Perspective of watching people here descend into madness...

[bluebullet]

Ah, but you canna borrow money to purchase a home. Cash is king in Costa Rica.

 

[FJimbo]

I am a newcomer to this forum but I found this post and the replies very timely and valuable. I just posted the below to the Modifications forum.

2024 LC GS300 Sport - Mod or Not?

Hello, I am an LC owner living in Costa Rica. I drive a 2012 LC76, which I love. We have a second family vehicle that I need to retire due to wear and tear, we live in Guanacaste where the roads are notoriously terrible. I want to buy the new GS300 Sport. I have two options: 1) factory stock...

www.landcruiserforum.com

The only thing I will add is that where I live is the place cars go to die. It's hard for someone who has not been to describe how bad the roads are. It's mostly dirt/gravel. Where there is pavement, it's thin and low quality and does not last long. Massively overweighted gravel trucks chew those up pretty fast and leave behind gnarly potholes, The soil composition is generally a dense reddish clay. In rainy season, everything muds up, lots of deep ruts and channels and grooves. In dry season everything hardens up and its washboard city. If it's not clay, its hard uneven and rocky. Steep climbs are the norm. Then there are the river crossings, which you need to do to get from town to town.

Having said that, even the TukTuk drivers can get through the worst of it, adn the local pretty much go anywhere they want driving 20yr old Camry's! Needless to say there is a thriving 4x4 mod/outfitter economy here and most of us gringos drive something like that. My current ride is a 2012 LC76 with OME lift kit, big knobby tires, aftermarket bumpers front and back.

You forgot to mention the super sticky "molasses" they spread on the roads to keep the dust down in the dry season!

 

[TRLBOSS]

Loving the vibe here as compared to other cesspools of the internet. I am a going to offer a perspective to many of you that you need to hear....buckle up.

Me? I am an experienced off-road driving instructor with a few decades of experience in everything from type III fire rigs to open wheel buggies and endless "overland" driving before that was a word that we used.

Here is a short list of things for you to consider:

1. You can ruin a 4wd faster by bolting things to it than taking things away. HP per ton is important. A 4cy 4wd is great, until you make it live its life as a V8 4wd. Repeat after me; mechanical sympathy.

2. Here is a tale as old as time: I need more storage. I need a roof rack for storage. I buy a roof rack for more storage. I need a secure way to store things on this roof rack. I need a non-aerodynamic roam case or pelican box to mount to my roof rack. Spend, Spend, Spend. Goals accomplished...ish.

Alternative history; I need more storage. Get crossbars and a very aero Yakima box. Done.

The second option is cheaper, easier, less annoying and weighs less. If you want a roof rack for the looks? Go nuts. But, there is a better way, young padiwan.

I am not just talking about roof racks here. I have had the same 12v air compressor for 3 decades. It is fantastic. I have moved it around and lent it out. You can't do that if you are gonna hide it under the hood. If hiding air compressors in your truck blows wind up your skirt, fine. Go nuts. But, it is not better in any way. It's just more money.

3. EVERY OUNCE MATTERS. Every skid plate, light bar, seat cover and tool you carry matters. Weight matters. It adds up...fast.

4. I had a 1988 FJ62 for years. It was fantastic off-road...and terrifying everywhere else. The 250 is great on road. The road is how you get to where you are off-road. Its performance there is important, like really important. Statistically more important than the off-road performance. You are not Indiana Jones...I dig your spirit though...and hat. Is that an Akubra?

5. I have had stock 4wds clear obstacles with 3 min of rock stacking and a good spotter. It's your money, but, will you really be off-road enough to offset the loss of MPG, cost of suspension upgrades, tires and the like? Also, if you lift, swap tires, bolt things to...the LC 250 is gonna really lose some tow capacity and payload. How much? Well, we don't know...nor do you.

6. The cyclist Eddy Merckx used to say, "Don't upgrade rides, ride up grades." It applies here too. Get some training, get some practice and learn. Quiet confidence is better than a SEMA rig any day.

7. Good scotch is expensive. Good Bourbon is not. It isn't really important to this discussion, but true as hell. Johnny Drum is my go to.

I'm with you 100% - my rant on the matter: Pork Chop

 

[RideWithYanu]

I’m gonna fight anyone who makes fun of my Akubra.

 

[Sugarloafer80]

Couldn’t agree more, especially on point #7. I’ll take Evan Willams Bottled in Bond though!

Ezra Brooks 99proof hard to beat and don't snicker at the Kirkland Bourbon if you are a bourbon and Ginger guy like I can be by the gallon.
My classmate invented (developed) the larceny brand btw

 

[Sugarloafer80]

Ah, but you canna borrow money to purchase a home. Cash is king in Costa Rica.

