Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them

Hello from Scotland - please read if you have time!

knctaylor

New Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2010
Messages
19
Your name: Keith Taylor
Your Cruiser: Still to buy - any advice would be appreciated
Mods on your Cruiser: N/A
Plans for your Cruiser: A family hauler (2 adults and 4 kids), and less often, an overlander.
4x4 Experience: NONE!
Anything else you think is interesting or relevant:
I have absolutely no clue about 4x4 cars having never driven one never mind owned one. Also I have no experience of working on cars. Hopefully you'll still welcome me though! Until recently I was hoping to buy a LandRover Defender. But I wanted to be open-minded and I have to say that from all that I have read a LandCruiser would be so much better for me and my family. My only concern about it is the space it would afford for a long overland trip if two people were seated in the back bench.
Thanks for reading this post and thank you for your time - much appreciated.

_________________
Keith, Anstruther (Scotland).
My budget for buying the LandCruiser is £5k to £7k without modifications/extras. The only source I have looked at is AutoTrader and I see a lot on there for between £3k and £7k. If anyone has any ideas what I should go for I'd appreciate it. I suppose fuel efficiency is important because it will normally just be a family hauler and if/when we do overlanding it won't be a trip to Oz or S. Africa (at least not at first).
 
Hello & welcome :D

I to am new to Land Cruisers & this forum but have been off roading for a few years now :)

With regards to this forum I've found all so far to be very helpfull & pleasant :D

With regards to the Land Cruiser I had a budget of between 3 to 5K for a SWB & ended up spending £3295 on a 98R with 160000 miles :shock: But all I would say as my old m8 & my mechanic has always said to me 'don't get so hung up on mileage within reason but find a good honest looking car with history' :) :thumbup: And so I hope that this is what I've done :pray: Only time will tell I guess :p

With regards to off road experience get yourself an honest truck & then hook up with someone you know that has experience or look up your local play & play site, take yourself along & have a play without doing anything to brave the truck dosn't have to be modified in any way to have fun of road :) For example on the way back from Halfords yesterday my son pushed me into comeing home via a few of the local lanes & it was great fun & I've done nothing to Fiery as yet with regards to modifications but still managed to have a play with all the ratios & the diff lock :thumbup: All pay & plays have marshalls so if you do get into trouble they'll pull you out or advise you & alot of the pay play sites also offer tuition @ an extra cost so it really is very easy to get mud on your tyres :D

Hope all of this helps you :thumbup:
 
Welcome,

You could always get yourself down to Lincomb for one of the upcoming weekends, doesn't matter if you don't have a Cruiser, just bring a tent and i'm sure you can get a ride along for some of the off roading and some of the lanes.

You will get some jokes if you turn up in a fiesta though :whistle:
 
Paul said:
Welcome,

You could always get yourself down to Lincomb for one of the upcoming weekends, doesn't matter if you don't have a Cruiser, just bring a tent and i'm sure you can get a ride along for some of the off roading and some of the lanes.

You will get some jokes if you turn up in a fiesta though :whistle:


Thanks Paul - is Lindcomb near to where Julian is based? Does it include Sundays? What if I turn up in a Smart Car?! No kidding!
 
sae70 said:
Hello & welcome :D

I to am new to Land Cruisers & this forum but have been off roading for a few years now :)

With regards to this forum I've found all so far to be very helpfull & pleasant :D

With regards to the Land Cruiser I had a budget of between 3 to 5K for a SWB & ended up spending £3295 on a 98R with 160000 miles :shock: But all I would say as my old m8 & my mechanic has always said to me 'don't get so hung up on mileage within reason but find a good honest looking car with history' :) :thumbup: And so I hope that this is what I've done :pray: Only time will tell I guess :p

With regards to off road experience get yourself an honest truck & then hook up with someone you know that has experience or look up your local play & play site, take yourself along & have a play without doing anything to brave the truck dosn't have to be modified in any way to have fun of road :) For example on the way back from Halfords yesterday my son pushed me into comeing home via a few of the local lanes & it was great fun & I've done nothing to Fiery as yet with regards to modifications but still managed to have a play with all the ratios & the diff lock :thumbup: All pay & plays have marshalls so if you do get into trouble they'll pull you out or advise you & alot of the pay play sites also offer tuition @ an extra cost so it really is very easy to get mud on your tyres :D

Hope all of this helps you :thumbup:

Hi Steven, thanks for your welcome. Is there a place on this forum which gives advice on what to look out for when buying an older LandCruiser? When you say a good honest looking car with history you mean one with service history right? Not a proven track record of off-roading, right? BTW, sorry to be such a dummy but I can't decipher your type of Land Cruiser from your signature. Do you have an idiots guide to reading signatures on this Forum? :shifty:
 
Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them
knctaylor said:
is Lindcomb near to where Julian is based? Does it include Sundays? What if I turn up in a Smart Car?! No kidding!

Lincomb farm is in north Worcestershire, a bit south west of Birmingham from where you are. You turning up in a Smart Car would be great fun, for us :mrgreen: but seriously I'm sure you'd be welcome and there can't be a better place / event in the UK to see a lot of the variations of Landcruiser available and there are just a few! There's a lot of information to take in though so be patient making your choice.
 
Jon Wildsmith said:
knctaylor said:
is Lindcomb near to where Julian is based? Does it include Sundays? What if I turn up in a Smart Car?! No kidding!

Lincomb farm is in north Worcestershire, a bit south west of Birmingham from where you are. You turning up in a Smart Car would be great fun, for us :mrgreen: but seriously I'm sure you'd be welcome and there can't be a better place / event in the UK to see a lot of the variations of Landcruiser available and there are just a few! There's a lot of information to take in though so be patient making your choice.


