Question about high-mileage 100’s and their reliability (2 Viewers)

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mrq

Joined
Jul 17, 2016
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Location
Portland, OR / SW WA
Hi, all!

I am looking into buying a UZJ100 to replace my ‘94 FZJ80 as my daily driver. (Keeping the 80 – the 100 will be an addition).

My price range in in the $10-$11k range. Most Cruisers in this price range that I’ve seen here in the PNW on Craigslist have about 210-250k miles on them.

My mother drives a ‘06 Cruiser that I did plan to buy from her once she upgrades to a 200... But it’s looking like she’s going to keep it for a while longer & I’m really wanting to replace my 80 DD with a newer more comfortable DD.

My question is – is that TOO many miles? The V8 is a super reliable motor, correct? I’ve heard that these motors can get 500k out of them... but I wanted to hear from you guys and get your advice.

Is a ‘98-‘07 with over 200k miles still a good buy?

I know maintenance history is the most important thing with these higher mileage Cruisers. I’m imagining that the timing belt is one of the bigger repairs to do on 100 with over 200k miles...

Thanks in advance for the input/advice!

Pic for attention (my 80 and my mother’s 100).

FF694954-0F91-45EA-89FB-69F80ED46D8D.jpeg
 
Uhhh. Yes. One of the very few vehicles on the planet that can still be tight as a Swiss drum watch with 300k miles. If not abused, Hundys don’t age, they marinate.
 
Uhhh. Yes. One of the very few vehicles on the planet that can still be tight as a Swiss drum watch with 300k miles. If not abused, Hundys don’t age, they marinate.
And percolate, and masturb ...
 
Engine will be fine at those mileage, but you gotta look out for the driveline components and seals, etc.
 
I just did a compression check on my engine when I hit 300k miles while doing the third timing belt change. All 8 cylinders were above spec pressure. I would have that done just to give you peace of mind that the engine hasn't been over heated or damaged some other way. Other than than, it's just wear out components that will get sloppy over time and need to be replaced to keep everything tight. I'm on my 3rd steering rack, for example. I've replaced all suspension components just to keep it tight for another 100-200k miles. I replace rubber hoses under the hood as I find cracks/damage, nothing that would stop the vehicle in its tracks though, just general maintenance. I wouldn't hesitate to pick one up with high mileage as long as it was cared for and had a healthy engine.
 
There’s more than one reason why I would much rather find a 200k miler than a 100k miler.
 
How do you define reliable? How comfortable are you with things not working like they did from the factory?

I trust that my 2001 will get my kids to daycare as long as the ignition, brakes, 3 cylinders(one opposing), and fuel system are running. I trust my brand new Edge to get me quietly across the country, but the turbo-charged direct-injection cylinders with computer controlled power distribution may not get me out of the driveway.

It’s like the “Top Gear” Toyota truck skit, you wouldn’t want to drive that truck, but it will drive you. AHC may crap the bed, and I can fix it later.
 
As everyone else has said, 200k isn't a problem so long as maintenance has been performed.
Mine is about to roll 300k and PO had done some work but neglected things like all the rubber on the top of the engine, so I have to spend $40 in hoses and a few hours to make up for it. It hammers along nicely though. It's all about how much you want to put into it- $$ to pay someone else to do it, or time and less $$ to do it yourself.
Go for it !
 
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As everyone said, maintenance is key as something with very little miles could have been absolutely abused where as something with 250k+ could run like a top.

Expand your search, look at potentially flying somewhere and driving (road trip style) back with your new truck. If you find something in another state hit up the local clubhouse to see if you can have someone look at it in person for you. I have personally done this with multiple cruisers for guys that were out of state. Only asking price is that if you show up to buy then you take said investigator our for a beer, wings and cruiser talk.

Don't forget to look through ALL TYPES of sales media... facebook marketplace (worth it to sign up for an account just for that), CL, Kijiji (since you are near the border), Cars.com, and all those. Use the search tool AUTOTEMPEST.com which searches multiple sites for what you are looking for.

