North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Hi All,
Looking at getting a new/used car, I am currently looking at the VDJ200R (200 series). Everyone I have spoken to cant fault them, anyone on here tell me some good things or bad?

You know the answer barney!

Yeah had mine for 2 1/2 years now can't fault it....130kph towing the boat for 14ltrs per 100 i'm happy Make sure you get one with KDSS

Very nice truck, went out 4wding with a few today. One stock as a rock and walked up areas where other lifted trucks couldn't get up.

They seemed to have improved the injector problem some what. But I know a few which have had different electrical issues, which has left the truck not drivable. I seen one getting towed by a patrol through the simpson, apparently it had a sensor on the transmission fail and it could not be driven. At the 4 wd expo a few years ago there was one doing the recovery demonstrations and it just cut out and had to be towed to Toyota. It happened to him again about 3 months later, but since then it all seems sorted.
A few different ones have had a recurring problem of throwing fult codes, but one I think was due to an aftermarket chip, the other one seems to be releted to water or moisture but they are still trying to work it out.

Their alternator are quite exposed tho. Not a problem is you don't intend to do many water crossings or mud driving. But cost about $1800 when they go

Don't get me wrong. No matter what car you get there will be "common" issues. And they are not that common. There's not too much competition in the large 4wd market if you want a diesel.
If a medium 4wd would suit your need I would have a close look at the Ford Everest, which are getting quite a good wrap. But I have had no experence with them ( apart from driving a ranger which makes me a little bias I guess)

I've had mine for years now and haven't had any major issues.
Join up to the LCOOL forum (land cruiser owners online) and there is years of topics with every conceivable issue.
A few common ones are:
Oil burn on some cars
Dust ingress in the rear
Exposed alternator location
GVM issues once you start kitting them out
Annoying bl..dy door chimes
Standard batteries are cr.p and generally fail
Put in a second fuel filter ASAP
Lack of features / driving aids if you don't buy a Sahara or VX model
Still only a 6 speed box, best to tow in S4/5, will hunt for gears when cruise control is activated at times
Can't manually select and hold 6th gear unless you get a lock up kit
No fuel usage info on GXL models (handy to know when towing large distances) buy a scan gauge/ultra gauge

Anyway, I love mine and hope they develop a 300 series soon

Yes the gvm could be an issue, if you plan of a few modifications, plus a bit of gear and towing a trailer.
Can be made a little better if you buy new and plan on swapping out the suspension. You may want to get it done before purchase and first rego, and get a gvm upgrade. I think it's only an extra 130 kgs, but that can make the difference at times. A lot of $$ to not be covered by insurenance if you have a prang and over loaded

Thanks all, some interesting facts there that I had no idea about. Thanks all....

mickkk wrote:Don't get me wrong. No matter what car you get there will be "common" issues. And they are not that common. There's not too much competition in the large 4wd market if you want a diesel.
If a medium 4wd would suit your need I would have a close look at the Ford Everest, which are getting quite a good wrap. But I have had no experence with them ( apart from driving a ranger which makes me a little bias I guess)

Just looked up the Everest, they do look nice! I think the interior looks so much more value for money also. Thats a thing with all the Toyota 'offroad' 4wd's they are so basic on the inside.

Have a look at the patrol y62. Yes its a V8 petrol.
Much more refine 4wd (newer/up to date). Will eat the 200 for lunch.
Yes fuel is higher but the purchase price HEAPS cheaper then the 200. Like $25,000. Take a very long time to recover those $$$.

Diesel are become too hi pressured and fuel sensitive these days, for my liking. Mine does NOT use huge quantities more then the 200, much to the rubbish you hear.

Do your self a favor or even for s...ts and giggles take 1 for a test drive.
Or worst case pm me im sure i could help out.

I was huge diesel and toyo fan. How things have changed.

Joe.

Yeah Joe but you then have to look at the thing every morning too. Sorry mate but I can't stand the look of them and I'll take the diesel any day of the week. Better resale too then the patrol.
Can't go wrong with the 200 really just need a few mods and shares in a fuel station and it will be a great tourer
Last one I drove had the Steinbauer chip and staino 3" and went like a cut snake

I think the old school argument that petrol's can not handle water has long gone out the window once they started putting ECU's in.
I don't have experences with the new patrols, so I can not comment if ithad the low down grunt some petrol engines are lacking. But this can come as much down to gearing too.

If you were planning to tow long distances I would want to know what the economy is like, I would expect through the roof. There is no grey nomads using then as a tow vechiles. But I saying that the 200 cab be up around 30 l/ h when towing just a camper trailer (with a slight lead foot). You are seeing less and less of the grey nomads in cruisers for this and only this reason ( well maybe price too). In just about every other aspect they are a better car, but you see a lot of Rangers, a few hilux's (may start to see more now with the new one out).
It really just depends what you plan on doing with it.

The argument regarding petrol vs diesel with water mainly comes down to the petrol having a ignition system. Current diesels are made to still handle it too an extent but I wouldn't go more then a metre in my 150 where 1.5 was OK in the 80. Too many issues if water gets into the car with the new ones. But in saying that put a current petrol and diesel completely under water, just air boxes out and I've got money on the petrol having issues. Even coil on plug setup which is the most water resistant around is buggered once it finds its way in there, then harder to clear.

Fuel economy is fine with them i average 14ltrs per 100 towing and 12's not towing on the highway.....don't worry I was scared at first I owned a V8 petrol 100 for 5 years so I know scary bad economy.

My fuel usage is a little higher than the average 200.......Bullbar,2'' lift,33's,winch rack etc etc....Around town is pretty much the same...I run a scangauge and it's 100% on the money at fill time.

As for the Patrol....yeah big car powerfull cheap to buy etc........i'd not like to take that loss on when it comes to re-sale though apart from that they do get good reviews but all seem to average the low to mid 20's like my old 100 V8 petrol.......diesel is always the better option for a tow/tourer rig.



Mickkk..........30ltrs per 100....towing a camper.........no way brother maybe a 30' van with really lead foot..........compared to our old D4D 3.0 Hilux there is bugger all difference towing and I can actually pass road trains without the stars and moon having to be in alignment.

Basstad wrote:Mickkk..........30ltrs per 100....towing a camper.........no way brother maybe a 30' van with really lead foot..........compared to our old D4D 3.0 Hilux there is bugger all difference towing and I can actually pass road trains without the stars and moon having to be in alignment.

I have a mate with a 200, which has been a little butchered with an average chip, straight through exhurst. Also has 33's, bar work roof rack etc... And a very heavey foot. But pushed 30 l per 100 whilst towing a Kimberly camper. Another mate has a 200 that isn't so butchered with Chile etc. But he got 28 l per 100 whilst towing a camper through the simpson, but gets more like 18, 19 normal towing I think

As you say 100 series patrols get crazy numbers when you start towing, or 4wding, or even just thinking of starting it.