Will the 80 be a classic?

[LCyal8r]

dont get me wrong, i love my 80 and all its practicality. i bought mine so i wouldn't have to drive a mini van. i will say coming from the 40 world a stock unmolested 97 ce edition sittin on 265's( which is what i started with) is one heck of an ugly looking rig. as i modify it, its startin to look better but i got a long way to go. take the same stock 40 and now you talking. Classic.....? definitely but so is a fiat!

40s to me are little cracker boxes. No SUV looks as good as the 80 IMO.

 

[Brentbba]

So, just maybe..., if I live long enough...I'll eventually get the $46K new I paid in 1994 for my truck, plus mods of course?

 

[SWCruiser]

40s have so much cool factor. I loved mine.. but too small for expedition use. terrible long distance.. I drove it from AZ to NY!!!!... they are more of a toy IMHO. The 80 is a comfortable.. capable workhorse. You probably wont find a more capable stock platform. For me it feels right to be behind the wheel. I can tackle the highway in relative luxury and don't worry about getting back in the wilderness with all my stuff.. Stuff doesn't rattle or feel likes its going to break on the next washboard. I have a 100 too but if I was going to keep one for expedition use its def. the 80 or the 80+ chinook... Guys that have sold theres seem to get back into them... I feel like its a classic already but not necessarily in the same way as the 40.

 

[B Point]

Hard to say...... Somebody should be jumping all over these 40, 60, 70, and 80 Series diesel Cruisers that are flooding the used market here in Japan. It's just become far too much of a hassle to own one if you're a law abiding citizen.....not me though..Feck em!

 

[usdm]

So I just purchased my first land cruiser about 2 weeks ago. 1995 in immaculate condition with 200k. No lockers.

I am in love.

This is definitely a vehicle my son will want for high school 17 years from now, and probably my nsx, too.

 

[1973Guppie]

it is of course a classic, already, it is the best landcruiser that has ever been imported into the USA. I think the only thing that could potentially knock it off it's pedestal is if toyota would offer a diesel solid axle 70 series in the USA, but I am dreaming....

 

[Cruiserdrew]

So, just maybe..., if I live long enough...I'll eventually get the $46K new I paid in 1994 for my truck, plus mods of course?

LOL. You might get 10% of that, if you're lucky. It's a huge mistake to see these as valuable to a wider audience. If I buy a truck, I always assume it's value is $0. That way I can do what I want with it. Buy one like you would any depreciating asset. You're the finance guy!

 

[Brentbba]

LOL. You might get 10% of that, if you're lucky. It's a huge mistake to see these as valuable to a wider audience. If I buy a truck, I always assume it's value is $0. That way I can do what I want with it. Buy one like you would any depreciating asset. You're the finance guy!

Too Funny - knows I'm to be buried or cremated in the truck! Shoot, I've had it 20 years, what's another 20, cruiserdan willing to provide parts of course!

 

[inkpot]

So. would it be a good idea to post the definition of "classic"? Do you think that in 20 years there will be a high end demand so strong that you can refurbish it and make it look better than new and then you can sell it for $75 grand or more at the biggie auctions like Barrett-Jackson in Phoenix? That would be nearly a hundred grand!! I do hope so. I got 25 great years out of my Piggy and now someone else is wheeling it. I truly hope can get more than that from my 80. That would make me around 90, if it gets me that far , then it really doesn't matter to me if it is a classic or not. I would just consider it a huge blessing! JMHO. John

 

[LS1FJ40]

I bought my 80 new when I was 16, 23 years ago. I have ridden it hard but always cleaned it (anal retentively so) not because of the collector value of it "someday" but because I knew then it would be a vehicle I would have forever. To me it is the most timeless design of the Land Cruiser line. I've owned 40s, 60s, a 70, 80s, and a 100. The 80 is the most capable and versatile vehicle of them all. I regularly talk to people and they are shocked that it is 23 years old. They think it is "newer". Shockingly Toyota was ahead of its time in the body design of the 80. Something Toyota isn't known for.

What makes a vehicle a "collector" is the nostalgia. The 80 is and will be a "collector" to me and to my son because of the memories we have made with the 80. Not because of the scarcity or capability of it. The majority of 60s and 70s muscle cars steaming piles of crap yet grown men fawn over them and pay ridiculous amounts of money for a 69 Camaro or a Hemi Barracuda. Because they are rare? Maybe. Because they are 65 year old men that had to get rid of their completely impractical car because they knocked up their wife and can now afford to have one to try to relive their youth? Most likely. People don't get rid of 80s because they are completely impractical because it is one of the most practical vehicles ever made. Pick up groceries, kids from school, Starbucks, lumber, then take it camping in the woods on the weekend. And do all of it with style and poise.

I hope they never become collectors. I like picking them up for $1000 from people that have no idea what they have and how easy they are to work on. Hell, you never know, maybe they will be collectors and my kids will be cleaning out my house when I die and find a pile of 80s in the garage and hit the jackpot like people did with their parents baseball card collections. I highly doubt it though.

 

[UTLX450]

Classic or not, I can't afford any other truck that can match it for capability and comfort.

