I've owned my 1996 Prado 5 door (Long wheel base) for a little over a year now. I like that it's different, but wasn't expecting so much attention from the RHD + Land Cruiser factor. Lots of friendly waves from Land Cruiser/4Runner drivers and gawking from little kids on the highway. Somehow, I get 10x the attention in this car compared to the red 1969 Mustang I drove in high school (even when that car was occasionally running lol because it was definitely Fixed Or Repaired Daily).
Mine has the 3.4L gas V6, so the drivetrain is identical to what was sold by Toyota in the USA and is legendarily reliable. Most parts match something in the US-domestic Toyota world. One notable mechanical exception is I believe the radiator on 5-door versions that have the dual zone Air con. Also pray you don't sustain any body damage or need any glass. OEM replacements for windshield, large body panels, and bumpers especially were impossible or so insanely expensive it doesn't make sense. Recently just purchased
@buggyboy7 's stock bumper after somebody damaged my Prado while parked in a parking lot and am super, super grateful. Several businesses that had bumpers, glass, etc posted online in Dubai, Europe, and Japan either flat out won't ship or you have to pay fedex oversize rates, that were in the $3000 area just for shipping. The Japanese brokers I spoke with specifically don't do glass and bumpers.
As far as comfort and daily drivability - it's modern enough to not feel like a classic car and it starts every time. Seats are decently comfortable. It isn't fast but has enough power to get by (way better than the 3.slow engine from my 1990 4Runner experience). I enjoy driving it to go camping, forest road "off roading," and ferrying around my drunk friends on weekends for the shock value, when I call it the "school bus" and open up the 3rd row. Downside here is not being able to use the drive thru - but that's not a loss for me. A little annoying when you need to enter a code for an apartment complex gate, or pulling a ticket from a parking deck machine, but worth it overall.
I've come to learn the the auto service world is about a 50/50 split between shops that get excited and want to work on something unique, while the other half of shops will chase you away because they need to have a 17-digit VIN number to enter your car into their system.
I'm also really anal about only using Ethanol-free gasoline, which right now hovers around the price of 93 octane, but during the gas price spike in June was about $1 more than 93. Finding it can be difficult within certain city limits as well. Modern engines and fuel systems are designed with the 10% ethanol mix in mind but definitely wasn't being considered in 1996.
I feel like if you're just commuting around town and riding with your pup, with no intention of family road trips/camping etc, then the short wheel base 3 door version with the 3.4L V6 would be a lot more fun. Get better gas mileage, a lot easier to park, and still spacious enough for groceries, and it might even feel fast since it's small. I had the option to buy a 3-door and ended up going with the 5-door because of my camping habit and it was lower mileage.
I should also mention that the Prado is not my daily driver, but it's nice to have as reliable backup when my Volkswagen GTI inevitably needs more service.
