To Land Cruiser 80 Or Not To Land Cruiser 80?

[fromohio]

Hello ExPo,

I have been lurking around here for a long time, and I finally decided to join up, as I have been bitten by the evil ExPo bug. I have found a ’94 Land Cruiser with 180k miles on it, it’s really clean except for one small rust spot on the rear hatch. Everything I have read says that land cruisers are amazing for just about everything on and (mild) off road. This particular model DOES NOT have factory lockers. Is it worth buying this old of a land cruiser without the lockers and the high mileage?

I would prefer something that call pull a 3k to 4k pound trailer anywhere, as well transport a lot of people when needed. I currently have a Chevy Trailblazer, which is ok on road and not so great off road.

 

[REDrum]

The 93/94 FZJ80 are transition year models. Significant feature improvements 95 or greater. Not a great model for towing.

You might want to explore a 98/99 UZJ100 too, they are coming down in price and can be had for around $10 to 14K. Plus, much better driveline for towing, most have R & C lockers, more comfort, less HG risk. Toss a kaiser locker in the front, some rear lift springs, HD torsion bars and go have fun.

 

[brentbba]

Mileage doesn't bother me. Head Gasket could be a concern. Has it been replaced? Have the front knuckles (birfields) been done? Regular maintenance? Living in the rust belt, hows the rest of the truck outside the one bit of cancer on the hatch? '94 is the last year w/o airbags if that makes a difference. No issue towing for me - I've towed a 4000lb trailer quite often for my scout troop - you won't get up grades very fast. If you tow A LOT, I agree with REDrum about looking for a 100 series for the V8 power. It is IFS, not solid axle if that makes a difference. If you don't do a lot of wheeling it won't make a difference and IFS is very capable too. ARB lockers can be added if you get into it and need more than just low range and want to lock up the axles. I'd disagree about '95 and newer being better. Perspective I guess - IIRC tranny changed and some will say not for the better. Lots of super info on 80's and 100's over on IH8MUD FAQ sections if you want to spend a weekend reading and researching these great trucks!

 

[REDrum]

Hey Brent, looks like we have a lot in common, right down to the Hanna sliders

Playa Hermosa Nicoya:


Playa Manzanillo Nicoya:

 

[brentbba]

Yes Sir, we do! Damn nice location for those beautiful pics...of the truck of course! Scenery around it isn't bad either!!:wings:

 

[fromohio]

I'm so glad i didn't get a "use the search" response.

REDrum i'm not quite savy on on all the acronyms yet. What is HG risk? Also that is a sweet ride! land cruisers run kinda high around here, there is a lot of rich people and unfortunately I'm not one of them lol.

I forgot to mention the particular reason im looking at this FZJ80 is it is only $4000.

Brent, I can't really tell anything from the photos. The land cruiser is over 100 miles away at a dealer. The dealer says everything is "solid" for what little that's worth. IFS doesnt really bother me, I will only be travelling un maintained fire roads at area scout camps and dirt roads out west. High mileage bothers me a bit. Bought my Trailblazer for a "deal" and almost immediately had to put $1000 in repairs into it.

 

[86tuning]

Other than towing, its an awesome vehicle. If you can put up with towing at a snails pace, go for it. If you actually need more ooomph, the 96-97 can accommodate a TRD supercharger.

All that said, I tow a small boat around sometimes, on 35" tires without regearing. 97 LX450 which is essentially a pimped out 80-series.

 

[REDrum]

REDrum i'm not quite savy on on all the acronyms yet. What is HG risk?

The big "Achilles heal" on the FZJ80 is the head gasket (HG). If it has not been replaced on an engine with >150K miles on it, you are buying time. In that time, do everything you can to keep the engine from overheating: new water pump, hoses, OEM red coolant, new T-stat...even have a real temp gauge put in. And plan to replace the HG at your convince, not Mr Murphy's....

Keep in mind sometimes it takes a while to realize you have blown HG, and in that time a lot of secondary damage can indue. With a blown HG you run the risk of coolant migrating into the oil cavities and sump, then the HG replacement project gets a lot more costly to correct correctly. (I.E. new bearings)

If the truck has a replaced HG you are in good shape for a while. But even if has been swapped do a compression check too. Older engines can develop sticky exhaust valves. Then just worry about the oil pump seal and when it was replaced last, when it goes you loose all your oil in about a minute....

A UZJ80, while a much nicer truck and would suit your needs well, would be double or triple the 80 you have found.

 

[MarcFJ60]

The big "Achilles heal" on the FZJ80 is the head gasket (HG). If it has not been replaced on an engine with >150K miles on it, you are buying time.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this - at least with the severity of it.

There are noted HG failures on the Landcruiser engine, but you need to keep it in perspective. The last "poll" I saw, albeit very unscientific, showed about 10% of higher mileage (150K ish) LCs had headgasket issues. And those that had failed, generally did not fail immediately and catastrophically. They typically gave their owners thousands of miles of warning.

So, yes headgaskets are a known issue with that engine to a degree. But keep it in perspective - we're talking about roughly 10% of engines that have more miles on them than most engines even last. If you are worried about the HG, send the oil out for analysis. An oil analysis will show you if the headgasket is starting to fail (i.e. trace amounts of coolant in the oil or too much exhaust gas mixing in). I had my oil checked at around 170K and it was in perfect health. I never worried the least bit about the headgasket. And if it were to start failing, I more than likely would have plenty of notice to take care of it.

