Talk me into buying a 200 series (7 Viewers)

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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.
interestingly western people are more concerned with how many previous owners their cars have, versus how many previous relationships their partners have…

opposite in the east
 
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.
you should do what works for your family 😎

i couldn’t get my wife in a sequoia if i tried.
 
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.
Or that 4 previous owners dumped it after finding out that it has “issues” that are not obvious.

Look…2018 with FOUR owners ain’t normal. Fickle would not explain that!
 
interestingly western people are more concerned with how many previous owners their cars have, versus how many previous relationships their partners have…

opposite in the east
Overall freedom of choice brings more happiness I would imagine, certainly with cars.
 
If I did not offroad I would not own a 200 series. It is great all-around, but the cargo room is basically equal to a 4Runner. For a small family, plan on a roof box on road trips. I run a roof box and two hitch boxes when traveling with 2 kids, wife and dogs. A 2nd gen Sequoia with no solid rear would likely ride better on the road. Our 23 Tundra is slowly becoming our road trip vehicle. Bigger gas tank, better mpg (21-22 on freeway) and lots of room. Planning to add a camper shell for the dogs with a pass through donut to the full roll-down cab window so the dogs have air.
I'm 5ft 8in with only Traces of Lil Man Syndrome ( I DD a Corolla)
Our Cruiser 80 Series (Same as 100) fits a Twin Mattress Perfectly (Windows will Fog Bad)
I tried to Nap in the GX/4Runner and it's a No go Even at an Angle.
They are not The Same Size.
The Tundra would be Perfect with a Drawer Setup and Cap.
 
Let me share my journey, couple+4kids, surely I need three rows.

I started with GL450, capable and reliable AWD, served me well. I always wanted to upgrade to something like Escalade ESV. Till one day, we went to death valley and enjoyed a few "off road" (read: just dirt road) rides. We all enjoyed it and then I start to know 4wd/overlanding is a complete different thing.

So I (just!) got an LX and let's go Moab and let the fun begin. Had a blast of "off road" (again read: just dirt road) rides, went to white pocket, coyote butte south, (well couldn't get wave) and shafer trail. While I was excited, family get bored with all the bouncing, and we didn't go some real (beginner) trails like chicken corners. That left me wondering do I really need an LX, my GL can still serve me well with normal road trips and if they are not with me overlanding, then I could have probably just got a smaller 4runner/GX or new LC...

So maybe for your case, Sequoia is a good balance of being roomy, capable and reliable and still allows you to try out overlanding at some point.
 
I'm chiming in again because this is a great thread.

We live in Highlands Ranch, CO - in the southern suburbs of Denver. The highways, roads, and trails are full of Jeeps, Land Rovers, Subarus, Ford trucks. There is also a huge population of Toyota 4 Runners and Tacos. Though our priorities for getting our Land Cruiser was not to be different, it's a nice bonus to be a disrupter on the roads with our Land Cruiser, especially on the trails.

Once, we were on a very muddy and snowy trail going into American Basin (near Lake city/ Ouray). There was a muddy pit about 2' deep that was at the entrance of the basin. As I approached, a blinged-up Jeep came towards me. As we passed each other, the Jeep driver said, "You ain't going to make it through there" and laughed at me. I simply smiled and stomped on the accelerator hoping to kick mud back on his shiny ride.

I love the stately and strong look of our 2008 Cruiser. It doesn't scream "I have money" nor "give me a speeding ticket."

I've owned and driven a lot of vehicles. There's been only 1 vehicle that has been incredibly stable and solid during regular driving and emergency situations both unloaded and loaded to the brim - it's our 2008 Cruiser. I've taken our Cruiser on numerous multi-thousand highway trips with it fully loaded with food, toys, suitcases, tools, and whatever else my family snuck in there when I was not in the garage loading it. Those of you who've driven your rig fully loaded on long trips know what I'm talking about.

Where's that thread of one of our members who was rear-ended on a Dallas highway during stop-n-go traffic? Everyone in his Cruiser walked away with no injuries. If my memory is correct, the only damage he incurred was to the rear bumper... no broken glass. The offender's truck crumpled up like an accordion. Where is the thread of the Cruiser owner hitting a cow at night and being able to drive away?

