Sienna
Should I consider a 100 Series for a Kid Hauler? (2 Viewers)
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Sienna
Hey let’s not get carried away now.
We use ours as kid haulers. I don’t know how people with three kids travel anyways but I imagine having 3 in the cruisers would suck especially if you don’t have the 3rd row anymore. Little buggers can’t keep their hands to themselves when there’s a seat in between them much less throw a third in between!
Sienna is king of people transport hahah but my gf hates the idea of driving around in a minivan
Preach! This vehicle serves my family of 4 + dog perfectly. Drives well, fits all of our things, and are generally more capable than most vehicles on the road (if that matters to you). They may not be for everyone, but I love my 2001 LC and have enjoyed fixing almost every problem it had over the course of my ownership. New shocks, swaybar bushings/links, PCV/vaccum lines, heater T’s, door locks, headlights were all fairly simple to do in my garage. Being able to work on a super reliable rig that has low maintenance costs, and is extremely safe is a worthy trade off for the gas mileage. Beats driving a minivan, and has comparable space. Not to mention, you can find a thread on virtually any job or modification on ih8mud. It’s a perfect mix of old and new school with minimal electronics to fail. The seats are like armchairs. This thing go anywhere and take you places most vehicles cannot. If you’re not planning on doing most of the repairs and work on your own, you can end up spending a small fortune with a mechanic or at the stealership, in which case, may not be for some folks. There’s a sense of comfort in knowing my vehicle in and out. The 100 series is one of the best all around vehicles ever made, and these days you can get them for a bargain. They also arguably have the most reliable engine Toyota has ever produced. The 1 million mile iron block V8. Get some.
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The 100's passenger and cargo volume is not really comparable to a Sienna. The 100's 3rd row is unusable except for tiny kids, simply not the case in a Sienna. Maintenance costs are also higher than a Sienna. Bargains on clean 100's are not exactly easy to come by either.
My dad trucked two boys around the country in a 62 from 1989-05, then i drove a 60 with every friend I could pile in it for 10 years, then a 2016 200 with my two girls and two dogs, and now in the 03’ 100. It’s LC for life for me and my fam. Gas sucks but if you want to go anywhere and not worry about getting back home…it’s a no brainer for me. I have been in an LC my entire life, maybe I’m biased.
Grew up in 100 series it is a great kid hauler
My wife totaled the 200 we had for hauling kids, now she has an GX460. I hate that thing. I can't say it loud enough. I'm not even remotely ashamed to say I'm considering a Sienna. They trash everything else, at least I wouldn't care as much.
Our 2016 is my wife's DD and our "kid hauler" for 2 (4 and 1.5 year old). The LC is definitely compromised in lots of areas compared to a minivan or modern uni-body crossover that's designed for kids, but is in a class of its own when it comes to longevity, feeling of solidity, and some uniqueness. Posting in 100 thread I'm aware, but all of the below is the same.
I'm obviously an enthusiast so it wasn't entirely objective, but an LC won out as my wife's car because we anticipate keeping it 10+ years, relatively low maintenance cost (compared to euro/luxury brands), the "bank vault" feeling on the road, and rarity yet anonymity in parking lots full of minivans, crossovers, and domestic full size stuff. We don't regularly use the third row, but if we did a Sequoia, Tahoe/Yukon, or minivan would be much better for ingress/egress. Visibility in an LC is great, second row is elevated so our kids can easily see forward and out the sides. My wife is short and appreciates the great visibility all around. Ceiling vents in second and third row are becoming increasingly rare and excellent for kids in car seats. Footprint and ease of parking is smaller/better than most modern full size SUVs. Tailgate is fantastic for kid & runaround activities. Media/tech is obviously outdated in 100's, but kids can use their own devices easily and there are plug and play carplay solutions for not that much. Would definitely advise a later 100 with latch anchors if still using car seats.
We recently did a road trip with our family of 4 plus my parents (6 total), with a Thule box on the roof and it was as good as anything out there. In winter weather and remote destination there wasn't any vehicle I'd feel more confident in.
TLDR fantastic for 2 kids, strained for 3+.
I'm obviously an enthusiast so it wasn't entirely objective, but an LC won out as my wife's car because we anticipate keeping it 10+ years, relatively low maintenance cost (compared to euro/luxury brands), the "bank vault" feeling on the road, and rarity yet anonymity in parking lots full of minivans, crossovers, and domestic full size stuff. We don't regularly use the third row, but if we did a Sequoia, Tahoe/Yukon, or minivan would be much better for ingress/egress. Visibility in an LC is great, second row is elevated so our kids can easily see forward and out the sides. My wife is short and appreciates the great visibility all around. Ceiling vents in second and third row are becoming increasingly rare and excellent for kids in car seats. Footprint and ease of parking is smaller/better than most modern full size SUVs. Tailgate is fantastic for kid & runaround activities. Media/tech is obviously outdated in 100's, but kids can use their own devices easily and there are plug and play carplay solutions for not that much. Would definitely advise a later 100 with latch anchors if still using car seats.