Yes, there are OCD people over on IH8MUD that change their HGs as preventive maintenance. But they probably also polish lugnuts.

I would also say that the FZJ80 is a decent tow vehicle. It certainly isn't fast, but that engine has 275 ft lbs of torque and can tow pretty well. I wouldn't sway you away from a UZJ100 as it is more comfortable and nearly as capable as an 80, but I wouldn't shy away from towing a moderate load in an 80.

 

[86tuning]

But the OP is interested in towing a 3-4k lbs trailer. Which is the approaching the maximum legal weight to tow with this beast in North America. I don't mind dragging my boat around, but it is pretty light, at about 1/3 the weight that he's planning on towing.

I believe that the 100-series towing 4k can and will easily out pull the 80 towing 3k. Especially the vvti 5sp 100-series.

You won't see me selling my 80 though, you'd have to pry the keys from my cold dead hands.

 

[REDrum]

The last "poll" I saw, albeit very unscientific, showed about 10% of higher mileage (150K ish) LCs had head gasket issues.

Oh thats convincing...

Even extremely high quality vehicles like Toyota have system repair cycles, when considering buying a 20 year old truck its good to know when they are required. Like in any community tribal knowledge is paramount. If a would be buyer starts to add-in upcoming repair cycles to the price of FZJ80, I think they could easily see double it in near term ownership cost. In the Northeast Land Cruiser & Toyota club, FZJ80s are pretty much considered parts or project only trucks once they breach 200K miles; worth about $2 to 4K depending on rust (sure full locker package retains more value). Why? Because the HG is at end of life and it a $3K fix. I've see A LOT of guys buy an 80 and join the club and are gone in 18 months, all due to the unforeseen cost of ownership. I currently own two 80s and one 100, all for different reasons; I know their strengths and weaknesses. For cost of ownership, comfort, and towing I own a 100.

 

[redthies]

I currently own two 80s and one 100, all for different reasons; I know their strengths and weaknesses. For cost of ownership, comfort, and towing I own a 100.

Yet you also own two vintage Rover Series trucks? Those must be for reminding you why you own 3 TLCs? I keep a domestic fullsize for that purpose:sombrero:

I have owned 6 TLCs in the past including 40s, diesel 60s, an 80 and just yesterday bought a '99 UZJ100. I am officially smitten! I agree 100% with comments made earlier in the 80 vs 100 vein. If you have enough of a budget to do the "base lining" and preventative maintenance on an 80 after spending $4000 on buying it, you might want to look at an early 100. I talked to a few dealerships with '98-'99 hundies, most of whom were asking in the $11k range, and I said "Dealer retail on your truck is $8500 +/-. Would you be willing to talk about that?" One said no, others said yes. Considering fuel costs, I don't think 100s are flying off the shelf, and if a head gasket job is coming in at $3k, and the 80 at $4k, I'd certainly spend the extra $1500 to get a 100. That 80 will most likely need the front end (birfields) redone too. Even once you do all that, it still won't love to tow 4000 lbs.

 

[jhanley]

How did this turn into a 100 vs 80 thread? If this guy is looking to spend 3 to 4k on an 80, what makes people think he's gonna double his budget to purchase a 100?

I own both, and yes, the 100 is cushy, tows better etc.... But, the 80 feels WAY cooler. Looks WAY cooler, too.

With regards to "cost of ownership" - both rigs are maintenance intensive. 80's are 20 years old, early hundy's are 15....

For 3k, a 94 80 is great investment. You won't lose any money in depreciation, 180k is relatively low mileage, and, I happen to love the pre-95 interior (looks so vintage).

BTW, I've owned no less than (6) 80 series cruisers. Guess how many head gasket's I've had go?

m2cents.

 

[fromohio]

So from what I'm seeing its a good deal that won't quite fit my long term towing needs, but will fit the bill for everything else. I cannot really afford to put $3k in repairs in the short term, but the gasket seems to be a cheap enough part. I have done an I6 rebuild, an old Ford 4.9. How hard is it to tear into this thing and do diy repairs in general? This thing has been sitting on the lot for a while, I want to go look at it, just have to finish convincing the wife to go for it. This thread is helping lol.

 

[redthies]

How did this turn into a 100 vs 80 thread? If this guy is looking to spend 3 to 4k on an 80, what makes people think he's gonna double his budget to purchase a 100? m2cents.

I think you need to look at the bigger picture here. Nobody is trying to talk him out of the 80 and push him into a 100. We are simply pointing out that he needs to take things into consideration. My 80 pulled a 6000 lb trailer ok, but most people on here seem to think a truck isn't worth having unless it is in the nitro burning funny car type power to weight ratio. The OP has pointed out that he wants to tow 3000-4000 lbs regularly, and that the 80 he is looking at is at a dealership which claims it is "solid". That means to me that it may need all or most of the usual pm or baselining done. That equates to a bunch of cash. I think posters were merely pointing out that he should consider the costs of repairing an older rig to that of buying a newer one.