From my earlier post where an aggressive driver hit us twice, I suffered a neck injury and had disc-replacement surgery as a result. There is an additional layer of safety in the Cruiser, that I would venture to say, 98% other vehicles do not have.

Now that our Cruiser has proven it's worth over and over, I couldn't get my family in another vehicle for our long highway trips. Like @ryanCA said, I couldn't get my family in a Sequoia... or a van... or another SUV like the ugly Nissan Armada or anything from Chevy, Dodge, GMC, Buick, Ford, etc.

If you get the Sequoia, hang around here every now and then because when it's time for you to get your Cruiser, you'll be amply prepared. And when you do get a Cruiser, buy one with the red exterior color... it's truly the best shade on the rig :cool:.
 
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Get the Sequoia. I have both a 21 LC/HE and a 21 Sequoia. If you are not going off-road the Sequoia is the choice by far. It is a great touring vehicle for a family + dog.

Longest Lasting Vehicles, both are winners:

1. Toyota Sequoia

Potential lifespan: 296,509 miles

In a separate study, iSeeCars.com analyzed over 260 million cars sold between 2012 and 2022 to find the probability that a vehicle would make it more than 250,000 miles. They calculated average odometer readings for each vehicle at each yearly age to estimate the chances that a vehicle would last that long. The Sequoia came in with a 47.1% chance of going a quarter million miles.


2. Toyota Land Cruiser

Potential lifespan: 280,236 miles

The Land Cruiser indicated a 47.9% chance of lasting 250,000+ miles.
I agree with this, I’ve owned 100/200/gx and sequoia….and for 90% of owners, the choice should be sequoia. It’s an extremely practical rig that just doesn’t have near the cool factor as an LC. Great engine, reliable, better third row and more cargo space. Also still slaughters forest service roads and snowy passes.
 
I agree with this, I’ve owned 100/200/gx and sequoia….and for 90% of owners, the choice should be sequoia. It’s an extremely practical rig that just doesn’t have near the cool factor as an LC. Great engine, reliable, better third row and more cargo space. Also still slaughters forest service roads and snowy passes.
This. And your kids are going to beat the crap out of it. Crackers, baby food, formula, and puke. My 5 year old gets car sick and puked all over the interior of our expedition. Vented seats are great until you try to get puke out of em. Buy the sequoia and upgrade when they are in middle school.
 
This. And your kids are going to beat the crap out of it. Crackers, baby food, formula, and puke. My 5 year old gets car sick and puked all over the interior of our expedition. Vented seats are great until you try to get puke out of em. Buy the sequoia and upgrade when they are in middle school.
But then they start doing maria-juana, sniffing glue, graffiti, and listening to Lil $hit. Getting glue out of vented seats is just as difficult....
 
Life's too short to settle. If I'd bought a Sequoia because it was practical I'd spend every minute I was in it thinking about how I still want a LC. Same reason I bought an M4 instead of a 440i. I want to spend my dollar on the things I actually want. You only get so many experiences in life. I'll only own so many cars. The extra cost in the long run is immaterial compared to the fulfillment of driving a car you truly love every day.
 
I love this thread, especially the struggle between practicality and desire.

In a moment of weakness back in 2014, I made the mistake of selling my wife's 2003 100 series Land Cruiser in favor of a "more practical" vehicle with much better mileage. I was regretting the decision within weeks, but it took my wife quite a bit longer to admit her own regrets (since she'd been the one pushing for the original decision). One weekend in the fall of 2017, coming back from a soccer tournament in Houston, she spotted a 200 series in the parking lot of a Cadillac dealership. We looked at each other, got off the highway and turned around, and walked over to check it out. It was a 2016, in immaculate condition, with 19K miles, The original owner had traded it for an Escalade XT an hour before we saw it (dealer hadn't even washed it). After some negotiation with a very reasonable and motivated salesman who I suspect didn't really know what they had, we backed up our old vehicle, switched all our stuff to the 200, and that's was it. A few weeks later, I was working on our kitchen counter and my wife walks in from the garage and says "I really love that truck"! Enough said. It now has 128K miles, a great Dobinson suspension and a brand new steering wheel and we love it more now than when we bought it.

