mudgudgeon
Resident galah
for the use you've described, they absolutely are a solid alternative.
get over the stigma of ifs, and they are a decent 4x4, albeit not quite as big as an 80
Should I buy an 80, costs of ownership?
- Thread starter cruiserdan
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
get over the stigma of ifs, and they are a decent 4x4, albeit not quite as big as an 80
Dirt Ferguson
SILVER Star
Sorry I should have specified, "non-toyota alternatives"
As additional data points for any potential new 80 owners, here are a few hard figures I'm willing put into the world:
Cost of purchase for my 1997 LX450 - $9,500 in Sep 2019, no FF/RR diff locks, numerous owners and one theft (2002) on the Carfax
Mileage at purchase - 168k
Current miles - 232k
Maintenance, mods, repairing things I've broken, and tires - $14,711
Assuming 14mpg and gas being $3 a gal on average in this time span, $13,714 on fuel (or 4571 gallons for anyone who wants to do their own math with their MPG and gas prices)
A few other things to note:
- I have not done all of my own maintenance. There were a few items I farmed out to various shops, including both independent mechanics and the Lexus dealer. About $4,400 spent at shops (parts and labor) total
- My "build" has been very mild. No mods aside from an ARB bar, Warn VR EVO 12k winch, used BIOR sliders, and some quality of life goodies from Wits-End. I somehow managed to score my OME stock springs and shocks for free
- I run two sets of tires - all terrain and dedicated snowies
- This does not include the $900ish I've spent on "transferrable gear" - traction boards, tools, tire chains, etc
This brings us to a whopping total of roughly $38,000 spent over the course of 39 months. That's approximately $972 a month. (Not including the aforementioned transferrable gear or insurance)
But can a person really put a price on owning the best 4x4 ever offered in the US? I would say it depends on your financial situation and needs. My goal is to reach 300k miles or beyond and I will continue to do whatever it takes to get my rig there, because to me this is an irreplaceable vehicle.
Your mileage may vary, more details on what I've done with my LX450 can be found in the link in my signature.
Hope someone finds this helpful and feel free to correct me if I made any math errors.
Cost of purchase for my 1997 LX450 - $9,500 in Sep 2019, no FF/RR diff locks, numerous owners and one theft (2002) on the Carfax
Mileage at purchase - 168k
Current miles - 232k
Maintenance, mods, repairing things I've broken, and tires - $14,711
Assuming 14mpg and gas being $3 a gal on average in this time span, $13,714 on fuel (or 4571 gallons for anyone who wants to do their own math with their MPG and gas prices)
A few other things to note:
- I have not done all of my own maintenance. There were a few items I farmed out to various shops, including both independent mechanics and the Lexus dealer. About $4,400 spent at shops (parts and labor) total
- My "build" has been very mild. No mods aside from an ARB bar, Warn VR EVO 12k winch, used BIOR sliders, and some quality of life goodies from Wits-End. I somehow managed to score my OME stock springs and shocks for free
- I run two sets of tires - all terrain and dedicated snowies
- This does not include the $900ish I've spent on "transferrable gear" - traction boards, tools, tire chains, etc
This brings us to a whopping total of roughly $38,000 spent over the course of 39 months. That's approximately $972 a month. (Not including the aforementioned transferrable gear or insurance)
But can a person really put a price on owning the best 4x4 ever offered in the US? I would say it depends on your financial situation and needs. My goal is to reach 300k miles or beyond and I will continue to do whatever it takes to get my rig there, because to me this is an irreplaceable vehicle.
Your mileage may vary, more details on what I've done with my LX450 can be found in the link in my signature.
Hope someone finds this helpful and feel free to correct me if I made any math errors.
Interesting numbers @Roketdriver
You worked through a lot of your build faster that I am (mines still underway) but our overall spend is somewhat comparable. My total is a little over $32k spread out over close to 72 months @ $435/month and $.52/mile. Here's a link to a post I recently shared on my 80 costs to date:
forum.ih8mud.com
You worked through a lot of your build faster that I am (mines still underway) but our overall spend is somewhat comparable. My total is a little over $32k spread out over close to 72 months @ $435/month and $.52/mile. Here's a link to a post I recently shared on my 80 costs to date:
FZJ80 Cost of baselining and ownership
An ongoing point of interest on the forum are the costs associated with owning and operating 80 series landcruisers. My general observation is that: potential 80 buyers seem to focus mostly on purchase price 80 owners point out the costs of catching up on maintenance, modifications and general...
forum.ih8mud.com
Bumping this ****er to the top as there are plenty of newbies who have no clue what the call really is now 33 years in.
