Tacoma vs FZJ80

[BrotherRob]

I have both at about the same age and mileage. My 80 has held up much better with much more abuse. Both are reliable, the 80 is far more durable and is, all around, a higher quality vehicle. For comfort and driveability, 80 wins hands down. 80 wins the traction and maneuverability contest too. The Tacoma is faster and gets better mileage but neither is economical.

Like Kevin says, they have different purposes. The Tacoma is a semi economical light utility pick up. The 80 is a hi line luxury wagon on a heavy truck chassis.

 

[mtrdud]

Apples and oranges. They are both very different but both are Toyita quality. No doubt. I have an 80 and two Tacomas and I love them all. The Tacomas are DD's.

 

[jblaze]

Don't listen to any of the above posts. Get an 80 and spend every dime you make on it.

This sounds like a sound piece of advice.

 

[jet200]

A few things I've learned. Cars, trucks and motorcycles are like potato chips, you can just have one. I wish I hadn't sold my perfectly good '98 4Runner that owed me nothing and could have been a nice platform for a build. The Taco is a great DD. I've got the bug and will ultimately find an 80 for wheeling. I like doing the work on my moto's, the youngest of which is a '91 so I wouldn't hesitate getting my hands dirty building an 80.

Thanks for all your replies.

 

[maxamillion2345]

Actually, I completely disagree with this statement. Any 80 you buy has already depreciated fully (or near) and won't go down further in price unless wrecked or completely neglected. Whereas any late model Tacoma will drop in value like a boat anchor, as would any late model vehicle. An 80 purchased today for $6k will be worth $6k next year...The Tacoma will not hold it's value.

A brand new Taco yeah, a little. If you look into it you'll find used Tacomas depreciate very little and hold their value inexplicably well.

 

[Summiteer]

I DD my 80 to work everyday... 70 mile round trip. Love the thing, it's on 315's and usually gets between 15-16mpg. When I get to work I hop in a Tacoma. Really don't have anything good to say about them other than they've never left me stranded. My Vote would be for the 80

 

[maxamillion2345]

I think for most of you the capability of the 80 vs Taco is negligable. The 2nd gen Taco drivetrain is tough as well and a whole lot newer. Gasp, I'd say you're ahead with a 2nd gen in reliability.

 

[tacosupreme]

I think for most of you the capability of the 80 vs Taco is negligable. The 2nd gen Taco drivetrain is tough as well and a whole lot newer. Gasp, I'd say you're ahead with a 2nd gen in reliability.

Everyone says that, but I've got a nice pile of ring gears missing teeth and axle shafts with the splines smoothed off, plus a couple of transmissions, drive lines, wheel bearings, broken motor mounts, alternator case cracked, 4wd actuators bad, A/C pump seized and condenser, aluminum oil pan with a hole knocked in it...all in under 100K miles on my '05 Tacoma. Double the mileage on the 80, and I'm just now putting new axle shafts up front because I'm getting some clicking. Granted if you keep either one stock and drive like a grandma they will last forever, but my argument is the 80's don't have enough power to hurt themselves and will outlive any of the 2nd or 3rd gen tacoma's.

 

[LS1FJ40]

Everyone says that, but I've got a nice pile of ring gears missing teeth and axle shafts with the splines smoothed off, plus a couple of transmissions, drive lines, wheel bearings, broken motor mounts, alternator case cracked, 4wd actuators bad, A/C pump seized and condenser, aluminum oil pan with a hole knocked in it...all in under 100K miles on my '05 Tacoma. Double the mileage on the 80, and I'm just now putting new axle shafts up front because I'm getting some clicking. Granted if you keep either one stock and drive like a grandma they will last forever, but my argument is the 80's don't have enough power to hurt themselves and will outlive any of the 2nd or 3rd gen tacoma's.

I keep telling people this. Anyone that says that a Taco is as reliable or durable as an 80 doesn't have experience with both. I've owned Tacos and numerous 80s. My 80s have never left me stranded (even the 1FZ-FE ones ). 80s are built for the harshest of environments, Tacos are built for American roads or an occasional dirt road.

