This is me right now. I am looking for a 03-05 but I found a 02 that is clean and in my price range. It's not perfect, 160,000 miles and 12,000
what is the best year of lc100 or lx470 to get?
- Thread starter khm3rgtr
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Yeah I don't think that's a particularly realistic goal. I searched for 2 months and didn't find anything close to that good of a deal. All the 06+ trucks I found in that range had 200k miles.
I bought a 2001. Deciding factors for me:
I love the interior of the '03 plus and the 5 speed would be nice but I decided no way could I get one with factory nav. Too many issues reported and no good fixes. One of the biggest reasons for 100 series is reliability and longevity. Ultimately I didn't want to end up with a 30 year old truck that is still running and performing great except no way to run the HVAC system. I plan on having it for another 15 years at least. I figured the nav system in subsequent years made the '01 the last year Toyota produced an heirloom Land Cruiser. (I know people say that when ever there is significant electrical advance. But why oh why did the have too tie the HVAC system in with something that is outdated before it hits the showroom floor?) Side benefits of the' 01: first year with child latch system. (Important since I had a 1 and 4 year old at time of purchase and it's the wife's DD.) Also first year with auto up and down feature on the windows. (Didn't realize what a nice feature this was til I had it.) There you go. My opinion FWIW.
I love the interior of the '03 plus and the 5 speed would be nice but I decided no way could I get one with factory nav. Too many issues reported and no good fixes. One of the biggest reasons for 100 series is reliability and longevity. Ultimately I didn't want to end up with a 30 year old truck that is still running and performing great except no way to run the HVAC system. I plan on having it for another 15 years at least. I figured the nav system in subsequent years made the '01 the last year Toyota produced an heirloom Land Cruiser. (I know people say that when ever there is significant electrical advance. But why oh why did the have too tie the HVAC system in with something that is outdated before it hits the showroom floor?) Side benefits of the' 01: first year with child latch system. (Important since I had a 1 and 4 year old at time of purchase and it's the wife's DD.) Also first year with auto up and down feature on the windows. (Didn't realize what a nice feature this was til I had it.) There you go. My opinion FWIW.
2004 to Early 2005 imo. After that they stopped making some cool colours like the Blue Vapour metallic. Also they stopped with the two tone which I think makes these vehicles. Additionally you have LED tailights introduced which look good but are not as easy as a bulb to replace.
In Australia the Pioneer system was retired and a Mark Levinson system was added for 05-07 and it had a tendency to blow it's amp. Even though it sounded great.
Blu-tooth arrived in 04. So to me 04 and early 05 pre monotone colours and LED tail lights.
In Australia the Pioneer system was retired and a Mark Levinson system was added for 05-07 and it had a tendency to blow it's amp. Even though it sounded great.
Blu-tooth arrived in 04. So to me 04 and early 05 pre monotone colours and LED tail lights.
I'm taking a 4 hour trip tomorrow to look at a 2003 with 160,000 miles. Timing belt done at 120K. Looks clean and from california/New Mexico. $13,500.
My wife and I went to Sacramento this last week to look at a Yukon XL Denali. That's the car she wants. (Wanted). I want a land cruiser or Lexus. I let her drive the Yukon first. We drove a suburban for years and she loved all the room. Then I took her to drive a 2003 Lexus LX 470. We just sold a 1995 80 that we had for 8 years as a daily driver. That was an awesome vehicle to us and we both loved it. Before the first stop light, she said, "Ok, I get it. This is way better." It is just a better car.
This one was from Ohio and had lots of rust and corrosion but was very clean inside. We looked at another one but it was overpriced and childized.
There were a few newer ones that were awesome but not in our price range.
Hopefully the one I'm looking at tomorrow checks out.
My wife and I went to Sacramento this last week to look at a Yukon XL Denali. That's the car she wants. (Wanted). I want a land cruiser or Lexus. I let her drive the Yukon first. We drove a suburban for years and she loved all the room. Then I took her to drive a 2003 Lexus LX 470. We just sold a 1995 80 that we had for 8 years as a daily driver. That was an awesome vehicle to us and we both loved it. Before the first stop light, she said, "Ok, I get it. This is way better." It is just a better car.
This one was from Ohio and had lots of rust and corrosion but was very clean inside. We looked at another one but it was overpriced and childized.
There were a few newer ones that were awesome but not in our price range.
Hopefully the one I'm looking at tomorrow checks out.
rjones
SILVER Star
Anyone interested in re-hashing this old thread? Yeah I know, someone will say "it has been discussed before" but I have read all those threads and cannot come to a current decision. I'm just seeking more input from those interested in giving it.
I've found a nice 2000 LX with ~180k and a 7.5 out of 10 on Maint Records that is $4-6k less that any 2003+ I can find in my approximate area.
I guess what I'm really stuck on is the 2003+ with more HP, 5 speed, beefier drivetrain and different diff ratio really worth that much more? This will not be a daily drive, just a camping/towing/expo rig with future aspirations for medium off-road duty.
Thanks again for any input. Every time I read someones opinion it helps (well almost every time!).
rjones
I've found a nice 2000 LX with ~180k and a 7.5 out of 10 on Maint Records that is $4-6k less that any 2003+ I can find in my approximate area.
I guess what I'm really stuck on is the 2003+ with more HP, 5 speed, beefier drivetrain and different diff ratio really worth that much more? This will not be a daily drive, just a camping/towing/expo rig with future aspirations for medium off-road duty.
Thanks again for any input. Every time I read someones opinion it helps (well almost every time!).
rjones
I've purchased my 03 LX in 2007. Still have it to this day Jan 17th, 2017 & had "0" issues with it except the nav DVD player under the passenger seat go out & the rear entertainment DVD player go as well. Minor stuff. Flush your ahc system every 60k miles to keep the fluid from breaking down & getting contaminated & you won't have any problems with the suspension.
I have had both an '05 and now an '07. My good friend @landylover21 has an '98 Landcruiser that hasn't hit 100K miles yet and still looks and drives like new. Honestly, the difference between the pre '03 model 4 speed tranny and post '03 5 speed tranny is noticeable but not a deal killer as both are reliable. Therefore, if I found any year "98-'07 hundy with a good maintenance history and aesthetically pleasing, I would pull the trigger. These rigs were over-engineered at the time and were meant to go many, many trouble free miles. Of course, '07 is my favorite year now because that's what year Christine is 
