My vehicle is a premium but coming up as a 1958 on the VIN???

[NoMe cruiser]

See pics above.

“lower than the level previously stated” I did not see any level stated in your picture.

 

[Captain Trips]

I have the land cruiser version with rectangle headlights, java interior, all the extra bells and whistles that were not on the 1958, except that mine has 18" wheels - which I happen to prefer. Unfortunately, even after a ton of research, I didn't know the vehicle required premium fuel until AFTER the purchase. Anyway, I am considering trading the vehicle in on something else that doesn't require premium fuel because I put on a lot of miles, but keep getting some REALLY low ball trade in values. I saw a thread about there being a lot of LCs on carvana so I thought I would see what value they threw on it! It was BAD, but in the process of doing so, the vin brought it up as a 1958 model. I am wondering if anyone else has had this issue?? And if that is why I am getting such low trade in offers - because they are showing it as a lower priced vehicle to begin with??

Also, is there a place on this forum to list it for sale? I know I saw a thread a month or two back about some people trying to find the ones with the 18" wheels and thought someone on here might be interested......... I love driving it - just need to cut my cost driving back and forth to see the new grand. But it worried me that it is showing up as a 1958 when I paid so much more for the vehicle.

Any suggestions appreciated!
Thanks
Gen

I doubt you did very much research at all because you purchased your vehicle in April 2025 and people have been arguing non stop since early 2024 about using premium versus regular. This arguing has been going on in multiple forums and multiple Facebook groups. In fact in this forum alone, there are multiple threads with literally thousands of posts. Just saying.

 

[Nostr0m0]

I doubt you did very much research at all because you purchased your vehicle in April 2025 and people have been arguing non stop since early 2024 about using premium versus regular. This arguing has been going on in multiple forums and multiple Facebook groups. In fact in this forum alone, there are multiple threads with literally thousands of posts. Just saying.

Yep, the 2 things I hate about being in Facebook groups related to the LC250 is it's daily posts either about premium gas or crying about mpg or the gas tank being too small.

 

[Gen]

I won't debate the semantics of that specific text in the manual. I do, however have 34k on the LC and most of it on regular. I do randomly switch back to premium now and then and I can't see any appreciable difference in the mpg (fuelly), nor feel any less torque on the butt dyno. There probably is a difference, but in this sample of one it's too small to notice.

OP: Use regular and keep it!

View attachment 43294

Thanks. I have considered mixing them one tank of regular, one premium, etc. I think I may just do that! Keep it, run the miles up and eventually sell to go to something else. I put on so many miles I will basically depreciate any vehicle pretty quickly.
Love the white! Ended up with underground trying to beat the tariffs - pretty when clean, but shows every water spot and spec of dust!

 

[ERROR504]

Not really - I came from a full size suburban. Big step down to a LC - as I said in another response, obviously mpg was not the only consideration, but it was part of the equation.

If its a huge step down did you not test drive it before hand or cross shop other vehicles? Based on the original post seems like you did very little research prior to purchase. Best of luck on your search and hope you do find one that is a perfect fit for you.

 

[Dominicancake]

Am I crazy? I started reading this tread and I could have sworn that the member was referring to the Model NOT the fuel type. then I read every reply is about Fuel.
I don't know, maybe I'm looking too deep...

 

[xil3]

Am I crazy? I started reading this tread and I could have sworn that the member was referring to the Model NOT the fuel type. then I read every reply is about Fuel.
I don't know, maybe I'm looking too deep...

It's because they mentioned the fuel type as one of the reasons he wanted to get rid of it. Filling up with premium is costing them too much.

 

[Pauliwallnutz]

I have the land cruiser version with rectangle headlights, java interior, all the extra bells and whistles that were not on the 1958, except that mine has 18" wheels - which I happen to prefer. Unfortunately, even after a ton of research, I didn't know the vehicle required premium fuel until AFTER the purchase. Anyway, I am considering trading the vehicle in on something else that doesn't require premium fuel because I put on a lot of miles, but keep getting some REALLY low ball trade in values. I saw a thread about there being a lot of LCs on carvana so I thought I would see what value they threw on it! It was BAD, but in the process of doing so, the vin brought it up as a 1958 model. I am wondering if anyone else has had this issue?? And if that is why I am getting such low trade in offers - because they are showing it as a lower priced vehicle to begin with??

Also, is there a place on this forum to list it for sale? I know I saw a thread a month or two back about some people trying to find the ones with the 18" wheels and thought someone on here might be interested......... I love driving it - just need to cut my cost driving back and forth to see the new grand. But it worried me that it is showing up as a 1958 when I paid so much more for the vehicle.

Any suggestions appreciated!
Thanks
Gen

I have a 2025 LC-1958. If I scan or enter the vin # manually it says incorrect #.
On the dealership invoice & Toyota lease billing they have the exact same vin that I enter or scan.
I think their system is screwed up.

 

[Ishtar]

I have no experience with Carvana but my FE showed up as a '58 on CARFAX. I found out about it when I took it to my local car guys for its first oil change at 5K. They said they just enter the VIN and CARFAX provided the particulars. So I put in a service ticket with CARFAX. I followed their guidance and supplied a copy of the documentation (dealer invoice, sticker, title, etc) and all was taken care of in about a week. Maybe try that with Carvana. Kind'a makes me nervous though. I plan on hanging on to the LC FE for quite a while but I don't want to have to argue with someone when I eventually sell.

