My 80 was my DD for 4 years. I love this truck and want it to last forever, so I bought a commuter vehicle. I do still drive it 1-2 days a week as I enjoy driving it more. I drive it more in the winter
Should I buy an 80, costs of ownership?
- Thread starter cruiserdan
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I too use my 80 as DD. I also use it for work and put lots of miles on it throughout the week. I average 15-16 city/highway and I am content with that. I do keep up with the PM and of course the regular maintenance. I don't have a lot of big time mods and most of miles are highway. I presently have about 224K on her and she runs like a top. Next week I am taking her on a 4000 mile road trip to Fort Collins CO and to North Dakota and Minnesota and am very comfortable doing so. The cost of ownership is a small price to pay in my opinion for what I get in return!
The commuter vehicle is my next "mod "for the 80! Like Romer and others, I am trying to make this rig last- I'll park it in the garage and maybe run it 2-3X a week. Price ownership for me and my family....priceless!!
Yup. I picked up a diesel Mercedes a couple months ago. I don't drive the LC much anymore.
Love mine! Will never get rid of her!! 
I'm new to this addiction as well. What I love is driving in town and NOT seeing another for days or weeks at a time. They're not very common in my area. My boss is envious
I can see how the cost of owning an 80 can become a concern for some. It's been years since I've maintained a vehicle as well as I have this one. Part of it is just being a smart consumer/owner. By baselining the truck initially of course you're going to have some initial expense. Whether you DIY or have a shop do the work it's still money out of your pocket. Expect it. But the trade off is priceless.
I can see how owning an 80 can become very addictive. I'm not a wheeler, but seeing some of the expedition builds gets my blood flowing. No real mods to this point. Just changed out the factory audio, seat covers for the front, CDL switch...if you can even really call those mods. I don't know what the future holds, but for now it's just going to help me create some really cool memories with my family - it was a trip to the Smoky Mountains last month (over 1K miles with no issue). Many more to come I'm sure
I bought my 450 in the spring of '03 from the dealer that sold it new and had done all the maint for its 92K life. They literally acted like they were ashamed to have such a cheap ($16.5) old clunker on the same lot with their LS430s, and I still can't comprehend that anyone in their right mind would take such a depreciation hit - but God bless them! To say I'll never seel it is an understatement, only question is will I be buried sitting behind the wheel, or bent over the front seat with my a$$ properly pointed at the windshield.
I pumped about $10K in mods into it the first year and keep finding more good stuff to do, mostly thanks to the invaluable input of the IH8Mud community - God bless you all. As Dan will attest, I suffer from the worst possible case of "while you're in there" and "if this fails, you're stuck, so replace it now" syndrome, but I have no regrets and truthfully, I wouldn't have it any other way. Cost my a$$, peace of mind is priceless.
My truck exists, first and foremost, to take me into the Elk woods. I spent a week on a ranch in NM in Sep, "commuting" 40 miles a day on the roughest "road" I have ever wheeled (again, I'm not a rock crawler), and I will never forget, at the end of the first outbound 10 mi leg, my guide saying something to the effect of "I knew these LandCruisers were good, but I really had no idea how good until now - that's the fastest and most comfortable trip I've ever made out here". And I knew damn good and well we could do it again every day for a very very long time...
Great thread, Dan. Thanks for everything. Mack
I pumped about $10K in mods into it the first year and keep finding more good stuff to do, mostly thanks to the invaluable input of the IH8Mud community - God bless you all. As Dan will attest, I suffer from the worst possible case of "while you're in there" and "if this fails, you're stuck, so replace it now" syndrome, but I have no regrets and truthfully, I wouldn't have it any other way. Cost my a$$, peace of mind is priceless.
My truck exists, first and foremost, to take me into the Elk woods. I spent a week on a ranch in NM in Sep, "commuting" 40 miles a day on the roughest "road" I have ever wheeled (again, I'm not a rock crawler), and I will never forget, at the end of the first outbound 10 mi leg, my guide saying something to the effect of "I knew these LandCruisers were good, but I really had no idea how good until now - that's the fastest and most comfortable trip I've ever made out here". And I knew damn good and well we could do it again every day for a very very long time...
