Buy an 80 or 100 series

80 will be cheaper unless you are looking for a multi valve turbo diesel then you will be paying a heap for it anyway but the motors are pretty hot property and you won't regret the drive you get out of it..

Having said that though the 100 seems to be that much more comfortable and more up to date style wise..

I think I would be looking at a diesel 100 and look at the gas or turbo options.. go the live axle as opposed to the IFS...

pretty sure you cant get live axle and turbo diesel together in the 100 series.
It'll be aftermarket turbo for that combination.

G'day Dan,
I went through this exercise just over a year ago. Bought an early 100 Series Diesel with an AXT Turbo (as Sea-Dog suggests). Solid front axle is definitely the go if you are serious about "hard" 4wding - don't listen to the suggestion that IFS is more comfortable and handles better. Heck, if my 100 handled any better on fast rough dirt roads, I might take up rally driving. You won't regret either model but be very particular about the previous service records. I have yet to have mine "stuck" anywhere and it really has "been there and done that", the axle articulation and wheel travel is amazing. I have to admit though that the 2" lift and 33" Coopers help on the "offf road" side of things. Go for as late a model as you can afford if you want to have the vehicle for more than 4-5 years and though the prices are up there, you won't regret parting with your hard earned. Have a plan about the type of accesories you will need for your style of 4wding and cost them into the equation too. "Bit of a 'cruiser man me-self" - I'm a die hard convert now mate.
Cheers
John

Hi dan we have an 80 series 97 model and could not be happier with it.Power wise i'm very happy,it's a natural diesel but i have fitted an air snorkel and a set off extactors.The latter being the best.It has improved it to a gear better on hills.I travelled with a mate in his 100 and on the hills around tassie we were the same but after fitting extractors the 80 pulled away quite easier.on cruise staying around 95 to 100 ks an hr we acheive approx 24.5 mpg.Another cruiserman......

Hi Dan,
most of the running gear in the 100s came from the 80s,IMHO there is no real benefit in getting a later one,unless you want gadgets(more too stuff up later)
I previously owned a factory turbo 80s which went like a scalded cat and consistently returned 23-25 MPG.
They developed a bad reputation for bottom end failures and i'm not aware of how to check to see if one you find is good/no good with out taking sump off.
Constant 4WD models (gxl sahara) flogged out CV joints,if on a test drive engage centre diff put on full lock (left and right) move forward just a metre listen for clicking,that clicking is a $600 job.
I now own a std 100s,naturally aspirated,and can tell you first hand the difference between the two(body/chassis) is not much!.Headlight for 05 100s = $760, 80s on the other hand can be picked up anywhere for $15 they are just normal rectangular jobs,and can be easily improved on.
It is a BIG step back going from T/D to a n/a. . . . . . . . . hang on .. . . . . I cant type thru the tears. . . . . . . .but the 1HZ can be made to go as hard as (old) 1HD T (for a substantial fee) personally I would far prefer factory power than the modded
Later 80s(with the bigger grille) had the 24 valve t/d which went the same but used less fuel, expect 1000 ks on the two std tanks (135l), driven, not spared!
I don't think any 100s live axle came ex factory with a turbo(if they did there would be only a few)didn't come out until 02 (T/D s) because toyota didn't want a repeat of the early T/D 80s bearing failures.
heaps of parts/acc. for both,can easily spent $20k just on accessories

Shane,yota4me

Not answering your question directly but have you looked at a Patrol? For the cost of an early model 100 series you could get a Patrol several years newer. Or the same year for less money. All of them come with live axles, and the 4.2 diesel is an excellent engine. Not much goes wrong with them and they are a good buy. The extra you pay for is the Toyota name, not much else.

Barnesy

well the biggest problem with TD 80s is they are waaaaaay overpriced you can be the judge if they are worth it. The vehicle you speak of sounds ok with the accesorys but it suggeststs it has been used for its intended desighn. Keep in mind all repairs to a tojo start at 1k and are rounded up to the nearest k so Dont make the mistake of thinking fixng thisn that will only cost $500 - 1k coz it will be more like3-4k. Have you tought of a ute - they are far more capable and tougher out bush with the live axles. No station wagon will get close to the places a ute will out (without majour damage)

Hi Dan.

We have owned several Landcruiser's, We now have a 100 series T/D with IFS.
It is definitely the best I have owned for comfort and handling on any road condition.

