$6k Budget - Land Rover Disco 2 vs Land Cruiser 100 Series or other options

[Ian McAdorey]

I am currently looking at getting either a Discovery Series 2 or a Land Cruiser 100 Series. I have never owned a Toyota or Land Rover product before but I would love to hear from current owners about their experiences, pros and cons, of owning these vehicles. I have outlined below the information that I currently have and I am building upon. I would love to hear more experiences and insight.

As for me personally, I just moved to Syracuse, NY, I am the founder and admin of Garden State Overland, an Overland Club Based in New Jersey, Majority of my trips will take place up and down the east coast, but I do have aspirations to head out west for a two week trip sometime in the future and it will most likely be in this vehicle. Towing capacity is not HUGE but it is certainly a factor, I am hoping to eventually have something along the lines of the Runaway Campers Venture Series Trailer, which I know both of these trucks could tow with ease, but I also spend some time at the race track and would eventually like to have something that could tow a car and trailer when I do get to a point where I feel comfortable owning a fun car for the track.

Land Rover Discovery II

• Pros
  • My dream car growing up, couldn't tell you why other than the fact that my father had a Disco 1 growing up and got rid of it shortly after my brother was born for an Acura (ew)
  • Higher Towing Capacity @ 7,700 lbs
  • Arguably better gas mileage, I know this is a marginal but I have buddies telling me they are getting around 16-18 mpg.
  • High aftermarket support
  • A lot of great vehicles within the budget of $6k, all with mileage ranging from 100k to 130k
    • Current vehicle I am looking at is a Loaded 2004 that spent its entire service history at a LR Dealer, Has roughly 105k miles
• Cons
  • Land Rover Maintenance can be a hassle, I am fairly mechanically inclined and If I don't know how to do it, but I feel confident/comfortable it is something I can do, I will take to the forums or YouTube and learn.
  • Going to need a winch and bumper fairly quickly in order to not fry out the transmission and diffs going up tough terrain
  • Needing to re-gear to get to a 33" tire (the largest size I would want to run anyways)

Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series

• Pros
  • Practically the overlanding "industry standard" of luxury, class, and capability
  • Most can be found, if not all (not too knowledgeable in either of these vehicles) with both a Center and Rear Locking differential from factory
  • The Tried and True low maintenance UZ V8 Engine
  • Toyota "Reliability and Dependability"
  • Running 33" tires without re-gearing
    • I could be wrong on this one but I came across two threads saying that you do not need to re-gear to get a 33" tire as its a marginal difference from the roughly OE 32" tire
• Cons
  • Lower Towing Capacity @ 6,500 lbs
  • Very tough market to find one in as good as shape as I would like for $6k
    • Majority are missing components/third row seats or even ripped seats, have a check engine light, or are starting to become a victim of some rust.
    • I also wont find one with less than 200k Miles on in in that price range either.
  • Being at the top or blowing the budget would leave me with no money modifications for the time being or even tapping into what I planned on spending for modifications

TL;DR: If you own a Disco 2 or a J100 Curiser, tell me what you love/hate about them so it can help me make my decision.

 

[Welding Goats]

I am currently looking at getting either a Discovery Series 2 or a Land Cruiser 100 Series. I have never owned a Toyota or Land Rover product before but I would love to hear from current owners about their experiences, pros and cons, of owning these vehicles. I have outlined below the information that I currently have and I am building upon. I would love to hear more experiences and insight.

As for me personally, I just moved to Syracuse, NY, I am the founder and admin of Garden State Overland, an Overland Club Based in New Jersey, Majority of my trips will take place up and down the east coast, but I do have aspirations to head out west for a two week trip sometime in the future and it will most likely be in this vehicle. Towing capacity is not HUGE but it is certainly a factor, I am hoping to eventually have something along the lines of the Runaway Campers Venture Series Trailer, which I know both of these trucks could tow with ease, but I also spend some time at the race track and would eventually like to have something that could tow a car and trailer when I do get to a point where I feel comfortable owning a fun car for the track.

