Why you choose a Landcruiser over _______

[forrest]

I want to know why you chose your 80-Series over whatever else you were considering.

I'm looking to buy second vehicle and it needs to be an SUV for a few reasons and from the research I've done, I'm leaning towards the 80. The vehicles I'm looking at are the Landcruiser, Land Rover Discovery, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. I'm trying to stay in the $6k range for the purchase price (I know that anything I buy will take a little $$ to get ready to daily drive and/or tow). Here is what I need it to be/do:

• Somewhat comfortable
• Somewhat reliable
• 8 mile daily commute
• 400 mile road trip once a month with two dogs etc.
• Tow a 2600lb racecar on a 1200lb trailer with 200lbs of tools etc. for 50 miles once or twice a month

We have a shop truck for machine shop runs and misc errands, but I don't want to daily drive it or tow with it as it is not comfortable. I own a road race shop and am comfortable turning a wrench on whatever I buy, but being reliable is a plus. Should I be concerned about lack of power towing with a 3F or a 1FZ? (I'll be browsing the classifieds for a few days)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Chaldaean]

Firstly, welcome <--- Official 'Mud welcome

Secondly, this thread came to mind; it may help with some of your questions: https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/81217-why-did-you-buy-your-land-cruiser.html

 

[jonheld]

Because everything else just sucks.

 

[ajyochum]

I owned a Discovery once upon a time, I still have nightmares about it once in a while. If you go that route, make sure you have roadside assistance, you will need it.

Buy a LC, you won't regret it.

 

[Walking Eagle]

Well, the Grand doesn't even have a frame, and the Disco will cost a mint to maintain, even by 80 series standards.

an 80 will do all of those things perfectly, and it has the highest quality of the 3, and I'd say it's the roomiest as well.

 

[yoopercharged]

Does it need 4WD? Any off road use planned?

 

[akarilo]

LC build quiality is second to none, the others you mentioned are not even close. If you own one you will swear by it.

 

[forrest]

Does it need 4WD? Any off road use planned?

I would like it to be 4x4, but I don't plan on off-roading much. My family has some property in Oregon that would be nice to explore, but I don't think I will need anything beyond it's stock capabilities.

When looking for a Land Cruiser online, I regularly see examples with 200K and 300K miles and up, not something I ever see with the Jeeps and Discoverys.

 

[d0ubledown]

I would like it to be 4x4, but I don't plan on off-roading much. My family has some property in Oregon that would be nice to explore, but I don't think I will need anything beyond it's stock capabilities.

When looking for a Land Cruiser online, I regularly see examples with 200K and 300K miles and up, not something I ever see with the Jeeps and Discoverys.

thats because heeps and discos dont last that long. if you dont need the off road capability of the full time 4X4 solid front axle cruiser, you can always look into a 100 series, sequoia or tundra, both which would be better suited for towing since they have the V8. not to mention more updated creature comforts inside as they're all newer models. not saying it cant do the job of towing 3500-4K, but there are other vehicles that can still manage easy forest road/dirt gravel roads. if you want the LC, get the 100. if you want something that is robust & reliable which you plan on venturing into more difficult territory where the solid front axle would have the advantage, get the 80 series.

when comparing to grands and rovers...well..you just shouldnt.

 

[ezterra]

I was actually looking to get a Jeep Cherokee. I wanted something I could wheel. My 1SG is a big jeep guy and has 2 XJs and a CJ that are all built up. He actually talked me into the FZJ80. I have 5 kids and it's probably the only SUV short of a suburban, which we already have, that can hold the family.

I'm glad I got it. It's exactly what I wanted. Something that is reliable, a capable trail rig, and I can take the kids out exploring. I think ultimately, the XJ can probably be make more capable, but for the money I put in, I'd have to spend a lot more on an XJ to get it to the same place.

 

[greentruck]

I looked into buying a Discovery. Just too many issues. Yeah, some can be fixed with road service, presuming they'll even to come where you might be in such a vehicle, but also a lot that can't be fixed so easily.

