Should I buy an 80, costs of ownership?

[FJ809496TLC]

Sorry for asking.

Don't be. These motors on the average will lasts more than 200k plus miles easy if not abused. So, the average is on your side if you take care of it.

 

[Kalawang]

Sorry for asking.

I guess I'm really poor at kidding people and should stop trying to be humerous and semi serious. I was just pulling your leg and doing a bad job of it.

Even the worst engine made these days can be made to run far longer than the body, provided you are willing to spend for parts and labor. It's usually the body that dies and that's because they are now made of hardened steel rather than mild steel. It became necessary to make the change because of the need for fuel economy. The thinner but harder steel is rust prone and gets eaten like peanuts, which gave birth to the anti-rust industry.

Again, my apologies for such a poor joke.


Kalawang

 

[FJ809496TLC]

I guess I'm really poor at kidding people and should stop trying to be humerous and semi serious. I was just pulling your leg and doing a bad job of it.

Even the worst engine made these days can be made to run far longer than the body, provided you are willing to spend for parts and labor. It's usually the body that dies and that's because they are now made of hardened steel rather than mild steel. It became necessary to make the change because of the need for fuel economy. The thinner but harder steel is rust prone and gets eaten like peanuts, which gave birth to the anti-rust industry.

Again, my apologies for such a poor joke.


Kalawang

You might want to use some clickable smilies in your jokes.

 

[Miescha]

Great info on this thread - I'm definately saving it via thread subscription.

I purchased my 80 new in 1996 and the original window sticker (still in my file) is for just under $52k and that was before I added some stuff from the dealer (including block heater).

Add in the ARB, Warn M12k, PIAA lights, dual optimas, Milford barrier, blah, blah, blah, and I should be shot for spending that much money. But I simply love the thing.

I've owned many other high-end vehicles and currently have everything from a BMW 7 series to a GMC Yukon XL and Ford F350 in the garage - but I still drive the 80 more than anything else and I know I can always rely on it to get me where I'm going no matter the terrain.

Sadly, I am not as skilled as many on this board so I can't do as much as I would like, but I'm reading and learning. The more I learn though, the more concerned I am to take the 80 to the dealer - I'm afraid they will just do the minimum and I'll have problems as a result.

So to the new people, buy the 80 and don't look back. To the old-timers, thanks for all the help and for putting up with the many, many questions from people like me.

 

[joker]

WOW! I work as ageneral sales manager for a high line used car dealership in Illinois . I recently bought a 1994 Landcruiser for $6000 . good deal , maybe . I am lucky to be able to purchase such a nice vehicle for such a low price. but by no means is this a $30 - $40k vehicle. The one thing you all miss , and excuse me for my bluntness , is market. market very simply meaning , in my opinon and that of my industry , depreciation and resale value. Granted at one point the 80 series was worth as high as $50,000 + brand new , but so was the ford excursion! I wouldnt pay fifty for either! Also granted the capability of the landcruiser is far greater than the excursion , but they are both used and you can buy a comparably equipped 2001 excursion for the same price as a 1994 landcruiser. resale is always higher on a better vehicle. Better meaning build quality and maintenance. but a 12 year old vehicle is 12 YEARS OLD!!! Why sink money into something with depreciating resale value. The more you put in, the more you lose. Buy cheap, it hurts less in the long run.

this thread had nothing to do with resale values...
this thread is about people owning/considering a now-affordable offroad legend.
speaking of the long run.. i plan to put 500k on mine.

 

[tech_dog]

this thread had nothing to do with resale values...
this thread is about people owning/considering a now-affordable offroad legend.
speaking of the long run.. i plan to put 500k on mine.

It's also a warning that it may not be as affordable as you might think.

If you work at it, you can pick up a LC for little more than $5K. While this is low price to pay for such a capable machine, you shouldn't forget that you then become the owner of a high end, high quality, luxury vehicle.

