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- #41
Really appreciate the reply. Love the red pill blue pill analogy lol. I know I want it.
I’m finding ways to not care as much about the cargo space not being big enough vs. a ‘22 sequoia. And to also justify the money
Talk me into buying a 200 series (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter drivel111
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I’m finding ways to not care as much about the cargo space not being big enough vs. a ‘22 sequoia. And to also justify the money
Couple of additional thoughts:
1.) I have recommended the Sequoia based on size but I totally get your preference for the LC, I felt the same way and bought the LC. They are cooler, nicer, more overbuilt etc. If the size & storage space isn’t an issue, go for it. I like the smaller size of the LC, it’s easier to park, it fits in a garage, and the shorter wheelbase makes backing my boat easier.
2.) Your wife won’t want to ride in the third row of a LC on a trip. The seat is low/floor level is high and as such it is really only good for short trips, taking kids to a soccer game, etc. (The 3rd row in a 2nd gen Sequoia is very comfortable on the other hand). The LC second row is quite comfortable and roomy, she could comfortably sit with the kids there. I have three kids (two young adults and a teenager) and the five of us take trips in the LC frequently, with three sitting across second row. Until recently these trips also included a Labrador retriever in half of the cargo area. A trailer hitch mounted carrier platform is my solution if more cargo space is needed.
3.) I would be careful about buying a LC you haven’t seen and driven. I drove 8 hours to see one with the intention of buying on the spot and when I got there it wasn’t as advertised at all. I found mine two hours away in the opposite direction a few weeks later. Be patient, you will find one.
4.) I prefer the looks of the LC over the LX as well and have no regrets about buying the former. You should like the looks of your vehicle. One oddity: the LC front passenger seat doesn’t have adjustable lumbar support. As a result I find it uncomfortable on long trips. I usually drive and my wife is comfortable in the passenger seat so it works for us…but pay attention to front passenger seat comfort. I believe the LX has lumbar support on both front seats.
Good luck with your decision. I’ve had my LC for five+ years and it’s the best vehicle I have ever owned.
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Yes it is possible to fold down one half of the 3rd row seats and leave the other half up. It doesn't leave a lot of room, enough for a medium/small dog to lay down, but not necessarily sprawl. If you think this is a possibility, I would remove one of the seats. It just leaves a little extra room for dog and "stuff." :edit: I'll echo @JohnPW , the 3rd row is pretty roomy and I've taken medium length road trips with 3 adults in the middle row and no complaints from anyone.
I personally would not buy the cheap east coast cruiser without inspecting in person or having a local MUDder check it out for me. I have flown out of state and driven back a cruiser and it was a fun adventure. I'd do that over having it shipped. And if you get there and you're not feeling it, you can always fly back home, just a few hundred bucks down the drain rather than tens of thousands. Get LOTS of undercarriage photos before thinking too hard on the east-coast cruiser. Rust is the #1 thing to avoid (more so than neglect or accidents, IMO).
I also wouldn't pay a lot more for lower miles. Especially since you're keeping it long-term and going to rack up a lot of miles anyway. I've bought older LC's with 300k on the clock and it didn't bother me one bit. Don't fear the miles.
I personally would not buy the cheap east coast cruiser without inspecting in person or having a local MUDder check it out for me. I have flown out of state and driven back a cruiser and it was a fun adventure. I'd do that over having it shipped. And if you get there and you're not feeling it, you can always fly back home, just a few hundred bucks down the drain rather than tens of thousands. Get LOTS of undercarriage photos before thinking too hard on the east-coast cruiser. Rust is the #1 thing to avoid (more so than neglect or accidents, IMO).
I also wouldn't pay a lot more for lower miles. Especially since you're keeping it long-term and going to rack up a lot of miles anyway. I've bought older LC's with 300k on the clock and it didn't bother me one bit. Don't fear the miles.
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While you're digging in and considering the trades, it maybe worthwhile to understand that the LX isn't just a lipstick job. In other parts of the world, there are various trims of LCs and differing levels of standard equipment. In the US, the higher 200-series trim happens to also be branded as an LX.
Lumbar was called out earlier as a differentiator but it goes deeper than that. Here's a list of potential differences. The 2018+ LCs will have the best chance to include higher levels of equipment, much of which was standard or exclusive on LX in even the earliest years. The 2016 and 2018s LCs are very similar but there are some differences and others may know more specifically. I believe the powered hatch was fitted to the LC in 2018.
