Picking My Next Vehicle

Darryl

Darryl

Adventurist
I am agonizing the pending sale of my 80 Series. I am and have been an 80 nut for a long time and I've come to the point that I just don't want to spend any more money on the truck, not that I currently need to but it is 17 years old and will need something major sooner or later.

All that aside, I have been building multiple spread sheets with pros and cons of what to build next. The last time I did this I went back to an 80 Series... I will not do that again, time for a different direction.

This vehicle will not be my daily driver, and I have my wife and 2 year old that will be with me most of the time. Part of the reason for selling the 80 is to get something more road worthy and a newer platform.

Here are the current units that I am considering in no particular order. Please share comments or thoughts on any of these and share your insight!

200 Series Land Cruiser - 2010 - 2012

100 Series Land Cruiser - 2005 - 2007

Tacoma Double Cab - 2014

Jeep Wrangler AEV Rubicon - 2014

Jeep AEV Brute ~ probably not a real choice due to high cost, but fun to ponder!

Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel - 2014
 
200 series - I led a group with one of these in the pack. This is a very nice truck with a capable traction control system. However, there are drawbacks. This is the worst selling SUV in the US, and sales aren't exactly taking off internationally. I think that this will be a barely supported platform here in the not so distant future. This vehicle has a very poor entry angle, and the ARB bumper on the front of the one I wheeled with earned it's keep on every trail. This vehicle is wide and tough to wheel in the choppy stuff. This vehicle is supremely expensive.

100 series - IMO the best Land Cruiser ever built. It is comfy, has a good v8 engine, good support everywhere, very reliable. That said, this platform is aging. It will be tough to find a lower mileage truck in good condition. There are plenty of guys that have these, but I would recommend that you reach out to Wes at Central Overland. He has a built 100 and has traveled a lot in it. He will give you a no BS assessment of its pros and cons.

Tacoma DC - I'll let others who have owned one chime in, but I've wheeled and traveled with lots of these. Which generation?

Jeep JK - I've wheeled, traveled, fixed these. They are great, but have a few pesky issues. The good news is that there is nothing that could possibly go wrong with his that hasn't been well documented, and they have supreme aftermarket support.

2014 dodge Ram diesel - I have one of these now, and I am impressed so far. Loads of power and better fuel economy than you will get with the Jeeps or Yotas. Payload will be hard to exceed, and there is even aftermarket support for this. The coil spring suspension is great and rides smooth with or without a load. The radius arm front suspension is little more than a longer armed copy of Ford's, which is bomb proof. The back seat is cavernous. My work truck model has zip off seat factory seat upholstery, easy to wash... But a little hard to get back on afterward. The bad news is that this truck is big, really big, and will be difficult to get through anything twisty or tight. I've only had this truck a few months, but feel good with the choice. I think it's going to be a winner.

Oh yeah... Dual 220 amp alternator option on the diesel.
 
I have owned a second gen Tacoma. The two mid-sized trucks that last here in the desert the best are the Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier. I prefer the Fronty myself over the Tacoma. But it's personal likes and dislikes not much against the trucks themselves.
 
I think it comes down to whether or not you need a truck bed. If not I would choose the 100 series, the 200's are just way too expensive IMO.
 
I will say this. I absolutely love my 04 Dodge Cummins. It's a quad cab, long bed 6 spd manual. It's easy to drive, but it gets a little questionable on tight trails. I love the amount of storage/bed space that I have, and the reliability of the motor/trans combo is hard to beat! I love the dead simplicity of the Cummins without the DEF tank, and have heard some stories about the DEF tank and such causing issues in these new trucks, but I suppose that's what warranties are for! :)
 
What is your current vehicle not good at that you want your next one to do better?
 
bob91yj said:
What is your current vehicle not good at that you want your next one to do better?
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This and what do you want to do and plan to do with the vehicle? All we know is that your looking for something more modern and road worthy. Thanks.
 
The brute is always a good one to ponder, maybe when I win the lottery, or maybe even better marry a rich woman, yea, that's what I'll do....
 
I had to stop short earlier so I could get off the train. I expect I'm one of the first overlanding folks to have this truck, so I'm going to try to go down the rabbit hole a bit. To finish my thought on the Ram pickup...

The 6.7L is a proven platform that has been around and tweaked for years. The DEF tank concept takes a little getting used to, but allows the engine to run as it should instead of how it came from the factory before the DEF tank became the emissions method. There is a complete feedback loop between the transmission and the engine, so the computer actually manages them as a team instead of the transmission being the whipping boy. Hence, my auto tranny option allows the engine to throw down 800 ft/lbs of torque, where the manual allows only 650. I get about 15-16 mpg in the city and 19-20 on the highway with bigger tires.

