Considering getting an 80 series land cruiser

Here's an LX450 in Dallas for $25,000.

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/d/dallas-1997-lexus-lx450/7200424408.html

 

Can't thank you enough for the partsoug link. That is priceless!

 

Very good points about the 2000-2002 sweet spot. The 2000 model has a 4-pinion front diff where the 98-99 models are a 2-pinion setup. That is was a big factor in the reason I upgraded to a 4-pinion Harrop eLocker. Buying low allowed me to make that upgrade and stay within my overall budget.

Here's the comedy about how I ended up with an LX470. I certainly wasn't looking for a Landcruiser or LX. I have a 1st gen Tacoma. I replaced the engine last year with a 5VZ from a 98 4Runner with low miles. The old engine ran ok didn't burn oil, but had a noisy wrist pin. I still have that engine on an engine stand in the garage. It had new heads and TB installed before I bought it. I went looking for a 3rd gen 4Runner and gave up after everything I saw for sale had rust and was priced way too high for the condition. I wanted a 4Runner because I have a lot of spare parts for a 5VZ.

A Craigslist search found the rust-free LX for thousands less than a comparable 4Runner I really had no idea about what I was about to buy until I started floating the idea here. I test drove the LX and thought it was ok. It seemed to have a lot of features that I don't really care about. Ok whatever. The truck didn't sell after a few days so I decided to make the owner a low ball offer. We struck a deal.

When I bought the LX my plans were for it to strictly be an off-road vehicle and to keep the miles down. The Tacoma and other cars were to get daily use. The thing that happened with me is the LX is so much more comfortable to drive than my other vehicles that it is turning out to be my first choice driver. I didn't expect that at all.

If you are looking at both, do drive an AHC model and experience the feel with the suspension set to comfort, normal, and sport mode.

If you are in east TX, you may be more likely to find a nice locally owned LX. My LX was sold and serviced by Sewell in FTW.

Here's a listing of LC and LX US sales by year. 99 was the high volume year for both models. In 2001 the LX started outselling the LC.

 

@bodhi armor Here's a diesel 80 on FB MP.

 

My 2000 Hundy, miss it once in a while!

 

"Cruising" through some 80 series threads (pun intended) and thought I'd comment on this one.

OP, if you're still curious about the diesel 80s (or others are), I recently picked up a well-maintained JDM one with 74k miles - 1995 HDJ81 with the 1HD-FT turbodiesel engine; you're welcome to ask any questions.