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That difference in miles is irrelevant. What’s important is history and condition. The $60k one makes much more sense to me, providing good condition and history. If it’s near you, get over there and check it out!
The cool factor is for you only.
Nobody knows what a LC or LX is, mine gets mistaken for a 4 Runner frequently
**I loathe the idea of driving a vehicle to signal status to other people; all of the arguments for the 200 made from that perspective fall completely flat to me, so take the following with that in mind**
@drivel111, if you don't off-road, the Sequoia will serve your family better. Period. You get more for your money, and as someone posted beforehand, they actually last a bit longer on average than a 200. Independent rear suspension is excellent for on-pavement handling and gives you a 3rd row someone older than 12 can actually sit in for long trips. Yes, it's larger, yes the interior is like a time warp to earlier days, but that thing is the most underrated utilitarian vehicle Toyota has ever made.
I think of the 2nd gen Sequoia as the poverty pack 200 series we always wanted in the US but never got; it's just also (slightly) larger and has independent rear suspension.
-Sequoia, despite being slightly larger, has a slightly smaller turn radius.
-You can get 2nd row captains chairs, or a bench with a removable middle section, which you can NOT get in a 200.
-All those Tundra front end parts people upgrade their 200s with? Those are Sequoia parts.
-2020-2022 have CarPlay integration.
-It has roughly the same rear axle rating as a 200, but a 4k front axle (like the Tundra).
-4.30 gears which is nice if you're towing.
-Roll-down rear window makes hauling long boards for a home project easy.
-It has the 6 speed transmission, which a lot of people who have driven both prefer the responsiveness of compared to the 8 speed in the 2016+ 200s.
And if you ever decide to build it for off-roading, Tandem Off-road has come up with some pretty legit stuff for the Sequoia:
All that said, we have a 570. I love it. My wife likes it but would rather have a Sequoia for the space and the 2nd row captains chairs. It would be so much faster for our kids to load themselves up if they didn't have to mess with folding a seat forward and resetting it every single time. She also thinks the cargo area is small and the 3rd row is cramped. Here are a couple interior shots of a 2020 Sequoia. This interior would not bother me at all:
@drivel111, if you don't off-road, the Sequoia will serve your family better. Period. You get more for your money, and as someone posted beforehand, they actually last a bit longer on average than a 200. Independent rear suspension is excellent for on-pavement handling and gives you a 3rd row someone older than 12 can actually sit in for long trips. Yes, it's larger, yes the interior is like a time warp to earlier days, but that thing is the most underrated utilitarian vehicle Toyota has ever made.
I think of the 2nd gen Sequoia as the poverty pack 200 series we always wanted in the US but never got; it's just also (slightly) larger and has independent rear suspension.
-Sequoia, despite being slightly larger, has a slightly smaller turn radius.
-You can get 2nd row captains chairs, or a bench with a removable middle section, which you can NOT get in a 200.
-All those Tundra front end parts people upgrade their 200s with? Those are Sequoia parts.
-2020-2022 have CarPlay integration.
-It has roughly the same rear axle rating as a 200, but a 4k front axle (like the Tundra).
-4.30 gears which is nice if you're towing.
-Roll-down rear window makes hauling long boards for a home project easy.
-It has the 6 speed transmission, which a lot of people who have driven both prefer the responsiveness of compared to the 8 speed in the 2016+ 200s.
And if you ever decide to build it for off-roading, Tandem Off-road has come up with some pretty legit stuff for the Sequoia:
All that said, we have a 570. I love it. My wife likes it but would rather have a Sequoia for the space and the 2nd row captains chairs. It would be so much faster for our kids to load themselves up if they didn't have to mess with folding a seat forward and resetting it every single time. She also thinks the cargo area is small and the 3rd row is cramped. Here are a couple interior shots of a 2020 Sequoia. This interior would not bother me at all:
The LX has the thigh support for drivers seat, albeit I could use more but still more comfortable than the LC. Not sure if later years got this feature.
Nope.
- Thread starter
- #52
Thanks. The $60k one has 4 owners (?!?!) the $72k one (42k miles) is original owner, who says it’s never been off road and he’s meticulously cared for it. Would that make you pause? Or still go for the $60k one with higher (67k) miles?That difference in miles is irrelevant. What’s important is history and condition. The $60k one makes much more sense to me, providing good condition and history. If it’s near you, get over there and check it out!
