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

In reply to Javelin :

So much NO.  I owned one already and while it was an awesome performing SUV and the right size for what I need/want, they're not reliable.  Like at all.  Mine wasn't bad until it went really bad and starting burning a quart of oil every 500ish miles.  That's not unusual when I checked the FB groups, which means either bad turbo seals or bad oil control rings, both of which are insanely expensive to repair.  Then the whole 15+ year old luxury German car thing, even a well kept one will cost a ton of money in maintenance.

In reply to Steve_Jones :

Indeed.  The brand new 4Runner finally has Apple Car play and some other nice things.  The fact that it's $55k is extremely attractive.  I just wish it had more power, the engine/transmission combo in it is incredibly old.  I should check one out tho, it's probably as big as I need and a TRD Pro will hold its value really well.

Question, what are the groups thoughts on if the 2020-1 Heritage Edition value long term vs a slightly older "regular" 200 series? It's a special edition and the last of the 200 series, which makes it seem more special.  At the same time it's mostly an appearance package, the 16-21 200 series are all the same.

My inclination is to find a lightly used one that's depreciated a little (not as much as it should but that's the market now) vs paying well over MSRP for a Heritage Edition.  I'd really like to not pay a whole lot over what I get for the Golf R, after I've depreciated the Land Cruiser

I guess I'm looking at what the TTUE FJ's are doing and think it will be more along that trajectory than not. The fact that it's the end of the line for the LC- even though the LX series will continue makes me think they will hold value very very well. End of the line special editions, regardless of what they really improve do seem to carry a premium in the luxury buyer market. Porsche is the ultimate example of this. However the TTUE fj's were mechanically different. 

Heritage edition is OK - but it is pretty much a tape and stripe package.  The wheels are neat, but the roof rack is a garden variety yakima, the badges are a personal preference.  The lack of the 3rd row is cool but can easily be recreated, and worst of all its missing the cool box, which in my opinion is one of the top 5 reasons to own an LC200.  

Personally, I dont see the draw.  But thats just me.  

Do you still have the diesel Cayenne? If so....

berkeley it. Fill that tiny garage with Porsches!

edwardh80 said:

Have you considered a Nissan Armada? They are known as the Patrol in the rest of the world and are a newer platform and are probably cheaper. The VK56 engine is amazing, and the Patrol is equally capable off road, if not more so. Same platform as the Infiniti QX80. You can accessorize it as you please with all the aftermarket support for these.

I've driven two of those recently and while I believe they make every bit of their advertised hp, they feel lazy unless revved to the moon.  I wasn't impressed with either one as far as how they drove but they were comfortable and seemed amazingly well built.

Well, you missed this one.  Sold last year.  But boy...what a good looking truck

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/sold-2011-lx-570-200-series-locked-on-37s.210656/

Value long term?  A liability?  Seriously.  

In reply to OHSCrifle :

Yep, it's my wifes DD.  Still runs great and gets freaky good gas mileage.  While I'd love a Sport Turismo, they're stupidly expensive and can't carry all that much stuff.  If I'm going to get a german wagon, the new Audi A6 allroad is somewhat attractive. 

The heritage package is the only way to get the non 3rd row seat setup. That's how I'd want one, but the gold wheels are horrible. 

In reply to Steve_Jones :

That's true, however the 3rd row unbolts out of the trucks easily and the holes can be covered by getting the cargo cover made for the non 3rd row heritage package.  So that'll be one of the first things I do if I get one.

That said, a local dealer (that does a lot of car buying/selling services) just listed a pretty low mileage 2014.  I wanted to go see it today but was skiing and turns out they close at 3, so maybe I'll see if I can drop by Monday after work. 

I'd prefer a 2016+, those come with larger brakes, LED headlights, a better stereo, 8 speed transmission and maybe some other stuff.  That said, the 8 speed transmission doesn't make it any more efficient or quicker, so that seems to be not that big of a deal.  I've found a nice 2018 but it's in the San Diego area and is significantly more money than the local 2014. 

I decided to peruse the local used listings for LC's given that our GX460 is getting long in the tooth.  Wow.  Wow. Wow.  I had no idea what a 50k mile LC costs these days.  On second thought, I think I'll just wash the GX and change some spark plugs.  

In reply to grover :

Yeah, tell me about it.  That's why while I really want a '16+ LC I'm very interested in the '14 at a local dealer.  It's got low mileage for the year and isn't a zillion dollars, although they do have priced high compared to what NADA/KBB say it's worth.  Somewhat worryingly is that AutoCheck says it had an accident but Carfax doesn't.  So I'll need to ask them to give me the autocheck report and then carefully look over the truck for damage.

Let's put it this way, other than that '14 (which is local and lets me trade in the R, so save at least $2500 in taxes) the other choice I like is the '18 in San Diego, which is 50% more money.  As much as I like the '18, I'm pretty sure it's not worth paying another $25k for it.

