart and myself cannot get them).

This is not to say they are not available in other markets through Toyota pipelines or consolidators like www.amayama.com or MUD members "Akella" or David Stedman (Japan4x4)... Or that they are not available...
  • Like
 
jonheld said:
Better than what? Parts are getting difficult to source for the 1FZ-FE now. What do you think it will be like in another 5 or 10 years??
OGBeno

Thread 'The Ultimate 80 Series Parts Discontinued Thread'

I figured it was time to start this thread since there are threads like this in the older Land Cruiser series iterations.

While the other threads reflect parts that are still available, I would like this thread to reflect parts that are no longer available from Toyota in the North American market (which means that folks like CDan, Sam Stewart and myself cannot get them).

This is not to say they are not available in other markets through Toyota pipelines or consolidators like www.amayama.com or MUD members "Akella" or David Stedman (Japan4x4)... Or that they are not available...
  • Like
Click to expand...
better then 3fe, never said that the 1fz has good availability.
 
Yea...a hard no. Unrealistic.

An 80 series isn't what you want. It is expensive to maintain, with poor fuel consumption, and parts availability is getting harder each year.

If you were in the USA, I would advise an old 2WD Ford pickup with the 300CI straight six with a manual transmission. Dead simple and tough. A Ford with that engine won the Baja 1000 three times.

In europe, I would look for a mechanical diesel vehicle with a manual transmission with 10,000 lbs towing capacity... a van maybe? You want more tow capacity than what you actually need. Safety Margin.
 
NeverFinis said:
Yea...a hard no. Unrealistic.

An 80 series isn't what you want. It is expensive to maintain, with poor fuel consumption, and parts availability is getting harder each year.

If you were in the USA, I would advise an old 2WD Ford pickup with the 300CI straight six with a manual transmission. Dead simple and tough. A Ford with that engine won the Baja 1000 three times.

In europe, I would look for a mechanical diesel vehicle with a manual transmission with 10,000 lbs towing capacity... a van maybe? You want more tow capacity than what you actually need. Safety Margin.
Click to expand...
Lots of good points here, there is probably a better vehicle for the OP. But don't forget what we do have: Factory parts support. How many genuine ford parts can you buy for that 300CI? Let alone the truck itself? 3? maybe? yes the aftermarket is much better but that has it's own issues at times. I do wish we had less discontinued parts but it's still better then many other brands. The big 3 regularly discontinue many parts before reaching 10 years old.
 
bikemaniac said:
Hi,

I consider buying a Land Cruiser with either the 3-FE or 1FZ-FE engine.

My uses:

1. Max 5000 miles pr year - primarily flat terrain and no mountains.
2. No off-road and mud - only paved highway
3. Possibility to tow 7000 pounds
4. Will not be used on a daily basis. Will likely stand for month(s) without use
5. Possibility to reduce RPMs by changing diff ratio and 5th gear ratio to improve fuel consumption when in use.
6. No need to race: 75 mph is plenty.
7. As robust and maintenance free as possible. Should last 20 years. Within those 20 years the combined mileage will be 100000 miles - which is low. Worry free and no weird oil leaks etc.
8. Only manual transmission - no automatic.

Which engine do you recommend and why?

Lucas
Click to expand...
It’s interesting you’re considering an 80 series Land Cruiser for the uses that you have posted. The newer 100, 200 or 300 series would be a much better choice if you want to go Land Cruiser. They’re more comfortable on paved roads and have a V-8 engine which would hold up better for towing. But the 7K towing use would be a stretch, even for a later model, Land Cruiser. Also, might be tough to find a later model with a manual transmission.
 
If you are focused on an 80 series LC, petrol with manual transmission (point 8) your only choice are Middle eastern imports.

Apart from the even worse fuel mileage than the US models you may have troubles registering such a vehicle in the EU.
 
80t0ylc said:
It’s interesting you’re considering an 80 series Land Cruiser for the uses that you have posted. The newer 100, 200 or 300 series would be a much better choice if you want to go Land Cruiser. They’re more comfortable on paved roads and have a V-8 engine which would hold up better for towing. But the 7K towing use would be a stretch, even for a later model, Land Cruiser. Also, might be tough to find a later model with a manual transmission.
Click to expand...

I need to clarify a few things:

1. Towing capacity 7000 pounds. I know these vehicles are officially rated for 7000 pounds=3500kg from a technical point of view. Towing 7000 pounds would be a stretch in real life but at least the police can't fine you. It is more likely that I will tow 4000 pounds on a "daily" basis.
2. 75 mph. By 75 mph I mean highway without towing. Here in Europe max speed when towing is 50 mph - you get fined heavily if you exceed that even on multilane freeways/highways. So by 75 mph I mean comfortable cruising speed without a trailer and without much noise.
3. Newer 100, 200, 300. Due to the annual road tax system in my country, 100, 200 and 300 are horrendously expensive. If a vehicle is older than 30-35 years, the annual road tax drops significantly. Moreover, diesels are even worse with road tax. This is why an old gasoline is ideal, since the road tax is low and my annual mileage is low. Example: a 100 with a diesel engine would be something like 3000-4000 USD road tax pr year.
 
bikemaniac said:
I need to clarify a few things:

1. Towing capacity 7000 pounds. I know these vehicles are officially rated for 7000 pounds=3500kg from a technical point of view. Towing 7000 pounds would be a stretch in real life but at least the police can't fine you. It is more likely that I will tow 4000 pounds on a "daily" basis.
2. 75 mph. By 75 mph I mean highway without towing. Here in Europe max speed when towing is 50 mph - you get fined heavily if you exceed that even on multilane freeways/highways. So by 75 mph I mean comfortable cruising speed without a trailer and without much noise.
3. Newer 100, 200, 300. Due to the annual road tax system in my country, 100, 200 and 300 are horrendously expensive. If a vehicle is older than 30-35 years, the annual road tax drops significantly. Moreover, diesels are even worse with road tax. This is why an old gasoline is ideal, since the road tax is low and my annual mileage is low. Example: a 100 with a diesel engine would be something like 3000-4000 USD road tax pr year.
Click to expand...
Nissan Patrol since there are a lot more in EU than you can find Land Cruisers. Therefore parts availability is high.
There are companies offering BMW diesel conversion for those Patrols too.
 
bikemaniac said:
Hi,

I consider buying a Land Cruiser with either the 3-FE or 1FZ-FE engine.

My uses:

1. Max 5000 miles pr year - primarily flat terrain and no mountains.
2. No off-road and mud - only paved highway
3. Possibility to tow 7000 pounds
4. Will not be used on a daily basis. Will likely stand for month(s) without use
5. Possibility to reduce RPMs by changing diff ratio and 5th gear ratio to improve fuel consumption when in use.
6. No need to race: 75 mph is plenty.
7. As robust and maintenance free as possible. Should last 20 years. Within those 20 years the combined mileage will be 100000 miles - which is low. Worry free and no weird oil leaks etc.
8. Only manual transmission - no automatic.

Which engine do you recommend and why?

Lucas
Click to expand...
#2 screams Suburban or Excursion or a Sequoia if it must be Toyota.
 
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