We recently did a road trip with our family of 4 plus my parents (6 total), with a Thule box on the roof and it was as good as anything out there. In winter weather and remote destination there wasn't any vehicle I'd feel more confident in.
TLDR fantastic for 2 kids, strained for 3+.
Cargo room isn’t even remotely close. You’re talking 90 cubic feet vs almost 150.
That would be like comparing a 100 to an Excursion for interior volume.
Not to mention it’s 1,000X easier to load the sienna with the sliding doors and no split tailgate getting in the way of reaching into the trunk.
Get a Sienna. It’s the perfect car for what most families need. Would never consider a Land Cruiser for that.
BullElk
SILVER Star
Yea get a Sienna and haul kids, go to the muddy woods and get firewood and every and anything else you want to do. If you do it, I’ll do it.
What lol?
What's not to like about the GX460 for this use case besides it's LC equivalent small 3rd row seat and low fuel economy, premium fuel requirement, swing out back door, stiff ride, uncomfortable second row, and reports of complete transmission failure?
You forgot uncomfortable first row, no cargo space, higher insurance costs because premium branding, and valley plate leaking...
My 200 was more than 2x the price of the GX460 (both are/were 2017 models) and less on insurance and fuel costs. The 200 was like sitting on a comfy couch and the 460 is like sitting on metal bleachers to watch a game.
My 200 was more than 2x the price of the GX460 (both are/were 2017 models) and less on insurance and fuel costs. The 200 was like sitting on a comfy couch and the 460 is like sitting on metal bleachers to watch a game.
The GX drove great in our opinion, but with 2 car seats in the rear it was impossible to fit a middle passenger. Third row was unusable and the increase in floor height because of it was annoying. Rear barn door was inconvenient in most parking situations. And Lexus semi-aniline leather on the lux trims wears very poorly. All led us towards LC200.
To be fair the 200 sees the valley plate leak as well (if not more so), and then there's the 200's radiator issue affecting most years... However, the GX460 transmission failure reports (big $$ if it happens) were enough to deter me from briefly considering a higher mileage used one as an alternative to the 100 series I ended up with.
And that's the second time I considered a GX460. The first time a few years earlier was in direct comparison to the RX350 - which without a specific need for towing or off road use at the time, the RX350 was clearly the better and more practical vehicle. It was cheaper, it rides better, uses regular gas, has better fuel economy, has a power rear hatch, comparable space, is easier to drive, has a nicer interior, and the 2GR is more reliable and performs much better comparatively.
Lexus did sell a good number of 460s though.
And that's the second time I considered a GX460. The first time a few years earlier was in direct comparison to the RX350 - which without a specific need for towing or off road use at the time, the RX350 was clearly the better and more practical vehicle. It was cheaper, it rides better, uses regular gas, has better fuel economy, has a power rear hatch, comparable space, is easier to drive, has a nicer interior, and the 2GR is more reliable and performs much better comparatively.
Lexus did sell a good number of 460s though.
These are great trucks as kid haulers, depending on use case and priorities. We've had several different daily drivers over the past 4 years (4runner, highlander, outback and now cruisers) and after road trips all over the place there isn't another vehicle I'd want to be in. They're safe (later years w/ side curtain airbags), roomy for our use (2 kids and a lab and are never short on space with a large roof top cargo box), cruise great on the highway and they're dead reliable. I keep up just fine with my buddy's heavily modified 4runner no problem on the limited off-road trips I've done. I do all my own maintenance so costs are low there (if I buy a 20 year old truck, I don't consider it unreasonable to spend $3k in parts and a couple days baselining it). I went and test drove some 200 series and they're very nice, however, I stuck with the 100 because they have less tech and I felt more connected to the road. In the 200 I just felt like I was a passenger, even when driving.
When one considers what used cars cost and the insane price of new cars (which are built like throwaway appliances these days, for the most part). Factor in insurance costs and personal property tax (not cheap here in Virginia), and these 100s provide a fantastic value. Most other vehicles feel like tin cans in comparison.
When one considers what used cars cost and the insane price of new cars (which are built like throwaway appliances these days, for the most part). Factor in insurance costs and personal property tax (not cheap here in Virginia), and these 100s provide a fantastic value. Most other vehicles feel like tin cans in comparison.
