I thought it was already decided that you were getting an 80
Hey now we're talking.. and an Icelandic one, right?
http://bilasolur.is/SearchResults.aspx?id=ade0911c-b87d-4cb3-a702-bdd32eee663c&page=1
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Feeling out a new car
- Thread starter subzali
- Start date
Hey now we're talking.. and an Icelandic one, right?
http://bilasolur.is/SearchResults.aspx?id=ade0911c-b87d-4cb3-a702-bdd32eee663c&page=1
Good lord, I love those trucks.
Tch2fly
Hard Core 4+
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2006
- Messages
- 935
The one that pulled up next to me was a tad more....subdued?
I must say, it definitely made me look a couple times. It didn't clear the stop lights by much so I imagine parking garages are out of the question...
Looked like this with maybe a little less chrome:
The big black F-650 lives just south of me. Mostly it sits in his driveway
MDH33
Hard Core 4+
How about rethinking a 70 series?
http://forum.ih8mud.com/vehicles-trailers-sale-wanted/260297-bj70-sale-trade.html
http://forum.ih8mud.com/vehicles-trailers-sale-wanted/260297-bj70-sale-trade.html
Nay
Hard Core 4+
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2006
- Messages
- 920
Besides needing room for 4 kids and also a wheeler, I'll tell you why I bought an 80 over anything new.
At 105K miles with headgasket PM, front and rear axle service (all by Slee), OME lift, Slee sliders and t-case skid, new driver's seat leather, and Garvin roof rack, I could put the entire thing in a pretty small 4 year loan and have a built, fr/rr locked, up-to-date maintained, AWD truck that had a good shot of another 100-150K miles of useful life, and that I wouldn't have to touch for several years other than basic maintenance. This was $13,800 three years ago.
This same type of rig would now have about 125-130K miles, and with upgraded bumpers could be had for $9K easily in very good condition locked and possibly geared.
80's are now cheap to insure, you won't be paying a bunch of property tax, and you'll add a family wheeler to the stable.
The downside? Fuel economy is not good, it is an offset to the enormous value and useful life of a well cared for and built 80. I don't have a commute so I only put about 7,500 miles a year on my 80, and that does make a difference. We also have a minivan for urban excursions, so the 80 is used where it makes total sense to have one (mountain trips, Utah trips, wheeling trips, winter conditions, and personal errand running so I can feel like I still have a set of cajones that are mine)
Still, given what a built and cared for 80 goes for now, and how much life these things have left, I'm not sure you can buy more vehicle for the money. Just depends whether you need "more vehicle" or not.
At 105K miles with headgasket PM, front and rear axle service (all by Slee), OME lift, Slee sliders and t-case skid, new driver's seat leather, and Garvin roof rack, I could put the entire thing in a pretty small 4 year loan and have a built, fr/rr locked, up-to-date maintained, AWD truck that had a good shot of another 100-150K miles of useful life, and that I wouldn't have to touch for several years other than basic maintenance. This was $13,800 three years ago.
This same type of rig would now have about 125-130K miles, and with upgraded bumpers could be had for $9K easily in very good condition locked and possibly geared.
80's are now cheap to insure, you won't be paying a bunch of property tax, and you'll add a family wheeler to the stable.
The downside? Fuel economy is not good, it is an offset to the enormous value and useful life of a well cared for and built 80. I don't have a commute so I only put about 7,500 miles a year on my 80, and that does make a difference. We also have a minivan for urban excursions, so the 80 is used where it makes total sense to have one (mountain trips, Utah trips, wheeling trips, winter conditions, and personal errand running so I can feel like I still have a set of cajones that are mine
)Still, given what a built and cared for 80 goes for now, and how much life these things have left, I'm not sure you can buy more vehicle for the money. Just depends whether you need "more vehicle" or not.
After thinking about it for a bit, and after reading Robbie's article last TT issue of "care and feeding of 80s", and with it being a familiar vehicle to me, and with it being a Land Cruiser, and after reading the article this TT issue of Exploring the Arizona Strip, and also Perry's Outlaws Run book (which mentions Daniel Markofsky's 80, which I have done an "Outlaw" style run with too), and remembering the TT article from a while ago about a cross-country Utah adventure (with 80s), I'm pretty sure an 80 is the vehicle I really do want.
Now that may cause problems, because I would naturally want to keep my 40 just 'cause, and my red truck as a DD, since after replacing the plug wires this week it runs much better and I'm a little more confident that the head gasket will last a while longer, though it still burns oil (it's comforting to think it will last considering the R&R I've put into that truck over the last year - just bought new tires today). I just don't know if owning two Land Cruisers is too much at my age/stage of life, or if I did get an 80 if the 40 would get neglected; I don't really drive it as it is anyway right now, except for when it snows. If I bought an 80 it would more likely be a snow DD and a long-range expedition-type vehicle, but could also be a short-range expedition vehicle, just for comfort's sake.
