Hey guys - Tacoma driver here (I know, I know). I'm in the process of cleaning up my 07 Taco TRD OR Access Cab to sell and am looking at possibly getting an 80 series. I'm curious as to what to look for in an 80, where to look for them, and how to go about buying. Look forward to your insight and input!
Taco Owner - LC Curious
- Thread starter Kicker13
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
What is your intended use?
That will lead the rest of us to go in the right direction.
Also, Do you do your own wrenching? If not, whole different ball game.
That will lead the rest of us to go in the right direction.
Also, Do you do your own wrenching? If not, whole different ball game.
@Kicker13 Please tell us what @BILT4ME has asked as well as what you use your Taco for now. How you foresee use of an 80 and how many people you plan on moving around with you. I could be wrong but Most people hear talking on this forum I believe are AND people not OR people. In other words they have more than one vehicle and the 80 is filling a specific purpose. There are many of us that have Tacos and 80s. There is a reason they make truck beds and some of us use them for that purpose, but if you don't I can see changing things up.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks for the guidance. I don't do much off-roading currently due to geography - I'm in south Louisiana - but it's always been an interest and something I want to pursue more in the future. Intended use will be daily driver and adventure rig - traveling to mountain bike, rock climb, kayak and the occasional OR park as I get it built up. Wife and I just had our first kid and an access cab Taco isn't super conducive to carseats unfortunately. I only use my truck to haul stuff occasionally (3-4x year) so I can do without a bed. I change my oil and can handle minor repairs (have replaced my alternator, idler pulley, and some wheel bearings), but there's a great 4wd shop a few blocks from my house that I plan on frequenting as I get my Taco ready to sell. I've always been fascinated with Cruisers and want a bomb-proof family-ready adventure rig.
Ok, not trying to deter you at all, so I will just list a few things out to consider starting with bad.
1. gas--- these are thirsty
2. they are old and if not done already all rubber parts should get changed
3. you will need to fix some oil leaks in all probability
4. normal maintenance likely hasn't been done and so there are catch up items, like dash, instrument lights being out, suspension needing refreshed ( I realize you probably planned on upgrading that anyway), power windows, switches, etc.
5. 4runners have more aftermarket options and cheaper.
6. Interior leather for front seats will need to be replaced and some repair to the mechanical parts sometimes need help (all doable with info and vendors here).
7. SLOW
8. many people selling them now have 20something years of their grime and mold in them, you will want to clean out.
The good:
1. you can put a rack on the top and haul lumber etc like a truck (but not so good for large appliances).
2. very sturdy and once refreshed, very reliable.
3. has a really strong and knowledgeable community behind them with vendors improving custom parts all the time (vendors are reading these messages too).
4. most people here know how to read and so they rely on this forum and the Factory service manual to help them do most of the work themselves.
5. They have more room than most for mods, repairs etc, so they really aren't that hard to work on.
6. Even a completely built, no mod left out 80 with v8 toyota swap still came in cheaper than buying a fully loaded Jeep and was sold through this just recently.
7. Other people in land cruisers will wave at you.
1. gas--- these are thirsty
2. they are old and if not done already all rubber parts should get changed
3. you will need to fix some oil leaks in all probability
4. normal maintenance likely hasn't been done and so there are catch up items, like dash, instrument lights being out, suspension needing refreshed ( I realize you probably planned on upgrading that anyway), power windows, switches, etc.
5. 4runners have more aftermarket options and cheaper.
6. Interior leather for front seats will need to be replaced and some repair to the mechanical parts sometimes need help (all doable with info and vendors here).
7. SLOW
8. many people selling them now have 20something years of their grime and mold in them, you will want to clean out.
The good:
1. you can put a rack on the top and haul lumber etc like a truck (but not so good for large appliances).
2. very sturdy and once refreshed, very reliable.
3. has a really strong and knowledgeable community behind them with vendors improving custom parts all the time (vendors are reading these messages too).
4. most people here know how to read and so they rely on this forum and the Factory service manual to help them do most of the work themselves.
5. They have more room than most for mods, repairs etc, so they really aren't that hard to work on.
6. Even a completely built, no mod left out 80 with v8 toyota swap still came in cheaper than buying a fully loaded Jeep and was sold through this just recently.
7. Other people in land cruisers will wave at you.
Tachycardic
SILVER Star
I totally get where you're coming from. I had 2 in car seats and jump seats just didn't cut it. My concern for you is that an 80-series will likely be a time and money sink. You'll probably want air bags so a '95-'97 would be your best bet in this era. For a daily driver, you may want to consider a 100-series instead. It will likely be more comfortable for you and your family.
Welcome!
It's a great platform for a small family, but they are NOT "cheap". It sounds like you can do most of your own wrenching if you've done wheel bearings before.
These only get 12-15 MPG, so be prepared for that.
Depending one what service level truck you buy, will determine how much time and $$$$ you must put into it to make it reliable.
I bought one REALLY cheap, that had almost no maintenance in 4 years. I had to throw $6000 in parts and tires at it, but it is my DD and I drive about 20K/year.
Plan a few weeks to do a baseline maintenance on it, and plan your parts ahead of time. There are a few places listed on the forum to buy you parts (new and used) and it is always appreciated to buy from the vendors that support this forum to help keep it around and everyone involved.
My LC is the only vehicle I've ever owned that "spits out" aftermarket parts. Original starter lasted 21 years, O'Reilly reman lasted less than 2 years.
Buy from the southwest and west with no rust, buy the one in the best shape you can afford. Only YOU can determine if the value is right.
