Talk me into or out of a 200 series Toyota Land Cruiser

Poked around my garage and found a set of Thule square bars that'll work.  Unfortunately I thought I had a complete set of the Thule 450 roof rail feet and I don't.  Found a new set that I'll buy tho and then I've got everything I need to put a rack on the 200.

Things are moving along, car loan is in place, broker will get the paperwork out to me and the seller Monday.  Then they'll pay off the sellers loan and send the balance in a check to my Dad.  Seller will bring the truck/parts/paperwork/keys to my Dad's house, Dad will inspect it all and if it looks good, give the guy the check.

Then the broker will have a trailer pick up the 200 and bring it their location ten minutes from me.  I'll go there with the R, trade everything across and drive away.  Broker is confident I can get it February 21st, which is great.  My friend and his two sons are coming to town on the 22nd to ski with me and my son and having the larger SUV will be perfect.

Congrats! Looking forward to pics! 

Dont forget the LX570 was available as a 2 row as well and the trim pieces should be the same. It was available with the 2 row option for the whole 200 series run iirc.

In reply to MrChaos :

The trim pieces are $1300 for the pair, so I'm not doing that.

I found an Australian company that makes these tie down brackets that'll go in the spots left by the seats.  They're $135, so I'll get them instead and then get the HE cargo mat to cover the holes in the hatch floor

In reply to grover :

Here's a few pics I grabbed from the listing, I'll create a thread once I get it 

So it's coming with full arb skid plates and recovery points, the wheels/tires on it plus the stock wheels/tires and the snorkel.

im not a huge fan of the snorkel but I can't remove it without buying a new fender and having it painted/installed. So I'll just leave the snorkel 

I was going to ask if he cut the fender for the snorkel. That sucks. 

In reply to Steve_Jones :

Yeah, a massive 4" hole plus a bunch of small ones.  To me it's such a useless mod, it's not like I live in S America and need to ford rivers and such.  
Honestly it kinda screams "poser" to me but it is what it is.  It did give me a good idea for a personalized license plate "LEPHANT".  Since it's a huge suv and the snorkel looks like an elephant trunk

Bummer on the snorkel but other than that it looks awesome! You could always get a fender as well. 

docwyte said:

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

Because I don't like Tahoe's/Suburbans.  The suburban in particular is too large to fit in my garage/driveway and I suspect the newer Tahoes are the same...

Alternatives to a Land Cruiser would be maybe a 4Runner TRD Pro, X5, Cayenne Turbo, or the Audi A6 allroad.  My issue with the German alternatives (even tho I'm totally a German car ho) is that in a typical market they depreciate 50% in 3 years.  The 4Runner and Land Cruiser won't.

Rapid depreciation is your friend if you have the tools skill and knowledge on how to work on cars. 
    Love that crazy fast depreciation.  Often very good cars are sold dirt cheap out of fear of another expensive repair bill.  
   If you know how to fix things that knowledge allows a $3000 repair to be done for a couple of hundred dollars (  junkyards are your friend. Hey the car is used right? Why put new parts on an old car? ) 

In reply to frenchyd :

The chances of finding late model Porsche's and Audi's in junkyards around me are slim to none.  Also, beyond basic maintenance, working on them is a nightmare I don't care to participate in, been there, done that.  Don't care to again.
So the fact they rapidly depreciate doesn't really matter to me, other than I don't want to be the guy eating that depreciation. 

In reply to grover :

There are also mounting holes in the a pillar.  Even if there weren't I don't want to spend the money on a new fender, paint and install.

So I'll just deal with it....

docwyte said:

In reply to Brake_L8 (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah and that's exactly my issue with it.  It's grossly over priced for what it is, the same way the 4Runner was grossly under equipped for the price, until recently.  That said, I'm not entirely sure the entry price will matter since it'll hold it's value like no other.  Well, other than a huge gulp when initially buying it.