Warranty will cover up to 35" tires and 4" of lift. I'm currently running a 2" spacer in front and 34" tires, which fits the truck very well. Factory gearing is 3.42 (no other gears offered on this truck), which helped to dictate my tire size choice.

I haven't tested factory suspension travel yet, but I think it will be pretty good. Turning radius feels like half a football field.

The frame on the 2014 is 50% stronger, so twist will not be a pesky issue. If you can't Dodge it, Ram it.

I have experienced a couple computer issues. My exhaust brake activates sometimes when it's not turned on. I get intermittent throttle response when the engine is very cold. These should both be fixed with a re-flash, which Dodge will take care of as they are known issues on some trucks.

I have not researched yet if a power wagons winch mount can be installed on the deisel, but I'll look into it.

I really like driving this truck, but expect it to wheel like a fat pig. It's suprisingly quiet, and very comfortable.
 
Bhos said:
This and what do you want to do and plan to do with the vehicle? All we know is that your looking for something more modern and road worthy. Thanks.
Click to expand...

The 80 series does a lot of things well, but there are three things that I keep thinking about.

1 - I have about $45,000 in it and like I mentioned don't want to spend anymore on it and its 17 years old.

2 - I enjoy getting out a little further from Colorado and the 80 is not really a highway machine. Also I don't tend to tackle the harder trails as much as I use to so the need for a truck this capable is questionable.

3 - Family comfort, safety and reliability.

So I plan to mostly use the truck for weekend getaways for hunting and camping, and I usually end up out of state like Pismo Beach, Arizona, Utah once a year.
 
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Mr. Leary said:
The 6.7L is a proven platform that has been around and tweaked for years.

I really like driving this truck, but expect it to wheel like a fat pig. It's suprisingly quiet, and very comfortable.
Click to expand...

:popcorn
 
Darryl,

You have a 2012 LR4, just use it?

Darryl said:
The 80 series does a lot of things well, but there are three things that I keep thinking about.

1 - I have about $45,000 in it and like I mentioned don't want to spend anymore on it and its 17 years old.

2 - I enjoy getting out a little further from Colorado and the 80 is not really a highway machine. Also I don't tend to tackle the harder trails as much as I use to so the need for a truck this capable is questionable.

3 - Family comfort, safety and reliability.

So I plan to mostly use the truck for weekend getaways for hunting and camping, and I usually end up out of state like Pismo Beach, Arizona, Utah once a year.
Click to expand...
 
I borrowed a 2008 Land Cruiser 200 series this past week, I did not get a chance with it off road just in town and highway miles. It had a standard lift and 33 inch tires front ARB and winch.

Overall it was a nice vehicle, not really as big as it seems to be. I think however it has moved down my list from the #1 spot. It was boring as a lot of Toyotas seem to be, yes it had all the creature comforts and lots of power but it just seemed uninspired. I will say that it was not set up to my preference, so there is some room for improvement.

As compared to our LR4 - The LR4 has much nicer interior as well as all the controls and overall ergonomics are a much better fit and feel. When driving the Rover I feel much more engaged if that makes sense??? The driver feedback and handling on road seem much more crisp!

The 200 just felt like I was driving a soft road car from the early 1980's! The road presence while in traffic felt better and safer in the 200, some of that was the slightly larger size. The sitting position of Rover feels like you are right on the door.

Oh and 14.8 mpg...Highway! My 17 year old 80 almost gets that!!!!
 
Hi Darryl:

Here are my two cents which will be discounted to one cent by most of the folks on this thread. I have a 2003 F150 4x4 5.4 L crew cab with a 5.5 foot bed. The tailgate extender gives you another two feet of bed length. It is totally stock except for the oversize BFG/AT tires. I love this truck! It is my daily driver and I use it for my construction business. This truck is bulletproof and I have used it on many 4WD adventures and have even done some rock hopping with it. I am a gear freak and can carry whatever I want to bring in this truck as well as three or four additional friends/family. Oh yeah, the dog too. Piling on extra weight (people and stuff) doesn't seem to phase this truck.

I know, this truck isn't trick, modified or cool but damn, it does the job without complaint.

One thing that all of you should be aware of is that all newer vehicles are connected to the internet. What this means is that some outside entity such as the "government" or law enforcement can shut your vehicle down remotely. This fact means that I am now forever tied to pre-2008 vehicles. This shouldn't be an issue because I am almost 56. But, you young bucks out there need to figure out how to disable your 4x4's internet connection in case all hell breaks loose.

Cam
 
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