The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[Audzatstods]

Hi There,

Im new to Toyota and have been reading these excellent forums to get an idea of what im hoping to get into shortly!!

Basically i think i would like to buy a Landcruiser 80, preferrably an LPG converted one, nothing against diesel, i just fancy a petrol one for quietness.

Anyway i commute around 50miles per day and also like to gallavant at the weekends, i do intend to pull a caravan and have various trailer journeys to logs etc, so what i want is a nice comfortable reliable good looking work horse, which i believe the 80 gives?

What i would like to know, is what i need to look for when i go to view a car please, any advise will be greatly received.

Ive seen various cars advertised from 1996 to 2000 with anything from 90 to 190k miles on them, going from 2k to 4k!!!

Is it sensible to assume a high mileage car will give me problems sooner rather than later??

Im not expecting no problems, but if i bought a well maintained high mileage car then i would assume it should give me hassle free motoring ??

Anyway i look forward to your comments

Thanks and Regards

Auds

[Google]

[Paul_Humphreys]

Theres a couple of petrols on e bay right now. Tanks under the boot and muti point injection. I would go for the best you can afford.

Other than that go for it.

Paul
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LC 80 series 1993. 285/75/16s Cooper SSTs, OME 850s on the front with 25mm packer, 868s on the rear. 4.88 diffs. Winch bumper with 12000lb winch.
HD rear bumper with wheel carrier and winch mount.

http://www.crag-uk.org
http://www.4x4responsewales.org

[Wandering Willy]

I think the 80 was replaced by the 100 in 98. The 100s start with R registration plates so you can work it out. I suppose there may be imported 80s later than this - not sure.

Look for a full service history. It's no guarantee but if they are looked after they seem to be able to last a very long time. If the car has a tow bar (it probably will) ask what it has been used for. They can pull a 3.5 tone trailer and this is going to put wear on the transmission and suspension.It's what I use mine for so I can't moan about the possibility. However, if you can find one that has not been used in this way it would be reassuring. Don't take the absence of a tow bar as meaning that it has never had one. Some (Toyota?) dealers take them off so that unsuspecting buyers will assume.

If you want a manual car it may be hard to find unless you get a diesel one. However, the automatics are very good (mine is an automatic diesel).

The sort of problems which get reported here tend to be things like the sun roof drain tubes being blocked, split or filling the sills with water. There is a slight risk of rust at the bottom of the windscreen and the rear side windows if they are the sliding type but that's more cosmetic than structural.

A lot of these cars get the suspension uprated and/or lifted. This can be fine if that's what you want but it may not suit your plans. It is good for off-road travel on oversize tyres but not necessary if you want the car mostly for road use. You have a big choice on tyre types, treads and sizes to go into. However, the tyres should be a matching set as far as wear, type and if possible brand are concerned (they should be swapped round regularly to wear evenly). This should include the spare but at least the 4 running tyres should be the same. A new set of tyres isn't a huge cost but they might as well be correct from the start.

The later 80s (after 92, I think) had larger brakes which is a good thing if you want to tow a 3.5 ton trailer. The diesel engine went from 12 valves to 24 after that with a small increase in power but some people like the low down grunt of the 12 valve engine. The 24 valve engine seems to have been introduced for pollution reduction reasons. The lack of low end power is not a big thing and the engine can easily be re-tuned to increase the torque at low revs.

There was a well documented problem with big end bearings on the earlier diesel engine but if you want a petrol engine this is not something to worry about.

If you get a petrol engined car which has been converted to run on LPG make sure it also has a Flashlube system or something similar to add stuff like redex to the inlet manifold to avoid or at least reduce the valve wear you can get with LPG. If the car doesn't have this or the owner doesn't keep the system topped up with oil - give the car a miss. The valves and cylinder head get damaged and need a fairly comprehensive overhaul after about 100,000 miles on LPG without this stuff. If the car has an LPG system and it is fairly old it may be worth replacing the bits on the engine (you can keep the tank and the plumbing) because more modern multi-point injection systems are a lot more efficient. Also worth noting that the LPG tank can only be filled about 80% of its nominal volume and it's better to have a really big tank if you can find room for it. I would look for a 120 litre tank if I was going to get an LPG conversion to a petrol 80.

Another small point is that there are quite a lot of direct imports around which mainly come from Japan at about 3 years old. They have a different spec. from the UK ones and you would need to look carefully at what you are getting. Some don't get the all the diff locks and have different interior trim. This is definitely not a problem but you should be aware of the possibility.

Good luck with your hunting. I hope my jumbled suggestions help. If you want to get a 100 series there are a similar list of issues to be aware of so keep your progress and thinking reported here if you want more information.

Willy

[Audzatstods]

Wow Willy that was quite a spiel !!!

Very informative, thank you very much, i shall print it off and keep it with when i view.

