Using the right tool for the job (1 Viewer)

[Kanab]

This came up on another thread on this forum and I wanted to ask the 100 series owners "why you 100 series MUD people do what you do". I'm going to get a 100 series, for the looks, luxury, quality and reliablity but not for its "Off road" ability. I know from reading the many posts on this forum that the 100 series can be made to do some pretty good off road runs. But I can also drive a nail into a board with a shovel, but it's easier to use a hammer. Why do you guys insist on using your expensive daily drivers to bounce off rocks, when a good ATV or FJ40 or modified off road vehicle that would fit the job, seems like it would be more fun and make a heck of a lot more sense? All I can say you guys must have a lot of $$$ a understanding wife or no sense at all.

 

[NMuzj100]

I think you'll find that very few of us are as extreme as Mr. Shotts but a lot of us do take the LC on "expedition" type trips where you may at any point encounter an obstacle or condition that requires the off road ability even if encountering that obstacle is not the goal of the trip.

I enjoy touring the more remote parts of New Mexico and the mountains of Colorado with my family and camping gear. On some of these trips the miles get to be pretty long and I appreciate the "luxury" of the cruiser too. A lot of the more "capable" vehicles (rock buggies, ATVs, dirt bikes) are towed to the rocks. (suggested read: Whose Compromise Is It Anyway? in the march Toyota Trails )

I don't abuse my vehicle but I intend to use it. I'll keep it far longer than most people keep vehicles so I'm not hugely concerned about resale value. A couple of rocker dings and tree scratches will not hurt the smoothness of the 4.7L or the comfort of the drivers seat (so far traffic has been a lot harder on the truck than any of the trails I've ridden - but I'm not mad about a little bumper paint) . Being concerned about vehicle damage makes me cautious and helps me to tread lightly. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Steph23]

I agree with NMUZ. While I have just picked up my 100 and I haven't had a chance to take it off road (I plan to change that in a couple weeks), I bought it for the best of both worlds rolled up in a single package. It may not ride as smoothly as a limo or possess the offroad capabilities like the FJ40, but it's nice to have only 1 vehicle in your drive way that do both very nicely.

I am also planning on keeping this vehicle for a long time, so nicks, scuffs, scratches, and dings don't really upset me much, as long as it still looks good from a distance (like my ex did).

 

[mtycruiser]

When you have a 100, you can travel with the family/friends in comfort and style, with high reliability AND be able to get off the road if you want to, without loosing any of the comfort/reliability previously stated.
A stock 100 off road capabilities are way better than most so called 4x4's, if you add some decent all terrain tires, you will be amazed at what it can do and the places you can go. This of course does not mean you can climb the everest on a straight line!!

 

[Greg B]

This came up on another thread on this forum and I wanted to ask the 100 series owners "why you 100 series MUD people do what you do". I'm going to get a 100 series, for the looks, luxury, quality and reliablity but not for its "Off road" ability.

I too bought the 100 for its looks, luxury, quality, and reliability. But, I also bought it for its off-road ability too.

A lot of people assume that we're crazy for taking our rigs off-road when we paid so much for them. A lot of the guys on this forum didn't spend $60-$70K on their 100. They spent $20-$30K to get a great used SUV. In all honesty, I paid $25k for a used 01 model with 68K miles and for the money, I believe its the best all-around vehicle in that range.

I think the 100 does it all pretty well. No, its not the most "hard core" wheeler out there and its not the best handling on the road, and its not the most powerful. But for the money, it does EVERYTHING pretty well. And yes, I have an understanding wife and no sense!

 

[tabraha]

Along the lines of the "shovel vs. hammer" analogy, I would first say that while that analogy seems to make sense once one further analyzes it; it doesn't really reflect the situation.

I would simply counter that the analogy of the "pocketknife vs. leatherman" is a more apt comparison. Sure the 40's and ATV's and Heeps can go places the 100 simply cannot, just like a pocketknife is lighter, more compact, and simpler to use correctly than a leatherman. On the counterpoint the leatherman has greater utility in a wider range of situations at the cost of size. It will never be as effective as purpose built tools but a purpose built tool is only good at one thing and then other tools are required for other tasks. The 100 is similar in this sense. It can wheel pretty good, not as good as purpose built (in-comparison)vehicles such as 40's and ATV's. Those vehicle wheel easier but at an expense though. Do you want to be able to haul a large amount of gear with you? Then attach a trailer. Do you want to carry 4 or more people comfortably? Better have an additional vehicle. Do you want to tow something moderate without moderate strain? Better upgrade the engine. The 100 is not the first LC wagon and is not the most capable but in the right hands it won't be left too far behind carrying more people, more cargo, and more weight than any other wagon LC that Toyota has ever built for the US market.

