Used buying guide Get to know Toyota Land Cruisers
The go-anywhere Land Cruiser isn’t quite the bastion of unimpeachable reliability you might expect. John Evans finds out how not to get your fingers burned
“Check out at least 10 to find two worth considering,” says Trevor Castel of Freedom 4x4, a Toyota Land Cruiser specialist.
His advice will come as a surprise to those of us raised on a vision of the big Cruiser as a tough, go-anywhere vehicle beloved of UN aid workers. But the reality is that the model – and specifically the J120 series of 2003-09 under consideration here – has its fair share of problems.
Inspect any prospective purchase with a fine-toothed comb, looking for corroded inner sills and floor pan, sticky brake calipers, corroded coolant pipes, split suspension air bags (on LC5 versions) and worn suspension and steering bushes.
Not so tough after all, then, except that you’ll encounter many Cruisers with well over 170,000 miles under their wheels. Our champ in this respect is a 2004 D-4D with 300,000 on the clock, asking price £3990.
The D-4D is the 3.0-litre, fourcylinder diesel with 161bhp. Early examples fitted to the J120 dodged the copper injector seal problems that blighted later D-4DS built between June 2004 and October 2007.
Initially the engine was paired with a five-speed manual or fourspeed automatic transmission. In 2004, gearboxes were upgraded to six and five-speed units respectively.
Automatic Cruisers dominate the classifieds, but check the condition of the coolant radiator, which also embodies the gearbox oil cooler. Both can break down, allowing gearbox fluid and engine coolant to mix. To be safe, haggle down the asking price to include a new radiator.
In 2006 the power of the D-4D was increased to 170bhp. The cheapest example we saw was a 2007/07 with 126,000 miles and partial service history for £6500.
There’s also a 4.0 petrol V6 with 245bhp, but it was short-lived and does 20mpg next to the diesel’s 30mpg. We found a top-spec 2004 V6 LC5 with 128,000 miles for £5995.
The J120 featured a tough ladderframe chassis at a time when rivals were moving to monocoques. Suspension is independent at the front with a rigid rear axle. Trims range from short-lived LC2 to popular LC5. All have four-wheel drive and Downhill Assist Control (DAC). Most have a locking rear diff to which the LC3 adds a centre diff. LC4 and LC5 autos dispense with the rear diff in favour of Toyota’s Hillstart Assist Control (HAC) which uses the ABS to control wheelspin when pulling away on slippery slopes.
The LC5 has air suspension with optional height adjustment. Experts prefer the LC4, though, because its conventional suspension is simpler and because it has traditional heater controls where the LC5 has unnecessarily high-tech and potentially troublesome touchscreen ones. At the top of the tree sits the fully loaded Invincible of 2006.
Whichever version you choose, follow Castel’s advice, do your checks and you might just bag a Cruiser worthy of its UN reputation.
Many Cruisers cover over 170,000 miles. Our champ is a D-4D with 300,000 on the clock