Help me buy a LC

[ert01]

I currently drive a 98 Jeep XJ and while its setup perfectly for me and my wife, it seems to be a bit on the small side for us plus our two kids for extended trips. We are planning a pan-american trip in two years time so I want something we can travel in for extended periods. I have a small off road trailer with a RTT we can sleep in and carry all our gear.

Anyways, we started shopping for a new vehicle and came up with a decision between a 470 or a LC. Both 98 models. LC has both front and rear lockers. 470 has rear. Mileage is similar but the 470 is quite a bit more money. What makes one model more preferable than the other? (Other than the obvious trim level and add on goodies in the lexus?) Axles and drive train is the same? Are the engines the same? We have to travel to buy either vehicle so I can't look at them side by side to compare. Around 250 000km on each. What's the life expectancy of a LC?

Thanks for your time
Mark

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[Ruffin' It]

I just went from a 98 Cherokee to a LX470 (2001 - 125k miles) and, to be totally honest, am not as happy as I had hoped. I'd go the Land Cruiser route if I had it to do over. Not only is there more to go wrong on the LX, but it is more expensive to fix when it does puke. The driver's side window switch puked 2 days after I bought it. I priced out a used LC switch thinking it was the same only to find out they aren't and the LX version was $100 more. The AHC suspension is acting up a bit now and I don't want to even think about what that is going to set me back. The power mirrors are not working, the inflatable lumbar support wont inflate, the power door lock failed in the driver's door, the rear vent windows are finicky and I'm sure I have more coming. Don't get me wrong, it is like driving a floating bank vault and I have been really impressed with it off-road. A-Trac (when properly used) has removed any desire for lockers (and I have had a locked Cruiser before). But I'm starting to slip back to my mind-set I had when I had my Land Rover - just sort of worried about the next expensive thing to break.
I have already started planning out my next vehicle (a 60 Series to do a rolling restoration on) and doubt I'll keep this more than a year or two.
I wasn't crazy about the Cherokee, but it was dead-reliable and I never had to buy a part that cost more than $50 for it.

 

[Kaisen]

Why not just step up in size to a Grand Cherokee?? Or is it too small compared to the LC 100?

 

[sleeoffroad]

I just went from a 98 Cherokee to a LX470 (2001 - 125k miles) and, to be totally honest, am not as happy as I had hoped. I'd go the Land Cruiser route if I had it to do over. Not only is there more to go wrong on the LX, but it is more expensive to fix when it does puke. The driver's side window switch puked 2 days after I bought it. I priced out a used LC switch thinking it was the same only to find out they aren't and the LX version was $100 more.

In general the Lexus parts are going to be more, especially if they are Lexus only parts and not mechanical things that can be bought at Toyota. From the post below it seems like you are having unusual problems. What you are experiencing is not common. Did you have the vehicle checked before you bought it? I can assure you they are good vehicles, but there are lemons and badly treated vehicles out there.

The AHC suspension is acting up a bit now and I don't want to even think about what that is going to set me back.

Just remove it and put in a regular suspension. Little extra in labor if a shop does it, but probably better in the long run if you are going to do a overland truck.

The power mirrors are not working, the inflatable lumbar support wont inflate, the power door lock failed in the driver's door, the rear vent windows are finicky and I'm sure I have more coming.

Again, unusual. If you have a lot of electrical problems I would make 100% sure you are not dealing with a flood car.

Don't get me wrong, it is like driving a floating bank vault and I have been really impressed with it off-road. A-Trac (when properly used) has removed any desire for lockers (and I have had a locked Cruiser before). But I'm starting to slip back to my mind-set I had when I had my Land Rover - just sort of worried about the next expensive thing to break.
I have already started planning out my next vehicle (a 60 Series to do a rolling restoration on) and doubt I'll keep this more than a year or two.
I wasn't crazy about the Cherokee, but it was dead-reliable and I never had to buy a part that cost more than $50 for it.