One of CDan's points is that the vehicle doesn't know you bought it used, and an alternator will still cost you $600 or so if you need to buy a new one.

It's not a $600 alternator going into a $5,000 vehicle. It's a $600 alternator going into a $50,000 vehicle.

 

[joker]

I guess I'm really poor at kidding people and should stop trying to be humerous and semi serious. I was just pulling your leg and doing a bad job of it.

Even the worst engine made these days can be made to run far longer than the body, provided you are willing to spend for parts and labor. It's usually the body that dies and that's because they are now made of hardened steel rather than mild steel. It became necessary to make the change because of the need for fuel economy. The thinner but harder steel is rust prone and gets eaten like peanuts, which gave birth to the anti-rust industry.

Again, my apologies for such a poor joke.


Kalawang

delete your account and sell your truck...

 

[Beowulf]

It's not a $600 alternator going into a $5,000 vehicle. It's a $600 alternator going into a $50,000 vehicle.

Good point. I would add one other thing. Many (most ?) of us in this forum are using these as "go anywhere" vehicles. Our expectation is that we can drive them across the continent and days into the boonies and the truck will bring us back... without drama... and without leaving puddles of fluids everywhere we park it.

Given this expectation, we advocate maintenance that is over-the-top for the average guy that drives their vehicle to work and back. When theirs has something that quits working or the vehicle makes a strange noise they take it in for service and repair.

This "break-fix" level of maintenance doesn't cut it with most of us and certainly is not the level of preventative maintenance that prepares us for hard wheeling day trips or the week-long camping trip 3 states away.

-B-

 

[e9999]

yup. Bought the 80 with 73Kmi and about 7 years. All the $ I spent on the truck, besides gas, oil, pads, filters, and grease has been stuff that would not have been spent by the "normal" user. I spent too much $$ on mods and too much time on PM and playwork but *nothing* broke and I spent *nothing* on it from failure. Dang good deal in my book.
Bar is raised for PM and inspections cuz I'm out there by myself many miles from civilization and I don't want to walk back, but that is not "normal" use.

Now, in all fairness, I've been driving a Honda Accord as DD for 11 years and it cost me $100 in repairs. And I spend essentially zero time on PM on that one. Not too shabby either...


added: shoot, forgot, got the truck with a busted antenna, so did fix that ($30)

 

[Kalawang]

this thread had nothing to do with resale values...
this thread is about people owning/considering a now-affordable offroad legend.
speaking of the long run.. i plan to put 500k on mine.

WOW! I work as ageneral sales manager for a high line used car dealership in Illinois . I recently bought a 1994 Landcruiser for $6000 . good deal , maybe . I am lucky to be able to purchase such a nice vehicle for such a low price. but by no means is this a $30 - $40k vehicle. The one thing you all miss , and excuse me for my bluntness , is market. market very simply meaning , in my opinon and that of my industry , depreciation and resale value. Granted at one point the 80 series was worth as high as $50,000 + brand new , but so was the ford excursion! I wouldnt pay fifty for either! Also granted the capability of the landcruiser is far greater than the excursion , but they are both used and you can buy a comparably equipped 2001 excursion for the same price as a 1994 landcruiser. resale is always higher on a better vehicle. Better meaning build quality and maintenance. but a 12 year old vehicle is 12 YEARS OLD!!! Why sink money into something with depreciating resale value. The more you put in, the more you lose. Buy cheap , it hurts less in the long run.

Aslan1 isn't off if your attitude towards the 80 is temporary ownership. One would be very reluctant to put money into a sinking ship and would rather look for ways to pass the problem to someone else. Unfortunately my own mind isn't working in that direction these days. I've done the foolish thing of becoming an afficionado of my 80 and am truly thinking of ownership to the grave or beyond, if possible. It's what makes maintenance and mods cheap.


Kalawang

 

[cruiserdan]

It's also a warning that it may not be as affordable as you might think.

