Anyone had one and care to share their experiences? Thinking of a ten year old, 100,000 miles car, for 6/7 seater duties - airport runs when the kids and partners descend on us etc. Budget say £10-11k. Thanks.
If that's all you want it for a Renault Grand Espace is probably a better bet. Better as in more comfortable and more versatile, as seats are easily removed to adapt to load. And it s capacity with seats removed turn it into a decent sized van.Originally Posted by Skyman
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Thanks for that, however I have a (totally irrational) longing for another 4x4 - one which is capable of much more than I will be throwing at it! Having said that, the Espace would, for obvious reasons, suit being based in France.
A Landcruiser is a wonderful reliable 4x4, so if that is what you want it's a good choice. The equivalent Discovery is a better 4x4, more comfortable and more capable in the rough but the Toyota is so much more reliable...
Having said that as a people carrier it's not very comfortable.
If based in France, you're probably better off with a car bought in France as getting the ticket from an airport parking gate, and paying on exit, is difficult on a RHD vehicle, although 2nd hand cars are cheaper here.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I had thought about an LR3 but reliability, or potential lack of it, put me off. Hence the LC. The RHD issue is not a problem since, as far as airports are concerned, the ones near us (Limoges, Bergerac, Toulouse) are very friendly in that regard - loads of space, timed barriers etc.
We are looking to buy a U.K. car because French prices are, shall we say, optimistic!
Last edited by Skyman; 30th December 2017 at 20:14.
Prices remain keen - favoured vehicle of the Taliban amongst others.
Last forever - as long as the history is good and you do not mind 'vinyl' in the interior then they are a good buy.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
We had an awesome trip in one in the dunes which surround Dubai. That car seemed to be able to put up with some serious grief without complaining.
I've had a string of Hilux 4x4's for my utility/foul weather car, and for what they are, they're fantastic, well made vehicles, so based on my experience, I'd have no hesitation in buying a Landcruiser.
"when an insurgent is looking for a vehicle to mount his anti aircraft machine gun on, he doesn't choose a discovery" (quote nicked from a dealer)
Excellent quote!
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This sort of thing.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-sea...private&page=1
2007 model year should also be similar, in fact that series (100) started its run in 1998. The current Landcruiser (200 series) was introduced in 2008. I have been looking for a nice 100 series Landcruiser at a reasonable price myself for a while now, still looking...
Assume you're looking at a 120 series (rather than the larger 100 series) of that vintage. There are plenty about but look out for (underbody and chassis) rust, which might be one of the main issues. The interiors are pretty hard wearing in either leather or cloth trim. The LC5 have air suspension on the rear and can be problematic. Also they have integrated info-tainment and sat nav systems which can be a problem and not easily replaced. Best bet IMHO is a LC4 spec 3.0TD (d4d) auto (better than the manual ime) Wait a few months till Spring and the prices will drop even further
sent by elves while I'm asleep....
Last edited by vagabond; 30th December 2017 at 21:25.
Never had one but a few of my customer's run them. I don't see them in for repair very often!
The Taliban connection is valid. Anywhere where you will die if you break down, they all drive Toyota's! Same goes for Africa, Australia etc...
You most likely went in the full fat land cruiser if you went dune bashing in Dubai. Over in the UK at least that is called the Land Cruiser Amazon and there aren’t many about.
The Land Cruiser over here is the smaller 4x4 known as the Prado in Dubai.
I have fond memories of biffing about in a Landcruiser (J80) in the UAE back in the 90's. 4.5 petrol, 8 MPG, twin tanks that held something like 28 gallons and cost about 6 quid to fill up. That and the speed humps on the motorways that were first gear jobs, even in the Landcruiser.
Couldn't afford the fuel bills these days..
Cheers,
Plug
Mine is a 2006 model. Have had it here in Kenya for over a year now. Tough as nails. I can say it’s the strongest car I have ever owned. We have put on approx 60k km in the last year on all sorts of terrain. As long as you service it and lube it well, you wont go wrong. Prior to this, I had a 200 series (2011). As refined as it was, it was way tooo modern and electronic for African roads. PM me for any questions. Absolutely happy to help. Some small mods on these cars go a long way. My active height control and air suspension is being ripped off the caf next month and I am going for some heavy duty shocks and a 2inch lift
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Ahhhhh memories...
Drove one without a windscreen for couple hundred miles, luckily i had sunglasses.
Gave up trying to find service road to an oil test site so just drove a ploughed field in dead of night but did lose the headlights part way!
Got stopped on Libyian border by Armed police at 3am, forced to unloaded and open the modified ‘gun cases’ i was using to transport specialised equipment which looked remarkably like missiles... gulp!
Worse thing... only one cassette tape ‘best of Brian Adams’.
In early 2000's these where the 4x4 to have, Range rovers couldn't touch them.
I looked at one a few years ago and wasn't that overwhelmed, think they were slow catching up.
Don't get me wrong still a nice motor and a very capable 4x4 thats built like a tank.
I also had a LWB Nissan patrol many years ago, now that was a beast, regretted getting shut of it.
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I took all the current (although they don't appear to have been updated much over the years) Land Cruisers, big and small (Prado) out for test drives in Oz in Mar-May. I wasn't that impressed with the on the road drives. The big Nissan we tried was a much better drive, but was 2.5 petrol supercharged.
But as an older car they made more sense, as there really hasn't been that much on the way of updates.
Even the small model had something like a 130 litre in twin fuel tanks.
Friend's have just bought a brand new full size one, to pull trailers and horse boxes. I'm sure there are better options new.
As a used buy what other options are in the running?
It's just a matter of time...
Chris, that's the pickup version you're talking about. The normal station wagon version is widely in use by, ahem, the other side.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
I love the chunkiness of the Amazon.
Is there any major difference on the driveability (is that a real word?) and engine longevity between the diesel and petrol offerings?
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Friend of mine has a 4.7 litre petrol Amazon about an '05 year (private plate!) and it's a stunning motor. Does about 15mpg on a good day but what a tool to ride about in! Like sitting in a smooth river cruiser, you just can't be bothered to hurry anywhere!
Re my earlier post about Toyota
Here's my rust free and pretty mint Hilux
It's done an awful lot more work than you'd think! And 96k miles
Utterly problem free (touch wood!)
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Last edited by GOAT; 1st January 2018 at 13:37.
That is a lovely looking truck. If you ever want to get rid of it please let me know, I’d have that off of you in a shot. 👍🏻Re my earlier post about Toyota
Here's my rust free and pretty mint Hilux
It's done an awful lot more work than you'd think! And 96k miles
Utterly problem free (touch wood!)
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