Advice please!!

[mattafact]

93-94 had the A442F transmission which is an absolute beast. Crawl under one and you'll see what I mean. The 95-97 Has the A343, I believe. Still a very nice transmission but not nearly as huge. The 95-97 have OBD2, a nicer dash board, and an engine management system that is more suited to forced induction than the 93-94.

After daily driving a 22RE 2nd Gen 4runner for 6 months my 94 80 feels like a sports car. It's all relative.

That having been said if I could have afforded a 100 series I would have gotten one. They are pretty amazing.

 

[86tuning]

a343 trans is basically what's inside a mk4 supra, and will hold up to a thousand horsepower... IOW don't worry about transmissions in any of these trucks.

The 100-series with the v8 is better at almost everything except: no solid front axle, and slightly more expensive to buy, but same to maintain, and less to operate (fuel bill). It's better on gas, better power, more room, legroom, etc etc. The later ones had a 5sp trans which has even better performance and economy (by 1mpg or so). AHC is either really nice if you like it, or removable if you don't like it. Power venting rear side windows are neat. Rear heat and a/c is a big bonus for larger families. Built-in navigation is nice, with a reverse camera, but if/when it breaks, be aware that you also lose your heater controls.

Now, if you really want a solid front axle, the 80 is the way to go. Unless you're 'building' a 105.

The 80
- will easily fit 35" tires with minimal work.
- will eat more gas, 8-12mpg city, 12-15mpg highway. Probably 5-10% more gas.
- may fit in slightly tighter spaces, as the roof is narrower
- may have factory lockers front and rear
- will feel slower than the 100.
- will cost slightly less, but is older than the 100
- can fit a winch inside the stock front bumper
- has 2nd row heat, but no rear a/c

I have had my LX450 for a few years, and one of my good friends has a 2005 LX470. They're both awesome machines!

Hope that helps.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Another major 'plus' that comes along withe most FZJ80's (versus the FJ80) is the full-float rear axle with disc brakes. Full-float axles are superior to the semi-float in terms of longevity and flexibility if/when you break a pinion, axle shaft, etc. Keep in mind some early FZJ80's still had the drum brake rear with integral park brake. Don't get me wrong its a great axle and stout but the FF is superior imo.

 

[mattafact]

- will cost slightly less, but is older than the 100

By slightly less you mean less than half what a 100 costs.

I picked up my triple locked 94 with 130k miles for $2900 a couple weeks ago. The cheapest 100s are going for $9-10k around here and those are all around the 200k mile mark. If you want the 5spd auto plan on paying >$20k for one.

If I could afford the 100 I would get it, but the 80s are becoming a great value if you shop around. YMMV.

 

[ssssnake529]

I have a 1995 80 series. I love it. Wouldn't trade it for anything (including a comparable 100 series.)

 

[drewhartley]

no 80 series came with a v8. I owned a 95 and it was one of the best trucks ever. never had any issues with it and sold it with 208xxx. I'm sure if the owner now takes care of it, like I did, it will run up into the 300xxxs.

 

[2 E L O]

It's hard to compare an 80 and 100 with a budget in mind. Although, I'm not sure how concerned you are with budget...

You can get an incredibly nice "low mileage" 80 for $10k... A $10k 100 series (at least here in the midwest) gets you high miles and less than average condition for the age.

If you've got $15k to spend, then by all means get a 100 series. No question there. If you've got $10k to spend, I think an 80 series is your best bet.

I think the OBDII on the 95-97 80 series is very important. It allows you to run an Ultragauge or Scangauge to monitor temps, correct speeds with different tires sizes, monitor mileage, etc. It's a very valuable tool. It's also nice to have the dual airbags that started in 1995...

Good luck in your search!

 

[sleeoffroad]

You can get an incredibly nice "low mileage" 80 for $10k...

Where would these truck be? I would buy them all day long if the are incredible and low mileage. Our experience from 80's bought and then sent to our shop for work is that most, if not all of them are so neglected and old that they need between $2k and $5k in maintenance and repairs to make them reliable, yet it would take more to make them "nice". Now definitions of "nice" and "low mileage" differs. 40k is low miles for us, 150k is not.

 

[2 E L O]

Where would these truck be? I would buy them all day long if the are incredible and low mileage. Our experience from 80's bought and then sent to our shop for work is that most, if not all of them are so neglected and old that they need between $2k and $5k in maintenance and repairs to make them reliable, yet it would take more to make them "nice". Now definitions of "nice" and "low mileage" differs. 40k is low miles for us, 150k is not.

That's why I quoted "low mileage" in my post. "Low mileage" to me means low mileage considering the age of the vehicle...basically an average of how many miles per year. 10-12k miles per year=average, 15k per year=high, 5-7k per year=low...

I agree with you in that any 40k mile 80 series in good shape is going to be insanely priced upwards of $15k or more. But you can find some with 100-120k miles that are in fantastic shape for less than $10k. Yes, they may need a little baselining, but what 15-20 year old vehicle doesn't (unless they're owned by us LC nuts, obviously )?