hi all,
i am looking to buy a used land cruiser and would have purchased one previously but my toyota mechanic and - well really all mechanics i talk to end up convincing me not to buy one due to reliability issues. what i am hoping for is some direction on a specific make and model that will be extremely low maintenance. i don't expect to make many modifications to the vehicle but i do expect to get out to some off road (big bend) and out of the way locations (alaska).
would like's: air bags, 6 or 8 cylinder, 4WD, towing (1 or 2 motorcycles) and really, really reliable no hassle vehicle. going back to a stick could be nice as well.
i don't mind stepping up price-wise but i'd rather do it for reliability than farkles.
THANKS for any help,
jonathan
background:
1. i bought a 93 r100 gs bmw recently and have been wrenching on it as a new wrench so i have some relatively new found confidence in working on a vehicle.
2. i have had a 98 toyota tacoma 4cyl 4WD since 2000 which has been nothing but exceptional. it's got 196K on it, has angle iron welded to the bed and a bomber ladder rack bolted to the angle iron. so as far as working on a construction job or hauling material it is a beast but it is getting old for road tripping in and the 2-seater is inconvenient at this point. that said, i paid 10K for it in 2000, have about 12 grand worth of accidental damage by other to it and i basically put gas in it, change the oil and put new tires on it once in a blue moon.
3. i recently bought a 2003 V6 2WD 4 runner with 150K on it because i couldn't pass up the deal but it does not have 4WD and i basically don't want all the electronics. i'd like to move back to something simpler. i find the 2003 to be a pain ergonomically with the controls and something as simple as a bulb going out in the dash requires full removal of the dash. also, i want to drive a car and not have it try to drive me.
i am looking to buy a used land cruiser and would have purchased one previously but my toyota mechanic and - well really all mechanics i talk to end up convincing me not to buy one due to reliability issues. what i am hoping for is some direction on a specific make and model that will be extremely low maintenance. i don't expect to make many modifications to the vehicle but i do expect to get out to some off road (big bend) and out of the way locations (alaska).
would like's: air bags, 6 or 8 cylinder, 4WD, towing (1 or 2 motorcycles) and really, really reliable no hassle vehicle. going back to a stick could be nice as well.
i don't mind stepping up price-wise but i'd rather do it for reliability than farkles.
THANKS for any help,
jonathan
background:
1. i bought a 93 r100 gs bmw recently and have been wrenching on it as a new wrench so i have some relatively new found confidence in working on a vehicle.
2. i have had a 98 toyota tacoma 4cyl 4WD since 2000 which has been nothing but exceptional. it's got 196K on it, has angle iron welded to the bed and a bomber ladder rack bolted to the angle iron. so as far as working on a construction job or hauling material it is a beast but it is getting old for road tripping in and the 2-seater is inconvenient at this point. that said, i paid 10K for it in 2000, have about 12 grand worth of accidental damage by other to it and i basically put gas in it, change the oil and put new tires on it once in a blue moon.
3. i recently bought a 2003 V6 2WD 4 runner with 150K on it because i couldn't pass up the deal but it does not have 4WD and i basically don't want all the electronics. i'd like to move back to something simpler. i find the 2003 to be a pain ergonomically with the controls and something as simple as a bulb going out in the dash requires full removal of the dash. also, i want to drive a car and not have it try to drive me.