As a side note Kanab, you'd really get a kick out of my use of the 100. I bought it as a work truck!!!! It was used for 2 years as a work vehicle running a 3-4 man survey crew and a cargo area FULL of equipment. I enjoyed it and it was a perfect fit for it's intended use. I now rely heavily on automated equipment so the 3-4 man crew is rarely needed, hence the reason my wife now has the 100 and I have a Tacoma DC. The LX held up beautifully to swetty, muddy dudes hopping in and out of it all day long, idling for hours at a time and still shined up well enough for a weekend vacation or a black tie event. That is truly the versatility of a leatherman. People look at the LX and don't think it's ever seen a hard days work but it has, and it has done it as effectively as anything else.

Also, along the lines of what Greg said, alot of folks didn't pay the new car price for their 100. I paid about 1/3 of it. Cheap for a vehicle of that quality and would I have made a work vehicle after dishing out 75 grand? Heck no.

 

[Cruiser_Nerd]

There is no such thing as "100 series MUD people ", as with any group, we are all different.

I bought the 100 for my wife to use as a daily driver. The quintessential "mall cruiser".

In this role I consider it too much tool for the job. A more proper analogy would be driving a nail with a 5# drilling hammer. You can do it, but occasionally you'll bend a nail (compact car, Freelander, etc.) and you'll get tired swinging it (gas mileage). But it will work each and every time, and you will never wear out the hammer.

I can't afford a new Cruiser, and wouldn't buy it that way if I could. I have no worries buying a three year old for the same price of a lesser quality brand new vehicle.

Oh, the reason why the 100 is too much tool for the job is that it is a "world class" vehicle......including the part of the world that isn't limited to an interstate highway system.

 

[mscott]

Very well said...

 

[calamaridog]

Kanab,

Compare similar vehicles to each other for starters. What benefit does my LC have over an ATV? Well, it's street legal for one. What about over an FJ40? Well, it is a modern, comfortable vehicle that I can drive 80mph on the fwy in comfort.

When I take a 1,000mi. road trip, I can wheel when I get there. I'm not asking my LC to be a rock crawler, simply a trail vehicle.

I can transport the family in comfort plus gear for a week. I can drive it to work on Monday. It is a big safe vehicle for my family.

Does my wife understand? I'm not sure, but she is tolerant. When I came home from my first wheeling trip, there were a bunch of new scratches all over the front fenders. She didn't even flinch and even defended me when her sister and mom were like WTF are you doing to that luxury vehicle.

When I was looking for my LC, I saw a perfect Black LC with low miles. Told the sales guy "Sorry, can't get black, it shows the scratches when I go offroading too much". He's like WTF? People go offroading in these?

Some people do.

Last of all, I bought it used. I can't afford a new one but if I could I'd wheel the snot out of it What's the difference between using your 100 versus using a new Jeep Rubicon that cost $30,000?

 

[Kanab]

Along the lines of the "shovel vs. hammer" analogy, I would first say that while that analogy seems to make sense once one further analyzes it; it doesn't really reflect the situation.

I would simply counter that the analogy of the "pocketknife vs. leatherman" is a more apt comparison. Sure the 40's and ATV's and Heeps can go places the 100 simply cannot, just like a pocketknife is lighter, more compact, and simpler to use correctly than a leatherman. On the counterpoint the leatherman has greater utility in a wider range of situations at the cost of size. It will never be as effective as purpose built tools but a purpose built tool is only good at one thing and then other tools are required for other tasks. The 100 is similar in this sense. It can wheel pretty good, not as good as purpose built (in-comparison)vehicles such as 40's and ATV's. Those vehicle wheel easier but at an expense though. Do you want to be able to haul a large amount of gear with you? Then attach a trailer. Do you want to carry 4 or more people comfortably? Better have an additional vehicle. Do you want to tow something moderate without moderate strain? Better upgrade the engine. The 100 is not the first LC wagon and is not the most capable but in the right hands it won't be left too far behind carrying more people, more cargo, and more weight than any other wagon LC that Toyota has ever built for the US market.