I need to look at the new Sequoia, I'm just worried that it's too large to fit in my garage.  The Land Cruiser will barely fit for instance, anything longer and it'll almost be impossible to walk in front of it to go up the stairs to the house. 

I definitely have a sweet spot for what will fit in my garage and what I'm willing to drive as my hauler/winter DD.  That's one of the reasons I don't care for a suburban or Tahoe.

Let me assure you the Toyota dealer's repair business is as busy or busier than the Chevy/ GMC dealers right down the street. 
      I drove past the whole line up of dealers every morning.   I saw very few Fords of that style either sold or in for repairs.  A lot at the  Jeep, Dodge  not as many at the GMC but again I think the volume is down.   The Toyota dealer sold a lot and had a lot  in for repairs.  I just think more Chevy's were sold and I didn't see as many in for repairs. 
      Then there was the Porsche, Auto Union, Jaguar,  etc.  a few sold but always a few waiting inline. 
 Of course Ferrari has a new one coming out. And I'd like to see one there. 

docwyte said:

In reply to grover :

There are also mounting holes in the a pillar.  Even if there weren't I don't want to spend the money on a new fender, paint and install.

So I'll just deal with it....

The upside to a snorkel is that with that window open, the induction noise should be something you'll want to have the window open for 

In reply to frenchyd :

I don't understand what point you're trying to make.  A late model, low mileage Toyota is certainly far more reliable than an older, higher mileage, german luxury vehicle.

like I said, I've been there, done that.

In reply to edwardh80 :

Interesting.  I hadn't even thought about that.  Now I'm curious to hear it 

docwyte said:

In reply to frenchyd :

I don't understand what point you're trying to make.  A late model, low mileage Toyota is certainly far more reliable than an older, higher mileage, german luxury vehicle.

like I said, I've been there, done that.

I'm just suggesting that the quality  of Toyota has slipped a little  while the quality of Chevy/GMC ( same vehicle different trim)  has improved notably 

 My last Chevy went 371,000 miles never once broke down and cost me only $1000 for repairs over a 20 year period. 
     I hauled home every timber, board Stone and granite  slab massively  plus everything else to build my house. Massively overloading it regularly. 

If you pull the snorkel off, is there a louver that can be placed on the fender.. and plugs for the fastener holes in the a-pillar? Seems like a barely necessary yet permanent mod. 

frenchyd said:

docwyte said:

In reply to frenchyd :

I don't understand what point you're trying to make.  A late model, low mileage Toyota is certainly far more reliable than an older, higher mileage, german luxury vehicle.

like I said, I've been there, done that.

I'm just suggesting that the quality  of Toyota has slipped a little  while the quality of Chevy/GMC ( same vehicle different trim)  has improved notably 

 My last Chevy went 371,000 miles never once broke down and cost me only $1000 for repairs over a 20 year period. 
     I hauled home every timber, board Stone and granite  slab massively  plus everything else to build my house. Massively overloading it regularly. 

Frenchy - respectfully.. I don't get the impression the good doctor wanted anything but a 4x4 from the land of the rising sun.... and if you scroll up you'll see that he already bought a LC.

So you've made good points about the financial sense of keeping an old vehicle... but your continued responses in this post seem tone deaf (since he is willingly paying a premium because he knows he can depreciate the business cost while the truck holds its value better than the old domestic trucks).

You were a salesman man. Stop, look up and read the faces of the audience. Even if they're behind a message board.  
 

In reply to frenchyd :

I can say in complete confidence that your experience with your Chevy truck is 100% atypical.  Any vehicle driven 371k miles is going to have more than $1000 in maintenance costs over its lifetime.  You just got exceedingly lucky.

I don't disagree that Toyota has been playing on its reputation, their cars are expensive for how they're equipped and are usually out dated.  

But the market says otherwise, as they hold their value like nothing else.  As pointed out I can depreciate it through my company and be in the black on it for years to come because of that.

As I've also pointed out I can't fit a Tahoe/Suburban in my garage, on top of which I don't like them....
 

edwardh80 said:

docwyte said:

In reply to grover :

There are also mounting holes in the a pillar.  Even if there weren't I don't want to spend the money on a new fender, paint and install.

