Thoughts on 200 series

[pagemaster]

If she is ONLY going to be using it for a mall cruiser

It is not even that good of a mall cruiser.

1. There is no power rear hatch
2. The rear is clam shell. Requiring lift up, hatch release and then pull up and pull down
3. Cargo capacity is poor because of the rear seats.
4. Suspension does not lower like Sequoia for easy loading.

Looks like a Sequoia or Highlander is the perfect vehicle for the OP.

It would be a shame to see the LC used for mall duty.

 

[dtt255]

It is not even that good of a mall cruiser.

1. There is no power rear hatch
2. The rear is clam shell. Requiring lift up, hatch release and then pull up and pull down
3. Cargo capacity is poor because of the rear seats.
4. Suspension does not lower like Sequoia for easy loading.

Looks like a Sequoia or Highlander is the perfect vehicle for the OP.

It would be a shame to see the LC used for mall duty.

I agree....but if his wife does not like the Sequoia not much more he can do!

 

[sdtash]

Well there is the bright side. In a few yrs, there will be a great 200 4 sale. 1 x slightly used shopping trolley.

Surely you can fit 30 cartons of beer in the back.

 

[pagemaster]

Surely you can fit 30 cartons of beer in the back.

That might be pushing it. I would say about 22 cases.

 

[chimyz]

I get the impression that josharre2000 is buying this cruiser for his wife and family, but to eventually be a wheeler. I'm not too sure it will end up being a mall cruiser for it's whole life.

He will probably get it, let his wife drive it for a while, then take it over for himself. I have done that to my wife a number of times.

 

[Crazy888888s]

As for reliability, I have 8,000 trouble free miles. I did have my tailshaft replaced under the TSB (ah, so smooth now) and did an oil change/tire rotation at 5,000 miles. Other than that routine maintenance (and the need to replace a tire pressure monitor broken by a tech during the snow tire change-over - argh to the tune of $160!), the LC200 is as reliable as a GE toaster. Whoever said the LC200 has reliability problems is either (a) uninformed/misinformed or (b) has some kind of axe to grind against the LC200.

As for using it as a MB (Mommy-Buggy) if the kids are too small to climb in and strap on their own seat belts, I think the LC200 will prove to be a chore. Which, may be a plus if you are trying to have your wife get frustrated with the LC200 quickly so that you can get your mitts on it to do a build!

For my family - which is basically 5 adult size people - the LC200 serves well as we always have a spare person or two in tow. This beast tows my 8,000lb boat witout a sweat (I still wish it had a transmission temp gauge in the LCD display mode like my old Suburban) and handles the frozen mud/muck chuck-hole-pocked horse lanes where I live. Fully loaded with passengers, cargo space is stingier than the old 'burban, but one or two aerodynamic Thule racks on top will solve that problem (but this will keep me out of my garage due to overall vehicle height with the racks).

As for fuel economy - or lack thereof - I am getting about 14.5MPG in city driving and can coax about 17.5MPG out of her on an extended highway trip. This is still better than my old 6.2L Denali XL by a smidge. One slightly frustrating thing is that the cruising range calculator on my LC200 is very conservative. Fuel capacity is 24.6US gallons but when my cruising range indicator drops to about 20 miles I can barely get 19 gallons in. I guess the engineers wanted to leave a margin of safety in the program for off-roaders, but an approximate 60 mile vairance is a bit much in my opinion. This is among the most minor of gripes, just a peeve. The other peeve is the fuel filler door lever. Why not dispense with the lever and have the fuel filler door lock with the central locks. Again, this is super minor.

 

[KJun]

I have a 5 year old that loves the 200 with the DVD entertainment system. Not so much a problem with getting in for him with the running boards. Getting out is more tricky for the little ones but manageable. Was looking at the new Sequoia at first but the wife would have none of it since she didn't feel comfortable driving something that big, so we settled for the LC I traded in the Sienna for the 200 and have no regrets. Downside is the drop in fuel efficiency, less space in rear, and I also had the driveshaft clunk which was fixed under warranty. Knew about the first two going into the purchase so they were not an issue. If you know what you're getting into which it sounds like you do, then you have in the 200 a go anywhere do anything in style and comfort vehicle.

 

[josharre2000]

I get the impression that josharre2000 is buying this cruiser for his wife and family, but to eventually be a wheeler. I'm not too sure it will end up being a mall cruiser for it's whole life.

He will probably get it, let his wife drive it for a while, then take it over for himself. I have done that to my wife a number of times.

chimyz has hit the nail on the head. We are a cruiser family through and through, just took a little break while the kids were babies. They can jump into my 80 and fasten their own seatbelts-- well except for the 3 year old. I do plan on building one of these one day and there is not a better type of rig to build thatn one you know has been well taken care of.

Also my definition of Mall Cruiser is relative. I would bet a cold sixer that the Honda Odyssey she drives has seen more offroad/utility action that most LCs on the road today. We built a lake cabin the past year and during the process she ripped all of the plastic "skid plates" off, had the front end fixed twice, recieved some sweet pinstriping and helped pull a stuck Bobcat out of the mud.

Heres the update on my search:

Went to the Dealership yesterday and waited for 20 minutes for their "LC Guy" to come meet me.... the one that talked the smack about how good of deal he could cut. His 1st words were something about his manager could not sign off on the deal and handed me a price sheet that was 4k higher. So I asked to speak to his manager. When he came out I told them both to pound sand and left.

Not to bummed. Hey its a buyers market. I am sure the right deal will come around sooner or later.

 

[JBHorne]

chimyz has hit the nail on the head. We are a cruiser family through and through, just took a little break while the kids were babies. They can jump into my 80 and fasten their own seatbelts-- well except for the 3 year old. I do plan on building one of these one day and there is not a better type of rig to build thatn one you know has been well taken care of.