As a side note Kanab, you'd really get a kick out of my use of the 100. I bought it as a work truck!!!! It was used for 2 years as a work vehicle running a 3-4 man survey crew and a cargo area FULL of equipment. I enjoyed it and it was a perfect fit for it's intended use. I now rely heavily on automated equipment so the 3-4 man crew is rarely needed, hence the reason my wife now has the 100 and I have a Tacoma DC. The LX held up beautifully to swetty, muddy dudes hopping in and out of it all day long, idling for hours at a time and still shined up well enough for a weekend vacation or a black tie event. That is truly the versatility of a leatherman. People look at the LX and don't think it's ever seen a hard days work but it has, and it has done it as effectively as anything else.

Also, along the lines of what Greg said, alot of folks didn't pay the new car price for their 100. I paid about 1/3 of it. Cheap for a vehicle of that quality and would I have made a work vehicle after dishing out 75 grand? Heck no.

Tad, great post what you say makes sense. I want the LC/LX for all of the reasons you mentioned. But there ain't no way I'm letting guys with muddy boots get into my rig

 

[tabraha]

Tad, great post what you say makes sense. I want the LC/LX for all of the reasons you mentioned. But there ain't no way I'm letting guys with muddy boots get into my rig

Hehe, I bought the Lexus all-weather mats especially for that! They were possibly the best money spent on a mod.

 

[2badfjs]

Tad, great post what you say makes sense. I want the LC/LX for all of the reasons you mentioned. But there ain't no way I'm letting guys with muddy boots get into my rig

i'm trying not to laugh so hard.
are'nt you the guy that sittin in the mall talking on your cell phone?

 

[Kanab]

Tad, great post what you say makes sense. I want the LC/LX for all of the reasons you mentioned. But there ain't no way I'm letting guys with muddy boots get into my rig

i'm trying not to laugh so hard.
are'nt you the guy that sittin in the mall talking on your cell phone?

That would be nice. I would have to drive 70+ mph for over a hour to find a "small" mall. I will have to drive 70+ mph for 3 hours to find a Lexus dealership. Plus it only rains a few inches a year so muddy boots might not be a problem

 

[mabrodis]

I think the difference here is some people come to 100-series Land Cruisers from a 4wheeling background, and some come there from a luxury-vehicle background.

If coming from a 4wheeling background, then no matter what you own you WILL 4wheel it, not 'bash' it on the rocks perhaps, but you are buying the vehicle to 4wheel, if you had a 40 you'd wheel, it, if you had a 80 you'd wheel it, heck if you had a Exploder you'd wheel it, just your life style.

However, if you come to the 100 from the luxury vehicle side, then you might not understand the 4wheeling, and that's fine, infact that is a huge selling point of 80 and 100 series Land Cruisers, you can still appreciate the vehicle (solid, reliable, safe, etc) without caring one tiny bit about ever going 4wheeling with it.

The cool part is the serious big-tire family wheeler and the black-tie valet parked vehicle, are one in the same...that is rare to have a vehicle capable of such extremes...

Good Luck, and definetly don't feel that if you buy a Cruiser you HAVE to add 4wheeling to your lifestyle, but it should make you feel all warm and fuzzy that you know you have a vehicle that can handle it...

 

[calamaridog]

I think if you don't put the transfer case into low range at least once a year that you are crazy. Woo Hoo!

 

[mscott]

I think the difference here is some people come to 100-series Land Cruisers from a 4wheeling background, and some come there from a luxury-vehicle background.

If you come to the 100 from the luxury vehicle side, then you might not understand the 4wheeling, and that's fine, infact that is a huge selling point of 80 and 100 series Land Cruisers, you can still appreciate the vehicle (solid, reliable, safe, etc) without caring one tiny bit about ever going 4wheeling with it.

The cool part is the serious big-tire family wheeler and the black-tie valet parked vehicle, are one in the same...that is rare to have a vehicle capable of such extremes...

These are exactly my thoughts, if I may chime in. I love my LX because of these reasons. The fact that I could also take it off road (go ahead and skewer me for even being on this board by using the word could instead of will!) just makes me feel like a tough guy even more.

What other vehicle could you honestly valet at a $5000 a plate dinner (w/o a snicker), and driving home when someone cuts you off feel secure in the knowledge that -- if you really wanted to -- you could squash that little car by pulling the little handle into low and just driving over it!