Land Rover Discovery II

• Pros
  • My dream car growing up, couldn't tell you why other than the fact that my father had a Disco 1 growing up and got rid of it shortly after my brother was born for an Acura (ew)
  • Higher Towing Capacity @ 7,700 lbs
  • Arguably better gas mileage, I know this is a marginal but I have buddies telling me they are getting around 16-18 mpg.
  • High aftermarket support
  • A lot of great vehicles within the budget of $6k, all with mileage ranging from 100k to 130k
    • Current vehicle I am looking at is a Loaded 2004 that spent its entire service history at a LR Dealer, Has roughly 105k miles
• Cons
  • Land Rover Maintenance can be a hassle, I am fairly mechanically inclined and If I don't know how to do it, but I feel confident/comfortable it is something I can do, I will take to the forums or YouTube and learn.
  • Going to need a winch and bumper fairly quickly in order to not fry out the transmission and diffs going up tough terrain
  • Needing to re-gear to get to a 33" tire (the largest size I would want to run anyways)

Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series

• Pros
  • Practically the overlanding "industry standard" of luxury, class, and capability
  • Most can be found, if not all (not too knowledgeable in either of these vehicles) with both a Center and Rear Locking differential from factory
  • The Tried and True low maintenance UZ V8 Engine
  • Toyota "Reliability and Dependability"
  • Running 33" tires without re-gearing
    • I could be wrong on this one but I came across two threads saying that you do not need to re-gear to get a 33" tire as its a marginal difference from the roughly OE 32" tire
• Cons
  • Lower Towing Capacity @ 6,500 lbs
  • Very tough market to find one in as good as shape as I would like for $6k
    • Majority are missing components/third row seats or even ripped seats, have a check engine light, or are starting to become a victim of some rust.
    • I also wont find one with less than 200k Miles on in in that price range either.
  • Being at the top or blowing the budget would leave me with no money modifications for the time being or even tapping into what I planned on spending for modifications

TL;DR: If you own a Disco 2 or a J100 Curiser, tell me what you love/hate about them so it can help me make my decision.

Looks like a very well thought out post.

I would venture to guess that maintenance and repair costs on the LR would be significantly higher. I'm sure others here could chime in on that.

 

[Ian McAdorey]

I would venture to guess that maintenance and repair costs on the LR would be significantly higher. I'm sure others here could chime in on that.

From my understanding its only the electrical stuff that becomes and issue. Its also tough because there were a ton more LRs made and brought state side, as opposed to the 100 Series Cruisers. This makes parts a lot more accessible for the LR in comparison to the Toyota

 

[Natchez]

Well with the 100 series you have the LX470 as well for options to buy. I just picked up one with 155k for less than your budget.

 

[Ian McAdorey]

Well with the 100 series you have the LX470 as well for options to buy. I just picked up one with 155k for less than your budget.

I looked, this is actually where I started, but the closest LX470 within Budget is not within the best of shape and about 260 Miles away. It Doesnt have the RRLocker and it has 180k miles with an accident on the title. Not ideal for me to max out the budget under those circumstances

 

[Txcoast]

I think it depends on what you want from the vehicle.

I drive a 2001 LX, which came without a rear locker, and I haven’t ran into any obstacles I wanted to go over that I couldn’t. Especially here on the east coast. The ATRAC system is very capable, even on the older 100s without the factory locker. Things like sliders, skids, front and rear bumpers are higher on the list than lockers in my opinion, since the lockers might just get me into more trouble than the stock body work can handle. The aftermarket support for the 100s is increasing, at least from what I’ve seen in the last couple of years. More folks like me are buying them from the original owners who never had them leave the pavement.

I think that if you just want something to buy, throw 33s on, and run it for another 200k, then the 100 series takes the cake. In that case I’d look for the best maintained, least rusty 100 series you can manage in your budget and grab it, no matter the miles. Maintenance history and material condition trump mileage all day every day on these rigs. I love mine and I don’t plan on ever not having a LC, so I’m pretty biased.

