Should I buy an 80, costs of ownership?

[bruja blanca]

Great thread indeed I'm averaging about $1.6K/week getting our new to us LX 450 up to speed and we are just getting started

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.411681622282160.1073741842.303361656447491&type=3

 

[OGBeno]

This thread needs a significant bump and a needs to be read by the many new folks owning 80's--especially the "like, oh my god, I own like a Land Cruiser dude!!!!" folks that are between the ages of 16-25 that now own 80 series rigs for whatever reason.

Please read and digest and understand.

The Shaman has placed forth very important information for the new folks to understand and comprehend.

I have received many, many phone calls from customers who are shocked to hear of prices on certain items in the 80 series parts catalog. I know CDan has as well.

Again, feeding an 80 series either in petrol or in parts is not for everyone. Please choose wisely your elixir and know the type of relationship you are entering when buying and maintaining a now 20+ year old flagship vehicle platform.

Regards.
-onur

Just to remind the new folks of the Shaman's wise, sage words:

Those of you who fall into the latter category did not buy a 10,000 dollar or 9,000 dollar or even a substantially cheaper vehicle. You bought a used vehicle that, in many cases, sold for close to 50 grand new.

The care and feeding of a top-end luxury vehicle DOES NOT depreciate like the vehicle does. Parts and labor costs only go up.

The only way to really be able to afford one is to enter into the relationship with eyes wide open and the commitment to learn to work on it and care for it yourself. Or, have the resources to pay somebody WHO KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS the vehicle to look after it on your behalf.

It should further be mentioned that to morph an 80 into what ammounts to the most capable production 4WD vehicle ever offered by any manufacturer will cost at least 6000 bucks, if you supply the sweat. This only takes into consideration the mods, not the PM's to get the vehicle up to speed.




That being said, my relationship with my 80 has been one of the most satisfying parts of my life.


D-

 

[Delancy]

Meh, D60s and 4BTs are cheap...

 

[OGBeno]

Meh, D60s and 4BTs are cheap...

Indeed they are.

As are the junkyards full of them.

 

[Hornd]

I'm 32 and always dreamed of owning a Cruiser after I owned a 4Runner as my first vehicle.
Truth told, I enjoy working on it as much as I like driving it. To understand how Toyota designed it to be so durable and capable is appreciated.

Your gonna need some disposable cash to keep these trucks in the shape they deserve (and to fill the tank)
Since this is my 3rd vehicle, time and money are on my side. I get to work on it and finance it at my leisure.

I'm meticulous about my maintenance and Toyota has served me well (on my 6th one, never owned another brand). When I was younger I did not have the money to have my cars worked on ,so I learned to wrench on them myself. Now I can afford, but it is such a joy to tear them apart and see how they are built. Even if I won the lotto I would never buy one new...I choose to let the car smell go for the price of the depreciation.

Now as to why they did not add decent cup holders, armrests, or make a storage area in tailgate, automatically add seat heaters with leather option... I'm still scratching my head.

This thread needs a significant bump and a needs to be read by the many new folks owning 80's--especially the "like, oh my god, I own like a Land Cruiser dude!!!!" folks that are between the ages of 16-25 that now own 80 series rigs for whatever reason.

Please read and digest and understand.

The Shaman has placed forth very important information for the new folks to understand and comprehend.

I have received many, many phone calls from customers who are shocked to hear of prices on certain items in the 80 series parts catalog. I know CDan has as well.

Again, feeding an 80 series either in petrol or in parts is not for everyone. Please choose wisely your elixir and know the type of relationship you are entering when buying and maintaining a now 20+ year old flagship vehicle platform.

Regards.
-onur

Just to remind the new folks of the Shaman's wise, sage words:

 

[ChaseTruck]

This thread needs a significant bump and a needs to be read by the many new folks owning 80's--...

Christ on a bike . It's a truck. It's not a philosophy, or a religion.

 

[Delancy]

It's not a philosophy, or a religion.

I'm one of the first Cruiser Krishnas converts, but we are headed to an airport in your hood.

At least you don't have much hair left to shave!

 

[OGBeno]

Christ on a bike . It's a truck. It's not a philosophy, or a religion.

To each their own.

 

[bulldog1402]

Had mine for 2 months now and PM and regular maintenance has run me $2,500. Not too bad for what I was expecting. Still a few things to go. All said and done I am thinking $3k.

Then I can tackle some of the mods I want.