I have a couple of mates that have problem with the front ends. They are very serious fourwheel drivers and they drive them hard. In my book to hard on a standard vehicle. Ours is just over 12 month old and we have put it through some pretty hard going.

It really depends on how much and how hard of 4wd driving you do. But on the black stuff and dirt roads the IFS is far better. Especially on those corrugation's heading into a corner.

Cheers
Rob

it all depends on what $$$ you want to spend , a TD Cruiser will set you back 30 to 50 k depending on year and kms

The 80 Series and early 100 Series had the same motor and running gear the main change was the body shape. Buy a factory fitted turbo in either the 80 or 100 Series is going to be expensive.

Might pay to buy a normaly asperated diesel and fit an aftermarket turbo - might save a few dollars.

Karl

When you are looking at the later model 80 series turbo diesel the big thing to look for is if the motor is a multi valve diesel or not... The multi valve is reputably an awesome motor and will cost more to buy but is worth the money...

Computer controlled injection etc means if you are still not happy with performance you can do a D-Tronic chip or LPG conversion and the economy will probably get better to top it off...

You would have to be lucky to find a multi valve for the right price though.. they are generally over priced..

Hi Dan,

Just a side note, I think the turbo 80 you are talking about has a stronger gearbox than the later 100 series. It may be worth checking this more thoroughly. I spat out 2 sets of gears and was hearing similar noises again when I sold my 18 month old 100 series. I am led to believe the turbo 80 you speak of is a better all round vehicle than the 100 series I had.

But my GU is better than both the above vehicles HEHEHEHE

Cheers with beers, Trevor.

Hi Dan

I drive an 80 with a turbo and love it, I know this is a different answer to the rest, but I have done several trips with a couple of friends and a few have the petrol ( and they are a great motor ) motors in a 100. On a big trip our fuel cost are so close to each others it did not make any difference, so I guess what I am saying is if you see the right cruiser and it has the petrol motor in it do not discount it too quickly.

I do not know if I would do it but I a not looking.

Have fun

Craig

Hi Dan,
I shouldv'e pointed out that I owned the 80s from '96 to '00 and sold it due to the fact I borrowed heavily to get it and took the first finance companys deal and end up paying toooo much too long and faced with the prospect of choosing whether to give it up or have it repoed,I gave it up.
I got the 100s last september ex Queensland rail and it had done 80000 ks in 8 months! full service history,balance of new car warranty(3yrs, 100k) with a few handy extras for around 60% of new car price.
As far as how long will the cruisers last,how long is piece of string?

Shane

Hi dj386 my name is Steve hope I can help.
I bought a 80 series 6 years ago and used it to do tours across the top end for 4 years,It had a 1hz diesel no turbo (never seemed to need one) it did 2 tours a week averaged 1100 km per tour averaged 6 pax per tour tow a trailer that = 800 kg it never gave me trouble.
The tour industry now requirers the 100 series so I traded the 80 for a 2000 100 series well regretted that move however I now have a 2002 100 series it has 285000 km purring like a kitten. In fact I just did a 14000 km trip 1/2 way round Oz and as soon as i got home put it straight back to work.
The 80 and 100 series front and rear diffs are the same just different outer casings .
The reason why a late model Nissan is cheaper is because their resale is crap.
Im not sure about other states but spare parts for Toyota in the NT are real cheap.
You mentioned Berrimah in one of your posts is that Berrimah in Darwin.
Hope this helps.

H i dj386
Getting 500000 km out of a 1hz motor that is serviced every 5000km is no problem in fact I have seen a lot of tour vehicles with these on them and the only problem is re sale due to high kms. (my preference of oil for a motor with these sort of km is Penrite HPR Diesel a genuine oil and fuel filter yes change both every time ) Re grease wheel bearings and do al gear oils every 40000 weather they need it or not this may seem excessive but trust me I run 3 soon to be 4 Toyota's it simply just works.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for all your valued feedback. I have looked at the 11/95 80 and am at present workign out finance to buy the vehicle. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks. My main worry was buying a vehicle of that mileage. But after your comments and others, I feel much more confident that there will be a good life left in the car. I have always changed the oil and filter every 5000 and I know it pays of. We are driving a 91 commodore that has 450 on the clock and still doesn't use oil. It has been serviced regularly and carefuly and is still going strong motor wise. The rest of the car is dying!!! Will just see how the banks go now.

Might see you on the road soon

Dan.