Great thread, Dan. Thanks for everything. Mack
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- #168
Mack does suffer from, what I call, "while it's apart" but I can tell you that his "old truck" is one I would pick over any other new 4wd vehicle on the market.
Mack, please let me thank you again for your service to our country...........
D-
Mack, please let me thank you again for your service to our country...........
D-
The initial hit on an older rig is not too fun as you find the little things wrong here and there, but for a 15 year old truck to only have mostly little things is something to say in itself. I too suffer from "well, while I am in there, might as well change this and that and add some other stuff".
Some fluids, a few rubber hoses, new shocks, etc. Rear brakes is the biggest thing I have hit so far, but the last owner already had the HG work done, so I don't expect big things as much. But the new shocks did lead to an OME stock height kit that is in the garage now.....Should be long trip worthy by the holidays.
And I have the honor of being Cruiser Dan's first knuckle plug order....what do I win and how is that possible???
Some fluids, a few rubber hoses, new shocks, etc. Rear brakes is the biggest thing I have hit so far, but the last owner already had the HG work done, so I don't expect big things as much. But the new shocks did lead to an OME stock height kit that is in the garage now.....Should be long trip worthy by the holidays.
And I have the honor of being Cruiser Dan's first knuckle plug order....what do I win and how is that possible???
After owning and wheeling a Land Rover, for 3 years, I´m literally laughing at every single person that is complaining about high costs of ownership.
Should I buy and 80... The answer is YES.
Even after 4.88's, knuckle rebuild, new VC, ome medium lift and 35's and full tune up and baseline. I am still way way better off than any other truck on the road for the tiny amount of money I have in this beaut and she can climb anything and go anywhere for around 8k. And I can haul 8 people, you just have to over look the $50/week in gas.
Even after 4.88's, knuckle rebuild, new VC, ome medium lift and 35's and full tune up and baseline. I am still way way better off than any other truck on the road for the tiny amount of money I have in this beaut and she can climb anything and go anywhere for around 8k. And I can haul 8 people, you just have to over look the $50/week in gas.
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On the other hand, there are some of us who bought their LC used and cheap with the idea to abuse her till she cries for mercy.
We change the oil whenever we think about it (once a year?) with the cheap generic oil (yes the engine started smoking at 120k miles-- darn), replace worn-out parts (brakes, plugs etc) with cheap auto-parts from the corner store, never change any fluids, let the front axle mix fluids and run dry till it clicks during turns AND STILL DON'T do anything, 'wheel the crap outta it, scratch and dent the exterior and interior, and after maybe 3-5 years, sell it cheap, and buy another babied LC... and start over with raping 'er yet again...
Being a fugly American, I feel entitled to complain loudly that this Jap Crap is too expensive. Should I feel ashamed?
Lorax
We change the oil whenever we think about it (once a year?) with the cheap generic oil (yes the engine started smoking at 120k miles-- darn), replace worn-out parts (brakes, plugs etc) with cheap auto-parts from the corner store, never change any fluids, let the front axle mix fluids and run dry till it clicks during turns AND STILL DON'T do anything, 'wheel the crap outta it, scratch and dent the exterior and interior, and after maybe 3-5 years, sell it cheap, and buy another babied LC... and start over with raping 'er yet again...
Being a fugly American, I feel entitled to complain loudly that this Jap Crap is too expensive. Should I feel ashamed?
Lorax
The MB died a couple months ago.
DDing the 80 again. The more I drive it these days, the happier I am with it. I'm definitely glad I didn't sell it (I toyed with that idea briefly last year). It's looking a little long in the tooth though. I'd like to get the wheels refinished and the vehicle detailed at some point. I got a house back in October and I haven't found the time to hose it off...much less detail it.
Hey, I just read through this entire thread and thought I'd keep it going - even though I'm not usually nostalgic or sentimental. 
Though I have been called wordy! 