 

[tacosupreme]

I keep telling people this. Anyone that says that a Taco is as reliable or durable as an 80 doesn't have experience with both. I've owned Tacos and numerous 80s. My 80s have never left me stranded (even the 1FZ-FE ones ). 80s are built for the harshest of environments, Tacos are built for American roads or an occasional dirt road.

Agreed. The funny thing is I got the clicking birf apart, and I bet I could have babied it for a thousand miles or more. It's worn, but nothing catastrophic. The tacoma on the other hand,,, there is no limping home on a grenaded inner tripod joint (the weak link on the 05+ CV)

 

[AJP]

Maintenance costs on an 80 are not astronomical higher than on a Tacoma or any other vehicle. In fact I will argue that the life cycle cost of an 80 is better than that of virtually any vehicle on the market. I've outlined my total cost of ownership numerous times on Mud. I bought it new in 1992. Owned it 23 years. $60k total cost of ownership over those 23 years. Or $214/month. The $21k I've spent on top of the initial purchase price has been on maintenance and wear items. No catastrophic failures or breakage. The longest downtime I had was doing a knuckle job or replacing the radiator. Neither time was the vehicle "down" for more than 8 hrs.

The 80 is the better value. It is a vehicle that is completely "overbuilt" from the factory. It is designed for the harshest of conditions. A Tacoma is a fine vehicle. But a late model Tacoma is built for American roads not what an 80 is built for.

Then combine the limited availability of the 80 compared to the mass production of the Tacoma and the value of the 80 stays put or could (as some suggest) increase.

.. actually as I reflect closely on my LX450 experience durability and quality has NOT been particularly stellar... in fact I can tell you that my previous vehicle was a box stock 1995 4Runner 2.4l 5spd 4dr which I drove to about 120k Km when I bought my LX450. The total maintenance (not including oil, filters and one set of tires - and tires were a lot cheaper than the LX450!) was less than the cost of installing the exhaust system on the LX450 which had to be done after a few months of ownership (I purchased the LX450 used). Not to mention the gas filler neck that rusted through and had to be replaced (btw .. unless you "section" the fill pipe as I did - you have to lift the body off the chassis to R&R the pipe!!!!) or the myriad of other ongoing things that failed: condenser, VSV for EGR, antenna, starter, radiator, O2 sensors, leaky birfs, etc etc etc. none of this was PM -- my PM list is pretty extensive as well!

(very annoying side story!!! ... what was a particularly galling about the exhaust was that I elected pay through the nose to go with the OEM dealer installed system because they offered a "Lifetime" warranty on the "muffler" -- of course when the muffler integral hangar broke off - again (after pretty benign highway use) and I went back to exercise the warranty ... there was "no problem" until the dealer saw his replacement cost and said "that's not the muffler - that is the center pipe - and we didn't explicitly write "center pipe" on the receipt where you asked us to "spell out the exact warranty!" so its not covered...it seems to this dealer (and Lexus Canada who backed him up) are of the opinion that the rather large long and round can that sits behind the second cat is the "center pipe" while the much smaller can that is just before the exhaust tip (which you might think is a resonator) is in fact the "muffler"! ... anyhow ... I am now on my third exhaust system - a Borla. You will have a VERY hard time convincing me that the 1997 LX450 has a "lower maintenance cost of ownership" than that 1995 4Runner. Like I said -- there really is no business case ... its all emotion.

 

[math]

Stick with the Tacoma if you cannot have an 80 as a dedicated "adventure" rig only. I DD a Prius and keep the 80 for the fun stuff. Many people on this forum DD their rigs, but I wouldn't recommend dropping your Taco in favor of an 80 in your particular situation.

Prius + 80 = the ultimate reliable Toyota combination. Can't break either of them. But it does create a weird love-hate dynamic with the gas pump.

