Why I SOLD my 200 Series Twin Turbo Diesel !

I was not a Landcruiser owner by birth, but by conviction that it was the best and most suitable vehicle for my needs …for towing a caravan, tandem trailer and off road travels. I held that conviction for over 30 years starting with my first 4x4 in 1982 (diesel troopy). Over the past 30 years I have owned about 10 different models culminating in 2010 with my first brand new one…..a 200 series twin turbo diesel.
But after over 30 years I am now “Toyotaless”.

The 200 series is a mighty awesome towing machine…there is no question of that and it is without equal in its class IMO! But I have some real concerns about the viability of owning one outside the extended warranty period. I also believe the resale value of these will eventually plummet outside extended factory warranty if there has been some empirical evidence of expensive repairs paid by owners coming to light.

For example a leak in the power steering rack (a minor problem in itself) requires the engine to be pulled out…about $7,000 to fix, injectors (8) are $1,000 ea plus fitting, replace power steering hose @ $1,000 etc etc. While only a small minority have had these problems currently, nevertheless the probability of these issues occurring must increase with Kms and age. The 200 series fuel system is also very complex and particularly vulnerable to bad fuel or water in fuel…up to $8,000 to repair engine. In addition the front suspension is very complex and expensive to repair…just don’t hit anything hard or fast. The oil consumption issue has never been fully resolved for all vehicles either…what will happen as the vehicle ages? The alternator is also low down and vulnerable to water and mud damage in off road conditions…also expensive to repair as the KDSS stabilizer bar has to be removed to access (and KDSS re-set).

Then there are the little ‘niggly” things….that confounded tic tic tic of the injector all day long on long trips (I seldom play music while driving rather enjoy the peace and quiet). Lack of cargo payload (and cargo space) was also annoying….only 600-670Kg (100kg less than 100 series) ….and why Toyota build the 200 series with 8 seats beggars belief (how many families with 6 children could afford one ?). You can’t even take the 3rd row out legally without an engineer’s compliance certification.


Despite all of the above issues the 200 series was by far the best 4x4 I had ever owned by a country mile. But I no longer feel comfortable owning one long term outside of factory warranty period and the little annoyances are irritating and frustrating. That is why I have come to the hard decision to sell the 200 series before my extended factory warranty runs out and move on. I want to be able to sleep well on “windy” nights!
Cheers

PS I am not really Toyotaless…I still have my trusty bullet proof 60 series bush basher on my hobby farm.