Naturally my 80 would need a front winch bumper, sliders, rear bumper, skid plate at the minimum. I don't like the look/height of stock 80s, so I thought originally a small lift and 33s would be optimal to not go crazy with it. But then I thought - a little larger lift and little larger tires aren't really that much more, so why not go all the way? And then I was thinking about what to do with all that added weight from body protection - supercharge or try to get my hands on a turbo'd truck that I know?
Well I guess I have time to think about the right truck, paying for it, etc., since I don't have a pressing need for it immediately. I'm kinda scared of the impact it would have on my 40 though, since I'm not really done with that yet either...needs power steering, OBA, dual batteries, rear bumper, skid plate, roll cage, sliders, a lift and 33s and my storage system plus some odds and ends...
Now that may cause problems, because I would naturally want to keep my 40 just 'cause, and my red truck as a DD, since after replacing the plug wires this week it runs much better and I'm a little more confident that the head gasket will last a while longer, though it still burns oil (it's comforting to think it will last considering the R&R I've put into that truck over the last year - just bought new tires today). I just don't know if owning two Land Cruisers is too much at my age/stage of life, or if I did get an 80 if the 40 would get neglected; I don't really drive it as it is anyway right now, except for when it snows. If I bought an 80 it would more likely be a snow DD and a long-range expedition-type vehicle, but could also be a short-range expedition vehicle, just for comfort's sake.
Naturally my 80 would need a front winch bumper, sliders, rear bumper, skid plate at the minimum. I don't like the look/height of stock 80s, so I thought originally a small lift and 33s would be optimal to not go crazy with it. But then I thought - a little larger lift and little larger tires aren't really that much more, so why not go all the way? And then I was thinking about what to do with all that added weight from body protection - supercharge or try to get my hands on a turbo'd truck that I know?
Well I guess I have time to think about the right truck, paying for it, etc., since I don't have a pressing need for it immediately. I'm kinda scared of the impact it would have on my 40 though, since I'm not really done with that yet either...needs power steering, OBA, dual batteries, rear bumper, skid plate, roll cage, sliders, a lift and 33s and my storage system plus some odds and ends...
The nice thing about buying an 80 is you can wheel it immediately, although it's best to buy sliders right away. There are less systems that need improvement (PS comes stock on all models), so you can spend your money on the fun stuff.
A 2.5" lift with 33" tires is a sweet spot, IMO. No need to regear, not too huge that it makes getting in and out of it a PITA, and you can wheel a whole lotta stuff. Now that I have the 4" lift with 35" tires, my wife absolutely hates getting in and out of it, and if she's in a skirt I get the evil eye.
I'd bide your time and look for someone selling a built truck where you like the choices he has made. You can get all that armor and maybe even a supercharger, and not pay full price.
Unless you are dead set on ARBs, make sure to buy one with the magic dial. The OEM lockers can be retrofitted, but it's a bunch of needless work when you can simply buy a different 80 with lockers for the same price.
A 2.5" lift with 33" tires is a sweet spot, IMO. No need to regear, not too huge that it makes getting in and out of it a PITA, and you can wheel a whole lotta stuff. Now that I have the 4" lift with 35" tires, my wife absolutely hates getting in and out of it, and if she's in a skirt I get the evil eye.
I'd bide your time and look for someone selling a built truck where you like the choices he has made. You can get all that armor and maybe even a supercharger, and not pay full price.
Unless you are dead set on ARBs, make sure to buy one with the magic dial. The OEM lockers can be retrofitted, but it's a bunch of needless work when you can simply buy a different 80 with lockers for the same price.
wesintl
Moderator
Buy treeroots 80. He's selling it so he can build a 100 series
Nay
Hard Core 4+
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2006
- Messages
- 920
Go 35's, the 80 runs them as easily as 33's on a 3" lift, and both pretty much suck with stock gearing on the passes. You'll end up wanting to regear with either, and 33's call for 4.56's, which isn't really worth it, and 35's you can go straight to 4.88's or if you are kidding yourself about staying with 35's 5.29's are the ticket 
I think a 3" lift with 35's is the sweet spot on an 80, these things are flat out built for 35's. Trim and go light on bumpers, add sliders, gear it, and forget about needing forced induction (don't add any weight that isn't necessary). Slee step sliders are great offroad pivot points and extra side protection, and also great for
, eliminating any ingress egress issues.
Headgasket PM, recent front axle service, lockers, and mods you already want are your value items.
