The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[jjcymru]

Ive owned and maintained several 4x4's by now, and am thinking of getting a LC100 Amazon next

Can you get a manual box 4.2 with leather and without the hydraulic suspension setup? i.e a VX without active suspension?

What sort of mpg can you expect?

What year cruisers became part of gordon browns £400 tax band?

Whats the main things that go wrong?or should i just buy a LC80 4.2 if the writeup is that bad?

[Google]

[Wandering Willy]

The GX model doesn't have the active suspension. Most of the cars on the UK market are the VX model but there are a few GXs. It also lacks leather seats, sunroof and the electrically operated steering column. You still get A/C and electric seats so it's not too basic.

There are some manual gearbox cars but I think only with the diesel engine.

Underneath the back end seems to get rusty quite quickly compared to older models. The chassis is not the problem, it's the sheet metal bits; the floor near the rear bumper, the metal lining to the rear plastic bumper, possibly the frame which fixes the spare wheel under the floor. This area gets mud and muck thrown at it and the paint is a bit thin.

Mechanically, it only seems to be the A/C compressor and associated parts which don't last forever. The engine and transmission seem to last. The injectors need attention from time to time on cars over 100,000 miles but that's more a maintenance issue than reliability.

I have an automatic diesel GX and get up to 24mpg provided I don't use the A/C (when it drops by 2mpg). Towing brings it down of course. I have a large horse box to tow and with that attached the fuel consumption is in the 16-17mpg area.

I think the higher tax charges apply to cars after March 2001 but I may not have that exactly right. If you work out the running costs - particularly on fuel (which is mostly tax) - the difference in road tax is almost not worth thinking about.

Good luck with your purchase.

Willy

[jjcymru]

id be very keen in buying a vx, if it meant i could get the suspension spheres from a supplier other than toyota that are gonna charge me an arm and a leg.

[alaric]

The £400 tax band only applies to cars registered after 23/03/06 - it was amended after the initial press panic merchants got hold of the proposals!

[Wandering Willy]

I didn't know the rules had been changed on the increased tax but my new disc in December was £210 (Hooray - well a small hooray anyway).

Some people have found supplies of the genuine Toyota spheres at a somewhat lower prices. Julian will probably see this thread in the next day or so and I think he can get them.

The other option is someone like this chap:-

http://www.activesuspensionsystems.com/buylx470ac.html

He makes a replacement sphere which he claims is better than the original. The price was quite good last year (when £1 = $2) but the price is not so interesting now that the pound has dropped. You have to add in the shipping charges and possibly import duty as it is a fairly expensive import item.

The web site is worth a good look as it includes a description of the spheres, how they work, what goes wrong, etc. The reference to an LX-470 is relevant in the US where a fancy version of the Amazon was sold as a Lexus.

I hope my description of the GX didn't make it sound too agricultural. It is still very comfortable and well equipped. The big plus is that it doesn't have the active suspension, a leaking sunroof or the electric steering column which also can give fairly expensive problems.


Willy

[jjcymru]

i think a 100GX or a very clean 82 VX id be after but theyd have to be manual gearboxes

just wondering what the 4wd system on the cruiser is like? how do the diff locks function?

whats the towing weight of the landcruiser?

is there a pdf repair manual for these 4.2's available online?

[Wandering Willy]

I have a 2002 GX diesel automatic and bought it to tow a large horse box which is able to go up to 3.5 tons (legally - perhaps a bit more in terms of its strength and robustness). This trailer is at the legal limit for both weight and size in the UK so it is not something to treat casually. On a good dual carriage road it would be fine at 60mph but on country roads I tend to travel at 50 - 55 which probably upsets most of the traveling public.

Driving like this, the car does around 17mpg which for a rig weighing 6 - 6.5 tons isn't too bad.

The automatic gearbox copes well with towing but it's worth locking it out of overdrive. I understand this saves some wear on the gears but it also means that at 60 the engine is running at about 2500 rather than 1800 rpm. This give a bit more control (it slows down quicker when you lift off).

There are some links on this web site to places where you can get service schedules and quite a lot of useful information regarding how to fix things as downloads. If you want a manual, you can get a Max Ellery book on the club link at around £20 which covers most of what you will need. Think of the £20 as saving the cost of printing the pages when you need them under the car to check the tightening torque of the sump plug (or whatever).

The UK spec diesel cars (100 series) have a diff lock in the transfer box to lock the two axles together when it's a bit slippery. Then the back axle has another diff lock for really mucky situations. It is possible to get another lock for the front axle but this doesn't seem necessary for most situations and makes the driving very peculiar - not safe if used in some situations.