If you work at it, you can pick up a LC for little more than $5K. While this is low price to pay for such a capable machine, you shouldn't forget that you then become the owner of a high end, high quality, luxury vehicle.

One of CDan's points is that the vehicle doesn't know you bought it used, and an alternator will still cost you $600 or so if you need to buy a new one.

It's not a $600 alternator going into a $5,000 vehicle. It's a $600 alternator going into a $50,000 vehicle.

EXACTLY.

 

[Jeremiaheaster]

but a 12 year old vehicle is 12 YEARS OLD!!! Why sink money into something with depreciating resale value. The more you put in, the more you lose.

Not so. It all depends on how you look at it. If I bought a brand new cruiser I would be spending somewhere in the neighborhood of 3k-4k/year in depreciation alone! Talk about loosing money! On the other hand if I "sink" 1k-2k/year in maintenance into my 13 year old 80, I can own an extremely capable luxury vehicle that runs like a top.
I would have to heartily disagree that "sinking" money into something with depreciating value is ALWAYS a loosing endeaver.

I would sum it all up to say that I understand CDan's point in his original post, yet I think it cannot be understated that comparitively speaking an 80 owner is getting WAY more bang for his buck than an owner of probably any other vehicle in a similar class.

 

[redrocket]

New to the forum and have been reading the FAQ’s, some of the archives, Slees newbie guide and this post. I hope I haven’t missed the answer to my questions (some of these threads are long) and if I have you can send me to my room without dinner. Well I think I may have found my future FZJ80 and i will want to catch up the maintenance but wanted to make sure I am not overlooking anything. It is a 94 with 207XXX miles on it. It is in my price range and it has e-lockers.its in very good comedic condition, and all the options seem to work. As far as base line maintenance I have done with my other newly purchased used Toyotas I plan on a complete fluid change, Tune up (cap, rotor, wires, and plugs), Fuel filter, and knuckle reseal with new trunnion/knuckle bearings. With 200k + miles would it be advisable to flush the transmission fluid not knowing the history of it? This will be my first Cruiser and if i have missed any thing let me know. If I have over looked the answers to these questions I apologize. Thanks for the amazing forum!

 

[Beowulf]

With 200k + miles would it be advisable to flush the transmission fluid not knowing the history of it?

Yes, the tranny fluid should be changed using something like the T-tech machine that does a "fluid exchange" using the transmission's pump. It takes about an hour which includes all the prep time. Be sure they know the volume ahead of time. They will default to 3 gallons (12 qts) maybe less. Your tranny holds considerably more; IIRC, it is ~24 qts. Please check the archives for this number or PM CruiserDan and ask him to post the capacities in this thread.

The other thing that I recommend to new owners is a complete check of the cooling system. Also, when you say you are doing "all the fluids" this should include the coolant, the PS, and the brake fluids. If your cooling system is 100% then you can be confident that you have done everything possible to prevent a catastrophic failure.

Did you mention the PHH? If not, then at least check it out during the base-line.

-B-

 

[redrocket]

PHH = Pesky Heater Hose?

 

[slinger5150]

From the way people talk, I'm assuming the PHH is a pain to replace.

 

[slinger5150]

Also, I haven't really heard anyone mention timing chains on the 80 @ 90,000 miles. Is this recommended also?

 

[Beowulf]

You are thinking of timing belts. As you know, the 1FZ-FE has a timing chain that should last for the life of the engine (>300,000 miles)

The PHH is a pain to replace.

-B-

 

[Grench]

The PHH is a pain to replace.

-B-

Personally I thought the birfs were a lot more work. On my truck with -rust- the parking brakes actually beat both of them for tedious PITA.

I shudder to think what's next...

 

[MoGas]

There are many high mile examples of well maintained 80s out there. I have just shy of 200k on mine and I would feel more confident in the vehicle to get me to Maine than I would my wife's 99 Grand Caravan with 70k.

Do you know that the reason there are so many Land Rovers out there with low miles is because they don't rack up miles sitting in the shop.