Hi Jon, will people be there this Sunday coming the 22nd of August? I will be passing by as it happens on my way further south - and yes in a smart car :doh: . At least I'll provide everyone with a laugh.
K
 
knctaylor said:
Hi Jon, will people be there this Sunday coming the 22nd of August? I will be passing by as it happens on my way further south - and yes in a smart car :doh: . At least I'll provide everyone with a laugh.
K
It's a working farm and equestrian centre most of the time Keith so there won't be a Landcruiser gathering there this weekend except for the owners vehicles. The previous replies were refering to an event happening in early October when there should be lots of Landcruisers on site, see this thread: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=8170 .
 
Jon Wildsmith said:
knctaylor said:
Hi Jon, will people be there this Sunday coming the 22nd of August? I will be passing by as it happens on my way further south - and yes in a smart car :doh: . At least I'll provide everyone with a laugh.
K
It's a working farm and equestrian centre most of the time Keith so there won't be a Landcruiser gathering there this weekend except for the owners vehicles. The previous replies were refering to an event happening in early October when there should be lots of Landcruisers on site, see this thread: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=8170 .


Okay, thanks for letting me know Jon. Can I ask your opinion of this?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

Keith
 
If its anywhere near as straight as he says it is, it looks like a bargain
 
knctaylor said:
Okay, thanks for letting me know Jon. Can I ask your opinion of this?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

Keith

Buy it, quickly :twisted:

It has the ever elusive rear difflock, I searched for months to find one and had to spend 18hrs travelling to get it, but it's mine :D

Not a bad price at all and looks in very tidy condition. I was looking for a manual too but thought my search would last forever if I waited for one.

Jim.
 
I don't know much about 70 series really but others who do will be along soon I'm sure ;) What is your budget?
 
Just looking back at your first post in this thread - "Plans for your Cruiser: A family hauler (2 adults and 4 kids), and less often, an overlander." A 70 series might be a bit cosy for 6 people ...
 
I've recently helped a chap on the other forum purchase an LJ78 (this 'cruisers designation), this is a quote from that topic:

Jimbo4x4 said:
Hi Pete, welcome to the fold. I own a 1992 LJ78 and am slowly kitting it out for overland adventures. In the meantime it is my daily drive and fun toy for a bit of green laning once or twice a month. I'll try and help you out as best I can with this motor you're interested in.

wobbly said:
There is a 78 on fleabay - item 200505511407 , which looks and sounds in good order
It looks and sounds great, the seller has 100% feedback so there's a good start.

wobbly said:
...but there are a couple of bits of info....I'm guessing its leaf rear and coil front, I need more comfort than, say, a series 3 landie, but accept that £2k isnt goint to buy me all round coils!
...errr, actually, you'll be surprised! Coils front and rear with a solid front axle ;) It's perhaps not as comfortable as a road car but it's damn close..

wobbly said:
That one is a jap import, so I need to look at undersealing & underside rot, any other issues other than oil leaks, transmission clunks et.
6 years of UK roads shouldn't have had any major effect unless it's been mistreated (eg; driven in seawater and not washed for days afterwards). The resistance to oxidation of the metal on this is excellent. I'm just starting to see some small patches of surface rust on mine, it's been in the UK since Dec' 98 and never been undersealed. If there is any rust I hear it comes up through the boot floor first, so check under the carpet in there.

Other than the usual checks, know that these things are susceptable to head gasket problems, so check for "mayo" on the oil filler cap, low water level, white/grey exhaust smoke etc etc. Annual rad flushes with Toyota "red" coolant should keep the demons at bay.

The lowly 2.4 can feel a little underpowered for some, so make sure it will do everything you ask of it. Mine can get a little warm towing loads up long hills but it has been plenty powerful enough for most of my requests. There is also a 3.0TD version, known as the KZJ78 which was available from late 1993 to 1998 iirc, although (iirc again) this runs the same cooling system as the 2.4 and as a result can overheat easily leading to a cracked head if you're not careful.

If it has electric front hubs, check they work when the button is depressed and the ignition on. Leaving the t-case lever in 2H try to turn the front propshaft, it should have a small amount of play but if you can turn it right round then the hubs have not engaged. They are a constant source of pain with the light duty 70 series and tbh best replaced with manual hubs. I have permanantly engaged mine as a free alternative.

Off the top of my head I can't think of anything else to look for, just the usual stuff that you would with any car.

wobbly said:
Again, I'm guessing it has a low box and central difflock (similar to a S3 landie setup)
It runs part time 4wd, with 2wd high range and 4wd low range selectable on the transfer lever, and 4wd high range selectable on the dash. The "centre diff" if you will, is constantly locked when in 4wd. Obviously the front hubs need to be engaged to get 4wd.

I hoped I've helped, good luck with your search :D

Jim.
 
Jon Wildsmith said:
Just looking back at your first post in this thread - "Plans for your Cruiser: A family hauler (2 adults and 4 kids), and less often, an overlander." A 70 series might be a bit cosy for 6 people ...

For six adults maybe, but I have had eight adults in mine (with very few complaints :p ). My cousins (9 and 13) prefer to sit in the back row!
 
Julian said:
If its anywhere near as straight as he says it is, it looks like a bargain


Thanks for the tip Julian - are you THE world famous Julian who knows everything there is to know about LCs?
Keith
 
Jimbo4x4 said:
knctaylor said:
Okay, thanks for letting me know Jon. Can I ask your opinion of this?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

Keith

Buy it, quickly :twisted:

It has the ever elusive rear difflock, I searched for months to find one and had to spend 18hrs travelling to get it, but it's mine :D

Not a bad price at all and looks in very tidy condition. I was looking for a manual too but thought my search would last forever if I waited for one.

Jim.


Jim, thanks so much for taking the time to write. I may now seriously look into it.
Keith
 
Back
Top