So I'll just deal with it....

The upside to a snorkel is that with that window open, the induction noise should be something you'll want to have the window open for 

One look at your avatar makes me realize you might know a bit about that which you speak :-)

frenchyd said:

docwyte said:

In reply to frenchyd :

I don't understand what point you're trying to make.  A late model, low mileage Toyota is certainly far more reliable than an older, higher mileage, german luxury vehicle.

like I said, I've been there, done that.

I'm just suggesting that the quality  of Toyota has slipped a little  while the quality of Chevy/GMC ( same vehicle different trim)  has improved notably 

 My last Chevy went 371,000 miles never once broke down and cost me only $1000 for repairs over a 20 year period. 
     I hauled home every timber, board Stone and granite  slab massively  plus everything else to build my house. Massively overloading it regularly. 

I won't get into this argument you're having with some of the others beyond saying that that's some damn fine looking stonework and if you did that yourself you should be proud.

docwyte said:

In reply to frenchyd :

I can say in complete confidence that your experience with your Chevy truck is 100% atypical.  Any vehicle driven 371k miles is going to have more than $1000 in maintenance costs over its lifetime.  You just got exceedingly lucky.

I don't disagree that Toyota has been playing on its reputation, their cars are expensive for how they're equipped and are usually out dated.  

But the market says otherwise, as they hold their value like nothing else.  As pointed out I can depreciate it through my company and be in the black on it for years to come because of that.

As I've also pointed out I can't fit a Tahoe/Suburban in my garage, on top of which I don't like them....
 

It actually isn't atypical at all if you're willing to overlook niggly little things like the interior failing.  It may need a water pump or an alternator or maybe two of each during 371k but $1k should cover it.  Of course I'm discounting brakes, tires, and all the normal consumables.  
 

But, you didn't want one so I won't try and sell you on one.

docwyte said:

In reply to frenchyd :

I can say in complete confidence that your experience with your Chevy truck is 100% atypical.  Any vehicle driven 371k miles is going to have more than $1000 in maintenance costs over its lifetime.  You just got exceedingly lucky.

I don't disagree that Toyota has been playing on its reputation, their cars are expensive for how they're equipped and are usually out dated.  

But the market says otherwise, as they hold their value like nothing else.  As pointed out I can depreciate it through my company and be in the black on it for years to come because of that.

As I've also pointed out I can't fit a Tahoe/Suburban in my garage, on top of which I don't like them....
 

Not maintenance, repair. 
  I was careful to do scheduled maintenance  with good quality stuff  and yes oil, tires, brakes etc. cost more than  $1000.  Every vehicle will need those. At about the same cost if done to the same standard.  
  But Repairs?  That's  replacing a fuel pump, an alternator, and and a water pump.  Oh, and a set of tail lights.  All but the fuel pump were done by me when I got home.  Nothing failed leaving me stranded.  That's the prime advantage of Domestic over import. Small rural dealers carry those parts. 
  I am not saying Toyota is a bad vehicle. It's actually very good but like Mercedes Benz they are starting to lean on that reputation.  Unlike Mercedes Benz though their  quality hasn't seriously deteriorated. 
    Knowing their profit depended on Trucks and SUV's.  Both  Ford and GM  have greatly improved reliability and quality.  
            My Wife's Honda is just slightly less reliable than her older accord which served her and her family very well for 300,000 miles.  This CRV is just a little bit less quality. 
    Following Japans economic  position relative to the time both were built. I see a deterioration   In Honda  Toyota and other Japanese companies.  just enough to reflect the different times they were built. 
        I don't have neighbors with BMW's  but those who had recent Mercedes Benz  quickly sell/trade them in.  
     All of this is just a way of saying things constantly change.  Reputations have a way of going away especially as management changes. 
      
  

In some parts of our country people use snorkels because of the dust, not water.  None the less they are more often not a sign  of a poser!