I'm a newbie and just bought my stock 97 with lockers last summer. I got pressed for time in the search because my wife was getting annoyed at the cost and hassle involved. We were in Lansing, MI and all the ones I could find were pretty corroded underneath and I was driving all over Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and was planning a trip to Illinois and Wisconsin next. Well, I found a 97 with lockers and 125K in Indianapolis owned by a retired couple. It had spent most of its life in Miami, FL according to the carfax. I had it checked out, and came back to get it a week later. I got it for $8000 with probably $1000 spent on the search with hotels, gas, carfaxes, etc... I immediately found out the seat gear was stripped and the sunroof leaked but those were cheap fixes.
My baseline included an oil change which turned into $500 for all fluids and fan belts on the spot. Then squeaky brakes turned into all new pads and rotors and fluid. Got a guy to do the plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and timing for cheap. Got 5 all new (retread) tires from Treadwright. Some body work was $1600 at Classic Cruisers in Colorado. That was approx. $4000 in work for getting it up to snuff due partly to neglect from PO (idiots). I'm at $12K then.
I've done the Slee Step Slider $1K+, and am on the verge of doing MAF 3/2 level stance suspension $1K+, and ARB bumper $1K, in a week or so. That's not to mention recovery gear, hand winch/tirfor, high lift jack, which is another $1K+. Plus, of course, littler things like mentioned in the favorite and budget mods sections.
Total is going to be around $18K in a few weeks and that should be it for a while. I'll have a pretty well baselined 80 with good mods, 20/80 ratio in mind. This would probably have been a lower number if I'd slowed down the vehicle search and been a little more informed and a little more cautious. I'm hoping the axles and everything else hold out for a while. We just moved to Missoula, MT for grad school now that we're both out of the military. At least we came with some cash in the bank and are in student housing so driving will be mainly off into the mountains.
So, what's interesting to me is that this process has been a combination of discovery about the vehicle itself, discovery about our family priorities, and discovery about the area we're in. Our two little girls love to go off-roading and the wife has found she likes it too, likes getting away, getting up and into the hills, etc... The girls are too young for hiking/camping so it's nice to have a vehicle which will take us to remote places.
To keep things in perspective on the LC, we've just rented the USFS cabin at Horse Heaven for a few days this summer. It's on what's called "the most remote road in the lower 48 states, for high-clearance 4x4 vehicles only". It's 100 miles long, one lane, rugged, and in the middle of 4 million acres of wilderness. We're going to be really putting our vehicle through its paces around here but we all love the Cruiser like a 5th member of the family so far. Another member, John E Davies "Spokanister", took his LX out there and has a website about it, which I discovered just yesterday.
Hope this contribution wasn't too long. I'm still reading and learning and just want to say how much all us newbies really appreciate this site and what you all do and have done. We're planning to keep ours forever at this point.
Thank You!
Though I have been called wordy! I'm a newbie and just bought my stock 97 with lockers last summer. I got pressed for time in the search because my wife was getting annoyed at the cost and hassle involved. We were in Lansing, MI and all the ones I could find were pretty corroded underneath and I was driving all over Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and was planning a trip to Illinois and Wisconsin next. Well, I found a 97 with lockers and 125K in Indianapolis owned by a retired couple. It had spent most of its life in Miami, FL according to the carfax. I had it checked out, and came back to get it a week later. I got it for $8000 with probably $1000 spent on the search with hotels, gas, carfaxes, etc... I immediately found out the seat gear was stripped and the sunroof leaked but those were cheap fixes.
My baseline included an oil change which turned into $500 for all fluids and fan belts on the spot. Then squeaky brakes turned into all new pads and rotors and fluid. Got a guy to do the plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and timing for cheap. Got 5 all new (retread) tires from Treadwright. Some body work was $1600 at Classic Cruisers in Colorado. That was approx. $4000 in work for getting it up to snuff due partly to neglect from PO (idiots). I'm at $12K then.
I've done the Slee Step Slider $1K+, and am on the verge of doing MAF 3/2 level stance suspension $1K+, and ARB bumper $1K, in a week or so. That's not to mention recovery gear, hand winch/tirfor, high lift jack, which is another $1K+. Plus, of course, littler things like mentioned in the favorite and budget mods sections.
