Time for a new cruiser...opinions please

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super90 said:
Based on their own numbers available here: http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/december+2012+sales+chart.htm, Toyota sold almost 3,000 Land Cruisers and 5,000 LX570's in 2012 in the U.S.. That's 8,000 trucks.

The article linked to at expeditionportal.com, forgets to add in all the LX570 sold in the U.S. that year, which seem to be about 3x that of TLC's. Pretty poor analysis on that writer's part. Based on data I find, there were over 11,000 TLC's and LX570s sold in 2008. Finally, total U.S. sales of LX and LC's from 2008 to 2012 were roughly 36,000 trucks. Not Camry numbers, but far more than folks would have you believe.

Yes, the 200 is expensive, and yes it is going to cost money to maintain, but what $90k vehicle doesn't cost money to maintain over it's life? It's a fact of life. Parts and service availability base on low production numbers are not the bigger issues in the case of maintaining the 200.

I'm sure I'll own one in about five more years, after I pass one of my 100's to my kiddos.
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Touché. Good points.
 
US Land Cruiser sales is just a fraction of the worldwide sales. The Middle East is the main consumer by far and LX570 sales have really taken off there since they introduced the Lexus brand. Most of our aftermarket parts come from Australia and there is no shortage of 200 sales in that region.

So, IMO, pricing for parts won't change too much (granted our USD/Yen exchange rate keep stable) and aftermarket parts from Australia will be there.
 
I have an '08 Crewmax and an '04 100 for the wife. The Tundra blows the LC out of the water in the power dept. Also, the "ride" of the Tundra is much better than the LC in my opinion. The back seat in the truck is twice as roomy. However, I love the feel of the LC and would much rather go on a trip in it than my truck. That being said, my mother has a 200 series LC and It is a nice blend between the LC and the Tundra. Has all the bells and whistles and also has the good ride and power. I would definitely go with the 200 over the 100.
 
PapaSmurfj80 said:
In fact, there were so few 200 cruisers sold in 2011, they they did not even offer a 2012 model. Maybe this was due to a tsunami, maybe it was because the dealers had too much excess on the lot and refused new shipments. .
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This is not correct. The 2012 was a carry over from 2011 because the LC was about the release the reworked 2013. The pending 2013 had considerable changes, It's common to offer little in updates on a vehicle that is about to be reworked.

Remember that the LC, while not a huge selling vehicle in the US, is sold in massive numbers all over the rest of the world. Especially in harsh regions. Parts will always be available.
 
Yazoo Cruiser said:
I have an '08 Crewmax and an '04 100 for the wife. The Tundra blows the LC out of the water in the power dept. Also, the "ride" of the Tundra is much better than the LC in my opinion. The back seat in the truck is twice as roomy. However, I love the feel of the LC and would much rather go on a trip in it than my truck. That being said, my mother has a 200 series LC and It is a nice blend between the LC and the Tundra. Has all the bells and whistles and also has the good ride and power. I would definitely go with the 200 over the 100.
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Thanks for the replys...Not going to be an easy choice. My initial plan was not to exceed 50 grand or so...which would yield a 2-3 year old cruiser, or a new loaded Tundra Crewmax 4x4 with a warranty. Still, a lot of things I would miss about the cruiser, like AWD.. But I just can't justify a brand new 200. Maybe my opinion will change with a test drive.
 
mikeacs said:
Thanks for the replys...Not going to be an easy choice. My initial plan was not to exceed 50 grand or so...which would yield a 2-3 year old cruiser, or a new loaded Tundra Crewmax 4x4 with a warranty. Still, a lot of things I would miss about the cruiser, like AWD.. But I just can't justify a brand new 200. Maybe my opinion will change with a test drive.
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From what I hear you saying, the decision is pretty easy. It sounds to me like you need the towing capacity more than the passenger space.

It sounds like you are reluctant to give up on the Land Cruiser. That's admirable and I think any rumor of the LC demise is completely untrue.
 
If towing was a huge thing to me and I wanted to stay in a Toyota, a tundra crewmax with 5.7L, 4x4 should get the job done. Those things are HUGE inside. I don't know how they handle heavy loads, but it has to be better than a LC.
 
El Cid said:
From what I hear you saying, the decision is pretty easy. It sounds to me like you need the towing capacity more than the passenger space.

It sounds like you are reluctant to give up on the Land Cruiser. That's admirable and I think any rumor of the LC demise is completely untrue.
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Yea I guess after 200k miles I have become pretty fond of my LC. In the past I changed vehicles after 60-80k miles, never kept anything as long as this one. And towing is an issue, but not something I do on a daily basis...80 percent of the time I'm people hauling, hauling a drumset in the back, or pulling a small trailer with a Rzr on it. Not sure I'm ready for the bulk of a big pickup everyday. That's what has me waffling back and forth.
 
mikeacs said:
Y..80 percent of the time I'm people hauling, hauling a drumset in the back, or pulling a small trailer with a Rzr on it. Not sure I'm ready for the bulk of a big pickup everyday. That's what has me waffling back and forth.
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I'll be the first person to admit that after you've owned ANY vehicle for 200k miles, you just don't feel compelled to go out and buy a newer version of that vehicle. I'm curious if you could get someone to loan you a tundra for a month or so, that would answer the question. We're all incredible creatures of habit and I didn't realize how much I liked the space on long trips until I had a Land Cruiser. In your case, it's good that you're merely choosing between brands of the same manufacturer. Much less margin for error, if there is any.

I'm having this same discussion with a neighbor, who has a 4runner, but doesn't see the value in bumping up to a Highlander and doesn't want to fork over for a Land Cruiser. He wants a little more style and the Highlander doesn't bring it. I think if passenger comfort is a bigger factor than towing, the LC wins hands down. It's hard to coax people into trucks.

How much time do you spend driving when you have nothing in the vehicle? i.e. when you aren't hauling anyone/anything? If it's a significant amount.

I don't want to be a buzzkill, but I think the safest bet is to ride out the 100 just a little longer until the 200 at least feels cheaper. And believe me nothing is stronger when negotiating for a vehicle than cash..
 
I am in your same boat. The difference in my situation, is I have no budget to replace the 99. I'm at 145K miles, though, so I'm not in as big of a hurry as you are.

If I had to decide today, I'd get a 2007 100 Series. I don't tow, and have 3 kids...so the third row in the LC nixes the Tundra for me. (That, and I prefer LCs)

It was hard enough for me (more so my wife) to move on from her '97 40th Anniversary 80 Series to the 99 100 we have now. I think the difference between a 99 100 and a 07 100 will be drastic enough (interior, power, 5-speed etc.), without giving up on looks, to solidify this decision.

Of course, my wife likes the 40 better than the 55 better than the 60/62 better than the 80 better than the 100 better than the 200 for appearance.

Good luck!
 
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