Considering getting an 80 series land cruiser

Howdy TW!

I currently drive an 02’ 4 door taco 4x4 that I have built up over the last few years. I really love the truck, but now I have a growing family and need extra room.

My taco is a beast off road and we enjoy taking it up trails to hard to get to camping spots. I’m not willing to sacrifice off-road capability for The extra room. Also I wouldn’t mind upgrading to a more comfortable interior With a few more bells and whistles and superior highway driving capability.
Ive been looking at SUVs and have nearly settled on a 95-98 Land Cruiser equipped with an 1HD-FTE Diesel engine.
I have loved the FJ80’s since high school when they were new and have always kinda wanted one, but damnit they SUCK on gas mileage!!!

Has anyone had any experience with these vehicles? Can y’all give me a few pros and cons between my 02’ Tacoma and the 95-98 Land cruisers?
Also, Does anyone know how to squeeze extra mpg’s out of that in-line 6 Turbo diesel?

Thanks a ton !!

 

@Speedytech7

 

Import or swapped?

97 is the final year of the 80 series BTW.

 

And production on the desirable FJ80s started in 1993; 1990-1992 does not have the triple locking differentials, and the biggest different between a '93 model and a 1994-1997 model is that the '93 has R-12 A/C Freon and all newer ones have R134a...

 

Imported or swapped? I’m not sure I follow..

 

Gotcha!

 

From what I’ve read the 95 offered the
1HF-FTE which is more powerful and efficient then the 1HD-FT. aside from that I’m not too familiar

 

1990 was the final year of the FJ62.

1991-92 was the FJ80. Which carried over the 3FE from the FJ62.

The FZJ80s had the 1FZFE. 1993-94 and 1995-97 have many differences. Chiefly the transmission and airbags.

 

The 80 Series in USA was never powered by a diesel. Only the two I-6 gassers listed in my previous post.

 

A friend of mine was really into them. All I remember, everything was REALLY EXPENSIVE.

 

I drive my dads 97’ cruiser when my truck is down for repair. Just for reference, it has brand new bushings and ball joints throughout the truck, and ADS suspension.

It’s a very different truck from a Tacoma. They’re painfully slow, wander quite a bit even with the new ball joints, bad on gas mileage, and have a ton of body roll even with sway bars.

There are some things I like about them though. They kick ass off-road, not so much high speed due to the body roll, but slow crawling stuff is great in them. They're also much roomier than the Tacoma’s. You can even pull out the middle row seats and fit a whole blow up mattress in the back which is pretty great for camping.

I don’t think I would ever own one myself, but I tend to do more high speed off-roading and am always driving over the speed limit. Considering that, it’s not a great vehicle for me, but if you don’t mind sticking to the speed limit and tend to do slower off-roading, it might be a good choice for you.

 

I thought the diesels got pretty good mileage. I have a 96 FZJ80 on 33" tires with 2.5" lift and I get about 12.3 mpg according to my calibrated Ultragauge. Haven't had anything else to compare but I thought the diesels got at or near 20 mpg. My son dd my '04 Tacoma with about 220k on it and I dd my 80 with about 240k. I've put A LOT more money into the 80 than the Tacoma. Not so much on mods but just making sure everything is reliable. Buying parts for the 2 is night and day if buying "domestically". I buy 80 parts from Partsouq and Tacoma parts domestically. Pretty sure it has to do with country of manuf (80 was built in Japan) but 80 parts are cheaper on Partsouq and Tacoma parts are cheaper buying form a US dealer. I didn't think much about it when purchasing but I'm glad I got the OBDII version 80 (95 and later I think) because I can plug in Ultragauge and get real engine temps, etc... (the stock temp gauge is not very sensitive and doesn't show hot till it's too hot - there's a mod you can do to make it more sensitive however). I'm not a big off-roader (on purpose anyway) but if you're into that the solid axle on the 80 is supposed to be the best at it. I really like driving the 80 and it's the only vehicle I've ever had that I've decided whatever goes wrong I will fix or get fixed because there's just not another vehicle out there I'd rather drive.

 

Interesting view point.

From owning many 80s over the past twenty years, I suspect there may be something wrong with your father's rig.

I come from a road racing background and find the 80 platform to be incredibly stable and predictable. Tossable, even.
Never have I had one that wandered or had excessive body roll. Most have been on medium lift OME suspension and various 33" tires.

The '93 80 that I just sold was so dialed in that I could easily get some four wheel drift on a medium speed offramp. No electronic nannies. Just me and the solid axle truck.

