1997 Toyota Landcruiser 4.6L I6

Summary:

I love her! She's my 4x4 goat-footed baby

Faults:

Nothing yet. Except for slamming into off-road obstacles; most recently hit some concrete while doing dough-nuts at 50MPH. Did a couple grand worth of damage but... I was still able to get her home after a quick tire change. Fun fun fun!

General Comments:

LOVE IT! She's a BEAST. But fuel costs are a tad pricey; but it's paid for so who cares. Oh, and the brakes pads go pretty quick.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th April, 2008

1997 Toyota Landcruiser FZJ80 40th Anniversary

Summary:

Best built and performance 4x4 in the world

Faults:

Rear electric windows stick down sometimes. Electric antenna does not work. Not bad for a 8 year old 4 x 4.

General Comments:

I've owned many imports and American built cars and trucks. No other manufacturer comes close to Toyota's reliability and quality. The Landcruiser itself is the best 4x4 by far. Jeep, Chevy, and Ford don't come close to the Landcruisers traction and handling. I've spun out many 4x4s on ice and wet pavement. I can never seem to get the Landcruiser to break traction. Last winter, my vehicle would consistantly go up a very steep clay / dirt road when wet and icy, when most other 4x4s couldn't. Beyond performance, I love the plush interior and climate control. I'm also impressed with how well the body and paint hold up since I almost never wash it. No rust.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th August, 2005

30th Nov 2009, 10:03

You seem to have so much great to say about your truck, yet you gave it a frown and said you would not buy another Toyota?

1997 Toyota Landcruiser FZJ80 - 40th Anniversary 4.5 with supercharger

Summary:

Best 4x4 ever made - buy the Beater edition

Faults:

Head gasket blew due to previous owner never changing the oil (not the truck's fault).

Blew second 1FZ-FE engine, again covered under warranty due to poor diagnosis by dealer (the fan clutch had died so the truck ran hot for about 8 months and eventually killed the #6 rod bearing).

General Comments:

Greatest truck ever made. Super reliable and built tough. This is no SUV, it is made for off road use although it also cooks down the highway comfortably blowing by other cars.

Only gripes are seats don't go far back (far enough for me, but I'm short) and bad mpg - although I didn't buy it for good mpg.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th August, 2004

23rd Oct 2007, 08:41

How can this be (in your words) 'super reliable' if it has already gone through 2 engines? I have never heard of a head gasket failure due to not changing the oil; they always fail due to overheating or poor design. As for engine failure no. 2, the temp gauge should have been reading warm and you should have noticed, OR the gauge read OK and once again a poorly designed 'stabilized' gauge was used in this Toyota which did not alert you to a catastrophic problem.

I would say get over the Toyota reliability hype and realize that indeed, 2 failed engines covered under warranty or not, do not describe super reliability. I would hate to be in a desert when your cruiser blows engine no. 3. And there are vehicles out there which drive nicer on the highway than your 80 series, but are still better off-road--the Range Rover, for example, or the Mercedes G-Class.

Good luck.

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