Ownership is most certainly not for the weak of knees in terms of the wallet or someone who doesn't want to read an FSM and do their own work. I can't even imagine if I had the work done at a reputable shop.

I do remember my shock when cdan told me there were 3 reman toyota CDL actuators in the USA. Oh yeah and it would cost me $975. Luckily I sourced one from the scrapyard for $75 and it looks perfect and works perfect!

 

[scrowley]

When it comes down to it we 80 owners bought a used $50k+ truck. This means replacement costs will be much greater than a $25k new 4 runner or pickup. The parts for PM are more because they are twice the size and Mr. T's best technology of the time. Also there where only a limited number produced compared to the others. Overall, Yes it is kind of expensive owning a 80 comparable to others. But on the other hand these trucks are VERY strong, capable, and the most reliable Toyota SUV's made in the US. I LOVE my 80 !!

 

[FJ809496TLC]

It depends on the individual.Just do it gradually if you are in a tight budget. To me the cost of ownership is a little high but worth every penny.

 

[cabbey]

It's 1:30am and I'm awake because I am wrestling with the complicated idea of buying a new Tacoma or jumping off the ledge and buying an 80 series. I've read 250 posts, drove the a new Taco and a 20 year old LC and still not sure what to do. I love the look of the LC, but I'm no mechanic. The idea of dropping $32K on a 4 door 4WD truck that will last me many trouble free years is appealing, but parked next to the LC the Taco has no personality. Whatever I buy will be a commuter, occasional explorer and now that I'm 50 years old, something I enjoy driving. So really, if I drop $5k on 20 year old LC, should I expect to drop another $6K to get it where it's reliable? Thanks in advance

 

[bulldog1402]

Yes to answer your question simply.


You have to enjoy doing work on your truck or have enough money to pay someone else to do it.

That being said, there is only one thing I have done to my truck that "needed" to be done. My CDL actuator was seized and stuck locked. Everything else has been PM and baselining. It's a lot of work but rewarding.

You will find most are purists here and you will be purchasing OEM parts and spending money on them.

YMMV but if I didn't want to learn or get my hands dirty, I would have steered clear.

 

[bulldog1402]

Oh yeah...it's 445 and I am awake because this is my daytime. Stupid graveyard shift.

 

[kickboxr99]

It's 1:30am and I'm awake because I am wrestling with the complicated idea of buying a new Tacoma or jumping off the ledge and buying an 80 series. I've read 250 posts, drove the a new Taco and a 20 year old LC and still not sure what to do. I love the look of the LC, but I'm no mechanic. The idea of dropping $32K on a 4 door 4WD truck that will last me many trouble free years is appealing, but parked next to the LC the Taco has no personality. Whatever I buy will be a commuter, occasional explorer and now that I'm 50 years old, something I enjoy driving. So really, if I drop $5k on 20 year old LC, should I expect to drop another $6K to get it where it's reliable? Thanks in advance

FWIW I had a 2011 Tacoma 4WD four-door Sport that I bought new in 2011, and I now have an 80 series

The deciding factor on whether to keep my Tacoma, or sell it & buy an 80 series was solely due to what I'd enjoy driving more. Frankly the Tacoma (heck all other newer cars IMO) had very little "character" & was dull & boring. Sure it's all I could ever need out of an automobile, but the 80 series has always appealled to me, and I knew for sure I'd love it.

Yes, regardless of how well the prior owner maintained it there will be $x,xxx you will want to allocate for parts and perhaps labor (and ummmmm upgrades); however, there's a lot of value in driving what puts a smile on your face every time you approach it & hop in.

 

[gtfour43]

It's 1:30am and I'm awake because I am wrestling with the complicated idea of buying a new Tacoma or jumping off the ledge and buying an 80 series. I've read 250 posts, drove the a new Taco and a 20 year old LC and still not sure what to do. I love the look of the LC, but I'm no mechanic. The idea of dropping $32K on a 4 door 4WD truck that will last me many trouble free years is appealing, but parked next to the LC the Taco has no personality. Whatever I buy will be a commuter, occasional explorer and now that I'm 50 years old, something I enjoy driving. So really, if I drop $5k on 20 year old LC, should I expect to drop another $6K to get it where it's reliable? Thanks in advance

I'd say if your considering a new Tacoma over a 80 try taking a look at a 05/06 100 series too. Just as capable vehicle but better as a daily commuter and still new enough that you won't be worrying about what to fix next. GL

 

[PZLCruiser]

A very good thread for a newb to review before diving in. So here is my take on realistic ownership costs for a 17 year old truck which has not seen the most/proper love but enough to keep her rolling to make it to 200K+ and beyond.

