I learned this life lesson early when I had to buy parts for my sweet 1990 VW Jetta GLi 16v, Wolfsburg Edition red, Recaro, BBS, Alpine, etc. The car was hot, a blast to drive and someone was always trying to steal it but parts cost as much as if not more than parts for a 5-series BMW! I'm not a big BMW guy but I know they cost. It's one thing to buy that pre-owned $50k+ vehicle(or house) but it's another thing to operate and maintain it after the sale.
Should I buy an 80, costs of ownership?
- Thread starter cruiserdan
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FJ809496TLC
80 series addict
Combined cost of maintenance and repair on my LCs to date is $7400, upgrade at $2735 and extra parts at $810. Not enough time and money spent on upgrades that's why the figure is low and hopefully will change in the near future. 
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Romer mentioned many things. His is a pretty comprehensive list. I can back him up on at least two.
The sunroof is bulletproof. My 80 came to me rolled over. I assumed that I would have to weld a panel over the sunroof and have a unique solid roof 80. My roof was crushed over 6"! The sunroof glass has several scratches on it. That is one lucky piece of glass! But when reinstalled the sunroof worked perfectly! It has no leaks and no wind noise. It is great.
P0401 code comes up often on mine. It is always on a cold morning when I must take off without the proper warm-up time. Then it is only one time in ten or more. It seems like the EGR kicks on in cold condition. If on a short trip, I ignore it, knowing what it is. If I am going far I pull over and remove the EFI fuse to reset, and drive on. This is because of fuel mileage which is reduced in back-up mode. I don't really worry about it much. Maybe I'll fix it someday...
The sunroof is bulletproof. My 80 came to me rolled over. I assumed that I would have to weld a panel over the sunroof and have a unique solid roof 80. My roof was crushed over 6"! The sunroof glass has several scratches on it. That is one lucky piece of glass! But when reinstalled the sunroof worked perfectly! It has no leaks and no wind noise. It is great.
P0401 code comes up often on mine. It is always on a cold morning when I must take off without the proper warm-up time. Then it is only one time in ten or more. It seems like the EGR kicks on in cold condition. If on a short trip, I ignore it, knowing what it is. If I am going far I pull over and remove the EFI fuse to reset, and drive on. This is because of fuel mileage which is reduced in back-up mode. I don't really worry about it much. Maybe I'll fix it someday...
To add a little more to what everyone has said, these are not cheep vehicles, but not expensive to maintain by any means I budget 500-1000 per year each in parts/maintence. The excellent build quality and design allow almost everything to be rebuilt and with proper maintence it is designed to last a long, long time.
I tend to agree with what everyone has said and Slee said it best about the 2k when getting a used one. Both of my used ones needed about 1k in parts and my labor when I got them to make them perfect. Now both had great maintainence records and were very clean. But in baselining each the shops/dealerships that worked on them were less than stellar and the PO had no clue either time.. My 93 had a birnfield pack and brake job 2 week prior to me buying it and was a great selling point, untill the cheep pads started to squeek, pulled it apart to find rotors turned under minimum, factory 200k wheel bearings, and the front motor plate missing. Aratco built a excellet truck, the idiots who serviced it up untill I got it is another point.
If you do a little reading and go in with your eyes open there are a great rig. The build qualty and built to last design will be arround a long time. I plan on driving mine for at least another 10 years.. and when you compare 1000 a year average in parts to 700-800 a month in a payment the choice is easy I will put that money in my pocket.
I tend to agree with what everyone has said and Slee said it best about the 2k when getting a used one. Both of my used ones needed about 1k in parts and my labor when I got them to make them perfect. Now both had great maintainence records and were very clean. But in baselining each the shops/dealerships that worked on them were less than stellar and the PO had no clue either time.. My 93 had a birnfield pack and brake job 2 week prior to me buying it and was a great selling point, untill the cheep pads started to squeek, pulled it apart to find rotors turned under minimum, factory 200k wheel bearings, and the front motor plate missing. Aratco built a excellet truck, the idiots who serviced it up untill I got it is another point.
If you do a little reading and go in with your eyes open there are a great rig. The build qualty and built to last design will be arround a long time. I plan on driving mine for at least another 10 years.. and when you compare 1000 a year average in parts to 700-800 a month in a payment the choice is easy I will put that money in my pocket.
cc93cruiser
CRUZAHEAD
I have always thought and said before that the land cruiser 80 series is the perfect platform/baseline to start any trail rig build up..Definitley the "best bang for the buck" 4wheeler out there....
I bought mine with 126,000 miles, now has 138,000 miles.
The question about how long for major repairs depends on how it has been taken care of up to now. Plenty of people on here have bought trucks with much higher mileage than mine.
TR
Grench
SILVER Star
Well maintained is a subjective measurement. For some on here that would include rotating the blinker fluid. A simple indicator would be to know if the axles had ever been serviced/repacked within the last 60,000 miles.