Another choice is a 16 Cayenne Turbo S that's popped up at a local VW dealer.  So I know they'll want the R and I'll get the tax savings.  However it's about the same amount of money as the 18 LC, which has 50k less miles on it and surely will cost me *far* less money to run.

Gimme that Turbo S. Thanks and please. 

Drove the 14 Land Cruiser last night.  It was a nice truck but definitely drove like a truck.  Previous owner had done some things to it I don't like, like a front bull bar (luckily it just unbolts) and a rear view mirror/camera that was kinda freaking out.  It also was on fairly worn AT tires, so they howled and the drivers side xenon was flickering, so it probably needs a new ballast.  Place said they'd take care of the headlight and tires for me.

I'm waiting to see what they offer in trade value for the R, I've told them what other dealers have offered, so they need to match/beat that.  Then I'll decide if I want to get this or not.  I dunno, it kinda left me with a "meh" feeling.  I'd really like a 16+ with the cocoa interior, but finding one is difficult, especially at the right price and having a dealer that can take the R in on trade.....

As a measure, I got $38,900 for my R. 19 DCC with DSG 16K miles on it when I sold it recently. 

In reply to bmw88rider :

Mine has almost 24k miles on it.  Dealers have been offering me $35-36 for it, which isn't bad if I also get the tax savings, plus what I'll make selling the parts.

In reply to docwyte :

I think something like this that you plan on keeping should be exactly what you want. I'd also take the bull bar off pretty quick. 

So they offered me a decent amount for my R but only came down a little on the LC for tires.  Not even enough to cover the cost of tires, plus according to KBB/NADA their asking price is $3k too high.  I thought about it all night and came to the decision that I don't want to compromise, if I get a LC, I really want a 16+ to get the more modern interior, better brakes, LED head/tail lights and the 8 speed transmission.  These guys can buy cars out of auction, so I've asked them to try and find me a 16.

I may end up regretting this, but this LC just didn't grab me, I know I'd be looking to flip it for a 16+ in short order.  I'd rather just buy more of what I want right away.  There is that 18 in San Diego that I can still go after, it's just a ton of $$$ and I'm having an issue justifying that much money for a LC to myself.

A 401 CJ said:

Well, you missed this one.  Sold last year.  But boy...what a good looking truck

 

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/sold-2011-lx-570-200-series-locked-on-37s.210656/

That kind of thing is not usually my cup of tea but hot damn is that a good looking rig.

In reply to docwyte :

I really think when you're talking about this much money, you should really hold out for exactly what you want, so you probably won't regret passing on that one.

In reply to dannyp84 :

Yeah, I agree.  I asked the company with the 14 (they're brokers) if they could broker the deal for the 18 I found and they can.  So that may make the most sense, as they'll handle the transport and paper work and I can still trade the R in to them and get the tax savings.  According to NADA/KBB the 18's asking price is also a bit too high, he listed it on eBay and didn't get a single bid.  So I'm thinking about offering him the average of KBB/NADA and seeing what he says.

So talked to the '18 200 series owner, nice guy, he's owned it since new, we talked price a bit and think we can come to an agreement.  Have a friend there who's going to check it out for me, if he gives me the thumbs up I think I'll go for it.  With trading the car in, getting the tax savings and selling off the parts I'll make out pretty well on the R.  After depreciating the 200 I won't have to kick in all that much, which is what I want...

Well my friend took a look at it yesterday and was really quite impressed with it.  Told me outside of a couple of very small scratches in the paint that a detailer could address it looks brand new.  So the owner and I talked and we struck a deal.  My next call is to my broker here to give him the seller's information and then hand him a deposit and sign some paperwork.  The broker will then handle all the business aspects of the transaction for me and line up getting the 200 trailered to me.

The seller will drop the car with all the parts, keys and paperwork off at my parents house and the trailer will pick it up from them.  Meanwhile I've got to swap all the stock parts back onto the R to make it ready for trade in.

As far as things I want to do to the 200, I want to install an Apple Car Play module, plus remove the third row seats.  Now that Toyota makes the Heritage Edition without the third row hopefully I can buy the trim pieces to cover up the holes left when the third row is removed.  I may sell the wheels/tires that are on it now, I'm not a huge fan of them.  Then either buy new wheels or just put AT tires on the stock wheels. 

Eventually I want to do the Bilstein 6112/5160 suspension too, I had it on the GX470 and it's a really nice OEM+ setup that doesn't really lift the truck, unless you want it to, which I don't.  Oh I also need to sort out a roof rack so I can carry skis/snowboards.  I'm interested in a hitch mounted ski rack but nobody seems to have those in stock and I think I have everything I need already for the roof rack...