AusJohnnie
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2023
- Messages
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Hello folks, great to be here. Just purchased a 2019 200 series VX. It's done 150k km and will be used mainly as a tow vehicle for our small off-road caravan. Mods at purchase were Toyota alloy bullbar, AirbagMan airbags and ClearView towing mirrors, but like most Land Cruisers, it'll need a GVM upgrade and some other improvements before too long.
I've had several 4WDs over the years starting back in 1977 with a Suzuki LJ50 - one of the most capable 4WDs ever made, as long as you don't want to haul loads over long distances. That was followed in 1981 by a Subaru 1800 wagon, also very capable when the suspension was wound up to the top of its travel. But Toyota's call was strong, and after a couple of years a HJ45 was better suited the type of off-roading I was doing, so supplanted the Subaru. The HJ was bulletproof, but also quite annoying as a daily driver, and it was with sadness that we parted later in the 1980s.
With 4WD ambitions on hold for 30 years or so, I was elated to get hold of a low mileage 2014 FJ Cruiser in 2020. The procurement process for the FJ was unusual as it was via eBay, and with COVID restrictions in force, all aspects of the transaction were carried out at a distance. The vehicle was remarkable off-road and although I set it up for towing (GVM upgrade to 3000 kg etc), it's clearly meant for tough, tight bush tracks more so than overlanding with a caravan. Hence the 200 series now. I've just fitted an UltraGauge to start monitoring temperatures and transmission behaviour as a first step. The cruiser won't be equipped with every bell and whistle, but will be set up to give us confidence when travelling to remote areas and covering long distances.
Cheers, John Szalla
I've had several 4WDs over the years starting back in 1977 with a Suzuki LJ50 - one of the most capable 4WDs ever made, as long as you don't want to haul loads over long distances. That was followed in 1981 by a Subaru 1800 wagon, also very capable when the suspension was wound up to the top of its travel. But Toyota's call was strong, and after a couple of years a HJ45 was better suited the type of off-roading I was doing, so supplanted the Subaru. The HJ was bulletproof, but also quite annoying as a daily driver, and it was with sadness that we parted later in the 1980s.
With 4WD ambitions on hold for 30 years or so, I was elated to get hold of a low mileage 2014 FJ Cruiser in 2020. The procurement process for the FJ was unusual as it was via eBay, and with COVID restrictions in force, all aspects of the transaction were carried out at a distance. The vehicle was remarkable off-road and although I set it up for towing (GVM upgrade to 3000 kg etc), it's clearly meant for tough, tight bush tracks more so than overlanding with a caravan. Hence the 200 series now. I've just fitted an UltraGauge to start monitoring temperatures and transmission behaviour as a first step. The cruiser won't be equipped with every bell and whistle, but will be set up to give us confidence when travelling to remote areas and covering long distances.
Cheers, John Szalla