Remember that these trucks are 10+ years old. They will require ongoing maintenance. Some stuff will be on the verge of wearing out. You can't blame the truck for that. Comon wear parts at 150,000+ miles include water pumps, U joints, radiators, brakes (not just pads but rotors and calipers), rust, tires, rubber hoses, plastic bits that are supposed to flex but don't now (air cleaner tube), bushings, paint, seat surfaces, shifter knobs, brake & gas pedals, steering wheel cover...
The above is maintenance as they are moving/wear parts. Even the paint (sun, wind, rain, hail, sand, bugs...)
What do you consider major? There is no warranty at this point. Depending on your level of desired maintenance though, you can wind up with a substantial bill for bits here and there.
On the other hand, if you aren't worried about aesthetics at all, change the oil once in a while, lube, gas it and go.
Remember that these trucks are 10+ years old. They will require ongoing maintenance. Some stuff will be on the verge of wearing out. You can't blame the truck for that. Comon wear parts at 150,000+ miles include water pumps, U joints, radiators, brakes (not just pads but rotors and calipers), rust, tires, rubber hoses, plastic bits that are supposed to flex but don't now (air cleaner tube), bushings, paint, seat surfaces, shifter knobs, brake & gas pedals, steering wheel cover...
The above is maintenance as they are moving/wear parts. Even the paint (sun, wind, rain, hail, sand, bugs...)
What do you consider major? There is no warranty at this point. Depending on your level of desired maintenance though, you can wind up with a substantial bill for bits here and there.
On the other hand, if you aren't worried about aesthetics at all, change the oil once in a while, lube, gas it and go.
How long will your 1988 4Runner go before major problems? How long is a piece of string? Yours seems like a simple question, but there really is no answer Enutter and I think you know it.
-B-
Bottom line yall buy an 80! Great fun!
Thanks Grench. You actually tried to answer the question. I think there is a bit of overanalyzing going on here. I don't think I'll find one with rotated blinker fluid.
How long is a piece of string? Gee...that really helped.
I understand it is not a new car with 138,000 miles on it and expect some maintenance. Let me rephrase the question.
How long on average do they usually go before the engine dies? Do you think I can get 250k out of one?
How long is a piece of string? Gee...that really helped.
I understand it is not a new car with 138,000 miles on it and expect some maintenance. Let me rephrase the question.
How long on average do they usually go before the engine dies? Do you think I can get 250k out of one?
Yes.
Search or flip through a few pages in the 80 section. ther is a thread with people detailing the most miles on their rigs.
TR
My '94 has 220,000 miles on it. Major repairs have included new spark plugs, new rotors, and an a/c butterfly valve.
I just bought a '97 with 135,000 miles on it. I hope to have the same luck.
You need to search. There's a lot of information on this in the archives. There are lots of engines over 200,000 miles, but you have to recognize that you are buying a used car. It may run ten more feet.
My personal opinion is that this particular engine is a very strong runner.
And "luck" is the key point here. With good luck (or, more accurately, lack of bad luck...) you will get to 300k+ with no major problems. And we have seen a few cases of bad luck where the HG blew in the first few days/weeks of ownership. Mud member lars had this happen to him as did ali and a handful of others.
I remember one guy here on 'Mud that found the truck he had been looking for over many months. His wife loved it. It was the perfect colour. It was a great price. It was in excellent condition with all the records. It had everything they wanted on their 80. They made the deal and the dealer had to move the truck for some reason... inspection or something... during this drive the truck was in a terrible wreck and the vehicle was very badly damaged. I would say that was some piss poor luck.
-B-
Yes, but how was the head gasket?
I personally felt (opinion only) that the hg in my 94 was going to last the life of the truck, as I was the one and only owner; I constantly worry about the 97. It is an unknown quantity.
Noob here to ih8mud, but almost 12 years ownership of a '93 bought as a lease return in '95. Except for fuel cost (and that's no different than any similar SUV) the cost of ownership has been phenomenally low. After all, basic consumables are pretty much the same whether it's an 80 or an Expedition. My mileage isn't thant high, only 135K, and I'm sure little things will start to go, but even a dealer engine and a trans rebuild will be cheaper than a new premium SUV. And, what other premium SUV can do the Rubicon with few mods (done it twice, and BTW a modest lift for the 80 is less than most IFS/leaf spring lifts), and then haul 7 kids on a school field trip on Monday?
-dmna93
-dmna93
The question isn't right. In the case of most modern cars, the engine easily outlives the body. Back in the time of the rolling tank, it was a close call. What is normally fatal to most vehicles is automatic obsolescence as dictated by annual model changes, new features, technological progress and abusively poor maintenance.
The hidden cost of an 80 is less the maintenance of the vehicle, unless you've fallen into the 1H8MUD sickness of looking diligently for something to maintain, but more the effect of having aquired one and being happy with it. Many owners aquire the need to modify and accessorize when no longer burdened by monthly amortizations. Subsequent to modifications, distant road travel, preferably where there are few or no roads, becomes an overiding need and upon arrival in a remote location, a need to climb seemingly unclimbable and downright dangerous obstacles.
These after aquisition sicknesses can cost many times more than the vehicle. Those who don't buy one can safely stay at home, spend their money on chips and TV and argue about politics.
Kalawang