Be prepared with CASH IN HAND when you want to buy, as these go fast, especially the nice ones.
Many on here will buy and fly, then drive it 2000 miles home. So be aware, you are competing with people all across the country (and could be world) for the "right" truck.
D-A-N-G!
That is some serious DD.
I'll add the following negatives that haven't been already mentioned.
Less safety features than a modern car.
No cup holders or modern conveniences.
Torn and worn interior surfaces on top of the grime and mold.
They are BIG and TALL. Sure, they're no Raptor, but I was shocked at how tall this thing was after a 3" lift.
If you are looking for a singular all purpose DD rig, I recommend the 4Runner. The new TRDs are pretty awesome and worlds away from the Tacoma in comfort and quality. The 100 series and 200 series are great vehicles too.
- Thread starter
- #9
Man, you guys are already a helluva lot nicer than the tacomaworld guys! I really appreciate all of the quick feedback and recommendations! I have a decent understanding of what I'm getting myself into and as @Tachycardic recommended, I'm looking in that year model range. There's just a mystique and a soul in the 80 series and older Cruisers and Toyota pickups that you can't find in other trucks. I dig the utilitarianism and indestructibility of the Cruisers over newer double cab Tacos and 4Runners (as much love and appreciation as I have for both trucks). And in some ways, I'm trying to stay away from modern conveniences as much as possible. That being said a 5th gen 4Runner TRD would be my next option, but I want to learn all I can and exhaust any possibilities of owning a Cruiser first. My timeframe is ~6 mos so I'm not in a hurry but I also want to have as much info and cash on hand as I can when it comes time to pull the trigger.
Will this be your DD or only vehicle?
I would never DD and 80 on account of fuel consumption, nor is it my first choice off-road. It is VERY heavy and has poor ground clearance. If I didn't have three kids, I wouldn't own one.
That said, last summer I towed my boat to Lake Tahoe and did the Rubicon in one trip with one vehicle and three kids. I'm not sure what else would have accommodated that.
That said, last summer I towed my boat to Lake Tahoe and did the Rubicon in one trip with one vehicle and three kids. I'm not sure what else would have accommodated that.
I'm sure a Jeep Gladiator would suit you well, then!
That makes it a bit tougher. Being able to park the rig for a few days while you do PM makes ownership more enjoyable, as most of the ones for sale need a lot of catch up work. That said, once completed competently, the rig is reliable for a long, long time.
The crowd here is equal parts car restorer and 4x4 builder. The tacoworld crew are still mostly cosmetic wrenchers. They're vehicles haven't required must in the way of junkyard diving or component rebuild yet. That said, the 1GR-FE is a serious engine, and the suspension was a cake walk.
Up until recently I had one with 450K miles, and it probably still had a few hundred thousand left. It ran like a new car. However, it did not smell, look, or feel like one.
The crowd here is equal parts car restorer and 4x4 builder. The tacoworld crew are still mostly cosmetic wrenchers. They're vehicles haven't required must in the way of junkyard diving or component rebuild yet. That said, the 1GR-FE is a serious engine, and the suspension was a cake walk.
Up until recently I had one with 450K miles, and it probably still had a few hundred thousand left. It ran like a new car. However, it did not smell, look, or feel like one.
- Thread starter
- #15
Good to know, thanks. Fuel consumption isn't necessarily a concern as my Taco averages around 16mpg in the city and my commute is only 12 miles round trip.
The second half of your message is why I want one!
welcome...... find the cleanest 95-97- you can and join the crew........ hopefully with lockers.....
and since you're sorta local..... find a clean locked rig to work with....
happy to puts eyes on any local Houston rigs.....
happy to puts eyes on any local Houston rigs.....
- Thread starter
- #18
Much appreciated!
Tacomaworld is a dumpster fire, I know because I'm on there too. It's like the millennial hipster version of Pirate.
I own a '96 Land Cruiser and daily drive a 2020 Tacoma. Previously had a 2014 4Runner. I love my Land Cruiser as much as the next guy but would never consider it for daily driving. Newer cars are just way more comfortable, not to mention the safety of modern engineering. We may like to think our Cruisers are built like tanks but let's face it, safety wasn't a huge priority 25 years ago. Just look at pictures of roof/pillar damage in Land Cruisers involved in minor rollovers. They crumple like soda cans. I wouldn't want an 80 to be my everyday family hauler. Honestly I think a 5th gen 4Runner is more up your alley.
I've never been much of a safety nanny until I was in a pretty bad car accident last year. I probably could have died had I been driving a car from the 90s. Our 2014 4Runner was destroyed, but it did what it was designed to do in order to save a life.
I personally have a ‘91, and use it as a DD, but I’ve also done long road trips (CA to OR) and moderate trails. I appreciate the versatility of these great vehicles, but I also echo the previous posts, especially gas and hard to find/discontinued parts.
There are still some gems out there, but they’re becoming harder to find.
If you take all of this into consideration and do end up wanting to get a LC, then this is a great video to reference for common issues/spots to check when looking at one. I was a total noob when I got mine and didn’t really know what to look for, so I ended up with some costly repairs off the bat, especially with the front axle knuckles. Although I somewhat anticipated that, with it being 30yo! I still love it, though!
There are still some gems out there, but they’re becoming harder to find.
If you take all of this into consideration and do end up wanting to get a LC, then this is a great video to reference for common issues/spots to check when looking at one. I was a total noob when I got mine and didn’t really know what to look for, so I ended up with some costly repairs off the bat, especially with the front axle knuckles. Although I somewhat anticipated that, with it being 30yo! I still love it, though!
