3rz Taco vs. 80 series Land Cruiser: Long Term

Yeah ideally I'd run both like @Speedytech7 but I can only afford one vehicle right now.

 

If one is already payed for then why give it up?

 

I'd be selling the LC to fund the Taco.

The LC is paid off and all that, but it needs the following work:
-Upper pan arch seal
-Shocks, bushings, springs
-Power steering o-ring, possibly new pump/steering gear rebuild
-Brake overhaul
-Tailgate rust fix
-Possible top end rebuild for valve stem seals, HG PM

I'm just getting a bit overwhelmed by it as I don't really have the space/tools/knowhow to work on it right now.

 

Buy the Tacoma, even though it’s a little bit pricey. Drive them both for awhile, with today’s market you should probably be able to unload either one of them relatively easy.

The Tacoma will be hands down more fun to drive. Just picked up a 2001 2.7 manual as I’d had one back in early 2000’s. I have 125k worth of trucks in the driveway and the 2.7 manual is the one Im driving most for the last 2 months. The 03 v6 is in the garage hibernating.
…oh yeah try to find another Tacoma, hard to find em. Value will only go up

 

I would do that but I have a very limited budget right now (grad student), so I can only afford one vehicle.

The LC should theoretically go up in value too or at least not depreciate much. I might keep it for a while then try to trade for a Tacoma.

The Cruiser is more durable for sure. IDK if you've ever owned one but IMO after having both it can't touch the Tacoma as an overall DD. I'm sure Id be sacrificing off-road capability but would it be enough to outweigh the Tacoma's advantages off-road? Idk, the jury's out on that one I guess.

You find the 2.7 is enough power for an Extracab?

 

yes as a daily ripper.

if you are going to load it up and be broverlander then maybe not.
Back in the day I had a single cab 2.7 5spd and drove it hrd up mountains and 90 on the I.

Im supposed to be grown up now, so I take it easier but happy with the power and the extracab. DD, not a lot of cargo and wouldnt tow anything other than a small open trailer if need be, the full size trucks do the boat and bigger trailers. Hope that helps, id find a way to grab the Tacoma if its rust free, maintenance records and you said the frame was replaced- try to get that documentation too

 

I had a single cab 2.7 too. I would've kept it if the frame wasn't rotting from the inside.

 

And you dont think a 20 year old tacoma wont need any if those. For example my tacoma that is driven dailey and I do wheel it kinda hard, needs the following

Both rear wheel bearings
Steering rack guide bushing
Both upper ball joints(SPC upper control arms= pricey ball joints)
Both head gaskets are leaking coolant from the outside
Front brakes
Rear brakes

And I just wheeled the piss out of it yesterday.
My point is your small list of things that you know you need is small and very doable to do. Finding an old tacoma and expecting it to be mint and not needing anything is a pipe dream.

 

Yeah that's why I'm looking for the cleanest one I can find, and not worrying so much about getting one "cheap" or "low miles" this time.

 

It's never that easy, I wish it was. I got one with a cherry drivetrain, body, interior... but the frame haha...















I'm almost done fixing it now, but it wasn't fun at all, and you're probably thinking, well why didn't you check the frame? I did, I even bashed it with a hammer multiple places and rather hard, the soft spot revealed itself to me about a year after my owning it.

 

So, it seems like you have some solid advice so far, but I'll add my 2 cents.

I drove an 80 series from 2003 to 2020. During that time, I purchased 5 other vehicles because they were "better" daily drivers.
95 LS400
02 Camry
91 Camry wagon
95 T100 4x4
98 Tacoma 4x4

With the exception of the Lexus, every single time I drove the 80 after driving one of the others for a few weeks, I was quickly reminded why I drive a land cruiser. All of them except the Taco were sold in favor of just DDing the 80. The Taco stuck around as the kids are old enough to drive and it made sense to have another vehicle around, and having a truck is useful sometimes.

There is no comparison to the driving experience between a well sorted 80 and a stock tacoma.

The tacoma is louder, less comfortable, rides rougher, has less room, etc.

