02 & 03 Land Cruiser Owners

[shshlens]

I'm looking at investing in either an '02 or '03 Land Cruiser. "We" have chosen to sell the Tundra. So...

What are your likes/dislikes with these vehicles? Any advice, words to the wise, warnings? What is your real world mileage?

[lelandstanford]

Originally Posted by shshlens

I'm looking at investing in either an '02 or '03 Land Cruiser. "We" have chosen to sell the Tundra. So...

What are your likes/dislikes with these vehicles? Any advice, words to the wise, warnings? What is your real world mileage?

I know a few people own LC 100.

There is not much room behind 3rd row for grocery.

Expect 11-13 MPG for 90% city (kid's bus and grocery go-getter).

Even though '03 gets 5-speed. There's no different in MPG but slightly better accleration.

[HBjeff]

my dad drives an 03. personally i hate it. the brakes are electronic(im guessing), and they are VERY touchy so its difficult to drive/brake smoothly. and his LC is so SLOW. compared to my tundra and moms GX470, his landcruiser is a SLUG. other than that its a very solid vehicle.

real mileage for my dad is 10-11mpg city and 16 or so hwy

[Agent WD-40]

Both the 02 and the 03 LC came with Stability Control, which is a must have IMO on this vehicle. The 2001 and older didn't, so I would stay away from them. I also think the 03 looks a little better inside and out but that is minor. The 18" rims on the 03 also look a lot better to me than the 16" on the 02.

My parents (with some of my help) are looking for a new car and one of the ones we drove was an 06 LC. It didn't really feel much slower than my Tundra, it felt about he same power wise. It does have 35 HP more than the 02/03 w/o VVT-i. I didn't push it too hard though.

My biggest qualm about driving it was that it felt like a yatcht. The suspension felt very underdamped and floaty. It was a smooth ride but it seems to have sacraficed handling for that ride. In a way that is sort of how Land Cruisers feel though.

Outside of that it is extremely quiet and smooth, much more so than my Tundra. It rode very smooth and was very high quality overall. You can't beat the LC, they are a bulletproof design. I also love the way these cars look.

[sailerj]

owning both a LX 470 and Land Cruiser of this era I'm a bit partial but... If you want a luxury rig that both is a pleasure to drive and can climb boulders these are increadible vehicles. if you're just after a nice suv that get's decent gas mileage and has a lot of interior accessories but don't need something to occasionally fill your need for wild spaces I'd choose something like a Tahoe or comparable suv.

[jmneed]

Do not buy one with the abs pumpd attatched to the master cylinder style. Very hard and expensive to repair. Very expensive all the way around

[100 TD]

Originally Posted by HBjeff

..........the brakes are electronic(im guessing), and they are VERY touchy so its difficult to drive/brake smoothly.

He is saying he is driving his dads car.
The brakes are fantastic by me, the best I have ever had, they do take a small time to get used to but only a small time. I wish I could have brakes like this on every vehicle.

Originally Posted by HBjeff;

Do not buy one with the abs pumpd attatched to the master cylinder style. Very hard and expensive to repair. Very expensive all the way around

The 98 onwards have these brakes IIRC, yes the master cylinder is expensive but the braking is unbelievable.

I have a 2003 with the 5 speed, very smooth, a few cosmetic changes from the 2002, dash, grill, lamps etc but the 5 speed is the only real difference I think. check out the bottom of this pages for the changes year by year in the 100 series and also the LX470 HERE

[CHARLESHALL1]

My wife and I own a 2002 LandCruiser. This has to be the best vehicle I have ever owned. A real treat to drive and ride in. Great for long trips.

We owned a Expedition prior to this and the Land Cruiser is in a class all by itself. At 100,000 miles, the Expedition was falling apart peice by piece. Our LandCruiser has 70,000 miles on it, and it is as solid and stable as the day we bought it. It would be hard to go to another SUV after owning this vehicle.