They sound so knowledgeable... And they have paid to appear at the top of search results, so anybody new looking for answers will find them.
They only sound knowledgeable to the unknowledgeable. I think you hit the nail on the head.
I've been doing some volunteer work on trails with guys that use 80 seriesI'll give my 2cents since I have owned 2 fj cruisers, 1 tacoma, 1 200 series land cruiser, 1 80 series land cruiser and 2 fj 40s.
My 2nd fj cruiser was very capable and beyond reliable with a 3 inch Toy tec lift. Almost 200k on it and zero issues. It pulled my boat well and got good mileage on 33s. But you can't go over 33 without a frame mount chop.
My 1st fj cruiser had a 6 inch RC lift on 35s. Still very capable offroad but horrible on road. Needed a regear. Both interiors looked new after many years. They are solid vehicles. Insanely reliable and I sold both for more than I paid for them. IFS is great for overlanding not Rock crawling.
The fj 40s are absolute tanks. Purely utilitarian. With a set of lockers they are unstoppable. They are now so sought after that prices are astronomical. Which is why I am keeping my green 72.
The 80 series from 93 to 97 are hands down the best 4x4 ever built in my opinion. Crawl under one and compare the size of everything compared to a jeep and you will see why they are nearly unbreakable. The engines are good for 300k with the only issue being a head gasket around that mileage. Most people replace it as pm then are good for another 300k. The 1fzfe is a great engine. The 80 has about a 6 inch shorter wheel bade than a 4 door jk and with lockers will walk uo anything a jk will. Coil suspension all the way around. Solid front axle. But the top doesn't come off.
The 200 series with a one Inch lift and good tires will climb anything without lockers. The multi terrain select works very well. It will tow 9k but gets about 10mpg in town and 13 on the hwy. But that 5.7 will run forever.
The 3rd gen taco is a great truck for daily commute and trails. The engine and Trans set up is a major failure from Toyota. It's dependable but always searching for the right gear. It will tow well but you can't run 33s without a re gear.
The gladiator to me is the best of all worlds. Jeep is much more dependable now. Not Toyota dependable yet but getting closer. Much more comfortable than the taco. Especially in tbe rear seat. The gladiator tows well (mine is a diesel). It feels like the 80 series with solid front axle. It will go anywhere you point it. Gets great mileage. The top comes off. It's my favorite of them all so far.
Toyota builds what 90% of people need. Jeep builds what you want. If a die hard Toyota nut like me has switched to jeep then it speaks volumes for jeep design and reliability
93 to 94 are obd1 and have a better transmission and no air bags. 94 has disc brakes all the way around. I like 94. But neither can be supercharged. Not a big deal. Easy to delete egr, cats can be deleted as o2 sensors on each bank are up stream of cat.
