trump
Adventurist
If the 2nd gen Xterra price point is out of his reach right now a 4th gen 4runner is out of the question. Although, that would be a nice upgrade as well.
Could I be happy with an 80 ???
- Thread starter timh
- Start date
If the 2nd gen Xterra price point is out of his reach right now a 4th gen 4runner is out of the question. Although, that would be a nice upgrade as well.
C-Fish
Adventurer
http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/2586581523.html
DON'T get a Grand Cherokee. You deserve better...:ylsmoke:
DON'T get a Grand Cherokee. You deserve better...:ylsmoke:
trump
Adventurist
Nice find! His side of town too.
LukeHooligan
Observer
i'm guessing you haven't drove an 80, and the people who say you'd be in the same boat as you are now must not have driven an X. I have a very well maintained stock 03 xterra with the 3.3, don't get me wrong i love it, but have test drove several bone stock 80's with with around 150k each on them and they seem like sports cars compared to my xterra, both in the power and smooth ride department. I didn't think i could feel worse about how underpowered my nissan was until i found out the heavy pig that is the fzj80 was by far superior in acceleration and highway driving. Now on that note my good friend and coworker has an 09 xterra off road and with the 265hp that thing has it can really move for it's size. So i will push the idea to try driving all vehicles you are considering
timh
Explorer
Funny you should post a link to this add. This very Cruiser is the one the got me thinking and made me start this thread. When I saw it it was parked on the side of the road for sale marked at $11700. I spoke with the owner quite a bit about it. My biggest issue is that I have to buy a new rig before I could sell the Xterra. This means that I would have to finance 100% of the new rig and this cruiser only books out at about $9900. This is when I started looking at 80's also.
As far as the WJ goes I didn't entertain that idea very long. I really don't like the idea of a unibody and I have always owned and had good luck with Toyota's and Nissan's. I would love to pick up a V8 4runner but yes, they are also a bit out of my price range. I think I will drive an 80 for myself and see how I feel about it as well.
JohnnyS
Explorer
We have both, I love my 80 and would never part with it (except for another 80, with a diesel).
However, everytime I drive the 100 I'm impressed. For longer trips it really shines, plenty of power and very stable; it will really amaze you where you can take it off-road as well.
For what you're looking for I'd definitely get the 100.
As was mentioned earlier you should check out LX470s, it seems that there are always more of them available than 100s.
However, everytime I drive the 100 I'm impressed. For longer trips it really shines, plenty of power and very stable; it will really amaze you where you can take it off-road as well.
For what you're looking for I'd definitely get the 100.
As was mentioned earlier you should check out LX470s, it seems that there are always more of them available than 100s.
Bowtiestang
ayatollah of rocknrolla
LOL I looked at it also...Wish it didnt have 160K. I dont think he will take KBB for it either.
Thing I always think about when you pay way over KBB in Tucson...WHEN it gets stolen or hit (and it will) you get the shaft from the ins co. Its a fight to get them to pay high book even.:smiley_drive:
I think I will also go the 80 route. I drove both a 100 and a 80 same day. The 100 has a LITTLE more power but I loved the 80. My Tundra would dog both of them (speed wise) so if I need fast or to tow I will use it. In the end I would take a 100,80 or even a 4Runner and be happy.....now finding one that isnt trashed or way over priced.......
Good luck hunting and hope I find the nice one before you :ylsmoke:
Lc80series
New member
I love my 1993 FZJ80 but the exhaust does rattle on my Metaltech sliders. It's on my list of things to do. The newest 80 (97) is 14 years old so you, most likely, will have a list of things to do if you buy a reasonably priced 80. That being said, it has never let me down and feels extremely solid, stable, and well built. It is not fast off the line but has decent passing power at speed. It still surprises me how capable it is offroad. I have never driven an XTerra but can't imagine any model is better than an 80 or a 100 series LC. I did grow up with LandCruisers so I may be biased
I got 1994 1HZ from Japan with 170,000kms. 1HZ is NA Diesel for some who dont know. So it is pretty gutless especially on acceleration part.
As far as driving it on the highway. It was not very good whhen i just bought it but i have noticed a huge difference once all the birfield were repacked, bearings changed, new seals, new tie rod ends, proper alignment and decent tires (even though they are MTs). I have driven 6 times round-trip from Edmonton to Regina (780kms one way). And another 4000kms of mountain roads/windy highways/off roading/straight aways to Tofino, BC. Always have some kind of junk in the back. Taken all and all consideration 80s are great on the highway for what they are! Its 17 year old vehicle! its awesome! The best one was this past sunday when i went pretty hardcore wheeling for the whole day with local club and then drove 800kms to Regina with no adjustments besides the tire pressure! Now that a vehicle! :ylsmoke:
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
If you are saving your pennies you might want to wait until the price on the 4th gen 4runners come down a bit. I've often described the 4th gen V8 4runner as a 'Baby land cruiser' since it sits on the same T120 platform as the GX470 a/k/a Land Cruiser Prado. Powerful engine, good towing capacity and full time 4x4 with better MPG than the 100. I wouldn't be surprised if Toyota "de-contented" the 5th gen because it was cannibalizing sales of the LC.
As Trump said above, though, if you can't swing a 2nd gen Xterra you definitely can't swing a V8 4runner. Of course, the V6 4th gen 4runner compares very favorably with the 2nd gen Xterra, with the added advantage of multi-mode 4wd. In fact, the biggest advantage I could see for the Xterra over the 4runner is that you can get the X with a manual transmission, which has not been an option on 4runners since 2000. But if you're OK with an auto, you might be able to find an older 4th gen V6 4runner in your price range, though it will likely have high miles.
As Trump said above, though, if you can't swing a 2nd gen Xterra you definitely can't swing a V8 4runner. Of course, the V6 4th gen 4runner compares very favorably with the 2nd gen Xterra, with the added advantage of multi-mode 4wd. In fact, the biggest advantage I could see for the Xterra over the 4runner is that you can get the X with a manual transmission, which has not been an option on 4runners since 2000. But if you're OK with an auto, you might be able to find an older 4th gen V6 4runner in your price range, though it will likely have high miles.
latinoguy
Adventurer
Just saw the original posting date....
What did you end up buying?
What drove me to a Land Cruiser was a 98 grand Cherokee limited with all the bells and whistles. very comfortable ride, plenty of oomph. properly maintained, than the engine blew a rod 8K miles after the extended warranty ran out. 6 months later, on a used replaced engine block, the head gasket went out, had it repaired, than sold it for a land cruiser with 114K miles on the odometer, so glad I made that decision, 166K miles later and plenty of adventure trips on it. Those 2 issues cost me near 6 grand in the end. About what I got when I sold it. Once bitten twice shy.
can't comment about towing capacity on an 80, but if you do, I would imagine you need a lot of patience because you will need it (slow.) It will get you there and back however.
What did you end up buying?
What drove me to a Land Cruiser was a 98 grand Cherokee limited with all the bells and whistles. very comfortable ride, plenty of oomph. properly maintained, than the engine blew a rod 8K miles after the extended warranty ran out. 6 months later, on a used replaced engine block, the head gasket went out, had it repaired, than sold it for a land cruiser with 114K miles on the odometer, so glad I made that decision, 166K miles later and plenty of adventure trips on it. Those 2 issues cost me near 6 grand in the end. About what I got when I sold it. Once bitten twice shy.
can't comment about towing capacity on an 80, but if you do, I would imagine you need a lot of patience because you will need it (slow.) It will get you there and back however.
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