Total is going to be around $18K in a few weeks and that should be it for a while. I'll have a pretty well baselined 80 with good mods, 20/80 ratio in mind. This would probably have been a lower number if I'd slowed down the vehicle search and been a little more informed and a little more cautious. I'm hoping the axles and everything else hold out for a while. We just moved to Missoula, MT for grad school now that we're both out of the military. At least we came with some cash in the bank and are in student housing so driving will be mainly off into the mountains.
So, what's interesting to me is that this process has been a combination of discovery about the vehicle itself, discovery about our family priorities, and discovery about the area we're in. Our two little girls love to go off-roading and the wife has found she likes it too, likes getting away, getting up and into the hills, etc... The girls are too young for hiking/camping so it's nice to have a vehicle which will take us to remote places.
To keep things in perspective on the LC, we've just rented the USFS cabin at Horse Heaven for a few days this summer. It's on what's called "the most remote road in the lower 48 states, for high-clearance 4x4 vehicles only". It's 100 miles long, one lane, rugged, and in the middle of 4 million acres of wilderness. We're going to be really putting our vehicle through its paces around here but we all love the Cruiser like a 5th member of the family so far. Another member, John E Davies "Spokanister", took his LX out there and has a website about it, which I discovered just yesterday.
Hope this contribution wasn't too long.
I'm still reading and learning and just want to say how much all us newbies really appreciate this site and what you all do and have done. We're planning to keep ours forever at this point.Thank You!
People that own European cars are currently rolling around on the ground and laughing at us when we say that maintaining our 80s is on the pricey side. When my head gasket blew in April last year, I was bummed about having to pay $1300 to get 'er done...until my co-worker had the same thing happen to his Volvo and had to shell out $3K. As long as I don't own a European car, I will not complain about cost of ownership.
Plus, shelling out money for parts (and labor in my case) is just part of owning a 20 year-old vehicle. I paid cash for my 80, so whenever something breaks I just say "Hey, it's better than a $3-400/mo. car payment on something I don't own". I wish I had come across MUD before I purchased my 80 so that I was aware of what it took to own one of these gems beforehand, but I highly doubt it would have changed my decision to pony up the $4K for one. JMHO.
Plus, shelling out money for parts (and labor in my case) is just part of owning a 20 year-old vehicle. I paid cash for my 80, so whenever something breaks I just say "Hey, it's better than a $3-400/mo. car payment on something I don't own". I wish I had come across MUD before I purchased my 80 so that I was aware of what it took to own one of these gems beforehand, but I highly doubt it would have changed my decision to pony up the $4K for one. JMHO.
An 80 is a thirsty beast however you look at it (parts or the petrol needed to keep it going down the road).
Hell, I had to get a job with Toyota to keep my addiction going.
Let me quote the most bad-ass Toyota parts shamen around, just as a refresher:
"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"
Hell, I had to get a job with Toyota to keep my addiction going.
Let me quote the most bad-ass Toyota parts shamen around, just as a refresher:
"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"
Great thread. I'll add yet another angle here: Sadly, the money is going to get spent regardless; the wife with her shoes and clothes and other things that she found on sale that never make it out of the box; the kids with all their stuff that has little or no ROI and then there's me. So, I've got to stay out in front of them.
About some makes of car, and oh, mistresses -
"If you dont take it seriously, its no fun. If you take it seriously, it'll break your heart"
For cruisers, i reckon -
"If you dont take it seriously, its no fun. If you take it seriously, it'll warm your heart, for a very very long time"
* no less due to the MUD community
"If you dont take it seriously, its no fun. If you take it seriously, it'll break your heart"
For cruisers, i reckon -
"If you dont take it seriously, its no fun. If you take it seriously, it'll warm your heart, for a very very long time"
* no less due to the MUD community
My 80 was the very first vehicle where I felt it did not deserved to be worked on by anyone but myself and the first vehicle I wanted to learn all about and make sure it was babied. Yea I'll have a shop change tires or the control arm bushings, etc but thats about it. I plan on doing the HG one day myself which is something not remotely in my skillset 2-3 years ago. But due to the FSM/MUD and some pricey yet worthwhile tools I can do way more than I ever thought.
Here's your cost of ownership.
