Land Cruiser cost of ownership?

[KC Masterpiece]

I love my 80.

I'll throw out some actual numbers here.

3 years ago I sold my 08 FJ Cruiser and purchased a very clean well maintained 97 with 158k for $13,000.

I have spent (guesstimate) about 4k on maintenance items that were needed to keep it driving. Plus countless hours doing 90% of the work in the driveway.

About another 1k on maintenance items that were not needed, but were done for convenience (i.e. seat switches, window trim, ect).

Lots of $$$ on mods but that isn't really the question here.

End of the day I estimate we will have about 30k in the truck when fully built.

I drive it every day and enjoy doing car work. It depends on how you feel about vehicles. Personally I would rather pay cash for something older and spend a few thousand a year on maintenance. It beats having a monthly payment.


Still have a smile on my face every time I drive it.

We are looking to add another cruiser to the fleet and it will likely be a 100. The 200s are still to rich for my blood currently.

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

I've owned a lot of old cars (~30) and I would argue that the cost of ownership of the 80's isn't that much different than anything else on the road from a parts perspective. The 100's are quite a bit more expensive as they have some expensive Achille's heels. (Master cylinder/ABS actuator - $1500, front diff -$1500, steering rack - $450, throttle body - $600)

Oil changes are expensive as they use almost twice as much at most vehicles. (except diesels)
Brakes are about the same, even using OEM.
Tires are about the same as you would put on your 4runner.
Gas is a bit more and in 100's you have to use premium. (the 3fe in an early 80 would probably run on piss)
80 series parts are getting discontinued each year. The later models still have a lot of availability but their day is coming. (i.e. - emissions related parts) 100 series parts seem to still be readily available.

Again, I don't know if the cost of ownership is any more expensive than any other SUV or large vehicle that is 20+ years old aside from the initial purchase price. I can definitely understand the allure of both of them but your 4runner will do almost everything a 100 series will do and 80-90% of what an 80 will do. It all depends on what you want but don't feel like you're missing out on something by owning one of them vs. your 4runner. Well, other than the cool factor.

 

[KC Masterpiece]

@MATPHAT I also will add one more comment.

If your looking to sell your 4 runner. Give me a call.

 

[DouglasVB]

 

[Jameson]

I went to my first Rising Sun meeting a few years ago. I also had a 4Runner at the time and definitely got the immediate "need" to find a LC. I ended up buying a 2008 200 Series that had already been built, had a few gremlins that needed to be hashed out that had about the same mileage as the 4th gen (130k). My wife and I tow an off-road camping trailer and I think the LC handles it a bit better than the 4th gen just because of it's weight. Clearance is better, in theory it should last longer and it's built like a tank. No regrets. That said. I loved that the 4th gen V8 and it would have sufficed too. I just replaced the lower control arms, it's in the shop now for an alternator. Some things cost more... I remember the first time I quoted an OEM LC windshield and it was like 3X more than a thinner aftermarket. You should be able to fetch an inflated price for the 4runner in this market too so you could afford to pay the inflated cost of the LCs. My advice? Wait a bit, wheel a bit more.... really figure out what you want. I'm happy as hell with my 200 but it took me a bit to settle on that generation vs. others. All have their +s and -s.

 

[AlpineAccess]

Gas is a bit more and in 100's you have to use premium. (the 3fe in an early 80 would probably run on piss).

Toyota will never say, but rumors are they did the premium thing for EPA. My 100 is at 200k on regular gas. Totally agree though, particularly repair costs like the brake master.

 

[gungriffin]

Toyota will never say, but rumors are they did the premium thing for EPA. My 100 is at 200k on regular gas. Totally agree though, particularly repair costs like the brake master.

The good news with the brake master is there is someone who rebuilds them for $500 now.

 

[AlpineAccess]

The good news with the brake master is there is someone who rebuilds them for $500 now.

 

[mcgaskins]

Gas is a bit more and in 100's you have to use premium. (the 3fe in an early 80 would probably run on piss)

FWIW I've never used premium in the 100 or 200 going back to July 2012 and never had a single issue or poor performance. Anecdotally, I usually get about 2 mpg better than my similarly built friends who run premium near sea level, and I don't exactly drive with efficiency in mind

 

[pmccumber]

I bought my kids Corollas when they were in high school. That first year they couldn’t have them at college so I drove them once a week. I ended up selling my Lexus coupe and buying one for a DD. They’re ridiculously cheap. At 100k you change coolant and plugs and do it again at 200k. That’s it. I do synthetic oil once a year, slap an air filter in every 30k and that’s it. I bought all three Corollas for $4k and we got 14 years on them wo a repair (Son 6, daughter 5, me 3). None use any oil. My daughter puts more cycles on hers than a Jimmy John’s deliverer. A set of tires lasts forever and they’re cheap.

I leave my 80 for hitting dirt. That 80 just got new coolant, bearings all around, brakes, rotors, all new shocks, front end service, a new rear drive shaft, …. Then you factor in fuel. They’re extremely expensive. That’s another thing, those Corollas never need brakes.

