I am in currently living Europe and looking for an SUV, preferably pre-2000, and I am wondering what your opinions about a late 1990's Toyota K95 Land Cruiser (3.0l diesel) or late 1990's Landrover Defender (TDi5 engine). I know that both can have big problems with rust so those are important items for me to check, but what other concerns should I be looking for? I don't think either vehicle was available in the American market, so I am not sure about parts availability in the US, and that will be a concern ( I plan to bring the vehicle back if I can).
Thanks for your insight and help!
We don't have any experience with the diesel Land Rover but as you know overall the brand has had a poor reputation for reliability in the U.S. Based on overall brand reputation I would expect the Toyota to be better. Our moderator @dan may know more details.
Be aware that to easily bring a European-specification vehicle into the U.S. it needs to be at least 25 years old. So as of 2023 it would have to be a 1998 model or older. (You'd want to check into the detail of the law before committing to a vehicle.) Parts for a non-US model will be difficult to source here and may well need to be ordered from overseas.
I am aware of the 25 year requirement, that is why the two in question are late 90's.... I will be here for a few more years. I recently saw a video with Scotty praising the old Land Rover Defender pickup truck and its diesel.... not sure which engine was in it.
Well, it’s a 27~21 year old SUV.
The you probably mean the J95 Prado, it’s only a Land Cruiser when it comes to marketing.
It’s a rebadged and somewhat redesigned 4Runner (N180) - nothing special here.
As far as the 3.0L diesel (no turbo on this one) - it’s a 90-95 horsepower engine with pretty laughable torque.
Boring reliable tough looking 4Runner… not much to it.
1990's Landrover Defender (TDi5 engine)
Would not recommend, the Toyota is definitely better.
I thought it looked more like a 4Runner than a Land Cruiser..... thanks. Scotty liked the diesel in the Defender pickup truck he recently showed in a video....