wha d'yer reckon landbruiser 80 content

[gordonbennet]

Ok its not really shiter territory but i have a hankering for a simple old Landbruiser again, these 80 series seem to be increasing in value compared to the newer 100's which being later design have too many foibles for me, whats the collective think about this please, might go and have a poke nose tomorrow if they're open.

 

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1997-R-Toyota-Land-Cruiser-Amazon-4-5-LPG-GAS-auto-VX-7-Seats-4X4-MAY-P-X-/121466628394?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1c47f9a92a

 

 

[Bren]

Good quality off roader.

[Jim Bell]

Fucking awesome.

[panhard65]

I borrowed a 4.2 turbo diesel a few years ago and they are the daddy of tow cars and would pull a house down. They are great motors but parts are very expensive for the later one at least. I had to sort a rear wiper out on one last week £300 for a motor £38 for an arm and £17 for the special blade.

[r.welfare]

Do they rust when they get old like the Patrol does?

[chaseracer]

I like these, espesh with BFO diseasel.

 

Verdict: WOULD.

[320touring]

Do they rust when they get old like the Patrol does?

Knew a fella through the e30s that built one to hump through africa.

 

Think he was about 3months welding a back end on it-but he formed it differently to get a larger fuel tank in.

 

It proved itself time and again

[gordonbennet]

Cheers lads, i had a 70 series with the 3 litre Diesel 4 pot years ago, absolutely unbreakable and reliable,  yes they can rust but not in Nissan mode, the chassis is very well made and the first place i'll be going is underneath to check this one out.

 

The only reason i don't still have it is cos my mrs got stung by some weirdo flying insect and had some from of allergic  reaction to it, ended up with her foot wedged down on the accelerator and under the brake, took a set of steel railings/armco out complete with concrete base at about 50 mph, then once stopped calmly restarted it put it in 4WD and reversed through the remnants, the front bumper took the whole blow, not even a leak on the rad, saved her life i reckon and she walked out without a bruise.

 

NFU still wrote it off cos the concrete blocks took the wheelarches clean off and battered hell out of the axles, so they paid me out (£1k more than street value due to its prior to accident good condition) and sold the thing on.

Got a call about 3 months later from a chap in Bradford, who bought the thing and was enquiring about any extra keys paperwork etc, which i parcelled up and sent him, he'd never heard an engine as sweet as that and was chuffed to buggery when i told him i'd had it since 39k miles and it had an oil chnage every 3k since then up to about 130k when it got totalled.

 

 

In a way i'd prefer the 100 series from 98 on with it's V8 petrol, but the early phase of those had several problems including a torque converter made of cheese, and they all (except for rare grey import 105 series as UN forces use which is basically a rebodied 80) have air/hydraulic suspension which brings a whole new wave of trouble i could do without, the 80 in the pic is the last of the old style Cruisers with live axles front and rear and steel coils all round.

[gordonbennet]

Checked on the LPGA site and it's not on the online register, and the seller doesn't have a conversion certificate...not the end of the world cos i can get it recertified by my own LPG man and registered properly, that will cost but without proper registration insurance will be a major headache and the difference likely cost more than certification in the first year alone.

 

Going to look at another one later in the week not far away so will stick me head in and have a chat with the bloke face to face whilst in the area, see what we can do.

[eddyramrod]

Do it!

[skattrd]

£4.5k ... ouch, you could get 2 or 3 P38's for that ... or possibly even one that worked

[Station]

They're huge.

[skattrd]

Mr_Ramrod ... didn't you have a Chevvy Blazer? wouldn't one of those be a sensible/cheaper option to a Land Cruiser? I was thinking about those recently as I'm toying with getting another 4x4.

[brickwall]

Very, very nice.

 

But, owners moan about costs of parts. As there weren't mega millions sold in this country parts can be an issue.

 

Other than that I can't fault them. Good balance of torque/power with a gearbox that knows what's what.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I always saw Land Cruisers as a bit pikey and too expensive to run compared to Rangies and Discos,not any more.

Just spent a week driving round round in a Lexus V8 Land Cruiser and even my missus has the megawant for one ,looks like she's up for swapping her Gaylander for one. Probably go for about 2002/3 Dizzler auto as the 10 mpg of the V8 auto would hurt a bit more when it's not 50p a gallon. Although the V8 grunt would be nice, it feels as quick as my 530d off the lights.

Apart from the occasional thump from the suspension on sand ,it was nicer to be in than either the Cayenne or new shape Range Rover we had lifts in, which was astonishing to me as a dyed in the wool Solihull fan.

 

5.7 Land Cruiser in its natural habitat.

[gordonbennet]

Well now, as you do, i've found another one which has raised the want level, 2003 Amazon 100, again with the petrol...i only want petrol cos it'll get LPG'd anyway, one owner and full history which is how i like to buy me more expensive motors, if it's still there we'll go and see it on Thursday, dealer not open today.

We test drove this exact model a few years ago when it was 2 years old.

If we buy it i'll have to sell the old MB, and that'll come hard after 12 years, some lucky bugger will get just about the best preventatively maintained CE124 in the country, LPG'd too.

 

The 80 in the link shows 5+ owners on the listing so unless it's considerably cheaper, to account for gas certification and to get the rust scrapes and dents sorted, i'll have to pass...unless it's in brilliant condition underneath and judging by the scabs on the inner spokes of the wheels that aint going to be the case, but yer never know..

 

Just done an insurance quote off the meercat for a 2003 V8, comes in at £187 for protected policy £300 total excess, thats cheaper than my MB on Adelaide (now Cornmarket) who should beat that quote for HGV driver, how come these monsters are so cheap, when i had the 2007 Hilux it cost around £500 a year.