The petrol cars and some imports have LSDs instead of diff locks combined (on the UK petrol engined cars) with a fancy traction control system which uses the ABS to cope with slippery conditions. I may have this a bit wrong as I don't have any experience of this set up , I've only read about it.

All my comments here relate to the 100 series only as other models have different systems and ways of doing things. For example, there are 105 series cars but these aren't sold in the UK (can be imported) which don't have the independent front suspension and are therefore more like a follow on to the 80 series (also with a solid front axle). The 70 series is similar. As a result you might want to look at these types to see if they are nearer to your ideal than the 100.

Willy

[jjcymru]

ooh a 100 series with a solid axle!

Where can i get a 105 from?

[gilghana]

Well, the 105...  my 2p worth:
- VERY difficult to source.  You will find one or two for sale in European car sales sites (mobile.de etc) and I recently saw one on autotrader.  But, here comes the buts:
- they are not factory turbo, so unless the 1HZ is turboed aftermarket style then they are way down on power compared to a 100.  There is an FZJ105 (petrol) but that is going to be even more rare.  Like hen's teeth rare.  Oh and if you have a standard model like mine you have wind-up windows.  If you are really lucky you might get a rear wash/wiper.  The GX (which I also had) gives you full time 4wd, and a few "luxuries" which were pretty much std equipment on Ladas 10 years ago.
- And you get an r151 gearbox with the HZJ105 which will not stand real hardcore abuse that well
- They are priced high in comparison to the 100 due to Euro "raid" Landcruiser fetishists desiring them badly

Or maybe you really want a utility 70 series...  In which case almost all the caveats above apply but with leaf springs on the back!!!  Don't get me wrong - I love them and ended up buying a HZJ78 Troopy - but you must really want a fairly unusual and quirky vehicle (not that that stops people like me buying them, or indeed people buying Defenders!)

IMHO - save your time, cash and effort and buy a 100 series.  If you want you can uprate the torsion bars at the front and have a damn good, powerful comfy cruiser.  
Gil (big 105 fan really but not with my own cash   )

[jjcymru]

so if i bought a 105, could i not drop in the 1hdft from an 80 series with manual gearbox?

i assume the 105 uses the 4.0diesel in the 70 series?

[gilghana]

Assuming you really want one that badly then just turbo the 1HZ - you could get similar power to a 1HD and be prepared to rebuild the gearbox IF you really thrash it...  On the other hand if driven sensibly it should be fine.  The engine (1HZ) is 4.2 and is also used in the 70 series - basically a naturally aspirated 1HDT.  My real point is that in the UK especially you get "more car" for your money in a 100 or even a tip top 80...  Like I say I love them, but you have to really want one:

[Desperatezulu]

jjcymru,

There is a very nice looking 100 GX advertised on Autotrader at the moment at a very good price! Low miles too - so if it all checks out, it would make a very nice buy! I am quite tempted but would have to sell my 80 - not sure that I'd get a good price in the current market and I am quite attached to it

Good luck!

Cheers,
_________________
Andrew

'98 LC80 4.2TD VX 24v

[nickmiddy]

There are a lot of Landcruisers on Autotrader from Chequered Flag Car Sales - DO NOT BUY A CAR FROM THESE CRIMINALS!!!!!

I bought my 2001 100VX last year from them and there were a lot of problems with it.  They didn't honour their "warranty" and I spent a load getting it back to a decent state - new LPG System amongst other things as the one in it was duff.

I ended up suing them and won 11,350GBP from them.  Just awaiting payment now - the bailiffs (High Court Sheriff) has been sent - we'll see what happens....

I hasten to add that the LC referred to in this ad does not look like it comes from them.

[Gensetsteve]

[Desperatezulu]

Fair points!
I posted the info about the 100 GX because these are quite uncommon, compared with the 100 VXs. My comments were not intended to determine whether an 80 is better or worse than 100, or hijack the thread to discuss Autotrader dealers. The 100 VX does not appeal to me because of the issues with the adjustable suspension and auto steering wheel function and the cost of fixing, over and above the higher purchase price compared with the 80 - others have different views.  The 100 series is also getting on a bit and more issues may emerge with time. The GX model does not have adjustable ride height and the motorised steering column adjusters, so is not at risk to these problems and is thus more appealing.

Cheers,
_________________
Andrew

'98 LC80 4.2TD VX 24v