Land Cruiser J80 or J100?

[plasticpig]

I will hopefully be taking my RRC off the road this winter to get quite a few jobs done. So I need a temporary replacement. Quite fancy a Land Cruiser as I haven't owned one before but I don't want to spend more than £5K. Is this enough to get a decent one? I would want a petrol one which seems to limit the options somewhat.

[jmsgld]

The petrol ones seem to be cheaper than the TD if you can find one as they are a little thirsty, v. solid engine though. 80's will be cheaper than the 100's and are better regarded for offroad / overlanding as they have have fewer electics and a more robust suspension setup + better diff locks , the air suspension on the 100 is a PITA. £5k should just about get you a decent 80 if one comes up, pretty limited market so should be plenty of haggle room. Don't worry about mileage, when looking to buy one in Aus would regularly see them at 450k km + without issue.

I have a 100 TD on 207k miles, just passed MOT with no advisories, it's a bit agricultural but drives without fault, suprisingly chuckable but such a heavy beast as well...

[dyladams]

The 100 series V8 is pretty refined. If you are going to do heavy off-roading then look for a decent 80 series. Have a look on slee's web page for a buyers guide (mainly based in petrol models).

http://www.sleeoffroad.com/newbie/newbieUZJ100.htm

http://www.sleeoffroad.com/newbie/newbie100.htm

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[mrdelmonti]

If you're going to be doing more serious offroading then an 80 is probably the better choice, otherwise I think 100s are more comfortable and from experience you're more likely to get a decent early 100 for the money.

Go over all the buyers guides you can especially for the 80s, there are a lot of real dogs out there now.

[plasticpig]

Thanks for the info. I will probably star looking in September. Not many about for sale at the moment.

[TLandCruiser]

The 80s have a solid front axle where as the 100s have independent front suspension, they did make a 105 for the Australian market that had sfa but they are rare over here. the 100 is more than capable for what most need or use them for, you just need to be aware of how the ifs affects driving off road. If you feel you really need a solid front axle get the 80

I would look at getting a 100 because a lot of 80s that come on the market, do need quite a bit of work to bring them Back up to scratch.