What would you buy?

[foss]

hi all
im soon to be in the market for an LC...Im looking at a 90 or 100 and have up to £7k to spend
Being new to Toyotas (from Land Rovers) is there a guide on here defining the differences in models, spec (vx/col/amazon etc), engine etc
Im after a diesel (3.0 or 4.2?), auto with AC and leather and centre and rear lockers (i understand many models have these as standard).
It will be used off road, overland, laning, towing horses etc so an all rounder for wife during the week and me at weekends and trips away.
Ive prepped LR's for offroad/overland before so im no stranger to mods but picking a base vehicle is key...Im unsure of mpgs etc (my td5 D2 does 27 if im lucky)
Any pointers appreciated
Thanks

 

[fridayman]

If you are towing and get a 3L, get the D4D. I didn't and wish I had more power. In fact, just get a 4.2 and you won't have to think about it again.

 

[Graham]

I am sure the 3.0L D4-d has almost the same power as the older 4,2L
The 3.0L D4-d is in a lighter body by about 300kg.

Gra.

 

[Doodle]

What sort of size are you looking for? A 95 (Colorado LWB) is not dissimilar in size to your Disco whereas the 100 is a good bit bigger.

I think you'll struggle to get a decent 100 within budget...at that money they'll likely be serious mileage and have lived a hard life. It'll get you your pick of 90s though.

I get 25mpg from mine (older 3.0TD) without driving particularly carefully.

 

[Captainoversteer]

I was in a similar position not so long ago,and have had LR's in my life for the last 16/17 years,mostly pretty heavily modified Disco's that were used as daily hack/family lugger,tow barge,toolbox,breakdown van,challenge truck,laner,etc. This certainly takes its toll on them! Mostly due to the challenge events! I also buy/sell/break quite a few as a sideline. Anyway, decided it was time to 'grow up' or whatever and buy something reasonably tidy for general road use and knocked up a trayback Disco for the heavier off road work. Made the mistake of buying a Td5 Disco commerical and boy was I disappointed! Probably should point out that my previous Disco had the (mildly tweaked)Mazda SL35ti motor in it.This is part of a long line of big,nasty diesel engines in Disco's.
The td5,was a pleasant enough truck,but felt oh so fragile and so gutless I wanted to throw up!
I then had the 'epithany' if you like and realised that I should go out and buy what Ive been trying to turn a LR into alll these years! Ended up with a LC80,not looked back one day since! Its done nearly intergalactic miles and has seen a little action in its lifetime but theres no way a LR of this age and mileage would still be alive let alone wear the miles like my 80 does,everything works,theres zero rust,and apart from the well worn steering wheel, it drives as if its done a quarter of the mileage. It swallows the family( and all the random associated stuff you have to carry with two young kids)aswell as the dog (GSD) and all the random crap that I carry around with me(tools/parts/recovery equip) with ease,it pulls heavily laden trailers/21ft caravan/horsebox like a late freight train,and will happily sit and all day at motorway speeds up and down hill with or without a load.Main bonus is Its all mechanical and can be fixed by a man with a handfull of spanners without a laptop in sight!
It is maybe a little wide for Cornish lanes,mostly as Im still sort of in the 'honeymoon' period and havent put my first scratch on it yet,I know it'll be easier once I get the first one out of the way! Ive fitted a 2" Ironman lift and even with the ARB's still fitted it flexes just as much if not more than a mildly modded LR,along with the locking diffs its probably a more capable off roader,if you have the space to manouver such a ol' big beast.
Everyone I know drives a LR and Ive taken a reasonable amount of stick for my 'jump' but Im not going back,Ive seen the light!
Lets just say you wont be disappointed,whichever model LC you buy!
Good luck with the search,youve got a reasonable budget to work with so should net you a nice truck.You'll notice theres a bit of a queue for nice 80's though
Sorry for my rambling,its late!

 

[Graham]

So many of us have had so many Land Rovers of differing models.

We all generally end up here.

Some sooner, some later.

Gra

 

[foss]

@dan lol...sounds very similar to me lol

Thanks for your thoughts so far...

