Prado 2000 model Auto

We have a petrol 2001 and are happy with it although its a little thirsty around town .our previous car was a Rocky so this was luxury to us . (We get about 600kms out of a 90ltr tank = 15ltrs/100kms). One small annoying feature with ours is a noise/rattle (Mechanic called it a resonance) that comes in at about 2750 and goes at 3000rpm. I have spoken to many about it and I'm told its a well known problem with this model , it can't be fixed , its something that we have to live with , its not harming the car - just bl... irritating to us. The one thing I found strang with ours its a 2001 50th Anniversary Model but its not equiped with any airbags or abs !

Regards

AC

Hi Stephen,

4wd Monthly had a story on used Prado's in their May '06 issue that was quite detailed for once! I used these tips just recently when I bought a '98 Grande petrol-still had a RACV check to be sure. I wanted a diesel too but couldn't justify spending an extra $5-8 grand (that's a LOT of fuel) plus they're quite rare as people don't part with them. The market is flooded with petrol wagons at moment so you have choice and bargaining power.

My first re-fill after driving it home sticking to 95-100km/hr and getting through Melbourne returned 13L/100KM which I was happy with (mine has BFG A/T and 2" lift so standard tread and height should get better). Have just finished 2 days touring around parts of the high country but haven't refilled yet, will post the results in a day or two.

The dual airbags and ABS were an option on the RV and GXL models, only the Grande have them as standard.

Mine also has the vibration thing around 2500-3000rpm which according to the above mag can be partly fixed with new exhaust rubbers and components.

Apart from usual wear and tear things to look for, some Prado specific things are:
*front inner wheel arch/firewall join, cracks if used offroad a lot.
*battery tray weld to the wheel arch also cracks if used as above.
*front and rear rubber bump stops have 'F' on top of them - you'd want these to be like new!
*head gasket leaks, particularly right hand rear.
*check sub-tank works, click over when test driving.

The 'usual things' are:
*tailgate shuts sweetly - can loosen with tyre on it.
*noisy water pumps.
*condition of carpet on top and below.
*odometer numbers line up.
*wear on seats, leather steering wheel and gearbox levers.
*scratches and dents underneath.
*gearbox noises manual & auto; clutch noises.
*amount of play in steering.
*some front wishbone ball joints were subject to recall.
*was another recall recently, can't remember what it was!
*gearbox/diff leaks.
*front tyre wear on outside.
*CV boots not split.
*how the car drives!
*service history.

Hope this helps.

Mark.

Hi Stephen,
I used to own a 2001 TX Prado. I can confirm that 9l/100km is possible in standard form. After a 2" lift (max for Prado) this changed to about 12l/100km. I thought the petrol was meant to get about 14-15l/100km. With the diesel you have to change the oil every 5000km. I bought oil filters in bulk (10 @ $20) from toyota and did ii myself. Known problems are, as you said, dash rattles (not an easy fix as it is poor design which causes it), Ball joint failure (for which there is a recall) and front diff failure (Oh what a feeling). After saying all this it was a great car. I was able to follow any Patrol or LC in all but the worst of tracks. It is more car like to drive and park. They have a low roof load rating because of the smaller track, so consider this if you plan to fit a roofrack. Mechanically the only problem I ever had was a broken front diff which was replaced under warranty. The reason I sold it is because the warranty ran out at 120k just after the front diff was replaced. I had really pushed this car to the limit of its ability off road so I didnt want an expensive repair bill if something else failed. There is a good Yahoo user group for the Prado/90 series available.

Hi Stephen,

Do a search for - Lancruiser Owners Online......LCOOL - Its a great owners group. The ACT group is especially active with regular get togethers and trips in fact there is a group heading up the cape in about 2 weeks time.

I was looking for a snorkel recently and was quoted $590 fitted for an airtech ( for my petrol 99 Prado but I'm assuming they won't alter the price much between petrol and deisel). I searched around and sourced an Airtech from South Sydney Opposite Lock shop for $477 (not fitted).

My 99 petrol Prado has been great. I hope you get as much fun out of yours.

Cheers...Taz

Hi Stephen,

My Dad's got a 2001 TX TD Auto. He bought it new and still raves about it. He had the ball joints done as a recall during a service and that's it (120,000 k's plus now). On his last big trip, fully loaded and with a mix of highway, gravel and low range stuff he averaged 11.2l/100k's.

Feels like a sports car when I drive it... but I've got an 80 DX. :)

Good luck with your purchase..

Rod.