This is why I love my 80 series Land Cruiser (carb, not EFI), it's really simple that a lot of maintenance can be done with just wrenches. And the charm of having almost no electronics[1] on the car control is that if something is wrong, you will know it by the sounds it makes, and you will have a lot of times to fix it before it's completely toast. I have heard of horror stories about newer cars with electric ABS accumulator that stopped working on the high way, not with my FZJ80[2].
[1] The so called 'emission computer' unit on the car is a simple pulse counter/comparator that activates a VSV on the carb to reduce backfire while descending downhill with the foot off the throttle.
[2] My brake booster is leaking a little bit, but at least it won't suddenly gives up on me while I'm riding, still looking for a replacement.
Those are excellent vehicles indeed. Unfortunately they're also very expensive to maintain. As for a brake booster, I once swapped a booster from a 1990's Toyota pickup into a FJ55. Would you believe it bolted to the firewall? Might be a worthy swap in your FJZ80.
What kind of fuel consumption do you get on that? I've been considering getting an older vehicles exactly for that reason (and you can easily tinker with it), but I'd imagine the fuel consumption is a lot higher than a modern vehicle, to the point where you are not saving anything by being able to fix it yourself.
I have an 80 as well (1997 LX450) and another positive aspect of owning it is that when maintenance items become due, a lot of them can be fun[1] and enjoyable to tackle, and very very rarely will you run into an issue that doesn't have threads and discussions talking about the best ways to fix it. One downside to that is that you normally have to do a little bit of legwork to filter out the noise caused by other owners also looking for how to solve that particular issue.
I wouldn't be sure about that brake booster. They can fail spectacularly, feeding a pile of brake fluid into your intake and leaving you with a huge cloud of smoke / clogged exhaust valves and ports and no brakes.
I wish we could get these in the US. We lack basic cars anymore. This is why I still drive a 1988 Suburban. Yes, it requires a lot of maintenance (It's almost 35 years old!) but it's simple, and tough as nails and, in general, simple to repair.
I have a Toyota Land Cruiser here in South Africa with the petrol/gasoline engine. Amazing car. It's built to last though, so its on-road handling is not as great as modern cars.
It didn't happen often but for security reasons in some conflict areas MSF decided to paint their white Land Cruisers in pink to make sure everyone knew who was driving the car. It also made their cars less attractive for thieves.
And I believe you can't order one at that price as the waiting list had reached several years so they closed the book. You're looking at over 100kAUD to buy a low km used one.
I had one of these (well, I had a 2010), and sold it in 2016 (it could not accommodate 3 across car seats). While everything you say is true, I suggest those attributes only carry overweight value for people who are inclined to 1) do their own wrenching, or 2) spend a lot of time off road. For normal city use, 4Runners are a really poor option, given how "truck-like" they are, how inefficient their use of interior space is, and how poor their gas mileage is. I would much rather have something like a Forester or even CR-V, or Explorer or Highlander or any of the other unibody AWD car-like options. Even my actual truck (2017 F150, which I bought to replace the 4R) is FAR more pleasant to drive, more useful, and gets better mileage.
At least in my region (Southern California), the 4x2 4Runners are going for $3-4k below MSRP. IMO, the biggest drawback is that all of your savings from maintenance will go towards paying for gas.
When I lived in Africa, everyone drove a Land Rover (don't remember the model name, though). Damn uncomfortable ride, but you could go anywhere. I think it was also possible to completely dismantle the car, by hand, so it could be portaged around.
What I heard from my South African friends who experienced the 1960s there, was a Land Rover Series I or II could be disassembled by hand, with hand tools, and nearly completely rebuilt not to speak of repaired in the bush. And it was claimed yes, they could be portaged across any terrain once fully-disassembled with sufficient manpower, beast power, time, and logistical train.
Portaging was not done lightly, as the effort was considerable, and the vast logistical tail to accomplish it had to hoof it back on their own with the exception of the handful or fewer who could ride onwards on the re-assembled and fueled up Land Rover. Carrying the fuel and bare minimum consumables for the round-trip logistical train (assuming foraging on the go was even an option) I imagine was almost as much of a burden as the vehicle itself.