 

[FJ809496TLC]

Not at the same level. Advantage: 80

 

[LS1FJ40]

.. actually as I reflect closely on my LX450 experience durability and quality has NOT been particularly stellar... in fact I can tell you that my previous vehicle was a box stock 1995 4Runner 2.4l 5spd 4dr which I drove to about 120k Km when I bought my LX450. The total maintenance (not including oil, filters and one set of tires - and tires were a lot cheaper than the LX450!) was less than the cost of installing the exhaust system on the LX450 which had to be done after a few months of ownership (I purchased the LX450 used). Not to mention the gas filler neck that rusted through and had to be replaced (btw .. unless you "section" the fill pipe as I did - you have to lift the body off the chassis to R&R the pipe!!!!) or the myriad of other ongoing things that failed: condenser, VSV for EGR, antenna, starter, radiator, O2 sensors, leaky birfs, etc etc etc. none of this was PM -- my PM list is pretty extensive as well!

(very annoying side story!!! ... what was a particularly galling about the exhaust was that I elected pay through the nose to go with the OEM dealer installed system because they offered a "Lifetime" warranty on the "muffler" -- of course when the muffler integral hangar broke off - again (after pretty benign highway use) and I went back to exercise the warranty ... there was "no problem" until the dealer saw his replacement cost and said "that's not the muffler - that is the center pipe - and we didn't explicitly write "center pipe" on the receipt where you asked us to "spell out the exact warranty!" so its not covered...it seems to this dealer (and Lexus Canada who backed him up) are of the opinion that the rather large long and round can that sits behind the second cat is the "center pipe" while the much smaller can that is just before the exhaust tip (which you might think is a resonator) is in fact the "muffler"! ... anyhow ... I am now on my third exhaust system - a Borla. You will have a VERY hard time convincing me that the 1997 LX450 has a "lower maintenance cost of ownership" than that 1995 4Runner. Like I said -- there really is no business case ... its all emotion.

So you bought an LX, used, that was neglected by the previous owner and this is indicative of the reliability an durability of the 80 series how?

Go over and check out the durability thread in the 80 section. There are countless 80 owners that have not had the experiences you have. As for blaming components that failed due to rusting out on Toyota and claiming they aren't durable, well, you live in Canada, how is this Toyota's fault. I live in Iowa where we use a ton of salt. Due to my diligence of cleaning and maintaining my rig it is 23 years old and rust free. But I suppose that is because of luck or Toyota's engineering.

Did you buy the 95 new or used? What year did you buy it? What year did you buy your LX?

 

[NCjeff]

OP- Its 2 completely different animals. I have both, a double cab 15 Taco and a 97 LX450.

Have I thought about getting rid of them both for a 100 series, YEP. But I have to have a pickup, I like having a pickup; dogs, chemicals, lawnmowers, mtb bikes, surf boards, smelly dead animals, etc... Cannot put some of that s*** inside the 80.

I work out of the Taco, so getting home, last thing I want to do is get back in it to go to the store, beach, woods. Its nice to get in the cruiser and relax.

Both vehicles are great platforms to do whatever you want to do, and yeah your going to always want another one... Welcome...

Save your money and get both. Get another job and get both.

 

[AJP]

So you bought an LX, used, that was neglected by the previous owner and this is indicative of the reliability an durability of the 80 series how?

Go over and check out the durability thread in the 80 section. There are countless 80 owners that have not had the experiences you have. As for blaming components that failed due to rusting out on Toyota and claiming they aren't durable, well, you live in Canada, how is this Toyota's fault. I live in Iowa where we use a ton of salt. Due to my diligence of cleaning and maintaining my rig it is 23 years old and rust free. But I suppose that is because of luck or Toyota's engineering.

Did you buy the 95 new or used? What year did you buy it? What year did you buy your LX?