I switched from an FJ55 to Isuzu in 1984 (Trooper, then a 93 Rodeo). Real happy with reliability of my vehicles through all that. I used to work in a garage, tracking parts and maintenance. It doesn't matter how excellent the goodies for offroad may be, if it doesn't show up for work on time and doesn't let you down on the road or trail, it is just a fancy lawn ornament.

To summarize: Reliability.

PS One thing I didn't mention, but which sealed my decision to buy our 80 after I found it: IH8MUD

 

[yoopercharged]

The 80s are great, but if you don't plan on a lot of wheeling, I would think that the 100 series would be a much better candidate for you. More room, better ride, more power, and plenty capable off road as well. My friend has a Grand with ~150K on it. He does some mild wheeling with it, but it's a constant battle with that thing for the last few months keeping it on the road. I know because I fix it . They're not very durable or reliable. XJs are the only Jeeps that I've seen that are halfway reliable. I wouldn't touch a Land Rover unless I was a Land Rover mechanic. Any Land Rover mechanic that I know won't touch them either.....

 

[cme4lyt]

If you have to ask....

 

[lndcruz]

Owned various land rover products... Nothing but issues. My dad used to own land cruisers and my sister's had a 80 for a while now with no issues so I decided to jump on the band wagon.

Now I'm not scared to go wheeling anymore!

 

[yoopermike]

The 80s are great, but if you don't plan on a lot of wheeling, I would think that the 100 series would be a much better candidate for you. More room, better ride, more power, and plenty capable off road as well. My friend has a Grand with ~150K on it. He does some mild wheeling with it, but it's a constant battle with that thing for the last few months keeping it on the road. I know because I fix it . They're not very durable or reliable. XJs are the only Jeeps that I've seen that are halfway reliable. I wouldn't touch a Land Rover unless I was a Land Rover mechanic. Any Land Rover mechanic that I know won't touch them either.....

YC...If you can find a 100 series or lx 470 for $6k with a reasonable amount of miles on it, let me know. I'd like to buy one for the and get rid of that stupid TrailBlazer. The cheapest one I've seen recently was around 9K for a 98 LC.

To stay on target here, the 80 or lx 450 will do all of the points that were bulleted

Somewhat comfortable - absolutely
Somewhat reliable - without a doubt the best reliability out there
8 mile daily commute - yep
400 mile road trip once a month with two dogs etc. - dogs love 'em
Tow a 2600lb racecar on a 1200lb trailer with 200lbs of tools etc. for 50 miles once or twice a month - can't attest to this one, but I'm sure someone else can.

AND, you will stay within your $6k budget if you wait patiently for the right one.

 

[forrest]

The 80s are great, but if you don't plan on a lot of wheeling, I would think that the 100 series would be a much better candidate for you.

I haven't been able to find any 100s under the $6k mark yet but who knows.

 

[ToothDr]

Because everything else just sucks.

Exactly....

Hard to describe why until you actually own one. Then it becomes oh so clear..


Pete

 

[Gammarho1]

I'm in the same boat as alot of these guys. I bought a brand new 4runner when I graduated HS and put upwards of 250k on it before I sold it to some private school chap, he drives it daily around Nashville. After the 4runner, I bought a Discovery II, huge mistake. It costed me more to keep it on the road, then to pay for it. The truck on had 60k on it. If you are going to buy a LR, buy a defender, its the only option.
Recently, I just bought an 80. I pick it up Saturday. This truck will be my daily driver for the next year or so. I feel so confident in a 15 yr old truck due to my always outstanding experience with Toyota. I went 15k at a time with no maintenance on the 4runner. No issues.

 

[CycloSteve]

Well, I was in a similar situation close to two years ago.

My mother-in-law had a Gen 1 Disco, which actually has held up pretty good over the years, and I wanted to get a seven-seater. So I started surfing Craigslist for Gen 2 Disco's. Looked at a few, but it seemed odd to me that they were so cheap when only four or five years old and only had 40-50k miles...then I started looking on the LandRover forums...and found out that there are a host of issues with the rigs. Pass.

