Big Changes and New Additions

There are 2 vehicles you won’t find in my driveway any longer, a green FZJ80 and a Blue Tacoma. Both went to great homes where they are being used as intended and I feel good about the decisions. However, that’s an odd combination of vehicles to replace so what did I replace them with? Well, found my dream vehicle.

After months (really years) of looking, I finally found a 2016 200 series Land Cruiser and here are the main reasons why I bought this particular one:

• Reasonable Price and Miles
• 2016+ Mechanicals and Cosmetics
• Blizzard Pearl Exterior with a Terra Interior
• Complete Maintenance Records from Day 1
• Minimal Rust
• Sold at a Lexus Dealership and if you know the dealership sales patterns, no way would they deal with a 2016 if it wasn’t a sold vehicle, especially a Lexus dealership. To top it off, name any 2016 with a 3-year 36k mile bumper to bumper warranty? Nope, Land Cruiser is the only vehicle I have ever seen this happen.

Sold.

If you know 200 Series, you know they came with all the things. Very little variation from vehicle to vehicle. One odd thing was it didn’t have the trailer wiring which is supposedly standard so I had to add it, but did come with a factory auto start module. Our 2019 200 Series did not have an auto-start, much to the chagrin of my Wife, but that was later fixed with a nice add-on unit so all is good in the world now. I won’t go into details but I do believe I found the reason it was traded on a Lexus, and it was a very easy fix with no lingering symptoms so that was pretty cool.

So what’s in the plan for upgrades?  Well, a lot, and most is actually already done.  Here goes:

• Old Man EMU MT64 Heavy Suspension Kit
• Toyo Open Country AT III Tires – 35×11.50r17
• Icon Vector Matte Bronze Wheels – 17×8.5 25mm 5×150
• SPC Upper A-Arms
• SPC Rear Lower Control Arms
• Dobinson Adjustable Rear Panhard Bar
• Durobump Front and Rear Bump Stops
• Slee Extended Stainless Steel Brake Lines
• SDHQ Body Mount Chop Kit
• Slee Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier, Ladder, Maxtrax Mount, and Hi-Lift Mount
• Slee SliderStep with LED Lighting
• Slee Aluminum Skidplate System
• Long Range America (The Cruiser Company) High Clearance Full Hoop Bull Bar
• Sherpa (The Blanca) Roof Rack
• ComeUp SLim 12.5rs Trail Winch with Synthetic Rope
• SwitchPros 9100 System with SDHQ Mount
• Slee Main Battery Tray Upgrade (31 Series) with Billet Terminals
• Gamviti Dashboard Accessory Mount with RAM Mount Accessories
• Likely a Midland MXT575 GMRS In-Cab Unit with Antenna (tbd)
• Apple iPad with Gaia for Nav (I hate Apple but iPads are amazing value for nav with the gps chipset)

Still need to install the sliders, roof rack, and front bumper, and the rear bumper isn’t in this picture, but just waiting for a nice day to knock those projects out. Short version, the MT64 and associated package is absolutely spot-on and I would recommend what I did to any 200 owner. It rides and drives better than our stock 2019 and that is really saying a lot. Add in towing and load it down, hardly can tell, its amazing.

The suspension work was done by Peter at Aylestock Automotive. He is a great guy and did an awesome job. Do not hesitate to reach out to him in the western VA area for any Land Cruiser or Toyota needs.

So why the big changes in vehicles? Well, there are a few reasons so let’s chat on them:

The FZJ80 while fun, simply wasn’t being driven. I put 40k DD miles on it after the initial build and sitting was doing it zero good. And it had been essentially sitting for 2+ years. Rather than let it rot away, or become a major project to restore, I sold it to a friend who I knew would, and does, appreciate the vehicle and will use it for years to come.

Ever try fitting 2 growing boys and yourself in a crew cab Tacoma? Add in camping and biking gear, then a teardrop on the back and yeah, it didn’t shine in that role. It was an awesome truck, built to my exact wants, but it just wasn’t meeting our needs. But, I have a friend who this is the absolute perfect rig for, and he was in a buying mood, so we both won in that deal.

In my opinion, I like having a single vehicle that is both my DD as well as fun vehicle. The 200 fits that bill exquisitely. With the big 5.7 v* towing and gear is nothing at all. Add in the full-time 4wd, selectable hi and low range 4×4 with Toyota’s outstanding ATRAC and other systems and this is nothing but a winner. And let’s be honest, if I am going to get crappy gas mileage why not make it a v8? Lol Tacoma’s are universally know for having the power of a 4 cylinder engine and the gas mileage of a v8, worst of both worlds. The interior space is substantially better that either the FZJ80 or Tacoma, with the added room in the cargo area that is just a pain with a truck and cap. And the last key item, heated steering wheel. Its 7F outside right now and I am going to tell you that heated steering wheel is absolute gold.

Not a lot more to add, just going to throw in some trips we have already taken and why WV is such an amazing place to live.