Plus my practically new Toyo MT's could possibly be had for $50 savings a tire since I am kidding myself about not going 37's
I think a 3" lift with 35's is the sweet spot on an 80, these things are flat out built for 35's. Trim and go light on bumpers, add sliders, gear it, and forget about needing forced induction (don't add any weight that isn't necessary). Slee step sliders are great offroad pivot points and extra side protection, and also great for
, eliminating any ingress egress issues.Headgasket PM, recent front axle service, lockers, and mods you already want are your value items.
Plus my practically new Toyo MT's could possibly be had for $50 savings a tire since I am kidding myself about not going 37's
Wait till gas hits $4/gal again and you should see some more good deals 
I'm with Matt that the 2.5" lift and 285s / 33's works good but I'll be the first to admit that it looks a little "goofy"...the 315s / 35s REALLY make the 80 look better as they fill out the wheel wells better and are wider so the rear end view doesn't look so silly (IMO). Next meeting just look at mine from the rear vs Matt's or Romer's or Kevin's etc. But the entry price to go to 315s was more than I cared to shell out at the time and since my is a DD I had to make a compromise.
I'd say look for one already built but not abused and save some $$ that route if you can. Tires alone will set you back a big chunk of change and throw in sliders, bumpers, a lift, winch, skid plate, and all the other little mods and you can quickly be eyeing $5K-$6K right there. And, be sure to factor in $1K-$2K on PM stuff depending on what you buy...80s are great vehicles but they are not cheap...
Will the 40 get neglected? Probably, at least for awhile while you are building up the 80. And once you drive and wheel the 80 on a long trip to say Moab, for some reason bouncing along in the 40 doesn't look so fun anymore...Of course you can't take the top off an 80 (cheaply anyway).
I'm with Matt that the 2.5" lift and 285s / 33's works good but I'll be the first to admit that it looks a little "goofy"...the 315s / 35s REALLY make the 80 look better as they fill out the wheel wells better and are wider so the rear end view doesn't look so silly (IMO). Next meeting just look at mine from the rear vs Matt's or Romer's or Kevin's etc. But the entry price to go to 315s was more than I cared to shell out at the time and since my is a DD I had to make a compromise.
I'd say look for one already built but not abused and save some $$ that route if you can. Tires alone will set you back a big chunk of change and throw in sliders, bumpers, a lift, winch, skid plate, and all the other little mods and you can quickly be eyeing $5K-$6K right there. And, be sure to factor in $1K-$2K on PM stuff depending on what you buy...80s are great vehicles but they are not cheap...
Will the 40 get neglected? Probably, at least for awhile while you are building up the 80. And once you drive and wheel the 80 on a long trip to say Moab, for some reason bouncing along in the 40 doesn't look so fun anymore...Of course you can't take the top off an 80 (cheaply anyway
).Wait till gas hits $4/gal again and you should see some more good deals
[snip]
I'd say look for one already built but not abused and save some $$ that route if you can.
[snip]
And once you drive and wheel the 80 on a long trip to say Moab, for some reason bouncing along in the 40 doesn't look so fun anymore...Of course you can't take the top off an 80 (cheaply anyway
like this one from Slee's website - sold already though
Or this one - already sold
I'm already tired (unless I'm in the right mood) of driving the 40 long distances, just because of the lack of comfort. I know I'm young and should be able to handle it, and while it's fine for me I really never feel good about taking someone else in my 40 because I know they're not enjoying it as much because of the noise.
If taking the top off the 40 is the only benefit, well that may be a problem
and that's what I'm scared of...
There's no question if you get another Cruiser that both will suffer. I have btdt when I had both a 62 and a 80. Did it again when we had a Taco, did it again when we had a 4Runner, doing it now with the Scout. There are only so many hours in a weekend, and there's only so much discretionary mod money. One truck sits there lonely while you work on the other.
However, there's no question that 80's are awesome rigs, and I think Matt's suggestion above is spot on- wait until you see one that's already been modded then snatch it up and get all those upgrades for close to free. If they're not the bumpers, sliders, etc. that you ultimately want you can sell them to upgrade to others, still better than starting with nothing.
But there is a very active flow of hand-me-down parts and accessories, and absolutely nothing that can go wrong on the truck that one of your friends won't know how to fix.. so IMO an 80 will only become a money pit if you want it to. But heck if you just want a quick 80 fix then let's go run Hells Revenge and switch trucks again
However, there's no question that 80's are awesome rigs, and I think Matt's suggestion above is spot on- wait until you see one that's already been modded then snatch it up and get all those upgrades for close to free. If they're not the bumpers, sliders, etc. that you ultimately want you can sell them to upgrade to others, still better than starting with nothing.
