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Hello to all Land Cruiser fans .... advice on 1st cruiser please

I haul a lot of trailers about, And my poor old 80 series is nearing 330,000 miles... So an up grade to a 100 series is my preferred option ... But i just cant let go of the 80 to finance it...... There are a lot of Land Cruisers to choose from. But as Jacob said the 100series is a comfier and better place to be. (Depending on what you want from it)
 
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Higgy. Where in the country was the decent 100 truck you had a look at?
 
This is a small report after i went to view... Went to view today, And its a very presentable truck, Good condition , No rust, Chassis very good, had a crawl underneath and all seems ok No signs of anything drastic, Interior very good, No rips or tears in the leather, Every thing works, Even the A/C.... Tail gate and front wings like new, It had the odd scuff, But for its age very good, Engine sounds sweet, Gear box does what it does............. Not so good.. Couldn't get rear diff to lock, But hes an elderly Gent, never used the diff locks, Didn't know what the 2nd start or power button did, Tow bar fitted but hes never used it,... Moisture in one of the front fogs, And some kind of issue with the wiper blades not sitting properly so the bonnet catches on them when you lift it.. Maybe an easy fix, Dont know.. It drove very well, AHC Worked fine,......Im still very interested , But is it worth selling my 24v 80 for..... Probably Not, But its a good honest Truck i think if anyone else is interested... Iv seen worse for a lot more, He's adamant he will take no less than 8 grand.... Its probably worth that... But im No expert on the 100 series.. It had decent Tyres but they were Budget ones (shame). Sorry for the thread jack Juddian
 
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Cheers Higgy will probably be a big far in current time and ideally would like a newer vehicle so probably a 120 will be the most likely but agree cyc for its age.
 
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The thing about that 100, is the older gearbox.
Weaker 2 pinion differentials, as opposed to the stronger newer 4 pinion.
Heavier on fuel.
To be of interest, it should be the newer gearbox, identified by the "wiggle" gate

You wont get the newer 5 speed box for £8k. I’d not be put off by the older box. Given a budget of £8k a decent 100 would be a great truck
 
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You wont get the newer 5 speed box for £8k. I’d not be put off by the older box. Given a budget of £8k a decent 100 would be a great truck

Took the words out of my mouth there Lorin.
Paul, the best thing is to do as much research as you can and don't be in a hurry. In my limited experience something like the £7k 100 series above could well not be the best buy, ending up costing far more.
Try all the models you could consider and compare what you get for the money. An 80 series ( designed in the 80's) is more of an " involved" ride, noisy by todays standards but tough and getting a bit harder to buy as they've become a bit of a " must have" with the overlanding brigade. In the main the later ones ( 95-98) are all manual. Owners with good ones are reluctant to let them go cheap.
100 series, newer and more refined, bigger than the 80 series and with IFS a better ride. not as quiet as you might think. Most torque converter, 2 pin diff issues have been sorted by now but are more complex if things need mending. Lots about but the chaff wants sieving out. Odd good one out there around the sub £8k just need finding.
120 series, great trucks more mid size but not small. D4D engine a peach and silent at cruising speed with little wind noise. Although its smaller its not that much more economical. 5 spd auto far better than the Colorado sourced 4 spd one. Look out for rust full length of sills, centre of chassis back, crusty axle cases which can become pourus and the turrets can break off. Interiors can be shabby with a few miles on them.

I have one of each and if I'm undertaking a journey of more than say 40 miles each way I'll take the 120 every time.

Just my observations and experience having done quite a bit of "Cruiser" hunting over the years, Patience is the key.
 
That 2002 sounds great. Sounds like only minor problems - easy to fix. Might need a new rear difflock actuator - cold be the most expensive fix needed on this one. A 2002 doesn't have the weaker front diff. And that 4-speed auto box is very sturdy, just less refined than the newer 5-sp.
 
I've had 3 so far plus a mk 6 Hilux, started with a 70 series via a petrol 90 and ended up with the 120, i wasn't going to change the 90 but this present 120 ticked all the boxes and is solid underneath.
As said be prepared to have a number of wasted journeys to find ropey poorly maintained examples described as mint, but on the other hand when you find a peach don't mess about buy the thing there and then or someone else will have it from under your nose.
I don't even bother looking at the body interior or engine until i've been underneath, that way i'm deciding its fate on the one thing that kills Toyotas, rust, everything else is fixable.