Toyota does seem to have taken over this niche though, as Land Rover doesn't seem too interested any longer in the market these days.
I had no idea, amazing. Old school, long-lasting, reliable. Is there a car for us "normies" that is like this? Being a swede, I would say the Volvo 240.
I love land cruisers, in particular I'm attracted to the design ethos. Every series and every style. I have a land cruiser sticker on my laptop for that reason. In a society of throw away automobiles, here's something built to withstand. Miss my 250k+ mile 80 series we got rid of because we needed to go down to one car. As soon as I need another 2nd vehicle it'll be a land cruiser (or Lexus LX) or Land Cruiser Prado (Lexus GX here in the states).
Bollinger Motors had a utilitarian EV offering for a while, but kept bumping up the price for whatever reason. Looks like they've pivoted into electric semis now?
EVs require quite a lot of electronics just to function, are hard to fix, and also finding extra electricity in places where those kind of vehicles are used wouldn't be as easy a getting a jerrycan.
When I was young, we did a unit in Japan in school. I remember specifically that white cars were a thing. Like virtually every privately owned auto in Tokyo was white.
I visited Nepal a few years back and it was amusing seeing the UN drive these massive shiny land cruisers while everybody else was drying cars a bit smaller than a 90s civic. Optics matter, and maybe a Hilux or RAV4 would have suited the environment better
those are also a key tool in "modern warfare". because it could be supplied very early on before any weapon, since technically they are not a weapon. when war started in libya, qatar sent hundreds of those to the terrorists to fuel the war.
The context before that quote is very interesting.
> “We don’t really think of them as cars,” TGS co-chief executive Jonathan Gourlay tells me. “We’re just giving our customers a tool that does a job, whether that’s feeding children or delivering medicines.” You might think, like me, that the 70 Series Land Cruiser is utterly cool and want one very badly, but cool plays no role here – this is transport at its most fundamental. Simplicity, capability and reliability overrule everything. “If you look back 25 years, there were a few players in this market,” Gourlay continues. “There was Land Rover, there was Nissan and Mitsubishi, but gradually they’ve focused on building what I’d call ‘first world’ vehicles for Europe and North America.
The world needs affordable solutions to people’s problems. Good luck telling a third-world farmer the world doesn’t need their truck when that same truck enables the farmer’s livelihood. Such a sentiment is especially funny coming from someone in the first world, whose lifestyle emits way more CO2 than someone in the third world.
This is exactly the quote that I came to post. It's still in my clipboard.
This vehicle is built not for I-can-get-to-a-mechanic Europe. This vehicle is build for no-mechanic-for-1000-km Africa, to deliver food and medicines. And I'm sure that armies love them too. Even though they state:
> But a firm line is drawn at anything that could be construed as military use.
Lovely. This world needs fewer diesels, not more :-(
What a strange response. Did you read why? The conditions? It isn't for fun, or to go get groceries. You can't get one in the EU, it is for use in war zones, disaster areas, or extreme locations!
There are few of these sold a year. Transport rigs must number in the billions, yet you complain about this, a "must use" scenario?
Your response is the "bad face" of extreme environmentalisnlm.
I suppose you think it better, to not even attempt aid??
[+] [-] coconut_crab|3 years ago|reply
[1] The so called 'emission computer' unit on the car is a simple pulse counter/comparator that activates a VSV on the carb to reduce backfire while descending downhill with the foot off the throttle.
[2] My brake booster is leaking a little bit, but at least it won't suddenly gives up on me while I'm riding, still looking for a replacement.
[+] [-] geocrasher|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fy20|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] adamdevigili|3 years ago|reply
[1] I've had to do the PHH on a rusty-ish 80, not fun: https://youtu.be/WQabGr4KY5g?t=158
[+] [-] smackeyacky|3 years ago|reply
Get it fixed ASAP.
[+] [-] megablast|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] geocrasher|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sgt|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dewey|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ColonelBlimp|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mauvehaus|3 years ago|reply
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/classic/you-could-own-forme...
