On Tuesday evening I drove my 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser to the Upin Thai restaurant in Dickinson to pick up a Red Curry Chicken that I had ordered. I bought this vehicle in 2014 in Bismarck from the owner of Bearscat Bakery for $4,500. Since then, after driving and learning more about it, I have been in love with Land Cruisers.
From time-to-time I look on BisMan Classifieds for Toyota Land Cruisers for sale, and I bought two more 1992 models that were located in Bismarck, one in 2016 and the other in 2020. I even used to look for them on nationwide salvage vehicle auction websites, because they can withstand substantial front end or rear end damage and still run & drive fine.
For readers who are not familiar with Toyota Land Cruisers, the Toyota Motor Company intentionally and knowingly over-built Land Cruisers in comparison to its other vehicles which were already good quality, so that they would be trouble-free in very remote harsh environments such as Vietnam, Thailand, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Phillipines, Africa, Australia, South America, and the Middle East.
In almost every country on Earth, male children and adults know what Toyota Land Cruisers are, not necessarily as a status symbol, but as a way to get to or from some place that is very difficult to reach. The U.S. is likely the only country where most people do not know what a Land Cruiser is, because U.S. roads are modern and in good condition.
I was very surprised on Tuesday night, to see a 2001 Toyota Land Cruiser for sale, across the street from the Upin Thai restaurant in Dickinson, North Dakota:
The empty lot where this Toyota Land Cruiser was parked, which actually turned out to be the Lexus/Luxury version, is owned by Ray’s Auto Electric. At the end of this video, the contact phone number shown on the passenger-side window is for Ray’s Auto Electric. In 2018 I bought a 2000 Toyota 4Runner on this lot from Ray’s Auto Electric, that has been a good vehicle for me. This 4Runner had come from an auto auction needing some repair that was done by Ray’s before I got it.
The reason why I am saying that this is the nicest vehicle for sale in Dickinson right now, is because it is. Though it currently has 207K miles on it, and an asking price of $13,500, over the next ten years and 200K miles, it should only need normal maintenance like oil changes, brakes, and maybe a fuel pump. Upon further research, this 4.7 liter V8 engine does have a timing belt, not a timing chain, and it is strongly recommended that the timing belt be replaced every 90K miles.
At the end of ten years and another 200K miles, it should be worth about $5K-$10K because its body & chassis will still be solid, and its engine & transmission serviceable. ( Some 1990s Land Cruisers with over 200K miles currently sell for 60% of their original price. )
Altogether you would get a very safe, reliable, comfortable, good looking vehicle with only $8K total depreciation over ten years and 200K miles.
In comparison, a new Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee, Chevy Suburban, Ford Explorer, Ford Bronco, or a new Dodge truck would experience about $30K-$40K depreciation over ten years and 200K miles. And be more likely to require an expensive repair along the way.
Please read this much better article by someone else:. “Why I Chose A Used Lexus LX470 Versus A Brand New Ford Bronco” https://www.insidehook.com/article/vehicles/used-lexus-lx-470-review
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