What do you love about your 98/99?

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Simple. The truck is near indestructible. It does what it is supposed to do with minimal muss and fuss. Just give it normal maintenance.

Yep...I planned to sell/trade mine months ago, but I just can't choke down the 200's price tag....and the 4WD tundra crewmax just doesn't get me exited enough to pull the trigger. Besides, mine only has 243,000 miles on it.
 
If you're looking at driving long distances to buy a 98-99, make sure it actually has the rear locker. Every 98-99 I'd seen on this forum had the locker, so I assumed they all did. Some don't. Ask me how I know. :doh:

I drove 300 miles away with cash in hand to buy a 99 that was my fav color combo and was a smoking low price. Then I got there and realized it didn't have the locker and was super confused because I thought that they all came equipped with it in NA. I knew there had to be a few out there like the 2003+ years without Nav, but that would be the rare exception.

INCIDENTALLY, just so you know, not all 100s come with heated seats which is another misconception I had. I ended up buying mine without heated seats, but it did have the locker. I was really bummed though because I use mine a lot in the winter where it would be nice to have. Mine was first sold in Hawaii which makes me think that's why it didn't have the bun warmers. :meh:
 
I drove 300 miles away with cash in hand to buy a 99 that was my fav color combo and was a smoking low price. Then I got there and realized it didn't have the locker and was super confused because I thought that they all came equipped with it in NA. I knew there had to be a few out there like the 2003+ years without Nav, but that would be the rare exception.

INCIDENTALLY, just so you know, not all 100s come with heated seats which is another misconception I had. I ended up buying mine without heated seats, but it did have the locker. I was really bummed though because I use mine a lot in the winter where it would be nice to have. Mine was first sold in Hawaii which makes me think that's why it didn't have the bun warmers. :meh:

While on the subject of 99s and prices, ...indulge me for a sec, what is a fair price for a 99?. Still thinking about putting mine up for sale locally and I see them priced from the ridiculously high ($15K+) to the pretty cheap.. Has Locker, Rear air, heated seats (sometimes) 243K, new Tbelt,ABS,Starter,alternator etc, ..and Toyota Nav backup cam, and XM too, which I know is a strike against it in some peoples books...
 
I don't think asking $10k is out of line. A lot of 100s I've seen that are priced high are either super clean and low miles or have add-ons like bumpers, lift, tires, etc. If I'm gonna pay $15k for an old cruiser, I want to be the one scratching it up. Just my opinion.
 
A truck I can understand!

I like having a truck that is relatively simple - which this one is.

When I crawl under it, I like the fact that I understand what it is I'm looking at - the only high tech is in the engine compartment.
(BTW, The rear locker was hard to find in S. Cal when I was shopping about 5 years ago.)

It feels most at home on a dirt road. Seems happy there - like when my Black Lab is swimming in the ocean - just born to do it!


Gil
 
It feels most at home on a dirt road. Seems happy there - like when my Black Lab is swimming in the ocean - just born to do it!

FWIW I swear that mine gets better gas mileage when I've done some trails. My first 5 tanks of gas when I bought it I was getting 13.5mpg pretty consistently. My girlfriend and I went camping and did 3 trails back to back and lots of dirt road driving - that tank magically ended up being 15.2mpg. I typically get about 1-2 mpg better per tank when I've been wheeling :hhmm:
 
Bought my white on tan/rear locker/rear air/heated seats/170k in May 2012 for 8k. It was a mall cruiser/2 owner with clean history. Would never pay over 8k for same thing if was to do it again.

Reasons to buy 98/99 vs. other years:

Fewer electronic components to fail. No navigation/electronic dash to deal with. I really like the double din space for kitting out with different entertainment/communication gear.
The 4 speed is bullet proof and proven. Isn't this trans. the one that was in the 2nd gen 80 series for many years?
Less initial cost i.e. more $ to spend on accessories.
Factory rear locker. One of the most desirable options ever offered in Land Cruiser history.
Sure, front diff is weak, but many solutions for upgrade make it a small sacrifice.
 
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Dead nuts reliable, and simple to work on when something needs to be refreshed.
Bought my '99 new, and its now north of 250K miles with a few normal repairs over that time. It has worked hard hauling a race trailer for years, and no engine or drive line problems [aside from coil packs, starter, radiator, TB service etc.] Still runs smooth as butter.
 
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