That said, the Taco is simpler and cheaper to work on, handles better, and gets better mileage--If you keep it around 70, you can get 25 or so, vs 13mpg in the 80.

That 2004 is not a bad deal and looks clean--it likely has some things that my 98 doesn't--like ABS, better center console, etc.

That said, I just upgraded to a 100 series land cruiser and it makes the transition to the Tacoma even more shocking as I tend to get used to heated seats and mirrors, auto climate control and the V8 power.

However, the Tacoma has its place. If you aren't spending a lot of time on long road trips and don't have a long commute, it makes an acceptable daily driver that is capable and comfortable enough to take an occasional road trip or wheeling trip. You can't set it up to sleep inside, so that means you'll need another sleeping solution, but everyone has their preferred method. I like the 3rz with the manual. I am on 265/75/16s and I am very satisfied with the performance--mine has 330k on it and runs like a top. I'd say it is probably a little slower than the 1fz, but not much, and it is more fun.

So, all that to say, if you've had a few hours behind the wheel in a Tacoma and you don't mind it, it makes a lot of sense, especially since you can probably get a premium for your 80 right now.

Hope that helps some.

 

Yep I had a very similar issue with my '98. I thought the frame was clean, but months later I noticed it was full of chips and flakes of rust.The rest of the undercarriage wasn't even that rusty. I didn't feel prepared to fab up or pay out for repairs, so I had to cut my losses.

That's probably the biggest advantage of the Land Cruiser: its frame is much stronger, with way higher quality steel. It's almost like it's a matter of time for all those first gen frames with the junk metallurgy they used for them.

 

I don't mind the rough ride, in fact I prefer that to the land-yacht feel of the LC. I feel like the 80 series was designed for people that actually need something that durable in global markets, while the Tacoma was designed as a fun weekend warrior for the NA market, and it shows in the driving experience. The FZJ80 is not a good daily driver IMO, unless you live in rural Colombia.

The issues is I'm having a hard time getting what I want for it though: it's a but rough aesthetically and I may have overpaid at 8k over the summer.

 

I didn't read the whole thread but I would take a Tacoma over an 80. I have a few friends with them and I still don't get the excitement about an 80. Especially if I was going to wheel it, Tacoma any day over a cruiser for that.

 

There's whole countries that would disagree with that statement.

 

Yeah I'm kinda leaning the same way. I wonder if I'd be sacrificing a lot of off road ability going with the long extra cab wheelbase though.

Would the extra cab perform worse off road than my single cab, given the wheelbase is 20" longer and both have open diffs?

 

For sure the Cruiser has the stronger drivetrain but at the same time it's bigger and heavier than it needs to be for 99% of situations.

And since mine doesn't have lockers, it might perform only marginally better off road than a minitruck/Taco. I know the solid axles flex a little better, but at the same time it might be more cumbersome on tight trails. I've also seen a few situations when a lighter stock rig walks up an obstacle where a heavier built truck struggles: weight is always an underrated factor.

The Tacoma might be a more light-duty truck, but AFAIK it's proven itself in harsh conditions as well; in fact I remember seeing pics of them having been imported to Afghanistan in stock form to be used by the military there, though I'm not sure what their service life was over there.

 

The Land Cruiser probably was very cushy and nice when it was new, I'm sure mine was but after 28 years most of the suspension/bushings...etc were pretty tired. I don't think mine rode anywhere near as nice as it does now since the early 2000s. Something to keep in mind if you haven't done any suspension work to your 80 series. Mine rides rather similarly to my Tacoma in a lot of ways, except the LC has a bit more body roll. Still very comfy and well mannered as a daily driver. I think if I had to keep one, I'd probably keep my Tacoma too. Only reason I'd sell is super hard times and needing the money and the 80 would easily sell for 3x what tacoma is worth and they're both good vehicles.

 

I think MPG is what turns most people off an old LC as a daily. Gas isn't under a $1 anymore.

 

Gas isn't a dollar anymore but the LC has been getting the same MPG since 1981, literally, same EPA combined average for 40+ years haha. I don't think it should take anyone by surprise, even on the test drive you can watch the needle fall