**every Land Cruiser owner should read the first post from the curator of the only Land Cruiser museum on the planet.**
Just saying.
This should be FAQ material: Ken @Romer or Igi @nuclearlemon
**every Land Cruiser owner should read the first post from the curator of the only Land Cruiser museum on the planet.**
Just saying.
This should be FAQ material: Ken @Romer or Igi @nuclearlemon
Last edited:
Did the 4500 mile 80 on BaT spark your post?
- Thread starter
- #449
Did the 4500 mile 80 on BaT spark your post?
No difflocks but difficult to improve upon. 2 Years ago a 94 with 1,005 miles and difflocks went for $136,000.00
- Thread starter
- #450
As far as 2023 upkeep costs are concerned I just addressed two broken front diff mounting studs. By the time I was done the parts bill was north of $2,000.00. I supplied the sweat equity. That was worth another 2 grand at today's shop labor door rate.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2002
- Threads
- 168
- Messages
- 5,366
- Location
- Durango, Colorado
- Website
- www.durangomagazine.com
I picked up another 40th truck as my one stop used parts department. So I have one extra of everything in varied condition of course.
desmocruiser
SILVER Star
Most anything that happens with an 80 these days starts at $1000 and escalates from there, whether it is a repair or modification.
I stopped adding receipts ~17 years ago, about a year into ownership of my first 80 series!
I stopped adding receipts ~17 years ago, about a year into ownership of my first 80 series!
Very true.
This is a fact but thats true with most old collectible cars/trucks.
The inflation in automotive repairs is not unique to 80s. I am starting a business in my retirement because of it. I am appalled to see what shops and dealers are charging. My brother in law's Lincoln MKX was overheating and I diagnosed it as a bad cooling fan assembly. The dealer part was $373 but with labor it came to over $1100. It was a 1.4 hour job and required one of the radiator hoses be removed so a gallon of coolant. I did it in his driveway in less than hour. For the life of me, I cant comprehend why it was over $1100.
You must pay someone to do the labour?
I just replaced all 4 door seals, window runs and belt mouldings.
It was less than $1000
A dealership will charge outrageous labor rates. A specialty shop will do a little better. I ordered a new suspension (shocks, springs and a steering dampener) from Dobinsons. About $1300. I took it to a dealer to install and they charged me double the cost of the parts to install. I doubt I could have done the install myself as I have a small garage but I will certainly attempt it next time.
DIY is often the mantra on the forums, but like you said, what about that precious day off you wasted fumbling under the truck getting oil and grease in your hair when you could've been spending quality time with family or out on the lake? $100-120 an hour can start to seem like a bargain.
IME you can still find reputable smaller shops with lower overhead that charge reasonable rates. A Toyota 4x4 specialist shop like Ozark Overland Outfitters near me is better yet. For something like a top end rebuild, I'd rather have it done once and done right than attempt some backyard hackjob myself. Hell, even if you have to pay $30k to have a reputable mechanic go through everything, it's still cheaper than a new 4runner.
desmocruiser
SILVER Star
Well said!
DIY is great, especially to gain knowledge of how it is done and this forum is invaluable in that regard. It has also taught me to make good decisions, what I can or can not do or sometimes what do I want or don’t want to do!
Funny, you mention $30k, that is about what buying and or owning a reasonably dependable 80 with runway left in longevity costs these days!!!
My kids are all grown up and gone. I work on my stuff when wife is at work.
Working on my Cruiser is therapy. I don’t earn 6 figures. There are few shops that work to my standard, which is extremely high. If they did then I still would not use them at over $100/hr.
There are no “cruiser” specialty shops here. As a matter of fact I have 2 people asking me to restore/rebuild vintage Toyotas because of my skill set and standards.
My time is just as valuable as the nexts. So, I can work extra to pay someone to fix my cruiser, or I can save and enjoy the time in the shop.
Everyone is different with different priorities and may not have luxuries others have