So a 90 then runs up to 02 I see, didn't know that...I shall look for a 90 colorado then I think...did they have 3.0d4d and 4.2 options?

Didn't realise they already had dual batteries aswell...just we have a waeco fridge and its superb for having for brew ups etc-its a permanent fixture in the D2

I do like the Iron Man HD front bumpers (although I assume they are a bit of a play on an ARB?)

 

[silvercruiser]

the colorado 90 series = swb, 95 series = lwb, both come with the 3.0 diesel engine the later 3.0 d4d engine came in from jan 2001 upto the model change in 2002. my year 2000 95 series is one of the last with the older 1kzte engine. but has the facelift front and split 60/40 mid row seats.

 

[Graham]

The 90 series Colorado in UK, is the SWB 3 door, and the 95 series is the LWB 5 door, but generally, they are alled called 90 series.
The 90 series has the older 3.0 KZT turbo diesel, non common rail injection
Also has the 3,4L V6 petrol.
Then around 2000 / 2001 year, they introduced the D4-d engine, which is almost teh same 3.0L engine, but common rail, fuel injection, and about 30% more power.
The 90 series never had a 4,2L engine.
Not all the 90 series have duel batteries, but by far the majority do, I think it is the 90 imports that only had single batteries as standard.

Gra.

 

[Captainoversteer]

Just re-read my late night ramblings,seems I was getting a little emotional! Lol!

 

[foss]

Ok...so a 95 it is then are the older 3.0td and d4d as reliable as eachother? Or does one have more common issues/things to look out for? I'd prefer the d4d tbh for towing

 

[Graham]

The 95 series with the D4-d engine do cost a bit more to buy.
Firstly because they are newer, as in, the last of that series, before the 90/95 was phased out, and also more expensive because the D4-d engine is more sought after.

If your going to do towing, then you really should look for the D4-d engined 95 series.
The older 3.0L KZT engine, is good, but does have weaknesses, in so much as they do overheat, and do do head damage.
More so a weak point, is applicable to the auto version, where as the auto box cooling is routed through the main radiator for engine cooling.
It might have been a good idea by Toyota all them years ago, but now we know it was a very bad idea, and so much inter-contamination happens.
Essentially, the pipes and fittings corrode inside the bottom of the main engine radiator, and as this is higher pressure than the auto-box cooling, then the engine cooling water is forced into the auto box.

No explanation needed to understand what happens next

This is only applicable to auto boxes, as the manual gearbox does not have this cooling arrangement.

I presume you will be looking for an auto, as towing with the auto is quite relaxing, especially with teh extra power from the later D4-d engine.

Gra.

Gra

 

[Rob]

If you get an 90 just ensure the cooling system is in top condition. Most people would recommend replacing the rad as a preliminary measure if you it is an auto. The earlier 3.0 was affected by head issues mainly caused by poorly maintained cooling system, not sure if the same applies to the D4D engines but you still can get ATF contamination if the rad rusts internally.

For £7k you should be able to get a nice D4D 90 or if you are really patient a really nice 80. The 80 comes with 4.2TD but if you want an auto and 3 difflocks you will have to get a 12 valve (pre '95) as the later 24v were manual only in UK spec. You can get auto 24v as an import but you will be stuck with the rear LSD instead of front and rear lockers. Only issue with the 80 is getting a bit old which puts a lot of people off but they such great cars it does not mater too much. Handling on the 90 and 100 is going to be better as they both have IFS.

Think the question for your budget is do you want road refinement and efficiency of the 3.0 D4D 90 or the unstoppability of the straight six 4.2 turbo diesel 80?

 

[chadr]

If it was me, I'd look for a late model 95 (LWB Colorado) with the 3.0 D4D. Should be able to get a (very) good one for around £5-6k. Then keep the remaining £1-2k for a complete service, renewing the suspension (which is likely to be original and maybe a bit tired) especially if you intend to do a lot of towing, changing the radiator (if an auto), perhaps some under body rust treatment etc. You should be able to get it into tip-top condition within your budget.

Agree an 4.2TD 80 series, 12v or 24v would be great but finding a (very) good one would be much harder and you may blow all your budget just on the purchase price.

Just my 2p worth.