I would have a 100 but not prepared to pay the now quite ludicrous prices being asked for good examples, 120's are dear enough.
The 120 is a good design, its fairly easy to maintain well and if you do look after it they seldom give you any trouble, i would happily have a petrol V6 but only if the particular model had the rear underslung spare wheel so there was room for an LPG tank where the spare wheel carrier sat, the 3.4 petrol V6 fitted to the 90 was a superb gutsy engine and the 4.0 litre can only be better.
Should say at this point i'm an LPG fan and have had 3 cars converted over the years, always ran them with flashlube and had no issues at all.

If you are not in a rush you could always consider importing a grey from Japan, you can find that bomb proof 3.4 petrol fitted in 120 series Prado, as well as the standard 3.0 litre Diesel and 4.0 litre petrol, interesting to peruse the various Japanese selling sites, eg Tradecarview, many feature multiple pics of the undersides which usually show 12+ year old examples in better condition underneath than 2 year olds here subjected to the fetish we have for oversalting roads in this country.
I'm sure i've seen Japan market Hilux's ( or Hilux based shooting brakes) for sale with the 3.4 V6, given how much space there is under a Hilux chassis for LPG tank(s), that would be an interesting prospect.
 
Some great advice , Thankyou all it is really appreciated. And I welcome any more advice and views as this wil be the first LC for me ( but I doubt it will stay at one once the bug catches!) I think from the comments a 120 may be the way to go so will start looking for a solid one with good chassis and history.
 
so, in the 80 series corner..

epic reliability. its not just a myth.
very easy to work on. even with state of the art luxury such as heated electric seats, aircon, cruise control etc.

they are comfortable. ive spent 12 plus hours at the wheel to the south of france, norway, austria etc. at 80-85 mph. sure, put 35" tyres on, straight through 3" that exits by your right ear, and a 3" lift with heavy duty springs, drivability will differ a little from what toyota intended..

they look awesome.

as said, you need to drive good examples of all of them to come to a conclusion.

it all depends what you are looking for. if i thought the 100 or 120 were "better" than the 80. i would be driving one.

mines been my only car for 16 years and 219000 miles. work, towing, holidays, camping trips, family weekends away, mountain bike trips with the lads, taxi service with all the seats in and everything inbetween.

"just sold a defender and now looking for something a little more comfortable but no less fun"
if this is your criteria, i would say a 80 would suit you very well.
 
Second that. I got a 100, lovely drive etc etc but time and time again I walk past it to one of my 80s. They really do get under your skin. So much so I've now got 3. Just love driving them. Would be my first choice if I could only have 1. Really need to cherry pick for a decent one now though, as all will have some negative points . I just got a 24v manual. Miles are high but its tidy drives well and mechanically as good as can be expected for 300k. But it needs some welding. I'm prepared to have this done properly and cleaned up totally underneath. Need to decide what your prepared to accept needs doing as something will for sure. Be prepared to walk away if your not happy as there really are some sheds out there. Buy the best you can find invest in it , get it right and you have the best 4x4 made in my opinion.
 
Well there you go Paulys, Lots to think about, Every Land cruiser has its Faults, You got to choose which one you think is the Best of a bad bunch... The 80/100/120 etc etc, We all got our own Opinions...... Even tho i liked that 02 100 series, I couldnt part with my 80 to buy it even tho i know it would be better for my Trailer work.. Says it all really.... 8 grand would buy a Decent Discovery 3..... Now there's a thought:lol:
 
Some great advice , Thankyou all it is really appreciated. And I welcome any more advice and views as this wil be the first LC for me ( but I doubt it will stay at one once the bug catches!) I think from the comments a 120 may be the way to go so will start looking for a solid one with good chassis and history.

The 120 is a really good truck.
As said before.
The 80 series are old and noisy.
The 100 series are crazy prices
120 is the peach.

My daughter is looking for a nice 120 series, of about 2007.
I found this for her, but she wanted to wait until after the New Year.

 
I'm guessing the op found his defender, although old and noisy, fun to drive because of its character.

The 120 is a soulless SUV.
 
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