[Towpack]

If you go for an early 100 series,in addition to everything else,check the self levelling suspension thoroughly as it's known for giving trouble and can be ££££ to fix.IMO you're better off with a late 80 than an early 100 but the 100's are much more common so you'll have more to choose from.
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Phil


1998 HDJ80 Amazon VX 4.2TD
2004 Yamaha R1 (Sold)
2011 Ducati 1198SP (Sold)
2012 kawasaki ZZr1400
2002 Honda XR650R (BRP)- STOLEN GRRRRR!!!
2010 Husaberg FE570....YIPPEEEEE!!!!
2003 GT XCR3000
1995 Border Collie-Passed away 23-5-2011

[Wandering Willy]

If you go for a 100, you can get a GX rather than a VX spec. car, then you don't get the self leveling suspension, the electric steering wheel or a sunroof. So that removes about £3,000 of problems!

OK, so you don't get leather seats either, but you still get A/C, heated front seats, and cruise control, so there are some toys.

I think the 100 is a little heavier than the 80 which tends to push the fuel consumption up a bit. My 100 is diesel and I get 24mpg on any reasonable journey provided I don't use the A/C which drops it to about 22. Sorry I can't give you any numbers for a petrol car. An 80 owner here has recently did a test with his car and was getting 30mpg (it's another diesel). I can't tell you that these figures are typical but it does give you an idea of what to expect.

If you get an LPG conversion though the consumption is slightly higher than the same car on petrol and you should allow another 2p or so for the Flashlube oil - per litre of LPG. Typically about fuel consumption is up 10%. However with the petrol/LPG price difference, it's still worth considering now that there are lots of LPG pumps about.

The 80 is a very good car. It's probably better put together than the 100. I have some concerns about rust under the back end of mine. The 100 seems to be targeted more on the Chelsea tractor market which is a shame. But buying the lower spec. model gets round some of the better known problems and it should be a bit cheaper.


Willy

PS - sorry about the long story on the 80s. I had a good look here and elsewhere when I was searching for a car about a year ago and that's pretty much what I found.

[Towpack]

With careful driving I can regularly get 30 mpg from my 80 if I want it.The diesel 100 series has more power,at least on paper, than the 80 thanks to EDC and an intercooler which probably also accounts for the higher fuel consumption.After all you don't get something for nothing.More power = more fuel.
_________________
Phil


1998 HDJ80 Amazon VX 4.2TD
2004 Yamaha R1 (Sold)
2011 Ducati 1198SP (Sold)
2012 kawasaki ZZr1400
2002 Honda XR650R (BRP)- STOLEN GRRRRR!!!
2010 Husaberg FE570....YIPPEEEEE!!!!
2003 GT XCR3000
1995 Border Collie-Passed away 23-5-2011

[Audzatstods]

Hi, Thanks for the advice so far, ive decided to look for an 80, i like the shape of them and by the sounds of it seem less complicated to fix!!!

Theres a couple on e bay but im not sure about buying from there, id prefer to look at them first, or have someone look at it first!

Anyway any further info greatly appreciated.

Regards

Auds

[Audzatstods]

Theres an LPG converted one on e bay with 177k miles on it, the guy doesnt have all the history but assures me it runs like a clock.

Whats yer thoughts please, is it worth 3200, or should i walk away

[Wandering Willy]

Try autotrader or similar. There are several 80s listed there now around that price. You can compare prices

Willy

[uk_vette]

[uk_vette]

[olivergt]

I know you are after a Petrol, but please do consider the Diesel, I'm like TowPack, on a run you can squeeze 30mpg out of an 80 series Diesel. Now granted when you start them up they are definitely a Diesel, but once cruising they are very quiet.

If you do get one, I do know that you won't be disappointed, I've had mine for 18 months and I'm still impressed with it.

I know when I was looking I saw a few on e bay, but ended up getting one from a dealer, although I'm in Ireland and pretty much had to buy unseen. I just kept looking for the right one and found a 97 Diesel with 80,000m and full Toyota SH (I think it took me about 3 months to find it). There are a lot of good ones around, you just have to keep looking.

Don't forget there was a facelift on the 80 series in 1995, the interior got a Drivers Airbag and the Dash was changed, there were other changes as well but not sure of them all.

There are a few on Autotrader, a 96 with only 90,000 miles for £2,995 no LPG, but you could have it fitted.


Oliver

[Towpack]

_________________
Phil


1998 HDJ80 Amazon VX 4.2TD
2004 Yamaha R1 (Sold)
2011 Ducati 1198SP (Sold)
2012 kawasaki ZZr1400
2002 Honda XR650R (BRP)- STOLEN GRRRRR!!!
2010 Husaberg FE570....YIPPEEEEE!!!!
2003 GT XCR3000
1995 Border Collie-Passed away 23-5-2011

[Towpack]