 

[Rrooslandcuiser]

So true, my DD is a Honda Civic.

 

[mcgaskins]

Land Cruisers can definitely be cheap to own - depending on how you buy them, you can even own them for free or make money. The key is to buy "right" on the front end which means finding one that is: (a) a great deal compared with market prices at the time (b) excellent condition including a clean Carfax and "no stories" title (c) no or very limited rust (d) desirable color combo both exterior and interior and (e) either new enough to not have any deferred maintenance or one that has already been baselined (with OEM parts by a reputable shop ideally). When you find one that ticks all these boxes, you have to be willing to buy it immediately upon listing - even if that means sight unseen across the country and getting it shipped to you. If the vehicle is modded, it needs desirable, quality mods with lots of life left and ideally installed by a professional - keeping in mind some mods actually reduce instead of increase the value.

The issue everyone is facing today is good deals are extremely scarce since covid began, and Land Cruisers in general have become harder to find than ever. Keep in mind the 200 series Land Cruiser only saw sales of ~3k per year from 08-21 (Lexus sold about double of the LX), so the Cruiser is generally speaking more rare than a G Wagon in the US. I bought my first Cruiser in 2012 (100 series), and since then I've had 5 additional Cruisers. and modified all but one. Using the technique above, I sold 2 Cruisers just barely above my break even point, but I made a material gain on the rest
even after considering taxes, maintenance, modifications, etc. While Cruisers are considered expensive, my experience shows when you look at the whole picture from acquisition through ownership to selling, you can own them for little to no cost at all.

 

[bassguyry]

While Cruisers are considered expensive, my experience shows when you look at the whole picture from acquisition through ownership to selling, you can own them for little to no cost at all.

My wife and my wallet would beg to differ.

 

[mcgaskins]

My wife and my wallet would beg to differ.

The key is to buy "right"

 

[KC Masterpiece]

You guys are doing it all wrong.

The key is to buy and mod while you are engaged before combining bank accounts.

I have about 2 years left before my mod budget becomes the kid budget.

 

[subzali]

You guys are doing it all wrong.

The key is to buy and mod while you are engaged before combining bank accounts.

I have about 2 years left before my mod budget becomes the kid budget.

Troof

 

[bassguyry]

Who said I didn't "buy right"?

 

[BlueSteel]

I’ve had several Toyota / Lexus SUV’s all with their own pros and cons. One thing to keep in mind with cruisers… they are designed to last a long time, but in order for that to happen requires a lot of maintenance. 4Runner’s / GX… I feel like you can drive then into the ground, spend $2-3k and drive them into the ground again. Resale value… It’s been very low cost per year, if any to drive most of the cars I’ve owned.

100 series - Loved it, was my wife’s car for hauling my kids safely and turned into our Colorado offroad / camping car. Not terribly expensive to maintain, especially if you can work on it yourself. I’d buy another, only 2003+ though. Slow. Paid $11k in 2011, sold $11.5k in 2019

3rd Gen 4Runner - Loved it, spent way too much money making a beat POS a daily driver and wheeling truck. I abused it, it was great. Slow. Lost money on this one.

4th gen 4Runner V8 & GX470 - great all around cars. Adequate power, similar to maintenance cost of 100 series but parts are more common and cheaper. Paid $10k 2017, sold $12.5k 2020

GX460 - great all around car. Only owned it 2 years, did zero maintenance other than oil changes. Would buy another if needed a car like that. Paid $19k in 2019, sold $19k in 2021

200 series - I love it so far, it’s our city car and sometimes take it up easy passes. It’s going to cost a bit of money to keep it up I feel like. Lots of buttons and features. Plenty of power. I’d love to try one seriously offroad someday.

80 series - I like it. I bought it because I maxed out my last 4Runner on the trails and I wanted a more capable offroad vehicle that isn’t a rubicon. It’s a big wagon with lockers and will go nearly anywhere with how it’s modified. I don’t drive it much outside of adventure trips. It’s an old simple car, I look it over when I get gas and before I take trips. I keep spare parts for it. By far the most maintenance / repair intense car I’ve owned and I bought a built and mostly maintained 80. It’s slow even with big gears. 60-65 mph is what I drive on a good day.

 

[White Stripe]

My 80 series has over 300k on it. Everything has needed replacement. Im almost there. Still need to replace the brake booster, rear driveshaft, and rear wheel bearings. Its exhausting. The v8 swap added additional complexity and cost to a huge degree. But has made the cruiser far more useful. Its like a swiss arms knife now. Its capable of a little bit of everything.

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

My 80 series has over 300k on it. Everything has needed replacement. Im almost there. Still need to replace the brake booster, rear driveshaft, and rear wheel bearings. Its exhausting. The v8 swap added additional complexity and cost to a huge degree. But has made the cruiser far more useful. Its like a swiss arms knife now. Its capable of a little bit of everything.

and looks awesome!