The True Cost of a ‘Free’ Land Cruiser 100

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pascumeister

pascumeister

Joined
Oct 10, 2023
Threads
4
Messages
10
Location
Brasov, Romania
Hey mudders,

Long-time lurker here — this forum has been a huge resource for me over the years, so I figured it’s time to return the favor.

A few years ago I was given a 100 Series for free as a scrap car. It was really exciting at the time, but as most of you already know… nothing is ever free with these cars.

I ended up going deep: engine, suspension, drivetrain, cooling, brakes, rust, countless small things that add up fast. Almost everything was DIY, learned the hard way, often with help from threads on this forum.

The truck is now reliable enough for proper off-road trips and winter mountain travel — but the “free” part was the most expensive part of all.

I put together a short video walking through what the truck was like when I got it, the main problems I ran into, and what it realistically cost me to get it to where it is now. This is just the start — I plan to document future repairs and upgrades as I go.

If it’s useful to anyone considering a cheap / free 100 Series project, here’s the link:


Happy to answer questions or share details here as well.

Off-roadForest.webp
 
Great video I’d imagine there are a lot of folks here in a similar scenario. I know I am and I’m about to pull my engine and start the tear down. It has 360k miles and I blew a head gasket. Considering swapping for a fully refurbished motor.
 
Tmparker05 said:
Great video I’d imagine there are a lot of folks here in a similar scenario. I know I am and I’m about to pull my engine and start the tear down. It has 360k miles and I blew a head gasket. Considering swapping for a fully refurbished motor.
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If it's 1HDFTE like mine, changing a head gasket is not that difficult, but if the head or block are cracked then it's probably better to swap it, especially given the relatively high mileage.
But be very wary of crate engines, it's very hard to find one that's in better condition than yours.
 
Nice video.

It’s the same with boats. B.O.A.T. = Break Out Another Thousand. My dad used to say his boat was a “Hole in the water, where I pour all my money!”

Though it’s a nice system, glad mine doesn’t have the AHC. I’ve had a few big ticket items, but still cheaper than a car payment.
 
squidmotion said:
Nice video.

It’s the same with boats. B.O.A.T. = Break Out Another Thousand. My dad used to say his boat was a “Hole in the water, where I pour all my money!”

Though it’s a nice system, glad mine doesn’t have the AHC. I’ve had a few big ticket items, but still cheaper than a car payment.
Click to expand...
Thanks!
For me it was this pic that summarizes LC ownership. You can stick that on a boat :))

I just scratched my wallet some more and today I'm installing Terrain Tamer upper control arms.
Will post a new video next week, this time with lots of wrenching action.

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Glad you bring it back to life. Do remember a landcruiser is not a typical Corolla or Camry, value of the truck may be low or close to free if it is in neglected condition. Do remember parts are expensive. My 2004 is not in bad condition but I am restroring it to new condition just because, surely not cheap. Finally have time to take the center console aparts, clean, brush and rinse after removing the interior for a year.
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