[+] [-] unknown|3 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] unknown|3 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] hiharryhere|3 years ago|reply
https://www.toyota.com.au/landcruiser-70
[+] [-] markmark|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] game_the0ry|3 years ago|reply
* body-on-frame construction
* reliable and proven engine platform (naturally aspirated v6)
* 5 speed auto transmission (modern trannys have like 10 gears bc of emissions)
* no fancy hybrid / turbo drivetrain that will start breaking after 3 years
* big after market so you can customize to your liking (got a bunch of off road toys on mine)
Cons:
* expensive (though you will save on maintenance and repair costs in the long run)
* there is a big demand for these trucks so you might need to stomach a $5K dealer mark up
* gas hog
* drives like farm equipment compared to a tesla, not refined at all
* infotainment is about as modern as the rest of the car
Next generation, it will probably go the hybrid / turbo route like the tundra.
[+] [-] eitally|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tempaccesss|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] boc|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ChrisMarshallNY|3 years ago|reply
When I lived in Africa, everyone drove a Land Rover (don't remember the model name, though). Damn uncomfortable ride, but you could go anywhere. I think it was also possible to completely dismantle the car, by hand, so it could be portaged around.
[+] [-] yourapostasy|3 years ago|reply
Portaging was not done lightly, as the effort was considerable, and the vast logistical tail to accomplish it had to hoof it back on their own with the exception of the handful or fewer who could ride onwards on the re-assembled and fueled up Land Rover. Carrying the fuel and bare minimum consumables for the round-trip logistical train (assuming foraging on the go was even an option) I imagine was almost as much of a burden as the vehicle itself.
Toyota does seem to have taken over this niche though, as Land Rover doesn't seem too interested any longer in the market these days.
[+] [-] radicality|3 years ago|reply
Was impressed just how much the car went through and how it was still operational. Super interesting read if you have some time to spare.
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/democratic-republ...
[+] [-] giamma|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rejectfinite|3 years ago|reply
I had no idea, amazing. Old school, long-lasting, reliable. Is there a car for us "normies" that is like this? Being a swede, I would say the Volvo 240.
[+] [-] aae42|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mmsimanga|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] itsyaboi|3 years ago|reply
https://bollingermotors.com/b1-b2/
[+] [-] gregoriol|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sircastor|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] williamcotton|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kylehotchkiss|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] slim|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Eupraxias|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|3 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] rejectfinite|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ericzawo|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] colineartheta|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] foobarian|3 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] halpmeh|3 years ago|reply
> “We don’t really think of them as cars,” TGS co-chief executive Jonathan Gourlay tells me. “We’re just giving our customers a tool that does a job, whether that’s feeding children or delivering medicines.” You might think, like me, that the 70 Series Land Cruiser is utterly cool and want one very badly, but cool plays no role here – this is transport at its most fundamental. Simplicity, capability and reliability overrule everything. “If you look back 25 years, there were a few players in this market,” Gourlay continues. “There was Land Rover, there was Nissan and Mitsubishi, but gradually they’ve focused on building what I’d call ‘first world’ vehicles for Europe and North America.
The world needs affordable solutions to people’s problems. Good luck telling a third-world farmer the world doesn’t need their truck when that same truck enables the farmer’s livelihood. Such a sentiment is especially funny coming from someone in the first world, whose lifestyle emits way more CO2 than someone in the third world.
[+] [-] kwhitefoot|3 years ago|reply
So which vehicle would you prefer MSF to use next time they have to drive into a war zone to render aid to some poor sod caught in the crossfire?
[+] [-] dotancohen|3 years ago|reply
This vehicle is built not for I-can-get-to-a-mechanic Europe. This vehicle is build for no-mechanic-for-1000-km Africa, to deliver food and medicines. And I'm sure that armies love them too. Even though they state:
[+] [-] b112|3 years ago|reply
What a strange response. Did you read why? The conditions? It isn't for fun, or to go get groceries. You can't get one in the EU, it is for use in war zones, disaster areas, or extreme locations!
There are few of these sold a year. Transport rigs must number in the billions, yet you complain about this, a "must use" scenario?
Your response is the "bad face" of extreme environmentalisnlm.
I suppose you think it better, to not even attempt aid??