1991 80 Series Toyota Land Cruiser

The Ultimate Urban Cruiser

The Original Land Cruiser prototype was created by Toyota during World War II using a old Bantam Mk II the Imperial Japanese Army discovered in the Philippines.  During the Korean war, the United States Government commissioned Toyota to build Willys spec vehicles and the BJ Land Cruiser was born.  1967 brought the J50 which was the first Land Cruiser with 4 doors and the first to be considered to be “comfort oriented”.  The J50 changed into the J60 in 1980 and was designed to compete in the emerging SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) market.  The J60 was being driving more in town rather than off-road so in the late 80’s Toyota decided that a model change was necessary and the 80 series Toyota Land Cruiser was born.

The 80 Series took the “comfort oriented” J60 and took it one step further to the realm of high technology and luxury.  This was not a truck that was designed for mainly off-road use, but designed first for on-road use but fully capable off-road, and features a 3-link rigid coil type front suspension and a 5-link rigid coil type rear suspension.  The center diff was lockable in 4HI and automatically locked in 4LO and the limited slip differentials kept the wheel with the most grip turning in all conditions.  The low side step, which aided passenger entry, and rear overhang, for more luggage space, hindered performance only on the most extreme off-roading excursions.

The 80 Series was powered by a gasoline 4.0 L or a 4.2 L Turbo inline 6 Engine.  The mid 90’s saw upgrades to both of the engines with the gasoline engine being upgraded to the newly developed 1FZ-FE engine and diesel being replaced by the 24-valve 1HD-FT engine.  Both engines are known for their reliability but the diesel engine is the preferred off-road choice with extra torque.

The 80 Series Land Cruiser sold approximately 547,400 units around the world in its 8-year production period which vastly overshadows the 406,700 production units in its 9-year 4-month production life of its 60 Series predecessor.  Of the 547,400 units produced worldwide, the Japanese market gobbled up almost a fifth, with domestic sales of the 80 Series being 107,000 units, the majority having diesel engines.

In years since, the popularity of the 80 Series Land Cruiser has made the model a good choice for investment with high resale values and popularity among the off-road crowd.  Japan Car Direct can help you find your own 80 Series Land Cruiser or any other Land Cruiser in Japan from Dealer Auctions and used car lots where cars in very good condition can be found at very reasonable prices.  Please contact us with all of your import needs today!