Truck loads of Land Cruiser double cab pickups in South Florida this week

[redthies]

Agreed. The G Pur edition is stacked directly against the 70 series.

This is a factory new G:

And this is my rig:

View attachment 518103

My good friend is a Lt Col in the Canadian Forces with his CDN Special Forces and US Ranger jump wings. He has offered to take me out to the base to drive our version of the G and play with .50 cal MGs. I’m looking forward to it!

 

[Regcabguy]

Because cheaper isn’t always better. That’s the fundamental problem with North American thinking. Bigger faster and cheaper equals better. That’s totally not true, but it’s the mentality that has Toyota, Nissan etc NOT wasting their time and effort importing quality work vehicles. Everything in our N.A. culture is about bigger and cheaper. The Big Gulp mind set will be the end of us...

I drove a medium duty 1992 Hino w/4cyl turbo diesel,Allison non-electronic trans for 260K. Most reliable vehicle I've ever driven. Toyota builds a great medium duty truck.

 

[redthies]

He has an AK round still in his left shoulder from Afghanistan, so I’m not sure he and the Taliban are on good terms. True to his nature, he told his wife and grown daughter he tore ligaments in his shoulder in an office mishap and needed surgery to fix it. His son and I are among the few who know what actually happened. He has an Aston Martin and 2 V8 BMWs in his driveway, but still ogles my 100 when I drop by...

 

[nickw]

Turning

I drove a medium duty 1992 Hino w/4cyl turbo diesel,Allison non-electronic trans for 260K. Most reliable vehicle I've ever driven. Toyota builds a great medium duty truck.

Has more to do with the year than the vehicle, turn the clock back to 1992, take a Ford F350, 7.3 diesel, HD 5 spd manual, Full float rear axle, HD TCase.....probably every bit as reliable as the Hino and can service anywhere.

 

[TonyLC]

The US has some great options. Most brand-loyal fans have a myopic view of the automotive landscape.
Land Cruisers are great, but so are some other vehicles.
If I wasn't building a Troopy already, and wanted a NEW vehicle; I'd consider a shortened single cab Ram 2500 Tradesman with no options aside from 4wd and the 6.7 Cummins and a built, Aussie style, canopy/trayback. At least that's my answer today, tomorrow who knows.

 

[nickw]

Dont confuse, Hino is a truck. F350 is a pickup.

He was comparing "reliability" not capacity, both "reliable" expo platforms....

 

[nickw]

The US has some great options. Most brand-loyal fans have a myopic view of the automotive landscape.
Land Cruisers are great, but so are some other vehicles.
If I wasn't building a Troopy already, and wanted a NEW vehicle; I'd consider a shortened single cab Ram 2500 Tradesman with no options aside from 4wd and the 6.7 Cummins and a built, Aussie style, canopy/trayback. At least that's my answer today, tomorrow who knows.

I had the same idea but with a F250 w/6.2 and manual Tcase.....

 

[T-Willy]

Like I said - you can't just convert to USD, doesn't work that way if they were to sell here.

Enlighten us. Exactly how does it work?

 

[nickw]

Enlighten us. Exactly how does it work?

I don't need to know "exactly how it works" to know that currency conversion does not = market pricing. You gotta take into account market demand, taxes, tariffs, supply chain, emissions testing, safety testing, etc...it all adds up.

 

[Paddler Ed]

I don't need to know "exactly how it works" to know that currency conversion does not = market pricing. You gotta take into account market demand, taxes, tariffs, supply chain, emissions testing, safety testing, etc...it all adds up.

Pretty close - tie it to the market perception/positioning for the brand and that's a starting point. The 1980s and 1990s, the Mercedes W123 and W124 were basic taxis for much of their product life in Germany, in contrast in the US and (to an extent) the UK, they were a bit more of luxury car.

Also look at purchasing parity - how many hours minimum wage to earn something is a quick and dirty way. The Australian rate is about $18/hour, so a VDJ79 that's about AU$80k is just over 4400hrs work. In the US, how much is an F250 in the USA (you wouldn't want to know how much an American PickUp is in Australia...)? Changing to purchasing parity in that respect also removes the currency effects influenced by external factors.

 

[toylandcruiser]

My good friend is a Lt Col in the Canadian Forces with his CDN Special Forces and US Ranger jump wings. He has offered to take me out to the base to drive our version of the G and play with .50 cal MGs. I’m looking forward to it!View attachment 518959

There’s no such thing as ranger jump wings.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Because cheaper isn’t always better. That’s the fundamental problem with North American thinking. Bigger faster and cheaper equals better. That’s totally not true, but it’s the mentality that has Toyota, Nissan etc NOT wasting their time and effort importing quality work vehicles. Everything in our N.A. culture is about bigger and cheaper. The Big Gulp mind set will be the end of us...

You seem to forget that the holy grail Toyota vehicles that this website is crazy about are all but worthless to the overwhelming majority of Americans.

They are slow, uncomfortable, noisy, gas hogs, and they ride and handle like crap. Vehicle needs are vastly different in the US when compared to other countries.

 

[TonyLC]

Like I posted over on IH8MUD; if you want to know how a stock 70 feels, go to your local Kubota dealer, it ain't great.

 

[Desert Dan]

I sure wish we could get the Toyota Work Mate in the USA...

 

[redthies]

There’s no such thing as ranger jump wings.

Ok, I’m obviously not in the US military. He has US jump wings earned on a reciprocity program with Army Special Forces back in the olden days.