But there is a very active flow of hand-me-down parts and accessories, and absolutely nothing that can go wrong on the truck that one of your friends won't know how to fix.. so IMO an 80 will only become a money pit if you want it to. But heck if you just want a quick 80 fix then let's go run Hells Revenge and switch trucks again
I agree about the neglect. It doesn't matter what you buy, be it LC, Tacoma or 4Runner - something will get neglected once you get two trucks. And one way or another, your head and heart will end up favoring one over the other. For me, the 40 is fun and I enjoy the occasional "cruise" in it, but most of my trips are with 2-4 family members and are often "overland style", which means I can't neglect the continuing needs of my 4 door. Dual batteries, fridge+mount, rack, drawers, water, improved rear springs, front locker, gearing.....uggh. The 40 needs lots of things, but mostly what it needs is time and money, which is tough to find with a full time job and a family of 4.
Maybe I should sell the 40 and get a Corolla....
Whatever you decide - do it soon while your still young and single.
Maybe I should sell the 40 and get a Corolla....
Whatever you decide - do it soon while your still young and single.
WERD! Once married or even just tied down to another person full time you Cruiser time and budget become like a mistress and get really hard to keep funded. Your interests suddenly have to go through a review board! Unfortunately, once that happens the phase "it's easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission" becomes quite clear to it's meaning!
wesintl
Moderator
It wasn't being single that killed it for me it was the addition of kids...
Cough cough. I have been guilty of that.
Very true. Also kills all your free time for actually installing the parts that you do manage to buy.
After thinking about it for a while (yeah I sit on the pot a while but I want to make sure it's right before I commit) I think I've thought of how I want to proceed:
I thought I should start working my way in the direction I ultimately want to go, and the first step would be to get a Chevy/GMC extended cab 4x4 longbed, either ½ ton or ¾ ton.
This would help me keep a pickup style vehicle, but would give me 4x4 (very important to me), more power for towing etc. (pretty important to me), probably a little more interior comfort, would be fairly reasonably easy to drive (since I don’t really need the full 4 doors right now), less miles than my current truck has, and IF anything went bad on it I would be more inclined to fix it and keep it running because:
a) I have a truck that’s more useful – even if I fixed the red truck it’s still an anemic 2wd pickup;
b) be more cheap (probably) for parts;
c) parts are more readily available; and
d) things are probably at least as easy, if not easier to get to (the alternator for example).
Ultimately I’m thinking of getting a Civic commuter car and having a 4-door longbed 4x4 3/4 ton diesel pickup (Ford or GMC, plus a trailer to pull the Land Cruiser around on road trips), so maybe in a year or two I can have enough saved up to buy a Civic DD so I can get 45+ mpg. Then sometime later down the road again I can think about buying the big truck (but first I want to see what happens to GM before buying a new vehicle from them).
This is, like I said, a stepping stone to get me closer to what I actually want/what works for my needs. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a new car, but I think it will be a good step because it'll get me into a 4x4 with power/towing capacity; a Tacoma has 4x4 but doesn't really have the power/towing capacity I'm looking for (at least not in the model years in my price range).
I know I'm losing the Toyota, but they just don't make anything that really fills these needs (The Tundra is ok but not quite there), plus I have GM in my blood from growing up so I know it, am familiar and comfortable with it, and it's not a stretch for me to go back to it.
Anyway...
I thought I should start working my way in the direction I ultimately want to go, and the first step would be to get a Chevy/GMC extended cab 4x4 longbed, either ½ ton or ¾ ton.
This would help me keep a pickup style vehicle, but would give me 4x4 (very important to me), more power for towing etc. (pretty important to me), probably a little more interior comfort, would be fairly reasonably easy to drive (since I don’t really need the full 4 doors right now), less miles than my current truck has, and IF anything went bad on it I would be more inclined to fix it and keep it running because:
a) I have a truck that’s more useful – even if I fixed the red truck it’s still an anemic 2wd pickup;
b) be more cheap (probably) for parts;
c) parts are more readily available; and
d) things are probably at least as easy, if not easier to get to (the alternator for example).
Ultimately I’m thinking of getting a Civic commuter car and having a 4-door longbed 4x4 3/4 ton diesel pickup (Ford or GMC, plus a trailer to pull the Land Cruiser around on road trips), so maybe in a year or two I can have enough saved up to buy a Civic DD so I can get 45+ mpg. Then sometime later down the road again I can think about buying the big truck (but first I want to see what happens to GM before buying a new vehicle from them).
This is, like I said, a stepping stone to get me closer to what I actually want/what works for my needs. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a new car, but I think it will be a good step because it'll get me into a 4x4 with power/towing capacity; a Tacoma has 4x4 but doesn't really have the power/towing capacity I'm looking for (at least not in the model years in my price range).
I know I'm losing the Toyota, but they just don't make anything that really fills these needs (The Tundra is ok but not quite there), plus I have GM in my blood from growing up so I know it, am familiar and comfortable with it, and it's not a stretch for me to go back to it.
Anyway...