Also my definition of Mall Cruiser is relative. I would bet a cold sixer that the Honda Odyssey she drives has seen more offroad/utility action that most LCs on the road today. We built a lake cabin the past year and during the process she ripped all of the plastic "skid plates" off, had the front end fixed twice, recieved some sweet pinstriping and helped pull a stuck Bobcat out of the mud.

Heres the update on my search:

Went to the Dealership yesterday and waited for 20 minutes for their "LC Guy" to come meet me.... the one that talked the smack about how good of deal he could cut. His 1st words were something about his manager could not sign off on the deal and handed me a price sheet that was 4k higher. So I asked to speak to his manager. When he came out I told them both to pound sand and left.

Not to bummed. Hey its a buyers market. I am sure the right deal will come around sooner or later.

You get some in that minivan!!!

Yeah, the same thing happened to me with my LC. The "LC guy" who answered the phone told me he could sell it at invoice and I should come down and talk. So I did just that and while they tried to throw new figures at me, I told them exactly what I would be doing. They gave in and I walked out with it at invoice.

Yes, it is a buyers market...is this one they have on the lot or an order for a new one? 08 or 09? If it's an 08 with the optional package, it's the same as the 09. Invoice it is or walk, IMO.

 

[sdtash]

Hey, the right deal will come. Always worth a ring around a few dealers. No shortage of them , at least there still building them. Ring him back in a few days, they will talk.

 

[dtt255]

good luck!

 

[Luke111]

Josh, your best bet is to find a pre-owned 2008 or go to Edmunds and ask for quotes from dealers if you want a new 08 or 09. Or find a dealer that has three or four in stock vs the guy that has one. Your not better of buying a demo because the dealer owns the demo for the same invoice as a new one and Toyota is not throwing money to the dealers to get rid of them. I just checked autotrader and there were a few used one in the 50's. It's to bad you didn't buy my friends he ended up selling it for $46k, I know it had 20k miles.. a few more then your looking for. Ebay has a few Buy It now in the 59k to 61K range. In the end you'll find what your looking for at the right price. But I think you'll save 6k to 10k if you can find a nice pre-owned. Happy Hunting

Lou

 

[JBHorne]

Josh, your best bet is to find a pre-owned 2008 or go to Edmunds and ask for quotes from dealers if you want a new 08 or 09. Or find a dealer that has three or four in stock vs the guy that has one. Your not better of buying a demo because the dealer owns the demo for the same invoice as a new one and Toyota is not throwing money to the dealers to get rid of them. I just checked autotrader and there were a few used one in the 50's. It's to bad you didn't buy my friends he ended up selling it for $46k, I know it had 20k miles.. a few more then your looking for. Ebay has a few Buy It now in the 59k to 61K range. In the end you'll find what your looking for at the right price. But I think you'll save 6k to 10k if you can find a nice pre-owned. Happy Hunting

Lou

That's nuts that he bought it new and paid top dollar for it, put a ton of work into it, and then had to sell it for so damn cheap! Yeah, for even 20K miles that price is beyond a steal!!!

 

[Luke111]

That' s nuts that he bought it new and paid top dollar for it, put a ton of work into it, and then had to sell it for so damn cheap! Yeah, for even 20K miles that price is beyond a steal!!!

That's true he did pay top dollar ...he bought the first one that arrived at his local dealer and drop another 5k to 7k in it....so, yes it was a steal ... I posted it here and in the sale section and got little interest at $47,500 so he put it on Ebay and it was gone in 4 days.

Lou

 

[sdtash]

Luke,
I know your mate had valid reasons for selling his 200. Any idea on his thoughts on the 200. His experience with the 200 would only add to this thread.

 

[Luke111]

This was his 4th Land Cruiser and didn't wheel any of them ...but the fact that it's his forth Cruiser validates what we already know.. the Land Cruiser is hands down the most rugged, reliable, off road capable vehiche on the planet . When you consider Toyota is about to become the largest automobile company in the world and they build the most reliable cars and trucks.....nuf said!!! That said, I'm running a Ram Jet 350 in my 55..

Lou

No Hijack intended just a bit of Mudder fun!!

 

[JBHorne]

No Hijack intended just a bit of Mudder fun!!

I'd have bought it if I didn't already own one. It's surprising to me though that he was willing to take such a hit when I would think he could have gotten more.

Oh, and there is no such thing as hijacking when you're throwing up good car p0rn!

I like it!

 

[josharre2000]

What is the height from the ground to the grab handle on the lift gate? My wife is 5-3". Also, what is the height to the top of the tailgate with is closed?

 

[JBHorne]

What is the height from the ground to the grab handle on the lift gate? My wife is 5-3". Also, what is the height to the top of the tailgate with is closed?

I don't know the height of the liftgate, but IMO there is a bigger (no pun intended) issue than the height as you could always make a DIY pull strap (or get the 570 with the motorized liftgate). The LC (as you know) has a 2 part liftgate with the lower half dropping down. Even for me at 6'1", I have to climb in the thing just to reach the groceries and other stuff. I guarantee at 5' 3", this isn't going to be fun every time. I would recommend taking a trip down to the dealer with her and try these things out. Coming from a minivan for her, things are going to be quite different.

Not a 200, but here's the idea:

 

[josharre2000]

I thought about taking her down to the dealership. However, for those of you who have kids know the problem of taking them to a toy store and showing them the coolest new GI Joe with the Kung Fu Grip, only to rip it from their little clutches for a lesser toy..... Just trying to get a little G2 before we take that step. I honestly think that will be the biggest issue.

Good looking 100 JBHorne-- We have not ruled those out either.