If you want your dream car, and probably more of a project going forward, then the Disco is probably for you.

 

[Ian McAdorey]

I think it depends on what you want from the vehicle.

I drive a 2001 LX, which came without a rear locker, and I haven’t ran into any obstacles I wanted to go over that I couldn’t. Especially here on the east coast. The ATRAC system is very capable, even on the older 100s without the factory locker. Things like sliders, skids, front and rear bumpers are higher on the list than lockers in my opinion, since the lockers might just get me into more trouble than the stock body work can handle. The aftermarket support for the 100s is increasing, at least from what I’ve seen in the last couple of years. More folks like me are buying them from the original owners who never had them leave the pavement.

I think that if you just want something to buy, throw 33s on, and run it for another 200k, then the 100 series takes the cake. In that case I’d look for the best maintained, least rusty 100 series you can manage in your budget and grab it, no matter the miles. Maintenance history and material condition trump mileage all day every day on these rigs. I love mine and I don’t plan on ever not having a LC, so I’m pretty biased.

If you want your dream car, and probably more of a project going forward, then the Disco is probably for you.

I am young, only 24. I have many years to go, and thats what makes me think i can have fun with the disco and tweak it and make it my own as I go. BUT I also feel like I need that sense of reliability and mental comfort that I have nothing to worry about, Which is what the Toyota/Lexus is there to provide. I should probably do better research at finding one owner Toyotas, most of the searches I do are blanket autotrader or cargurus searches, limiting me to dealers or people who might have a good vehicle, they just post terrible pictures of it online.

 

[Txcoast]

I am young, only 24. I have many years to go, and thats what makes me think i can have fun with the disco and tweak it and make it my own as I go. BUT I also feel like I need that sense of reliability and mental comfort that I have nothing to worry about, Which is what the Toyota/Lexus is there to provide. I should probably do better research at finding one owner Toyotas, most of the searches I do are blanket autotrader or cargurus searches, limiting me to dealers or people who might have a good vehicle, they just post terrible pictures of it online.

Yeah for sure, I totally get where you're coming from. If it's a toy, and not a daily, then the Disco could work out great.

For reference, I traded my 2011 silverado for my LX, and I haven't looked back since. I was 26 when I bought it. I was in a similar situation where it was something I'd dreamed about getting, so I decided to do it. If you're looking for a good deal, check Craigslist in a bunch of different places. Some hidden gems in the 100 community have popped up on CL, usually much lower priced than dealers. You'll also come across very particular owners who kept really detailed maintenance records, which I'm sure is the same with Land Rover owners. The most important items for the 100 are the timing belt and water pump, which are done at 90k mile intervals.

 

[justjohnthomas]

My biased vote would be go with the 100 for the longterm. The LX can be found cheaper thus why I picked up a 98 with 230k. If you register on Lexus website and have the VIN you can see maintenance records from the dealership. We love ours and when initially purchased figured I’d have to factor in replacing the AHC, but it keeps on trucking and love the ride with the hydraulic suspension when on washboard roads. Comfortable for long hauls, has been reliable and large enough to get my family out. Love our LX.

 

[1derer]

I've had 100 series, great truck. A few friends have had Disco2 ... Finest parts ever designed fall off these trucks.
Cons for 100:
Starter Location - starter relay issues.
Cost of aftermarket
IFS (but the ride is better!)
Cost of repairs (Both)

If towing is not as large of a want have you had a look at Xterra (Off-Road or Pro-4x) ? Typically to be had for a steal and much lower cost of aftermarket then Land Cruiser. Factory Rear Locker and decent electronic traction control up front.

 

[Horse Soldier]

I had a disco2, first thing I did was swap the engine to and LS1 and scrap the lr engine. Ran great until I went on holiday and someone stole it and turned it into a smor maker. Go with the Toyota for reliability, if you get the disco you better have a good set of tools.