Land Cruisers last a long time, however parts are not the cheapest and normally you don't need stuff other than maintenance items. Occasional repair, so when you are plagued by issues, I would start inspecting the vehicle.

 

[Ruffin' It]

I completely agree that Land Cruisers are amazingly reliable and capable vehicles. After owning a Discovery, a Jeep, and a Cruiser (now two), they are pretty much all I'd consider for an Overland vehicle - with the possible exception of a diesel Wrangler Unlimited. I'm just lamenting not going with the somewhat less complex (and less expensive to maintain) Cruiser over the LX. That said, the stereo and leather are REALLY nice and the AHC (when functioning properly) is wonderful.

That said, getting it inspected is a really good idea. I didn't even think about it being a flood vehicle.

 

[SouthPawXJ]

In general the Lexus parts are going to be more, especially if they are Lexus only parts and not mechanical things that can be bought at Toyota. From the post below it seems like you are having unusual problems. What you are experiencing is not common. Did you have the vehicle checked before you bought it? I can assure you they are good vehicles, but there are lemons and badly treated vehicles out there.

"The AHC suspension is acting up a bit now and I don't want to even think about what that is going to set me back. "

Just remove it and put in a regular suspension. Little extra in labor if a shop does it, but probably better in the long run if you are going to do a overland truck.



Again, unusual. If you have a lot of electrical problems I would make 100% sure you are not dealing with a flood car.



Land Cruisers last a long time, however parts are not the cheapest and normally you don't need stuff other than maintenance items. Occasional repair, so when you are plagued by issues, I would start inspecting the vehicle.

Christo,

I am also looking at possibly a 100-series Cruiser for my wife. This may be a bit of a noob question, but how can one inspect a vehicle for flood damage prior to purchase? Obviously, it is a good idea to have a mechanic you trust look over it if you do not know what you are doing, but what could someone look for on the dealer lot?

Thanks.



ert01,

I will be following this thread. Hopefully, you can come to a resolution. There are many more LX 470s around my neck of the woods, and I hadn't thought about possible differences between the two other than sheetmetal and the AHC suspension. Guess I should read Slee's guide again!

 

[ert01]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

The grand Cherokees are still a bit small on the inside. Plus, since my wife will be driving it also, I need to appease her and she really liked the good visibility on the LC/LX. The ZJ/WJ/WK lineup is a bit lacking in that regard in her opinion I guess. I'm just glad she isn't pushing me to get her a rav4 or something silly haha

I am leaning towards the LC myself but we will be taking some newer models for test drives also to compare them with the older ones. Is it worth the price increase to step up to the newer generation of LC or is there no real difference between the 97 and the 2000 models?

 

[Ruffin' It]

IH8Mud.com is a great resource for pretty much any question you could have about LC/LX's. They have a great break-down of what the differences are between the years in the FAQ section.

 

[Broncers]

ert01, there are some very big differences between the 97 and the 98+ land cruisers. The 97 and older were the 80 series and the 98+ are the 100 series. The 80(97-) series has solid axles front and rear and a inline 6. The 100 series(98+) have a IFS and a V8 motor and larger interior. I love my 80 series, but for what you are doing I would get a 98+ they get better MPG the motor has more power and the interior room would be more then welcome on a pan am hwy trip. As reliable as the 80 series are, the 100 is even more so. I don't even know if we understand how many miles a well maintained 100 series will run for and there are many with well over 300k. If you are wondering about the differences between the 98 and 2000 land cruiser, the front diff. was weaker on the 98 and 99's not a huge problem for many, but one of the main reasons I would go with a 99 or newer is the addition of rear AC. This would be a game changer if I was driving south. I believe the 98 was the only year that did not have rear AC.

As far going with the Lexus or toyota, if i was driving south I would take the toyota. It is a little less flashy then the lx470 and some of the parts are not direct cross overs between the two. The toyota would have more dealers along the way.

