Thats abit of a beast. I like

TOYOTA LANDCRUISER FACELIFT COLORADO GXTD SILVER 8 SEATER | eBay

How about the above?

IMHO,
Keep away from Plastic new age wana be 4X4's.

Be ready to travel to find the right car. Have someone who knows look at the car before you buy. The least amount of electric accessories the less will go wrong. Find one with a factory or fitted winch, bullbar and spotties. Buy from an owner not a dealer if possible.

I'd be looking at, a car that is proven and will stand up to some punishment, the 61 series Turbo Diesel and the 80 series Turbo Diesel are awesome 4X4's. Simply add 33 inch tyres and go ;-)

Auto is not my choice although there are plenty out there and I have not heard of any issues with the boxes. Mind you it will depend on what you tow and they are not quite as fuel efficient.

One thing with all of the Toyota diesels is the oil must be changed every 5000 Kilometres or so without fail, easy to do albeit expensive at 9 litres or so.

The 2 models or variations to look at are;

1990 Toyota Landcruiser Sahara HJ61RG

http://www.redbook.com.au/cars/research/used/details/1990-toyota-landcruiser-hj61rg-104305?R=104305&Silo=Spec&Vertical=Car&Ridx=52&eap i=2

1992 Toyota Landcruiser Sahara HDJ80R

http://www.redbook.com.au/cars/research/used/details/1992-toyota-landcruiser-hdj80r-104657?R=104657&Silo=Spec&Vertical=Car&Ridx=45&eap i=2

Start searching and good luck,

Cheers Dave

Unfortunately, that is easier said than done in both the UK and Europe in general; nowadays they are all moving toward the plastic cars while you guys have a much bigger choice of the desirable vehicles it seems to me - when such a desirable vehicle does come up for sale it has such a rarity value that the asking price is very high - that is not necessarily a "no no" for some folks if they want to own a rare one, have the readies to hand and get in quick before it is sold.
Dare I say that it is much easier to find an old Land Rover nowadays with no electronic gismos than other makes here in the UK - OK, I'll get my coat right now!!

__________________
Dave

G'day Dave,

True enough but............. going over 40 mph might be an issue !

On a serious note, I did a bit of a search and found 80 Series turbo diesel landcruisers far cheaper in the UK than they are here with far less miles too boot !

nothing wrong with the LC 95 as an overland vehicle avoid the d4-d and get an earlier one, an awful lot easier to find than a decent 80

Good day also.
Hmmmmmm, I'm on marshy ground with almost anything to do with 4 wheels compared with motorcycles.
What would greatly assist me - maybe Cysne also -is if you guys could say a bit more about how the LC range varies in the models and what is most desirable to have, and what is not. I don't mean the after-market stuff to be added to the base vehicle, but I see the LC specified in advertisements with air suspension (for instance). To mention the LR one more time, my background with them goes back to the days of leaf springs and heavily overloaded vehicles painted NATO green.

Similar to my comment above, but with respect to engines.
In contrast to Cysne's find on ebay it is also possible to find this 1988 vehicle which is being broken with just 90K miles showing on the clock.
Toyota Land Cruiser 1988 breaking | eBay
ps Just to clarify, I don't believe the 90K on the clock either!
I'm just interested in what life can be expected of the various engines which in general seem to go well over 150K miles for the diesels and similarly for the big petrol engines.

Also, is the "95" series the one that is marketed in the UK as "Prado/Colorado" i.e. with a 3 litre diesel engine??

__________________
Dave

The 90 or 95 was sold as Prado or Colorado, the 95 is the LWB version like in the eBay link above. IIRC the 90 is the 3 door version.

Newer ones have the D4-D more electrics and better mpg than the simpler earlier version. Colorado's in the uk came with a locking rear diff whereasthe prado only has a lsd.

I'm not that clued up on the other cruisers ans slightly biased having a Colorado.

The 80 series is better in many respects but the LC95 is a very capable overlander and big enough to sleep in the back

I understand cars & bikes are very much a personal choice. I've seen all manner of vehicles in some very rough and extremely remote country, most all were having a ball.

IMHO the 61 series Landcruiser with the 12HT Turbo Diesel engine has one if not the best 6 cylinder turbo diesel engine ever built. It is not uncommon to hear these motors doing a million kilometers. Google 12HT and see for yourself. Ok it may well not be the easiest beastie to find however well worth the effort.

The 80 series turbo diesel is also a well proven vehicle and well worth the effort of finding a good one. I might add at this point, a popular modification over here is free wheeling hubs, constant 4WD chews tyres and adds to fuel consumption. Again IMHO well worth the effort.

Troopcarriers are for me access resrticted not having rear side doors and top heavy when fitted with with a roof rack and loaded. Again it's a personal choice simple as that. A quick search reveald the 80 Series Landcruiser (link below) which would easily be double the price in Oz. Provided the car is in good nick it's very well priced indeed comparied to the price of the Troopy, it's every bit as capable more powerful and comfortable too boot.

toyota landcruiser amazon 4.2 td 5 speed manual R reg 80 series in Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross | Used Toyota for sale | Gumtree.com

I'm guessing you're begining to think crikey this Ozi is a bit one eyed with the Landcruisers and you may well be right. However what we know is what we know ;-) All said and done longevity and reliabality is paramount, the last thing we need is mechanical issues, the time and expense while on tour, hence my humble opinion.

Hope this helps guys,

Cheers Dave

.
More than suitable.

The posters who suggest to "Stay away from the plastic" have little idea of what is underneath.
Sure the plastic helps to keep them pretty for the road going buyers, but make no mistake, they are seriously capable for off road.

For a long trip, you want reliability, comfort, and fuel economy.

Land Cruiser of most descriptions fit the bill there.

vette