 

 

I'd love a RR L322, but the likely problems i just can't be doing with.

[scruff]

Fucking awesome.

 

Sums it up for me, a good friend and diehard LR botherer bought an 80 series 4.2 diesel last year and it is the DOG'S BOLLOCKS. Makes a Discovery ten years newer feel what it is; badly made, underpowered and un-necessarily complicated. You won't get a better tow vehicle this side of a LGV.

Parts are pricier but you will buy them in less quantity and less often that you would with a Landrover of the same age and as for rust they cannot possibly be any worse! 

[gordonbennet]

The big problem IMO with LR is that they didn't find a bloody great fuck off engine the product needed in the first place, which is what Toyota did from the off., Christ knows why there must have been enough big van and small lorry engines in whoever owned it at the time's armoury....or bought a proper bugger in like Volvo did when they bought the VW van engine in for Mr Bo11ox's 7 series Ovlov.

 

They ponced around with 2.5's for years, then stretched to a 2.7 sixer for Disco 3/Sport but its still only 450cc per pot and that just aint enough for a 2.7 ton motor, then saddled the manuals with too high a first gear to boot, then seem surprised when clutches last 5 minutes,  bizarre.

Apparently when the 2.7 turbos fail on Disco 3 (probably Sport the same), which they will, the effin body has to be lifted off to get to them...who the fuck designed that.

 

I'd love a V8 RR, either Diesel or supercharged petrol, the V8 is addictive in them, on overrun you can feel the whole car vibrating..throbbing ooer missus easy get a serious lob on...again, just can't risk the problems.

[Cavcraft]

I don't think I've ever heard a bad word about them, they're incredibly well rated. I had a 4.2 which someone in a Saxo had hit head on and it still ran and drove.

[forddeliveryboy]

Hewn from granite.

[eddyramrod]

Mr_Ramrod ... didn't you have a Chevvy Blazer? wouldn't one of those be a sensible/cheaper option to a Land Cruiser? I was thinking about those recently as I'm toying with getting another 4x4.

Avoid.

 

That's a shock, isn't it, me having a bad word to say about something American! 

 

I had endless trouble with it and could never get it to run properly under load.  Yes, that most likely means I bought a pup, as can happen when you only spend 3 figures, but it's thoroughly put me off the model and indeed that engine.  Every Land Cruiser owner I know, however, has nothing but praise for the things, and I can think of at least two repeat offenders.  I haven't had one myself but happily would.

[dollywobbler]

They are awesome, though the Aussies actually seem to prefer the Patrols - but then they don't rust as much over there perhaps. I'd love one. 

[eddyramrod]

 I bought a pup, as can happen when you only spend 3 figures,

Of course what I really meant to say was: as can happen when you buy a car of any type, from any source, at any price including the very top of the market, scrap price and every stage in between.  It doesn't even have to be a car, the same applies to a house, a telly, even a fucking bag of tomatoes.

#voiceofexperience

[Asimo]

There are many tales of how good these are. A chap I know has two mid 1990s

diesels, a Lhd one with over 500,000kms on it (and climbing fast) from dragging exhibition trailers around Europe, the other a mere 200,000miles for domestic duties. Neither has needed anything but wear and tear items, no breakdowns that weren't tyres and batteries. That big six Diesel sounds lovely too (for a Diesel).

[overrun]

Don't laugh, but could some of these float?

[garbaldy]

Don't laugh, but could some of these float?

 

well the 90 landcruiser doesn't that's for sure.

 

 

This petrol one ran out of mot and needed a pair of cats,  I sold it for £1400 after not being able to find any except  from main dealer £700 each, Mr T simply said when I questioned the price, well the car was 30 odd grand new, and what does that mater when is 16 year old and worthless

 

I cant find a pic of my red 4.2 diesel at the moment, it lost drive in the gearbox just after turning 200k and was sold to Johnny foreigner for £1800 last August.

[gordonbennet]

well, we went and looked at a 2003 Amazon, not a cared for car at all even though it apparently had FSH which we didn't even bother to look at, nor test drive, 4 mismatched tyres, 2 needing immediate replacement, 1 OK ish and one new ditchfinder put me off, then the NSF wing rattle canned a different shade put me off a bit more, then when i shut the door and the drivers mirror dropped off that sort of sealed it for that one.

 

Then this popped up, a 90 series Colorado, V6 3.4 petrol,  collected it today and here it is at our little hidey hole with the Scooby Outback and 124 lurking in the background.

No collection thread, sorry lads, simple drive down and drive back, could have taken a pic at the BP if i'd remembered, will try better.

 

Not sure if i'll gas this one or not, probably give it a few months and see how she goes.

 

[dollywobbler]

Nice. Regarding neglect, that's one of the problems with any car that has a 'bulletproof' reputation. It means folk think they don't have to look after them at all. 

[gordonbennet]

Get the lazy twats by the scruff of the neck and shake some sense into 'em.

 

Good maintenance doesn't need to cost the earth, it pays for itself times over and usually makes sales easy peasy among the knowing.

 

Can't wait for the weather to break so i can get to grips with the old girl, luckily i've got 12 litres engine oil sitting in the garage from Halfords Christmas sale, perfect.

[Junkman]

Many many moons ago I had an 80 with that 4.5 litre 24 Volt petrol straight six with not 211, not 213, but 212 PS, so it went like shit.

I liked it very much, although the offroad capability was severely hampered by a too stiff suspension with not enough travel and thus not enough axle articulation capability.

 

My verdict: The Range Rover is better.