OT: Land Cruiser appreciation thread and maybe Monteros and others

[Tim Porter]

Dang, I had a 1992 FJ80 for about 10 years but let it go. I guess I let it go for a reason--even floored, it could barely get up the mountain highways in the Catskills on fishing trips. But in the ADKs it could go anywhere. Oh well.

Really enjoying this thread! Thanks!

[jm714]

Can we stop with this thread? A good used FJ80 is tough enough to find already. Don't need to turn other people on to them.

I regret selling my 1996 Fj80 in 2008 with 81,000 on the odometer. I have been searching for one worth replacing it with and nothing has spoke to me like that one. It might be time to switch the search to a good FJ100, but even those are tough and threads like this make it tougher.

I had a chance at a 2013 Lexus LX 18 months ago with 38,000 miles for $41k. I waited too long and it was gone. I should have taken it. Instead I bought a Volt for the car pool lane.

[cinema]

one can regularly find 2016+ GX around here for sub $30k from dealers certified pre owned with less than 40k miles. much better deal than sinking cash into an old one with underpowered boat anchor engines (pre 100 series i mean). these gxs have the same v8s too.

[mtechnica]

Originally Posted by jm714

Can we stop with this thread? A good used FJ80 is tough enough to find already. Don't need to turn other people on to them.

I regret selling my 1996 Fj80 in 2008 with 81,000 on the odometer. I have been searching for one worth replacing it with and nothing has spoke to me like that one. It might be time to switch the search to a good FJ100, but even those are tough and threads like this make it tougher.

I had a chance at a 2013 Lexus LX 18 months ago with 38,000 miles for $41k. I waited too long and it was gone. I should have taken it. Instead I bought a Volt for the car pool lane.

At this point most 80 series are going to be a project. A well maintained and sorted one will cost a lot. My friend offered to sell me his triple locked fzj 80 for quite cheap because it’s a bit of a project but honestly owning two 80 series would be completely overwhelming lol...

[jm714]

Originally Posted by cinema

one can regularly find 2016+ GX around here for sub $30k from dealers certified pre owned with less than 40k miles. much better deal than sinking cash into an old one with underpowered boat anchor engines (pre 100 series i mean). these gxs have the same v8s too.

Do they require premium fuel? I know that the first generation did, which was strange considering it was the same engine in the Tundra that ran on 87.

[JasonF]

Originally Posted by jm714

Do they require premium fuel? I know that the first generation did, which was strange considering it was the same engine in the Tundra that ran on 87.

Per the owner's manual, yes.

It's a spirited debate on the main GX forum (clublexus.com)...a lot of GX owners have run regular for tens of thousands of miles with no ill effects. The consensus seems to be that running a lower octane fuel will retard detonation and perhaps the engine will not run as efficiently, etc...

Lots of threads over there on this topic. I put in premium as it's an extra $6 or so a fill up so it's not a huge difference price-wise.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by cinema

one can regularly find 2016+ GX around here for sub $30k from dealers certified pre owned with less than 40k miles. much better deal than sinking cash into an old one with underpowered boat anchor engines (pre 100 series i mean). these gxs have the same v8s too.

What is the advantage of the GX over the LX? I thought that the LX was landcruiser equivalent.

* Not a huge follower of the landcruiser enthusiast cult, so this may be a stupid question.

[chrismoustache]

Picked up a 97 Isuzu Trooper a few months ago, and it's been great.

Still a bunch of them around for just around $2k.

[hobbanero]

Originally Posted by jm714

Do they require premium fuel? I know that the first generation did, which was strange considering it was the same engine in the Tundra that ran on 87.

The engine will adjust its compression to deal with lower octane fuel, so it will not hurt the engine. But you will get lower performance. I think that at higher fuel prices, the slight extra for premium pays off in better mileage from the engine at the higher compression.

[JasonF]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

What is the advantage of the GX over the LX? I thought that the LX was landcruiser equivalent.

* Not a huge follower of the landcruiser enthusiast cult, so this may be a stupid question.

I think it boils down to cost and size...the LX is bigger and (a lot) more expensive.

[jb_11]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

What is the advantage of the GX over the LX? I thought that the LX was landcruiser equivalent.

* Not a huge follower of the landcruiser enthusiast cult, so this may be a stupid question.

Correct, Land Cruiser -> LX, 4Runner -> GX

Among a few other things, the LX gets a bigger V8 and full locking diffs, vs. center lock / ATRAC on the GX

[christian]

Originally Posted by jb_11

Correct, Land Cruiser -> LX, 4Runner -> GX

Among a few other things, the LX gets a bigger V8 and full locking diffs, vs. center lock / ATRAC on the GX

The LX does not have full locking diffs. Just a center lock and a more advanced version of ATRAC. Adding a Harrop e-locker to the rear is easy though. The biggest advantage of the LX is the increased size and durability of the driveline components. The diffs are roughly 75% bigger etc.

Whether you (I) need that on the drive to whole foods is questionable, I suppose.

Oh, and you can fit a 10'6" Euro nymphing rod inside an LX. Which is important, because breaking down fly rods is hard work.

[morrisericd]

Looked for about a year before finding this beauty. I previously had a 1985 FJ60 that had some hidden rust issues, so I was very careful this time around. 2001 FJ100 with about 160,000 miles on it when I bought it in Boulder. Picked it up in June of 2017 and drove around Colorado, Utah and Wyoming for 3 weeks with the family and then drove it back to Vermont.

It's at just about 200,000 miles now and hasn't had a single issue. It's my daughter's car, soon to be my son's as she goes off to college. There isn't a better kid's car in my opinion - 0-60 in about 3 minutes and weighs 5,000lbs! Always looking for another FJ60, but their pricing has gone crazy. A buddy of mine just bought an 86 FJ62 for $25,000! It's pretty nice though!

[weisan]

Brought my 11-year-old to her school's weekly cross country training this morning. Saw a 16-yr-old student sitting inside this thing...

[choke]

Originally Posted by chrismoustache

Picked up a 97 Isuzu Trooper a few months ago, and it's been great.

Still a bunch of them around for just around $2k.

Isuzus are highly under-rated IMO. I've owned 2 Rodeos (well, one was a Passport) and they were great vehicles. I should have been smart and kept one of them.