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buying a tlc

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jvoelcker
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 1039
Location: Nr Ledbury, Herefordshire. UK

PostPosted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 0:21    Post subject: Reply with quote

nomad wrote:
i'm going to start looking for an 80 series car,any idea what year?what budget?maybe

some pointers on what to look for,is it important that it should only be one owner vehicle,low mileage etc.etc sorry to keep

on going on about this but i've never owned a 4x4


Realistically you need to approach it the other way around.

Firstly you are unlikely to get an 80 with only one owner - the last one was produced over 10 years ago and the sorts of owners that would keep it for a long time will most likely already upgraded to a 100.

You can pick up tidy examples from £4k upto around £8k of varying ages and specs.

Regardless of the condition of the vehicle you will need to budget for upto £1500 to have axles stripped and rebuilt (even with dealer history this is a must to do prior to a trip like yours), the starter and alternator checked/serviced, a full service of the engine, brakes, etc - don't let the seller do this for you - it is best to do it yourself (or your mechanic to do it for you) so that you can inspect the quality of the oils coming out.

The main differences are

1990-1994/5 there was a 12 valve engine (1HD-T) which was changed to a 24valve (1HD-FT) for 1995-1997.
The 12 valves were available in the UK as Auto or Manual, the 24valves were only available as manuals.
You can get 24valve 80s as autos, but they will be imports which amongst other things won't have the 3rd row of seats (important to some), won't have leather seats and most importantly the chances are they won't have front and rear diff locks (important for your trip).
The brakes (and a few other things) were upgraded in 1992 - aim for a later model.

My ideal 80 would be a 24valve auto with diff locks, but they are as rare as hens teeth.  You can add them at a later date using something like ARB air lockers, but you will need to budget another £1500 to them.

Many 'purists' will say you need a manual - virtually all the people I know that have done the same trip or are doing it have done it in an Auto - as long as the auto box is in good condition and you fit an oil cooler, you will be fine.

I generally advise to buy the cheapest tidy example that you can -- as long as the engine and gearbox are OK, all the rest of the problems will be sorted in the preparation.

Take a look on Autotrader to get a good feel for prices - search under Landcruisers with 4.2 as the keyword - this should filter out all the Colorados.  Take a look at a few locally before you actually buy one, it will give you the chance to get a better feel for the vehicles available.

Be warned that you may find two identical ones, of the same age and mileage (even the same colour) that will vary in price by as much as 20%.

Oh, and don't worry about something with high mileage - it takes at least 100,000 miles to run one of these things in so anything in the 100,000-175,000 miles bracket should be fine for your trip - (I've recently prepped two with over 200,000 miles on the clock and after the initial baseline preparation they have driven as good as new).

Finally, if interested in buying a pre-prepared vehicle, drop me a line, I know of a couple of 80s for sale that have either done the trip (and are ready to go again) or are capable of doing it.
_________________
Cheers,

Julian
1994 HDJ80, with loads of mods without looking too obscene Smile
1997 KZJ95 - Gilly's - plain black and muddy on BFG ATs.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 0:21    Post subject: Google Ads keep this community free to join!


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nomad
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Joined: 10 Jul 2008
Posts: 52
Location: WEST LONDON

PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 22:15    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks julian for your words of wisdom hopefully should start looking for a tidy model 80.

i read on this forum some where from a member that he runs a surf or 4runner in southafrica,what's your opinion on these

2 models,do they have front and back diff locks?

crish what car did you do your trip in
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uk_vette
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Joined: 29 Oct 2007
Posts: 1422
Location: Warrington, Cheshire

PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 22:34    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Julian,

Great advice there ,
As always.
Keep it up.

I am still planning my UK to Cape Town run.
I am stuck up in Oslo at the moment on a job, too good to pass up on.
My LC3, perhaps not the most suitable Land Cruiser ever built for the trip, will be just what myself and the wife will be using.
With almost 230,000 miles on the clock, at 30 months old, I have a feeling of reliability.
As far as I know, she has never missed a beat, nor stuck once on the side of the road.
Looking at my Toyota service record, there probably is as much spent on services as the vehicle cost when new.

I am not sure that I would consider stripping the axles, but the number one thing would be all fluids, hoses, and a good coolant system flush.
Additional in-line fuel filter, plus spares.
After that, i am not really planning on doing to much to better her running.
I hope I am not relying too much on past reliability, buy why not, it is a Damn good vehicle is the 120 series. D4d
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ChrisC
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Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 75
Location: West Malling, Kent

PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 23:50    Post subject: What type of vehicle Reply with quote

HI All

Nomad - I set off in a LR 130 ex-utility truck, still love the commercial feel to them but a LR's a LR - and in my opinion go wrong too often.

Sold the 130 in Zambia and purchased a prepped 80 series in SA - and have had the LC bug ever since.

My ultimate would be an TLC 78, or an 80 would do, series Double cab conversion with a Safari box on the back - see www.baillies.co.za for a fantastically built one of these.

Will come back soon with some more info and poss some interesting news.

Chris
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