 

[TheBelgian]

Yeah, def. a classic already!!!

 

[dirtyboots]

Great question. It doesn't seem like a classic to me. Is it one of the best all around platforms ever designed? IMO yes...Maybe it's because I can't see anything from the 90s as a classic, or for that matter anything created with aerodynamics in mind as a classic. Like seeing a F body Saleen at a show, or a Grand National. Valuable clean? For sure. Classic, meh just doesn't seem that way.

 

[bricat]

A classic in the making for sure. As already stated they made thousands of these so get a second one and put it in the shed. That way you have panels and those little parts you can't buy any more. I had a '91 GXL 3F manual for a few years then swapped for a '90 HDJ80 Sahara. Best move I have made with a vehicle. It really was 'luxury' and the extra diff locks etc made it more capable off road. Now of course I have the dreaded clear coat peeling off and that is going to cost me 10 big ones to get a half decent job. That's 10 grand. But it will make this old girl look her best for another 25 years which is more than they will be able to say for me.(if I am even here)
As the years go on there will be less and less. How many 1990 cars do you see driving around today? Not many over here. Trouble is the younger generation have their own 'classics' and it is not an 80 series. They don't know what they are missing. Enough rambling from me cheers Brian.

 

[Rifleman]

Right now we are able to pick up a "clean" 80 in the 3 to 5 thousand dollar range with out any problem. In 10 years we will look back and wish we had bought all the 3 to 5 thousand dollar rigs we could find. The reason i say that is supply and demand, the youngest of our 80's is almost 20 years old, so they are at the bottom of their depreciation curve. From here on out the ones that are left and in good shape can only go one way, and that is up in value. In 10 or 15 more years when there are even fewer 80's left on the road, then those that are left will become "classic" this is just due to the limited number that are left running. We all need to remember that the total number of 80's that were imported in to the United States from 91 to 97 was only about 75 thousand trucks, so that's not a large pool to start with. So I'll say it again, I think in 10 years we will all look back and wish we had bought one of two of these 3 thousand dollar 80's when we had the chance. Just my 2 cents YMMV.

 

[ExpoGeorgia]

The 80 marked the end of an era for Toyota's North American market. Last solid axle Toyota with an option for front and rear electric lockers, full floating axle.. the first real luxury SUV from Japan.. sounds like it will be of some value in the near future. I can't see the same future for the 100 series but time will tell. 90's Toyota/Lexus are just plan cool in my opinion as a younger guy. My 94 LS400 still turns heads and its cheap to operate. Thats what appeals to me about special vehicles such as the Land Cruiser. These suv's are getting harder to come by, many of which are heading to the junk yard like my 94 FZJ80 before I rescued her.

Regardless of which I am looking forward to the next 10 years of ownership and memories to be experianced with her.

 

[BiasedBIOS]

Worldwide, I think the 70 series will become more of a classic than the 80. In North America though, you have a different situation - no 105, no 200 GX - it is the last of the real work trucks for NA.

 

[aae42]

I agree that the 80 is a good looking SUV and stands out among all the new stuff that just seems to get more generic every year. There is a big divide between the asking prices we all see on CL etc to what they actually sell for. I can generally pick up a Land Cruiser for 50-70% of asking price.

What are you going to get that runs well and is somewhat dependable for under say $3,500.00 CRAP is what you'll get. You are it's last owner. So a LC with 230K on it for $6K in good condition is not such a bad deal.

Will it be a classic? Time will tell. The 40 is iconic to a far broader segment of society and I believe the 60 is as well to a far lessor degree. I think the 80 is the beginning of the general public's view of the land cruiser as just another big luxury SUV. As often stated, people that bought them new and drove them for many years never even knew what that little round dial was for...... We make the 80 a classic among ourselves. I think that it being the last of the solid axle Land Cruisers sold in this country (USA) will draw a little more into the fold. I think the bigger difference is that where 40s and 60s are more often than not a second vehicle, 80s are more used in a daily driver role.

another good question, that you might be able to answer a bit better than most, is, how much does a GM LS swap actually affect the resale value of an 80?

 

[NCFJ]

I've not researched what swapped trucks are selling for so I am probably not the guy to ask. I would compare it to say a bathroom remodel on your home. You rarely get your money back but if you use it for several years your use has a price. I also think that we are at the beginning of a time where diesel and V8 swaps in the 80 series will become more main stream, so the swap may well be a selling aid. Like a remodeled bathroom. The other choice being rebuild of OEM motor.

 

[NLXTACY]

It only takes one really well refurbished to factory new 80 to sell at Barrett to start the eventual clamor for 80s and the rise in prices. Today is not that day and neither is tomorrow. But it will be happening soon. You and I won't be determining if its a classic. The market will.

I purchased mine new for $60k+ in 97'. I have since spent just north of $135k on my truck (gas, ins, maint, mods). I have been offered as little as $9k for my truck and as much as $16k for my truck. Both numbers are far higher than BlueBook and that's with more than 300k on the motor (ok yeah it was rebuilt). $16k is roughly 25% of what I paid for it. Not a bad offer at all but no way in hell does that make me even consider selling it.