Drug money

 

[b407driver]

I am not trying to put down anyone who wants to do anything to their car. I am trying to let people know you do not need to do these things.

I'll circle back to bikes....when you get bored with a local trail on your fs mountain bike, try it again with a hard tail or better yet a gravel bike. It's all new, more challenging and way more fun. You pick different lines, flatten the curves.... Do that a few times and then try the FS again and watch your personal bests fall.

My personal bests on all but the most gnarly trails around here are all falling since getting my Lauf Seigla this summer, and I’ve barely touched my FS and road bikes. Greatest bike I’ve ever owned. I bought it rigid thinking I didn’t need the novel Grit fork, but once I learned that I’d start riding exactly as you expressed above, I added it, and added a pound to the weight of the bike. Best weight I’ve ever gained! Did I need to do this? Not really, but my 60+ year old arms sure appreciate it.

My journey with the LC has been sorta similar, except for adding 285/70r18 Toyo AT3s on day one. Once I got through the break-in period I immediately took it to the top of Santa Fe Peak to begin to discover its strengths and weaknesses. I was mightily impressed at how much better a basically stock configuration performed offroad compared to the 5th Gen 4Runner I spent 9 years exploring the southwest in.

That said, I have made some of the (what I feel are fairly minor) modifications you mentioned in the original post, some for convenience, many because I usually travel alone, and want to be both safe and reliable (to me). I feel like I was thoughtful with how I went about it considering how I use the vehicle, yet as you alluded, it now gets pretty poor mileage considering how poor the 4Runner was before it. It still moves though, other than passing at 60+ mph, which it didn’t excel at, either way. It was still a bit cheaper to operate last year than the 4R, despite the stupid Premium gas requirement. I will not lift this vehicle, despite its admittedly poor ground clearance.

After existing with all the clean 5th Gens here in Colorado with KO2s, empty RotoPax, RTTs and raptor lights, I truly appreciate the spirit of your post!

EDIT: I’m an IPA guy, and I don’t skimp.

 

[SKLC]

Ezra Brooks 99proof hard to beat and don't snicker at the Kirkland Bourbon if you are a bourbon and Ginger guy like I can be by the gallon.
My classmate invented (developed) the larceny brand btw

Larceny one of my favs

 

[NoMoreHills]

Nice discussion. I agree. "Less is More". As they say "To each, his own". Now having said this, I lived in the Andes for 9 years and I drove everywhere in my Ford Ranger 2.5L turbodiesel 4x4 with stock tires and suspension. Never a problem... I often say, it's the person behind the wheel that makes the difference. I would have loved to own a Prado (the American Land cruiser now), but they are expensive down there. I could have bought a 70 series diesel Landcruiser with a straight 6, but they are gas hogs, and fuel is expensive down there...

I bought my wife a 25 Land Cruiser last year, it may never see a hill, but it's nice to know it can!

P.S. here is a picture of my pickup that climbed the Andes....

 

[EOD Guy]

Nice discussion. I agree. "Less is More". As they say "To each, his own". Now having said this, I lived in the Andes for 9 years and I drove everywhere in my Ford Ranger 2.5L turbodiesel 4x4 with stock tires and suspension. Never a problem... I often say, it's the person behind the wheel that makes the difference. I would have loved to own a Prado (the American Land cruiser now), but they are expensive down there. I could have bought a 70 series diesel Landcruiser with a straight 6, but they are gas hogs, and fuel is expensive down there...

I bought my wife a 25 Land Cruiser last year, it may never see a hill, but it's nice to know it can!

P.S. here is a picture of my pickup that climbed the Andes....View attachment 57234

Welcome to the Jungle!

 

[NoMoreHills]

Welcome to the Jungle!

Thanks!!!

 

[ultane]

Nice discussion. I agree. "Less is More". As they say "To each, his own". Now having said this, I lived in the Andes for 9 years and I drove everywhere in my Ford Ranger 2.5L turbodiesel 4x4 with stock tires and suspension. Never a problem... I often say, it's the person behind the wheel that makes the difference. I would have loved to own a Prado (the American Land cruiser now), but they are expensive down there. I could have bought a 70 series diesel Landcruiser with a straight 6, but they are gas hogs, and fuel is expensive down there...

I bought my wife a 25 Land Cruiser last year, it may never see a hill, but it's nice to know it can!

P.S. here is a picture of my pickup that climbed the Andes....View attachment 57234

Welcome to the asylum.