Greetings LC forum

[Chester50]

Long time LC fan, but never quite got to owning one. Even if the price of the 200 series or a used 100 was doable, the fuel economy was always a turn off. High hopes for the 250 series letting me get a taste of the LC heritage. Currently using my Jeep gladiator as an overland vehicle (never had a truck before). Probably a couple of years away from an LC purchase, but still fun to read all about them and learn from other members. Cheers!

 

[Nuke]

Welcome to the forum Chester 50! The way things are going, if one ordered a LC today, sadly it may be approaching a couple of years to get one. A world vehicle, and they are selling like hotcakes across the planet. I am back to considering a 2024 Tacoma Limited.

 

[supersix]

Welcome to the forum @Chester50 What kind of fuel mileage have you been getting in the gladiator? What size tires are you running?

 

[Chester50]

I have upgraded the stock “AT” tires to 33 inch cooper discovery tires. Getting about 19 mpg in mixed driving. It’s a manual transmission, which is what I wanted. Looked at a getting a Taco also, but the Toyota’s policy of not allowing direct order/build to spec was very hard to stomach. Jeep let me order exactly the specs I wanted and it was 8% under invoice pricing in 2022. Took about 2 months to build, but I got exactly what I wanted.

 

[Nuke]

Absolutely agreed, Toyota's policy of no direct orders is frustrating, to say the least. Profitability for the stockholders/executives, and arrogance. This said, Toyota quality/reliability has me hooked. Will probably be ordering a Taco Limited tomorrow, as at 82, heck, I might be deceased before a LC would arrive.

 

[Chester50]

My 2007 Prius has been very reliable for me as well. I did have to replace the main hybrid battery due to a bad cell, so my fuel savings went to pay for that swap, but otherwise it’s been super solid. I know the hybrid system in the LC will be different, but the way Prius implements it with regen braking, I am still on my original brake pads at 170k miles. And for some reason the fact that the 12v battery only closes a relay allowing the main traction battery to start the engine has also resulted in only one 12v battery replacement since new.

 

[Nuke]

My 2007 Prius has been very reliable for me as well. I did have to replace the main hybrid battery due to a bad cell, so my fuel savings went to pay for that swap, but otherwise it’s been super solid. I know the hybrid system in the LC will be different, but the way Prius implements it with regen braking, I am still on my original brake pads at 170k miles. And for some reason the fact that the 12v battery only closes a relay allowing the main traction battery to start the engine has also resulted in only one 12v battery replacement since new.

This brings up a question/point. From what I can gather, repairing a hybrid battery assembly, or replacing with a "rebuilt/refurbished" unit of which bad/weak cells have been replaced, is ill-advised. Entirely a completely new assembly, or from a recent totaled vehicle is what I see recommended. That is, all the batteries age at the same rate, so the "balance" is not correct if only select cells are replaced.

 

[Chester50]

I got the same advice from the shop that did the battery replacement. It was a small independent hybrid-focused outfit in Madison Wi. He offered to try and replace the one bad module, but was warning that it often turns into a game of whack-a-mole with the other cells. It made sense to swap the entire battery out for another. It was $3k bill 8 years ago (I was unlucky in that my hybrid battery developed that issue at only 120k miles). It’s been flawless since then.