 

[Hiker42]

Selling your Land Cruiser because of the unplanned expense of premium fuel isn't rational; the transaction costs in selling your LC are too great for you to come out ahead. I suspect what's going on here is your LC has become an ever-present reminder of a mistake you made. That is, not confirming the fuel requirements. If it wasn't for this one thing would you like the car? If so, forgive yourself for making a very human mistake, and enjoy your car!

 

[Bigfoot]

I tried Carvana once on a previous vehicle. The insulting low-ball offer after dealing with their poor web interface made me look elsewhere with much better results. I recommend trying other used-car services.

As for the LC250's fuel costs, well, my take is that fuel is just a middling cost in vehicle operation. Of course it is related to the vehicle type... a tall, heavy SUV is among the worst for efficiency. If I was a high-mileage driver I would prefer something more aerodynamic and efficient. The LC250 is about comfort and terrain versatility, not mpg.

Premium fuel has been discussed ad nauseam ever since the LC250 hit the streets early last year. The consensus is that it is a recommendation rather than requirement based on best performance--car manufacturers will stand on their heads for a small performance gain. When in rural areas for which the LC250 is designed there may not be a fuel choice as all they have is regular and diesel. You should get a little better power and efficiency using premium but top-tier regular gas should not damage the engine. I did get a couple tanks of suspect regular at small rural pumps so I now carry a bottle of octane booster just in case.

 

[Mike G]

I have the land cruiser version with rectangle headlights, java interior, all the extra bells and whistles that were not on the 1958, except that mine has 18" wheels - which I happen to prefer. Unfortunately, even after a ton of research, I didn't know the vehicle required premium fuel until AFTER the purchase. Anyway, I am considering trading the vehicle in on something else that doesn't require premium fuel because I put on a lot of miles, but keep getting some REALLY low ball trade in values. I saw a thread about there being a lot of LCs on carvana so I thought I would see what value they threw on it! It was BAD, but in the process of doing so, the vin brought it up as a 1958 model. I am wondering if anyone else has had this issue?? And if that is why I am getting such low trade in offers - because they are showing it as a lower priced vehicle to begin with??

Also, is there a place on this forum to list it for sale? I know I saw a thread a month or two back about some people trying to find the ones with the 18" wheels and thought someone on here might be interested......... I love driving it - just need to cut my cost driving back and forth to see the new grand. But it worried me that it is showing up as a 1958 when I paid so much more for the vehicle.

Any suggestions appreciated!
Thanks
Gen

Sorry to hear you are looking to sell. No answer re. the VIN, but I can jump in on the subject of premium fuel. Through discussions on this forum and elsewhere there are those who feel regular gas is fine. My experience, and I am no expert, but several experts have recommended that not using premium May do harm in the long term. For me, I have used both comparing mileage. After the initial break in, I am seeing an average of 6mpg better with 93 octagon vs. 89. Seems to me from a price per gallon standpoint it’s a wash, and a better bet for the long haul. Mine is a 2025 1958, 8k miles.Hope this helps.

 

[RideWithYanu]

OP, most people here (including me) really love their LC (which is why they are here). On display is that some of those people are offended that other people don’t share that love for the vehicle, and as such they are demeaning you for your decisions (which have no impact on them). I suggest to not dignify them with any response.

Good luck with the search for the perfect vehicle for you!

 

[Curtice]

Geez - I didn't make it up..... Attached is a photo from section 8-1 in my manual on page 639. I literally went to check the manual to see if the sticker inside the tank door was an afterthought on Toyota's part.

"Using unleaded gasoline with an octane number or rating lower than the level previously stated may cause persistent heavy knocking. At worst, this may lead to engine damage and WILL VOID the vehicle warranty "

As FYI, according to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, your warranty can only be voided if Toyota can prove that whatever problems you are having are a direct result of using a lower octane gasoline. Just using regular gas instead of premium will not just void the warranty. Certainly, if you are having, say, electrical problems - they can't void the warranty on fixing that because you put in lower octane fuel. Even if you have engine problems, they would need to prove with certainty that the problem is because of the lower octane fuel.

 

[bluezilla]

In the spirit of trying to help OP, this appears to be an issue with Carvana.

I just went and grabbed the vins from two random listings for LCLCs I found on cargurus.com and put them each into Carvana's website, and they both returned as 1958s.

To compare, I did the same on Carmax's trade-in portal, and it acts like it cannot tell from the vin alone whether the vehicle is a 1958, LCLC, or FE because that's the next question it asks you.

Two weeks ago I picked up my premium LC and when I added it to my insurance policy with State Farm they sent me a temp insurance card and I noticed next to the vin number it had 1958 listed. I thought it was strange but would be curious why this is.

 

[RUN-8]

Geez - I didn't make it up..... Attached is a photo from section 8-1 in my manual on page 639. I literally went to check the manual to see if the sticker inside the tank door was an afterthought on Toyota's part.

"Using unleaded gasoline with an octane number or rating lower than the level previously stated may cause persistent heavy knocking. At worst, this may lead to engine damage and WILL VOID the vehicle warranty "

For crying out loud, read all the fuel specs section.

Turn the page:

Then go look up ASTM D4814.

You will find that the minimum octane rating in ASTM D4814 is 87 Octane. It is safe to use, and Toyota notes that you will give up power and fuel economy if you decide to use it, but it will meet minimum standards they list.