Used Toyota Land Cruiser 80 for sale

The Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series debuted at the Toyota Motor Show in October 1989 and was available for sale in 1990. At the beginning, the Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series got swing-out back doors and in 1994 these doors were changed by a hatch and tailgate. Because of the roundness so in Venezuela and Colombia the car was called the Burbuja (Bubble). The J80 was originally available in 2 versions: the fully loaded VX and an entry level model which consisted of a vinyl interior with optional AC. In 1996, Toyota upgraded the entry model to a medium equipped model called Autana, consisting power driver seat, standard air conditioning and cloth upholstery. The name is a reference to the Tepui mesa Autana, a majestic cave and plateau system along the Guiana Shield craton.

As you are looking for a Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series for sale, we’ve summarised some features of the car as below. Check it out!

Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series: The Benchmark 4WD

1. Cabin

In the year 1990s, the Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series was a 5-seat car having a modern interior design - with speakers and radio - and there was not too much changed in that furnitures until 1995, when Toyota gave to the Land Cruiser 80 series a facelift with upgraded dashboard and interior equipments.

Dimensions were fine as were ergonomics: seating was luxurious and elegant; the cargo space was bigger than the Range Rover’s and the Patrol’s.

The Land Cruiser 80 series had an aftermarket-friendly interior with room enough to contain a cargo barrier, drawers.
Air conditioning was offered as a standard feature on Sahara and GXL while in other Land Cruiser 80s, it was available as optional.

And you often see a roof rack on the top of a Land Cruiser as well.

2. Engine

The engine choices were initially a mixed bag, with a set of 2 overhead-camshafts, hi-tech diesels contrasted against the old pushrod petrol six, now in 3F-E fuel-injected and 3F carburettored guise.

Originally, the Petrol engine had been produced for the Land Cruiser 45 Series and was now used for the Land Cruiser 80 series for the purpose of hauling around an extra half-tonne of the vehicle weight, while nobbled by emissions gear. This engine turned the Petrol Land Cruiser 80s into a pricey slug, which, with its depressing engine, couldn’t gain the great achievement of the petrol Land Cruiser 60s.

The Turbo-diesel engine of the Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series also did not gain success as there were some problems happened sometimes.

Let’s take have a look at a 1996 Land Cruiser GXL 80 series. It has a 24-valve 6-CL 1 HD-FT turbo-diesel engine and is fitted with an automatic transmission. A touring friendly 270-litre fuel tank and 30-litre water tank are given to this model, while in a standard version the figures are 90 litres and 45 litres respectively.

The 90-95 models have the towing capacity of 2500 kg whereas the later models have the capacity of up to 3500 kg. Tow-ready 80s have a tow bar.

3. Driving Experience

The Japanese Grandtreks were vulnerable to damage and diabolical on slippy trails. Only the working vehicle models, with firmer coils, skinny tires and part-time 4-wheel-drive worked well on- and off-road.

The Land Cruiser 80 series models with automatic transmission had viscous coupling centre differential and a torque converter; both of them did much to decrease any engine torque curve “wobbles”, along with the significant driveline lash that was a bad side of Toyota’s full-time 4-wheel-drive system.

The full-time 4-wheel-drive RC, VX and GXL models have a better balance on slippy and loose roads, but compared to the part-time 4-wheel-drive models, they have more driveline backlash and need a front bearing repack more frequent as the front-axle is running all the time.

If you are looking for a nice model to drive, you should pick an automatic model as automatic models are better to the manual ones in this term. But the sump of auto models is weak to rock damage and requires extra bash-plate safeguard.

From 1993, Toyota offered factory-fitted front and rear differential locks as optional.

Aftermarket lift kits and suspension upgrades have always been popular 80 implementations for enhanced off-road driving.

4. Land Cruiser 80 series Price

The production of Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series ended in 2008 so nowadays if you want to buy a Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series for sale, you have to pick a used one.

On today’s market, the price of a used Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series for sale varies from $12,000 to $24,000 up to the model year, mileage and condition of the car. Normally, at the same condition, a used Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series with low mileage will cost you more bucks than a used Land Cruiser 80 series with high mileage.

And the best way to get a Toyota Land Cruiser that is worth your money is buying it from renowned dealers as they can sell you a good car with a long life left. There are still many bad dealers out there who only care about the money so if you buy a Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series from them, you might get a bad car but still have to pay a lot of money for it.

Final Words

After decades, the Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series is still an interesting car for travellers who like a car they can fix on the run. The most available Land Cruiser 80 series cars in the market are full-time-4-wheel-drive and the pick of these is the 24-valve turbo-diesel.