The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[Nathan]

Good morning all,

I'm looking to buy a 100 series landcruiser. Initial research suggests that the '04 onwards diesel would best fit my needs, but what do i need to look out for?

I've had a quick look over and test drove an '05 plate earlier this week, and my knowledge so far consists of the following:

Tail gate- upper and lower sections for rust (is there anything that can be done to slow this process?)

Chassis- thorough check for rust- especially the bits that are "hard to get at".

front drive shafts- can these be checked? is it simply a case of grabbing hold of them and checking for play?

Any other hot spots where rust accumulates and causes issues?

Test drive- make sure vehicle shifts through gears smoothly and that the autobox functions as it should, engine doesn't throw out any smoke and pulls cleanly. Stops smoothly in a straight line. No knocking noises when turning on full look in either direction.

Any issues that i need to check with the engine? i seem to remember reading somewhere that the 6 pot diesel has issues with the main bearings in the engine needing replacement around 180k, is this an ongoing issue, or just a problem with the earlier 80 series?

How often do these vehicles leave you stranded? as opposed to having an issue, but still getting you home?

What are your thoughts please?

Kind regards,

Nathan

[Google]