Well ... for starters (btw - have had to rebuild the starter on the LX - but not the one on my '95 Jeep with almost the same mileage...) the previous owner was nice enough (and rich enough!) to have the LX maintained at a dealer .. the service records were complete and the vehicle had approximately 52k Miles when I purchased it. If it had been neglected - I would not have purchased it. It is noteworthy that I also immediately started having annual applications of Krown rustproofing (the same company our military uses for their road fleet as it is the only one that satisfied their tests at the time) .. when I mentioned a rusted fuel pipe ... I did so for a reason! This was due to simple piss poor design!! the pipe is held - flat - against a lower bracket that collects and holds salt. Unless you want to get the vehicle up on a hoist once a week in the winter in order to direct a power wash nozzle into that bracket ... corrosion will start. As it did on mine. I did not raise the issue of the upper rear tailgate rusting around the window as it has on EVERY LX I have seen in Southern Ontario (also common with 4Runners) because the design wasnt as much an issue (if you build a rear gate) as the assembly was. And anyone who has stood on an assembly installing rear glass like that knows exactly why the rust always starts in the same place. It is also noteworthy that EVERY item I have had problems (repair, replace etc) with ... was well documented on this site - even the rusted gas pipe. I think that pretty much says it all. I am not claiming its a lemon ... but I try not to be too delusional about my emotional attachment to the vehicle. I obviously like it as I still have it... but still -- it absolutely does have some WARTS!

 

[BrotherRob]

I think for most of you the capability of the 80 vs Taco is negligable. The 2nd gen Taco drivetrain is tough as well and a whole lot newer. Gasp, I'd say you're ahead with a 2nd gen in reliability.

Reliability yes, durability no. Crawl under both, the Tacoma is no where near as stout. There's no way my Tacoma would survive the abuse I've given my 80. The Tacoma would also need considerably more mods to be as capable.

 

[maxamillion2345]

Everyone says that, but I've got a nice pile of ring gears missing teeth and axle shafts with the splines smoothed off, plus a couple of transmissions, drive lines, wheel bearings, broken motor mounts, alternator case cracked, 4wd actuators bad, A/C pump seized and condenser, aluminum oil pan with a hole knocked in it...all in under 100K miles on my '05 Tacoma. Double the mileage on the 80, and I'm just now putting new axle shafts up front because I'm getting some clicking. Granted if you keep either one stock and drive like a grandma they will last forever, but my argument is the 80's don't have enough power to hurt themselves and will outlive any of the 2nd or 3rd gen tacoma's.

You jump yours. I mean I remember when you lived in Germany and your truck was mostly in tact. Now your dash is gone, it's caged, and you jump the s*** out if it. I don't think it's really a fair comparison. I'll tell you the heavy 80 series won't hold up any better.

 

[jtwopark]

it seems that tires bigger than 33's on the 80 will cause parts to fail prematurely!....

 

[maxamillion2345]

I keep telling people this. Anyone that says that a Taco is as reliable or durable as an 80 doesn't have experience with both. I've owned Tacos and numerous 80s. My 80s have never left me stranded (even the 1FZ-FE ones ). 80s are built for the harshest of environments, Tacos are built for American roads or an occasional dirt road.

I mean I had 2nd gen Taco on 35s, I mean granted it wasn't a LT on 37s but it was pretty built for a 2nd gen with IFS still. Wheeled it all over the west, laid the cab into rocks, broke a 3rd, rear axle shaft, wore out a bunch of bushings and steering parts.

I've only owned this 80 but ya know... it's pretty built. I had to strip it out to the bare frame and cab so I'm pretty familiar with it. I'm also very familiar with Toyota solid axles.


I still maintain that the 80 series is not any more reliable or durable than a 2nd gen Tacoma. Start throwing tires bigger than 35s and they're both going to go down hill quick.

Start jumping either one and s*** is going to go downhill ever more quick.

Stock land cruisers aren't really that awesome. Yeah you get a front locker and a solid front axle with a CH more travel than the IFS front but big whoop, frame is stout (though they're not a heavy truck frame by any means), but steering box cracks frame, 20 year old vehicles worn out. Tacoma has it beat in every other way in my book. Either way, most of you won't wheel them hard enough to notice I think.