Christo's web page has great information and he has a cool accent, so that has to count for something www.sleeoffroad.com

ih8mud.com has a ton of information, probably more information than the toyota engineers had about them

 

[ttora4runner]

.....This may be a bit of a noob question, but how can one inspect a vehicle for flood damage prior to purchase? Obviously, it is a good idea to have a mechanic you trust look over it if you do not know what you are doing, but what could someone look for on the dealer lot?

Thanks.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/under-.../10-ways-to-spot-flood-damaged-car.htm#page=0

http://voices.yahoo.com/tips-avoid-buying-used-car-water-536590.html

http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/avoiding-flood-damaged-car.php

 

[ert01]

ert01, there are some very big differences between the 97 and the 98+ land cruisers. The 97 and older were the 80 series and the 98+ are the 100 series. The 80(97-) series has solid axles front and rear and a inline 6. The 100 series(98+) have a IFS and a V8 motor and larger interior. I love my 80 series, but for what you are doing I would get a 98+ they get better MPG the motor has more power and the interior room would be more then welcome on a pan am hwy trip. As reliable as the 80 series are, the 100 is even more so. I don't even know if we understand how many miles a well maintained 100 series will run for and there are many with well over 300k. If you are wondering about the differences between the 98 and 2000 land cruiser, the front diff. was weaker on the 98 and 99's not a huge problem for many, but one of the main reasons I would go with a 99 or newer is the addition of rear AC. This would be a game changer if I was driving south. I believe the 98 was the only year that did not have rear AC.

As far going with the Lexus or toyota, if i was driving south I would take the toyota. It is a little less flashy then the lx470 and some of the parts are not direct cross overs between the two. The toyota would have more dealers along the way.

Christo's web page has great information and he has a cool accent, so that has to count for something www.sleeoffroad.com

ih8mud.com has a ton of information, probably more information than the toyota engineers had about them

Awesome! This is the stuff I'm looking for!

If I plan to stay stock(ish) tire size with no or a very small lift, is the diff strength a big deal? It's not like we're running Moab with a loaded rig... Mostly just poorly maintained roads and wide trails.

 

[redthies]

This may be a bit of a noob question, but how can one inspect a vehicle for flood damage prior to purchase?

Carfax is a good place to start. They have insurance records on file. They will tell you if it is a theft recovery, has any accident damage etc. They also have a "buy back guaranty". You will probably have some hoops to jump through and I'm sure "some conditions apply", but it is good peace of mind. Buying cars that have been registered in gulf states would warrant a closer look for flood damage.

 

[SouthPawXJ]

http://www.howstuffworks.com/under-.../10-ways-to-spot-flood-damaged-car.htm#page=0

http://voices.yahoo.com/tips-avoid-buying-used-car-water-536590.html

http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/avoiding-flood-damaged-car.php

Thanks! That's some solid info.

Carfax is a good place to start. They have insurance records on file. They will tell you if it is a theft recovery, has any accident damage etc. They also have a "buy back guaranty". You will probably have some hoops to jump through and I'm sure "some conditions apply", but it is good peace of mind. Buying cars that have been registered in gulf states would warrant a closer look for flood damage.

Thanks for pointing it out (that would be a newb thing to miss!). I don't buy vehicles without one of those and/or an autocheck. They don't always catch everything, unfortunately, but they do catch insurance claims and repair work (thankfully).

 

[Broncers]

Awesome! This is the stuff I'm looking for!

If I plan to stay stock(ish) tire size with no or a very small lift, is the diff strength a big deal? It's not like we're running Moab with a loaded rig... Mostly just poorly maintained roads and wide trails.

Here some info on the diff.
http://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/236671-front-diff-question.html
There is a ton more info over on ih8mud

I drove from Idaho to Central America about 7 years ago in a jeep(don't do that) and the truth of the matter is you could do it in a toyota corolla. I really would not worry so much about the tire size as I would making your rig capable of caring the weight load of what you are taking.