And thus I drive aLC.
I care what I think.
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these threads have been here for years.
My favorite responses are “yup, Sequoia is great for x,y,z reasons. Sequoia is perfect for you.”
They type it all out and then they end with “but we have a LC.”
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Maybe the Sequoia forum is different. I wouldn't know, there is a reason we are on the LC forum .
People here are either LC owners or aspire to be LC owners.
I am a member of a particular sports car forum. Been a member for 19 years. This year I finally bought one. Yup took me 20 years.
If it takes one 20 years to buy a LC, so be it.
Dont settle for a substitute.
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Be true to yourself and your desires.
Only you know what you want. You are either a LC person or you are not. No amount of cargo area measurements and IFS etc will sway a person who wants to be part of the best club in the world.
Yes not only do I drink the kool aid, I swallow it.
LC for life.
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- Thread starter
- #54
Much appreciated. I’ve been bitten by the bug and it’s not letting go. It’s like a damn scratch I just *have* to itch. Ok so question for you. Buy a 2021 HE with 30k miles listed at a dealer at 90k and hope to talk them down a bit? Or go with a 2018 base with 42k miles, single owner who seems to have taken great pride and care of it for $72k?
Reporting in from Iowa. We have both a 2011 sequoia that we have had since 19k miles. It now has 131k. It's been bulletproof and never been into the dealership for any repairs other than one sensor. We have captain chairs center row and three boys and bernese mountain dog. It has been fantastic and it's generally our go to when all 5 are traveling.
We also have a 2021 landcruiser. It's cool and you can feel the difference as soon as you shut the door. The sequoia feels more like a truck and the LC is just more refined. My wife says its drives so easily she has to pay attention.
We use the sequoia to tow our boat and it's the go to swiss army knife. All the seats fold flat. You can use it like a truck bed.
But if it's just the wife going somewhere or myself. We take the landcruiser. Both are great vehicles. I say buy one of each! You won't be disappointed.
We also have a 2021 landcruiser. It's cool and you can feel the difference as soon as you shut the door. The sequoia feels more like a truck and the LC is just more refined. My wife says its drives so easily she has to pay attention.
We use the sequoia to tow our boat and it's the go to swiss army knife. All the seats fold flat. You can use it like a truck bed.
But if it's just the wife going somewhere or myself. We take the landcruiser. Both are great vehicles. I say buy one of each! You won't be disappointed.
Hell no to the 4 owners LC!!
If those are your only two choices and you have the money, get the one owner pristine one!
No way I’m spending 90k on any Land Cruiser. A one or two owner well maintained clean Carfax from non salt states is what you want. I don’t know what the correct price is but there are websites to guide you on pricing. I agree that miles are less important than condition. I’m over 80k and it drives like a new car.
EDIT: the Heritage Edition doesn’t have a third row.. so more storage space but it only seats five. I thought you wanted/needed a third row.
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We’ll probably replace ours with a Sequoia when the time comes. Wife would much rather have one for all the previously mentioned reasons, and it’s her DD.
LCs are cool and absolutely superior if you venture off-pavement; don’t get me wrong. And the history is there. But at the end of the day, it’s a mid-size vs full-size decision, and I most assuredly do not drink the koolaid vs other Toyota offerings that last just as long (or slightly longer as the data shows). Kudos to you for admitting it. My pride is more about making the most practical decision and not being swayed by koolaid. If this immaculate 570 hadn’t popped up for a good cash price, we’d all but guaranteed be in a sequoia.
There are some common issues for the way people talk about 200s being bulletproof…Sequoia doesn’t suffer from the faulty radiator design that Toyota ignored in the 200 series from 2008 to late 2018. And I seem to read about the coolant valley leak less on the Tundras and Sequoias than on the 200s. Heater Ts are a needed but simple fix as the miles pile on. I had to get used to the noisy, rattling interior in my 570 (mostly 2nd row seats). My Tundra on the other hand has cheap plastics, but it is dead silent inside the truck.
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which speaks to you more ?
my wife has a HE. Cool. truck.
Ask yourself which you want . Internet stranger opinions are worth what you paid for it
now go scratch that itch and post pics of the new LC
Who gives a crap how many owners it had? People are fickle and buy and sell vehicles for any reason under the sun, most frequently because they felt like it. If it has service history and it's in good shape, I don't care if it's had a gajillion owners and don't see how it's relevant to value or desirability.
