Prado -vs- 70 Series LC

[FloridaFJ80]

I am going to be moving to colombia pretty soon and even though I cant take my 80 with me, I wanted to know what would be better? I love the 3 door prado, but when I lived in Colombia I had a 3 door "Machito" 70 Series LC. I loved the 4.5L engine. What engine options does the Colombian Prado Series have available? Also when compared to the 70 Series how does it stack up.?

Thanks in advance.

 

[80jay]

Olvidate del prado..... compra te el 50 aniversario machito de Venezuela!!!!!

 

[TEPUI]

Hi Frank,
Good luck in your move! Both trucks are great, but if you can get the 70 (machito) by all means do it.

 

[80jay]

This will help you make up your mind Frank.



http://youtube.com/watch?v=ROuU_muF_Ac

 

[FloridaFJ80]

Thanks for the advice,..... I will be getting a 70 Series no matter what....!! Wish i could find the 50th anniv. in colombia but its only in Vene.

 

[albertom]

Just passing along and saw this post... I might be a little biased since i have a 70 and live in Colombia but here are my views. The 4.5L engine in the new 70 series is AWSOME, if you can get it fuel injected its even better. The 3dr prados here come with the 2.7L which in my opinion is not that great. Considering you will be living in Bogota, 2600Meters above sea level, we need all the power we can get and a 3dr prado, from my point of view isnt really enough (plus u cant bolt on a supercharger like you can the 3.4l that comes in the 5dr).

Granted the prado's ride quality might be better than the 70 series (if you are looking at used ones with leaf springs all around) but with a little time you can add the OME suspension setup and you have one sweet ride. If you are looking for used cars, i would recommend you check out www.tucarro.com.co there's some interesting stuff and even though they feel like their cars are worth more, you can usually talk them down.

Good luck with your hunt, and hope you enjoy which ever one you pick!

 

[lowtideride]

We'll have to hit the trails before you leave....

 

[FloridaFJ80]

Thanks guys for all the wonderful information!!!

LOWTIDERIDE - I wanted to do your Ride up in Ocala but it seemed like everyone wanted to do it in July. Oh Well..... I guess next time

ALBERTOM - Hey glad to hear that you are in Bogota also, we should me up once I get there... I will be getting the 70 Series LC. I think in the long run its the better LC.

 

[FloridaFJ80]

check out this 70 for sale in colombia

http://www.tucarro.com.co/anuncios/carros/cqs-694.html

 

[TEPUI]

check out this 70 for sale in colombia

http://www.tucarro.com.co/anuncios/carros/cqs-694.html

Looks pretty beat IMO, I bet you can find one that's never been taken off road.

 

[FloridaFJ80]

Yeah I am just going to purchase a brand new 70 Series. It would be better than buying a used one. They are only 71,000,000 pesos which is about $35,000USD. This would be better than buying a vehicle with no history.

 

[albertom]

I'll have to agree with TEPUI.... i saw it a while back and they are having trouble selling it, lowered the price quite a bit. Depending on your price range, i would get a 73 (the blue one is a 71) made in Colombia (cheaper) with the fuel injected 4.5L engine...although the carb the 70's is awsome also. As far as that blue one, the components look to be cheap, you can bring stuff from the US and it wont be as expensive plus you get exactly was you want...

Let me know when you get here, PM me if you have any questions i might be able to answer. the other site for used cars is www.clasificar.com linked to the classified ads in El Tiempo, but not always has the price.

Good luck with the hunt, people here in colombia get pretty darn attached to their cars and sometimes dont want to see them go!

Albertom

 

[FloridaFJ80]

With the Carb engines in the mountains, are there any issues when compared to the Fuel Injected 4.5L???

 

[lowtideride]

Thanks guys for all the wonderful information!!!

LOWTIDERIDE - I wanted to do your Ride up in Ocala but it seemed like everyone wanted to do it in July. Oh Well..... I guess next time

ALBERTOM - Hey glad to hear that you are in Bogota also, we should me up once I get there... I will be getting the 70 Series LC. I think in the long run its the better LC.

Wish ya would have had your eyes on the NFC board we just had a trip last weekend that was a blast....

Might have another one soon...

-Alb

 

[albertom]

not really, except for a bit better fuel economy as well as better fuel delivery. Toyota carbs are pretty darn good... thats why they were only replaced till 1998 since the colombian government established some emissions regulations. The fuel injected ones are 15 or 20 horses more powerfull even though they are the same engine.... but other than that the carb'ed 4.5's are awsome and really reliable.

 

[Martin White]

Too bad our pricing is not even remotely inline with 35K USD for a brand new 70not that you can even buy one here at all. A new 4Runner up here with taxes etc. can run to 60K and the Lexus version of the cruiser is INSANELY priced.

 

[FloridaFJ80]

MARTIN WHITE - the price for this Colombian made 70 is pretty decent, but if you want a Japanese made 100 series you are looking to spend at a minimum $100,000 USD for a brand new one, when in the states they are about $66,000. When you start wanting imported vechicles the prices start to rise very steeply. A new FJ Cruiser in Colombia costs 75,000 USD.

ALBERTOM - Thanks for the clarification on the CARBed 4.5L, What year is your rig? Do you have any pics of it that you can share. Your avatar looks pretty sweet.!!

 

[FZJ80_YV]

Indiscutiblemente, la serie 70... es mucho mejor... Recuerda que es un carro con transmisiones, es serie Land Cruiser, tiene motor 4.5, entre muchas otras cosas...

 

[Martin White]

Ouch! Unless I win the lottery, 100K is so far out of my league it's in a different world. Thanks for the info. Double ouch!

 

[albertom]

Mine's a classic... ive had it maybe for 3 years now and have done a couple things to it but i want to keep it as fun as possible, not really my DD so i don't mind it being in the shop getting prepped or being slow jejeje. Like i said, its an FJ70, i think its an 88' from Japan not Colombia. Running the 3F engine which inst the greatest for performance but reliability is top notch.

First pic is in Villa de Leyva more than 2 years ago... second pic was last week after OME lift, 33x12.5 BFG MT's, Snorkel, Ragtop, new rims (crappy paint).

Not the best pics but you get the idea... As u can see, its a lot shorter than the 73 which i would recomend getting. My car has very limited trunk space....