Here’s A Well-Used Toyota Land Cruiser For Less Than 1/5th Of A New One

We’re sure the new Toyota Land Cruiser is good. Very good, in fact. We’re yet to have a go ourselves but, with the 4x4 having just landed in Europe, the early reviews are looking promising.

However, Toyota has yet to confirm pricing but, depending on who you ask, it’s thought somewhere around £50,000 is a likely starting point to get the keys to a new one. You could spend that or, save yourself a whole chunk of cash, and go for a high-mileage hero.

That thought has led us to the classifieds, naturally, and we’ve found this delightful 1998 J100 Land Cruiser Amazon, yours for £8,595 with 205,400 miles on the clock. Barely run-in, then.

If something rugged for off-roading is your main motivation for a Land Cruiser, this one - as all of them really - will tick the box. The J100 had a solid rear axle like its predecessor but gained independent front suspension and a wider chassis. This particular car has also had its suspension redone - swapping out leaf springs in favour of coils.

Powering this J100 is a diesel 4.2-litre straight-six, something you won’t find in the new J250, with nine service stamps across its 26-year lifespan. Usually in one of these pieces, we’d be a little sceptical of that fact but there’s no question over reliability here.

It’s not quite as well-kitted as a brand-new J250, sure, but there are a few tantalising goodies. Cruise control features, as do electric door mirrors, heated seats and a sunroof. You’ll even get three keys with it, which might prove useful.

There is also the caveat that this is an imported vehicle although where from, we’re not sure. As such, there’s only one recorded MOT - suggesting a fresh import - but it did pass that with no advisories.

Granted, it’s not going to be as luxurious, efficient or honestly as nice as a new Land Cruiser. But at £8,595, is this a bit of a steal?