In fact, the '03 100 Series we just bought, with its IFS and nannies, is downright spooky and disconnected by comparison. Yet many will claim that the 100 drives "so much better." Yuck. I find it squishy, squirrely and unpredictable. And that's with nearly-new street tires.

I've never done any hardcore offroading in any truck. But obviously a locked 80 is a trendously capable rig.

 

When new, the 80 series was the top vehicle in the lineup. They were 2-2.5X the cost of a Tacoma. That never changes. Land Cruisers were/are/always will be spendy to maintain and keep running.

But here's the big difference... Land Cruisers have incredible aftermarket support. There are used parts specialists. And plenty of retailer who only sell Land Cruiser parts. And have been doing so for decades.

The build quality between a Tacoma and an 80 series can't be compared. It's like a Corolla versus an LS400. Really. And there's nothing wrong with that. Two different ends of the market.

 

That's an important distinction.
My '95 Tacoma has a bunch of driveability problems right now. To the right person, it's certainly worth fixing, but I cannot resist perusing the listings for a replacement truck just to be rid of the issues. If this was an 80 Series, it would have already been repaired.

 

Damn near impossible to find yourself a LHD 80 series diesel

Step backwards as far as "superior highway driving capability" versus a Tacoma - if that's what you're buying it for you'll be dissapointed, even compared to a 1st gen

Unless you find a triple locked 80, you'll gain almost nothing as far as off-road prowess versus a built taco.

Look into a triple locked 100 Series with the 5 speed auto (after 2003 I think?) with the tried and true 4.7. It has the power to pull itself around, will make you happy on the highway, take you where you want on the trails, and fit the family.

But it will only get 12-13mpg, FWIW

 

I'll take a quick shot at this. I DD'd an 80 series from 2003 to 2020. I bought my tacoma in 2017 (I think).

Key Points:
1. My 80 was dialed in and well maintained, and I think it would keep up with the Taco on a winding road.
2. The difference in power is not a big deal to me based on the taco being a 3rz/5 spd. However, my old T100 with the 5vz/5 spd did not feel that much faster.
3. The 1fz in the 80 series has plenty of torque and cruises freeways just fine. In the eastern states, I have not found a freeway on-ramp that I could not get up to speed on. If I still lived in the real mountains out west, I would probably sing a different tune.
4. It weighs more than 5,000 lbs. It will drive like it too--My taco feels like a go cart the first few times I drive it.
5. The 80 is more comfortable, but you'll need to buy aftermarket cupholders as the factory ones either suck or are non-existent.
6. I'll second the motion of going with a 95-97--airbags and OBD II are worth it.
7. An 80 with a 2.5 inch lift and 33s will exceed your tacoma offroad in almost every scenario--the bonus is that it has coils all the way around, so doing a 2.5 lift is very simple and cheap.(33s fit with no lift.)
8. If you can find a triple locked version, great. If not, an aussie locker in the rear is all you will ever need. The AWD system makes the auto locker virtually transparent for DD use.
9. If you have infants, and are somewhat tall, the 80 may not be a good choice. The 2nd row is a 50/50 split bench, so if you strap an infant carrier base in there, you can't get to the third row. Using an infant carrier with the base behind the passenger or driver seats is nearly impossible. (solution: don't use the base, or get something else--we bought a sequoia for my wife when it became an issue)
10. I like the auto climate control on some versions of the 80--constantly fiddling with the temp controls in my Taco is my least favorite thing about it. Collectors edition, 40th anniversary addition and the lexus lx450 had the auto climate control.
11. As stated before, the diesel was not available in the north american market--I personally don't think it is worth the premium to try to import a LHD diesel 80 from the middle east.
12. If you have dogs, they will love the sliding windows in the third row.
13. I agree with the corolla vs LS 400 comment above. I have owned a 92 camry and a 95 LS400--both perfectly functional, but the build quality and attention to detail really show as they age.
14. I sold my 80 this year to get a 100 series. I regret it.

I hope some if this is helpful, but the bottom line is that the 80 is a great family wheeler when the focus is off-road capability. The 100 series is a great family wheeler when all around performance is the priority.

 

I love both of my triple locked fzj80's.

 

Balljoints?

 

One saved round:

Almost every interior modification I performed on my 80 was incorporated into the 100 series. A decent 100 can be had for the same price as a decent 80 these days.
-cargo area power
-2nd row power ports
-heated mirrors
-heated seats
-additional power ports in the front seat area
-cup holders for all three rows
-auto up/down windows
-auto dimming mirror
-comfortable armrest
-better interior lighting