i wouldnt say its in the same ballpark, but if a G is what you want, i wouldnt think its something that i would let deter me.
there really arnt any bad years for landcruisers, its just a matter of design taste. the 100 had a 2 pinion rear diff for a spell, that im not really sure caused any real issues, and there was a 1 year span (2000) where lx470's had a TSB for bad transmission shims, that typically failed before 60,000 miles if they were going to fail. i dont think there will be to many of those left on the road.
a pre 2002 G means youre dealing with a non MBUSA rig. its not as simple to get things or repairs.
2002-2003 really do have a long list of issues. if they are all done, then you should be ok, except for window regulators. apparently it will cost you 700 a year for life. with the frequency of failure, it fascinates me that MB never updated the replacement part.
04 on up should be fine. ive only heard of the ECU being fussy and going into limp mode with larger diameter tires. i guess it thinks youre about to spin out, around a bend.
an out of warranty MB isnt for the feint of heart. if the real concern here is the potential cost for driving an expensive out of date used car, vs merely breaking down on a mountain top, youre going to want to stay on the pacific side of the axis. landcruiser ownership is much more boring when it comes to misbehaving. its my good child.