I'm in the market for a 1999 - 2002 Land Cruiser for the wife and new addition to the family. Anything I should specifically look out for? Keep in mind it will spend 90% of its life at the mall. What kind of fuel economy, or lack there of, can I expect? How's maintenance?

TIA

 

The 2000 and newer cruisers have stability control--I would recomend this for your wife. The 99 you could get a diff lock--good for wheeling---but you can add an ARB to the 2000..... Rear A/C is also an option I would look for. Check out the Lexus LX470 a little more plush--they have some pretty neat features such as the air suspension... If it has over 90k you should change all the belts including the timing and the water pump--other than that Land Cruiser don't need much maintenance. Hope this helps

 

haha....fuel economy. uhm. hm. i own a 93 FJ80. it runs a 4.5 liter straight six and i get under 20 miles on the highways. city driving...brings tears to my eyes and a tremble in my hand when i buy gas. i'd say along the lines of 13-15 miles per gallon when not using the air conditioner. i'm not exactly sure where in Washington you are, but i guess using the heater could also take the severe toll in the gas mileage since the "100" series (or was it the 90 series...) land cruisers have even LESS mileage than the FJ80s due to the addition of two extra cylinders and .2 liters. so city driving on the 99-02 runs close to 12-15 miles by the gallon depending on the use of A/C or heating.

my question is...if the car is going to spend 90% of it's remaining lifespan at the mall...why don't you go for a Limited 4Runner? Can't say anything if your wife would love an LC, but with the gas prices still high and not wanting to fall anytime soon...a 4Runner or even a Sequoia will consume less gas.

 

Keep in mind that premium fuel is recommended for the 2UZ in this application, adding ~20¢/gallon. The same engine in other vehicles like Tundra and Sequoia is tuned for regular. I gained ~10% fuel economy (1¼ mpg) on mine by pulling both third seats and leaving the spare tire and tool kit home. Carry a can of fix-a-flat instead. It saved over 200lbs., IIRC.

Also, if you're interested in fuel economy, avoid those with aftermarket brush guards. The extra weight will hurt mpg, create extra stress on the front shocks, and possibly interfere with airbag deployment.

They're outstanding trucks. I've had three and never returned to the dealer for warranty work on any of them. Dirt cheap on the used market right now. Service history on an LX is available from any dealer, maybe so on the FJ.

 

Thanks for all the insight. I/We already own a 4th Gen 4R and we/she wants something bigger for the eventual 2nd car seat. :pat: We're also considering the Sequoia but it's actually larger/wider than the LC. We have a 4 car garage but it's double deep so width is the primary issue. Having the 4.7L in my 4R I'm already aware of the lack of fuel economy but I was curious how the additional weight would further hurt MPG.

You guys rock............