After 37 years of uninterrupted Land Cruiser ownership, I rarely if ever engage in rationalizing their ownership. I have a heavily modified 100 series that I love to drive; a few weeks ago I walked out of a convenience store to see a guy a admiring it, and he asked me "what kind of mileage do you get?".... "I don't know, sir, and I don't care". Honest answer. Nobody who drives a Land Cruiser goes to their deathbed wishing they'd driven a Corolla instead....

My Land Cruisers have afforded me a lifetime of travel and wandering and exploration, and meeting amazing like-minded people along the way. Being a Cruiserhead and connecting to a worldwide community of Cruiserheads made my immigration journey from Venezuela to the US easier, and some of my oldest friends are fellow Cruiserheads. I love working on Cruisers, driving them, modifying them, learning about them. I love the look and the feel and even the smell of an old Cruiser and even as refined as they've gotten, the soul of a vehicle made to last MUCH longer than most vehicles is still there, even today.

Nothing against Sequoias, or sedans, or hybrids, or minivans, or anything else that's practical and sensical and economic. If you want a Land Cruiser, buy it, enjoy it, keep it. Chances are, you'll never regret it!

Cheers!!
 
Great story, thanks for sharing.
 
I love this thread, especially the struggle between practicality and desire.

In a moment of weakness back in 2014, I made the mistake of selling my wife's 2003 100 series Land Cruiser in favor of a "more practical" vehicle with much better mileage. I was regretting the decision within weeks, but it took my wife quite a bit longer to admit her own regrets (since she'd been the one pushing for the original decision). One weekend in the fall of 2017, coming back from a soccer tournament in Houston, she spotted a 200 series in the parking lot of a Cadillac dealership. We looked at each other, got off the highway and turned around, and walked over to check it out. It was a 2016, in immaculate condition, with 19K miles, The original owner had traded it for an Escalade XT an hour before we saw it (dealer hadn't even washed it). After some negotiation with a very reasonable and motivated salesman who I suspect didn't really know what they had, we backed up our old vehicle, switched all our stuff to the 200, and that's was it. A few weeks later, I was working on our kitchen counter and my wife walks in from the garage and says "I really love that truck"! Enough said. It now has 128K miles, a great Dobinson suspension and a brand new steering wheel and we love it more now than when we bought it.

After 37 years of uninterrupted Land Cruiser ownership, I rarely if ever engage in rationalizing their ownership. I have a heavily modified 100 series that I love to drive; a few weeks ago I walked out of a convenience store to see a guy a admiring it, and he asked me "what kind of mileage do you get?".... "I don't know, sir, and I don't care". Honest answer. Nobody who drives a Land Cruiser goes to their deathbed wishing they'd driven a Corolla instead....

My Land Cruisers have afforded me a lifetime of travel and wandering and exploration, and meeting amazing like-minded people along the way. Being a Cruiserhead and connecting to a worldwide community of Cruiserheads made my immigration journey from Venezuela to the US easier, and some of my oldest friends are fellow Cruiserheads. I love working on Cruisers, driving them, modifying them, learning about them. I love the look and the feel and even the smell of an old Cruiser and even as refined as they've gotten, the soul of a vehicle made to last MUCH longer than most vehicles is still there, even today.

Nothing against Sequoias, or sedans, or hybrids, or minivans, or anything else that's practical and sensical and economic. If you want a Land Cruiser, buy it, enjoy it, keep it. Chances are, you'll never regret it!

Cheers!!
Hell yeah Cruiserhead!
 
Life's too short to settle. If I'd bought a Sequoia because it was practical I'd spend every minute I was in it thinking about how I still want a LC. Same reason I bought an M4 instead of a 440i. I want to spend my dollar on the things I actually want. You only get so many experiences in life. I'll only own so many cars. The extra cost in the long run is immaterial compared to the fulfillment of driving a car you truly love every day.
Gotta be honest here, if you don’t wheel, there is no reason not to get a sequoia. It costs considerably less, is much more functional (second and third row are much larger), and is just as reliable. My only knock on the 2010 platinum I owned is that it didn’t come with push button start, there’s slightly more road noise and doors close a little louder. But it’s a fantastic vehicle. IMO
 
This. And your kids are going to beat the crap out of it. Crackers, baby food, formula, and puke. My 5 year old gets car sick and puked all over the interior of our expedition. Vented seats are great until you try to get puke out of em. Buy the sequoia and upgrade when they are in middle school.
I just went thru the puke thing in the rear seat.
Luckily I found a trucker stop with a vacuum.
The bleach wipes I packed were handy, but that $1.50 in quarters was the best bang for my buck I've ever had!
 
