R&T Article - The Toyota Land Cruiser Has Lost Its Place

[absolvo]

Interesting reading.

The Toyota Land Cruiser Has Lost Its Place

The Land Cruiser has wandered the Earth for six decades. Where will it go next?

www.roadandtrack.com

 

[RubiconHeritage]

Interesting read but... Eh. It sounds like the two things that got him stuck 5 mins in was the fact that he forgot to turn off all the safety features (AKA prepare, just as modern supercars do on the track) and less than sufficient tires, which almost every 4wd comes with as well. This is literally (see what I did there?) the only article Ive read that implies the 4wd system doesn't work as well as he thought it would. All other consider it unstoppable. He even stated later throughout the article that it had zero drama on the trail.

Is it more bloated? Yes. Is every other model/segment? Yes. Mainly for mandated safety equipment that magazines like this peer pressure for vehicles to have.

 

[TeCKis300]

Agreed. I'm meh about the article as well. The LC was never meant for your mainstream owner or enthusiast. It's a top of the line product which by definition caters to a niche audience. A discerning owner who is willing to pay for nothing but the best. It sets its own standard and castes a halo on the rest of the model line-up (though I wish Toyota would leverage it's existence more!). It's not meant to chase whims or fads in the market. Leave that to the mainstream stuff.

It also owns a market segment that is little contested (perhaps only by the G-wagon, yet that thing is not full size and waaay more expensive). Not touched by Bronco, Jeep, mainstream unibody SUVs. It's a full size HD workhorse that just happens to also be accomplished at what those other vehicles can do. It's expanded breadth and capacities beyond individual models in those segments.

 

[CharlieS]

It all seems pretty fair to me. I don't love the land cruiser any less, but I think it is a reasonably balanced article.

 

[toyotaspeed90]

I have no idea where he thought a 1990 would inflate to $41,000 today.

My 1993 triple locked had the original sales price from 1993 at, I believe, $43,000, which inflates to $76,000 (I also know they happened to trade in a rare AE95 Corolla Allteac Wagon.... random, I know).

 

[RubiconHeritage]

I have no idea where he thought a 1990 would inflate to $41,000 today.

My 1993 triple locked had the original sales price from 1993 at, I believe, $43,000, which inflates to $76,000 (I also know they happened to trade in a rare AE95 Corolla Allteac Wagon.... random, I know).

Those numbers dont appear that far off... Per the googles, the current inflation rate is about 104%. Google also says a new 1990 LC cost 20k. So 41k for inflation seems about right in regards to his article. While I cant speak to the accuracy of that price, I do remember my dad buying a new 1991 Jeep YJ that was completely barebones for 15k.

 

[mcgaskins]

I have no idea where he thought a 1990 would inflate to $41,000 today.

My 1993 triple locked had the original sales price from 1993 at, I believe, $43,000, which inflates to $76,000 (I also know they happened to trade in a rare AE95 Corolla Allteac Wagon.... random, I know).

Those numbers dont appear that far off... Per the googles, the current inflation rate is about 104%. Google also says a new 1990 LC cost 20k. So 41k for inflation seems about right in regards to his article. While I cant speak to the accuracy of that price, I do remember my dad buying a new 1991 Jeep YJ that was completely barebones for 15k.

I think the issue is the author was using the 62 instead of the 80 numbers. I remember first hand seeing sticker prices on locked 80s in the high $40k range back in the early 90s, and that is a better comparison to the 200 IMO. If you compare 80 prices to 200 prices adjusted for inflation, they line up perfectly.

I think the author struggled because he doesn't seem to be an experienced off road driver. I agree the OEM tires are junk especially for going off road with any kind of mud, but other than that it was more experience/skill not a lack of ability on the 200's part. I hear they wheel great on Metal Masher with a nice set of Nittos and not much else...

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

I think the issue is the author was using the 62 instead of the 80 numbers. I remember first hand seeing sticker prices on locked 80s in the high $40k range back in the early 90s, and that is a better comparison to the 200 IMO. If you compare 80 prices to 200 prices adjusted for inflation, they line up perfectly.

I think the author struggled because he doesn't seem to be an experienced off road driver. I agree the OEM tires are junk especially for going off road with any kind of mud, but other than that it was more experience/skill not a lack of ability on the 200's part. I hear they wheel great on Metal Masher with a nice set of Nittos and not much else...

Still love seeing this photo of temp tag wheeling...damn near straight from the dealership

 

[toyotaspeed90]

I think the purpose of choosing 1990 was to exacerbate their point, somewhat incorrectly.

The FJ62 is an odd duck (and yeah, I had a 1988) and so kind of are the 1991-1992 FJ80s. The motor was changed in 1988 to the 3FE (first year of EFI) and the option for a manual was gone. However the truck body was designed in, I believe, 1982. The trans is strong but sluggish and it feels wrong as an automatic. It is very utilitarian with odd add ons of electric windows with zero attempt to flush the switches into the door panel -just attached on top - for example. The 91 and 92 share the same transmission and engine - the updated 1fz was added in 1993. The 91/92 were similar in the utilitarian feel but things changed in 1993. Where they took the utilitarian and made it more comfortable and added the options of lockers.

 

[coleAK]

I have no idea where he thought a 1990 would inflate to $41,000 today.

My 1993 triple locked had the original sales price from 1993 at, I believe, $43,000, which inflates to $76,000 (I also know they happened to trade in a rare AE95 Corolla Allteac Wagon.... random, I know).

I remember paying $35k for my 1993 80 in 1995. As I remember new at that time was mid to upper $40k’s.