Iv had this truck around the house for 10+ years and just the other year I fell in love with it. Glad im able to do much of the work all on my own because no way id be able to afford a mechanic for the volume of work needed to be done(to get it to where I like it). Critical part for me was saving on the labor and doing the work myself! More money for parts haha to get her as much of PM as possible was big for me.

So any ways... I got TLC fever due to trying to fix the PHH, found Mudd and here I am $2,500 and a year later lol. Poor ole post college boy making it happen...

Have a look at my TLC Tracker. Its done with Excel and much of the pricing is ball park if not to the nearest dollar. This list is on going and constantly evolving. Helps me keep track of where I am and what I plan on doing next. Also if and when I plan on selling my truck I have a great list to show my work.

 

[JLee]

Excellent thread - just read through it all. I'm considering a 1996-1997 LX450 and have started my research phase...

I've been a Tacoma guy for years, and I love my truck but after starting some rock crawling, I've decided something that takes easily to larger tires and comes with front/rear lockers is worth considering.

I'm also selling my 2004 CTS-V, and am looking for a 4-door replacement...having an MR2 Turbo and an x-cab Tacoma doesn't lend itself well to taking more than one person somewhere.

So, here we are, reading up on anything I can find. I've seen a lot of trucks well over 200k, but I'm trying to find one in the 150k range; my Tacoma has 276k and doesn't scare me, but hopefully it'll result in less immediate maintenance if I get a lower mileage one up front.

Anyway, just popping in to say hi and ramble a bit. Are motor rebuilds feasible at the 250-300k mark, or do they just never die (or are junkyard motors the best replacement)? I built a forged bottom end for my MR2 last fall (something about bigger turbos and boost and..yeah ) - definitely not afraid of a wrench, and I think this will be far easier to work on than my mid-engine money pit, heh.

Are there any features (other than lockers) that I should really look for? I do want automatic climate control and leather (I've already resigned myself to redoing the seats at some point, unless I get supremely lucky with a low mileage garaged model), unless there's a reason to avoid it - sunroof would be nice (have read that there are very few problems with them).


I do find it interesting reading posts from 2008-2010 where they say what they paid for their trucks - it's looking like, if anything, they've appreciated in value since then.

 

[western flyer]

It's 1:30am and I'm awake because I am wrestling with the complicated idea of buying a new Tacoma or jumping off the ledge and buying an 80 series. I've read 250 posts, drove the a new Taco and a 20 year old LC and still not sure what to do. I love the look of the LC, but I'm no mechanic. The idea of dropping $32K on a 4 door 4WD truck that will last me many trouble free years is appealing, but parked next to the LC the Taco has no personality. Whatever I buy will be a commuter, occasional explorer and now that I'm 50 years old, something I enjoy driving. So really, if I drop $5k on 20 year old LC, should I expect to drop another $6K to get it where it's reliable? Thanks in advance

As noted, if you do not enjoy wrenching it can get quite pricey paying someone to do all the PM and any upgrades.

 

[Proven]

Cabbey, 32K over 6 years or 5k buy + 6k in mods/pm. On paper that sounds easy right?

I have a real issue with buying anything new and as much as I loved my Tacoma it wasn't a land cruiser. My wife knows where she is in the pecking order. Even my less than 2 year old points at the cruiser and says "Drive it."

I wanted a "Hobby" vehicle and I always coveted the 80 series cruiser. I had a rich friend in highschool whose dad bought one. We'd take it out once in a while...it was AMAZING. I was looking at a lot of forums, like most of you are now, and comparing those options. I could have gone back to my first gen tacoma, bought a land rover (so glad I did not), or bought an old ford bronco. Then I found this forum...

I came into this relationship with a pretty good knowledge of combustion engines as well as troubleshooting electrical systems. This car is not my DD, it is my Hobby car, and if it was my DD I may have made some different choices.

People talk religion about these things...and I agree. I pray to it "Come on, get me up this hill" and I pay tribute to it "please accept this offering of new spark plugs and wires..." What is religion? Gathering to celebrate something that is a significant part of your life and brings you joy so that others my experience that same joy with you.

With that said - The Tacoma's are pretty awesome and you'd find a pretty good community in TTORA. I do miss my first gen 4x4. She was a good truck.