I love this thread, especially the struggle between practicality and desire.

In a moment of weakness back in 2014, I made the mistake of selling my wife's 2003 100 series Land Cruiser in favor of a "more practical" vehicle with much better mileage. I was regretting the decision within weeks, but it took my wife quite a bit longer to admit her own regrets (since she'd been the one pushing for the original decision). One weekend in the fall of 2017, coming back from a soccer tournament in Houston, she spotted a 200 series in the parking lot of a Cadillac dealership. We looked at each other, got off the highway and turned around, and walked over to check it out. It was a 2016, in immaculate condition, with 19K miles, The original owner had traded it for an Escalade XT an hour before we saw it (dealer hadn't even washed it). After some negotiation with a very reasonable and motivated salesman who I suspect didn't really know what they had, we backed up our old vehicle, switched all our stuff to the 200, and that's was it. A few weeks later, I was working on our kitchen counter and my wife walks in from the garage and says "I really love that truck"! Enough said. It now has 128K miles, a great Dobinson suspension and a brand new steering wheel and we love it more now than when we bought it.

After 37 years of uninterrupted Land Cruiser ownership, I rarely if ever engage in rationalizing their ownership. I have a heavily modified 100 series that I love to drive; a few weeks ago I walked out of a convenience store to see a guy a admiring it, and he asked me "what kind of mileage do you get?".... "I don't know, sir, and I don't care". Honest answer. Nobody who drives a Land Cruiser goes to their deathbed wishing they'd driven a Corolla instead....

My Land Cruisers have afforded me a lifetime of travel and wandering and exploration, and meeting amazing like-minded people along the way. Being a Cruiserhead and connecting to a worldwide community of Cruiserheads made my immigration journey from Venezuela to the US easier, and some of my oldest friends are fellow Cruiserheads. I love working on Cruisers, driving them, modifying them, learning about them. I love the look and the feel and even the smell of an old Cruiser and even as refined as they've gotten, the soul of a vehicle made to last MUCH longer than most vehicles is still there, even today.

Nothing against Sequoias, or sedans, or hybrids, or minivans, or anything else that's practical and sensical and economic. If you want a Land Cruiser, buy it, enjoy it, keep it. Chances are, you'll never regret it!

Cheers!!
I am car enthusiast and owned several nice German sedans, until I wanted a SUV and I realized how capable and reliable the Toyota Land Cruiser is, with the classic and understated Toyota looks. A bit higher initial purchase price, yet almost lineair depreciation over 350k+ miles. The maths for me added up quickly.

So since Nov 2020 we own one and while we are only at 34k miles, my wife and I love it more and more. By far the best vehicle we have purchased to date. Also so quiet inside.

Mods to date - Rhino roof rack, Self made wind fairing for the same, airbag man airbags, dynamat in doors and rear loading area/wheel fenders, changed driver and passenger front side windows for laminted LX570 windows, on battery and fuse box electric prep for accessories and tie in for roof rack winch, aluminum profiles and 2500lbs 12v winch to pull sailing kayak onto the roof rack.

In the works - 12.5 LRA and airlift 74000EZ for airbags. Next tires one side wall size up. Also plan to drop the headliner and add dynamat there to further cut out any roof rack noise at 70 mph +

May eventually look at a small amount of lift and full under body skids. Possible cut back factory bumpers (not going for bulky replacements aftermarket bumpers). I also may look at upgrading the driver and passenger seats to MBS or equivalent at some point. That is the only part which is OK, yet could have been done nicer. Perhaps I get some Lexus LS500 used seats at some point and try to install them.

All in all I love working on it knowing it will last me 25 years +

Looks wise it has the traditional Toyota look like the earlier 4 runners, love it. Classic in the making.

Sequia is ok but the specific looks never got to me. Inside also a bit basic and Made in USA. Good choice as well ofcourse.


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Prep for accessories, LRA 12.5 and airlift 74000 EZ power, as well as anderson connector for roof rack winch.
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18.5ft Hobie Tandem Island going side ways onto the roof. Holding at the nose while operating the winch remote. Works brilliant.
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In Utah in its natural habitat, pre roof rack
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The 200 is the King of All Roads!
 
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