I second I8hmud.com.
Back in the day...like the year before last....I could talk all day about Toyota mini-trucks, but knew virtualy nothing about the 80 series, except that I wanted one. I learned so much so quickly and it was mostly thanks to that website.
Slee's FAQ on purchasing an 80 is a great start...
http://www.sleeoffroad.com/newbie/newbie100.htm
I have a FAQ that I started to work on, but never finished. You can browse over it if you want...I try to go into as much detail as I can.
http://www.brian894x4.com/ExpeditionLandCruiserFZJ80FAQ.html
I also have a detailed page on the 1FZ engine in the 1993-1997 80 series.
http://www.brian894x4.com/ExpeditionLandCruiserFZJ80engine.html
The platform itself makes for a great daily driver. At first, it will appear to be bigger than you might be used too, but is quickly overcome. It's probably shorter than your Tacoma, but a good bit wider.
In my judgement the 80 has two very critical drawbacks that any potential owner needs to be aware of. First and foremost is that it's a gas hog. This should never be under estimated. EPA rating is 15/13. You likely never see 15 mpg except on the highway only, on a very stock rig. One you add mods and weight, the mileage goes down. I average about 10-12 mpg in combination highway/city driving. With primarily highway driving, I see between 11-13 or so. But I've see single digits.
I would NOT buy and drive this rig as a daily drive on long commutes unless your wealthy and gas prices do not concern you. If you're only a few miles from work and are looking for a weekend toy or a long distance hauler and can afford the gas, then I say go for.
I look at it like an RV. RVs get something like 5 mpg, but are only driven on occasion, so the mileage is far less relevent. That's how I use mine. I have a little Honda as my daily driver commuter. But trust me, if gas was not a concern, I'd drive my baby everyday and everywhere.
The second issue is maintainence. The 80 is extremely reliable, but has a couple of quirks, the most expensive being headgasket issues. There doesn't seem to be much ryme or reason as to if/when/why they will blow. In the real world, head gasket failures don't see that common. In the Ih8mud word, everyone gets them and it's just an expected failure that every 80 owner will someday endure and it could happen at 80K miles or 800,000 miles, nobody knows. The 80 also not cheap to maintain. It's not bad if you do most of you're own work, but a Tacoma is cheaper and simplier to maintain. Fortunately, a good running 80 doesn't require much, as long as you keep up on the things like rebuilding the axles and repacking bearings, changing the fluids when needed, etc.
I could go on and on, but I won't. The bottom line is that I went from a mini-truck to an 80. My only regrets are it cost a lot more to buy, build, maintain and fuel than I first anticipated, but I think it's worth every penny.
If funds are tight and a real concern, you've already got the other platform I'd probably go with instead or perhaps the similiar generation 4runner. If funds are not tight, I can't think of a better rig than an 80 combination daily driver/weekender/overlander rig. Although, one should never overlook the 100 as an alternative for this same role, albeit more expensive.
