We intend to buy a 200 Series Land Cruiser, in the next two years, for towing our 2 tonne caravan with the 1VD FTV V8 diesel and we intend to spend a lot of time touring in Europe. It will be our last vehicle as we head into retirement and will be used mainly for towing. I am convinced this vehicle is perfect for our needs in terms of its power and unrivalled reliability. I am used to powerful, fast cars cars and the V8 diesel fulfills this need. Being that I spent half of my life in a rural part of New Zealand, I am very used to off road vehicles. My family had Range Rovers for 30 years which primarily were used for towing. There is tremendous amount of knowledge, enthusiasm and aftermarket parts available from the Australians. It doesn't matter how much mileage is on the vehicle as long as it has some service history and does not require too much work to bring it up to a good standard. Any modifications that we do will be to enhance its towing ability, power,economy and on road handling. Specific modifications we are considering are: suspension upgrades, air bags in rear springs for towing, front tow bar, additional fuel capacity, EGR blanking/restriction, reprogramming of engine and transmission ECUs and locking differentials. We intend to avoid vehicles that have level control because I believe this system can be unreliable. If we happen to get into a situation like getting stuck in a campsite I want its 4 wheel drive capability and to be in a position to help others if they get into trouble. Occasionally we get enough snow in the area to need a vehicle of the Land Cruisers ability. At the moment we have a Hyundai Santa Fe to tow the caravan which on a 2400 mile holiday to Croatia proved to be close to its maximum ability so we want a more capable tow vehicle. We have chains for the Santa Fe which I am hoping will be the same size for the Land Cruiser.
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Hi, I am Ratmos
- Thread starter Ratmos
- Start date
Hi Ratmos, welcome aboard.
Good luck with sourcing a V8 200, my boss bought one new and it’s a work of art.
I’m not keen on modern elktro gismo computerized cars, but she’s had no problems with hers in the 5 or so years she’s had it.
the only thing against them is the price...
Good luck with sourcing a V8 200, my boss bought one new and it’s a work of art.
I’m not keen on modern elktro gismo computerized cars, but she’s had no problems with hers in the 5 or so years she’s had it.
the only thing against them is the price...
Hi Clive,
Thanks for the reply. Used Land Cruisers in the UK not only hold their price but in some cases appreciate which is a testament to their reliability and quality. A very good one here is up to £30k. So I am looking at the viability of importing one from Japan, New Zealand or Australia. I am assuming it will be more expensive but it's not until the it is investigated that it can be proven that it is a more expensive exercise.
Thanks for the reply. Used Land Cruisers in the UK not only hold their price but in some cases appreciate which is a testament to their reliability and quality. A very good one here is up to £30k. So I am looking at the viability of importing one from Japan, New Zealand or Australia. I am assuming it will be more expensive but it's not until the it is investigated that it can be proven that it is a more expensive exercise.