And if you DO find one that you are close to purchasing... pay for a PPI. I didn't do this and ended up with a couple grand in fixes and stupid s*** because the PO had a shady shop do work.
 
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200k is no problem. Actually, I just put a bunch of money and time into mine that just passed 200k. Not for maintenance, for upgrades. Since I planned to drive another 200k it seemed reasonable. This thing has been 100% solid. Now, it will be for sale soon for other reasons (kinda kicking myself for the upgrades), but I'll be very sad to see her go. More reliable than a brand new, well, anything else.
 
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I believe the LC platform is still the longest lasting platform on the road.

What more is there to know?
 
Uhhh. Yes. One of the very few vehicles on the planet that can still be tight as a Swiss drum watch with 300k miles. If not abused, Hundys don’t age, they marinate.
I believe the LC platform is still the longest lasting platform on the road.

What more is there to know?
According to Consumer Reports, that remains true.
 
buy the maintenance schedule. i would rather buy a 300k cruiser with documented maintenance over a 100k cruiser with unknown history.

that being said, being able to do your own work is key to keeping costs down. mudd is an invaluable resource for diy baseline work.
 
We can't deny the 2UZ will last for many more miles, but let's face it 200k+ miles of spinning parts is bound to wear down external components like alternator, water pump, etc.

The general verdict on these forums is the motor will last but you need to check on previous maintenance history and items that wear over time like all your rubber....and of course rust

A lot of it comes down to the history of the vehicle, If I dumped as much maintenance money into my honda civic it would also probably last as long as my cruiser will.
 
I got my LX with 190000 miles on it last year and I've put 20 000 miles on it in the last year.
Here's what you need to understand; the drive-train is bullet proof, my LX470 got me to work every single day for a year, even when it had issues. On the weekends I went over-landing and made memories. Camped out of it, lived out of it, transported furniture and appliances in it. Overall, for the past year, I averaged about 60 miles a day, and there hasn't been one single day where I didn't drive my LX470.
But just because it worked every single day doesn't mean that it worked with no problems every single day. It always got me home, but there were issues.
And the worst issues were the ones caused by the previous owner neglecting the maintenance that was due. So, regardless of age and mileage, look into the maintenance of the vehicle. Maintenance is second only to rust when it comes to a 100, mileage is a very very distant third.
 
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My price range in in the $10-$11k range. Most Cruisers in this price range that I’ve seen here in the PNW on Craigslist have about 210-250k miles on them.

My question is – is that TOO many miles? The V8 is a super reliable motor, correct? I’ve heard that these motors can get 500k out of them... but I wanted to hear from you guys and get your advice.

Is a ‘98-‘07 with over 200k miles still a good buy?

I know maintenance history is the most important thing with these higher mileage Cruisers. I’m imagining that the timing belt is one of the bigger repairs to do on 100 with over 200k miles...
That's too many miles and it's a terrible buy if the truck has not been well maintained, but it's probably only 1/2 way through it's useful life and it's a good buy if it's been well maintained.

Poke around here and read about "baselining" - the term used to take a roughly 200K mile LC that needs some work or has an unknown maintenance history and replace many of the important items that have already gone 200K miles but might not make the next 100K. What needs to be done varies widely with how the POs maintained the car, but would typically revolve around timing belts, cooling systems, suspension bushings, coil packs, starters, alternators, etc.

The engine block, frame, etc on these can last a very long time, but eventually all those accessory parts and hoses attached do wear down and need to be replaced to keep the car reliable. You can focus on cost efficiency and wait for things to either break or show obvious signs of pending failure and limit preventative maintenance to things associated with that repair, or you can focus on reliability and prioritize which systems are most likely to cause a failure and start preventatively improving vulnerable systems.
 
Block, body, frame, trans and drivetrain last a long time. However everything else, start to go at around 150k-200k. If you don't know how to DIY or aren't doing the labour yourself, the 100 series is a very expensive proposition.

Are they reliable? Yes
Does that mean its cheap to own? Hell no
Does that mean it doesn't need more than average amount of servicing? No
 

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