Then I started to look at Cruisers, as so many of them had many more miles, yet still were ticking-along. That is what sold my on getting an 80. Longevity. A friend who has an expedition-built 80 turned me onto Mud, and I was hooked. I plan on keeping my rig for many, many years, thus reliability and build quality were very important. I want the rig to be on the road in 2030, and it likely still will be if I do my part. Sure I have sunk a ton of money into it in the past 15 months, some things optional (lift, tires, gears, lockers), some required (HG and new head). Yes, Cruisers are an addiction, and your wallet will be lighter, but the smile-factor is priceless.

No regrets whatsoever, and I would do it over without a doubt. Now I am trolling for a 40 as a trail rig.



Steve

 

[maybe_a_80...]

I want to know why you chose your 80-Series over whatever else you were considering.

I'm looking to buy second vehicle and it needs to be an SUV for a few reasons and from the research I've done, I'm leaning towards the 80. The vehicles I'm looking at are the Landcruiser, Land Rover Discovery, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. I'm trying to stay in the $6k range for the purchase price (I know that anything I buy will take a little $$ to get ready to daily drive and/or tow). Here is what I need it to be/do:

• Somewhat comfortable
• Somewhat reliable
• 8 mile daily commute
• 400 mile road trip once a month with two dogs etc.
• Tow a 2600lb racecar on a 1200lb trailer with 200lbs of tools etc. for 50 miles once or twice a month

We have a shop truck for machine shop runs and misc errands, but I don't want to daily drive it or tow with it as it is not comfortable. I own a road race shop and am comfortable turning a wrench on whatever I buy, but being reliable is a plus. Should I be concerned about lack of power towing with a 3F or a 1FZ? (I'll be browsing the classifieds for a few days)

Thanks in advance!

Landcruiser, Land Rover Discovery, and Jeep Grand Cherokee

Somewhat comfortable:

Disco is comfy. So is Land Cruiser. I've heard yay and nay on Grand Cherokee comfort. Leather interior, sunroof, etc, ie upsclae interior was high on my list of priorities when I purchased. This put Grand Cherokee off my list despite the fact there is a nice upscale interior available - it was not stock. That said something to me about how the Cherokee is marketed to the US market.

Somewhat reliable

Disco is so hit and miss. You might get a good one, you might get an awful one. Too much roll of the dice. Grand Cherokee - somewhat reliable, but electronics are suspect and it's not built to drive well for 250,000 miles anywhere in the world. Land Cruiser is reliable as long as preventive and regular maintenance is completed with OEM parts. Period. The Land Cruiser won the reliability checklist for me.

8 mile daily commute:

Any of them will do this. Which one do you imagine enjoying the most of the daily commute? This is purely a driving pleasure question. Disco and Cruiser are classy. Grand Cherokee not so much, kinda dime a dozen. I decided I'd rather park a Land Cruiser over a Disco at work everyday.

400 mile road trip once a month with two dogs etc.

Interior space with 2 dogs will be superior in either Disco or Land Cruiser. Which one would you prefer to drive that type of distance?

Tow a 2600lb racecar on a 1200lb trailer with 200lbs of tools etc. for 50 miles once or twice a month:

All three could be rated for this service. There is more usable cargo space in a Disco or Land Cruiser than Cherokee. And the V8 would be nearly mandatory in the Jeep for this load. The V8 in the Disco would probably hum along with more available power than the Land Cruiser. But the LC I-6 is a monster and will turn out the power you need no problem. It just won't have a ton of giddy-up. Heavy duty suspension might be necessary in all 3 of these vehicles to properly tow 1200 pound trailer. If this is an important criteria, review towing capacities for all 3 vehicles. I don't tow with mine but I am consistently surprised at how well the LC does when I load it up with 4 people and ski gear for everyone and go for a drive in the high Rockies. The truck is no slower than with just me. And I feel it does better on long climbs with that extra weight, like the gearing and engine power work better in tandem when weighted down.

Good luck!