Reason #381 why I love my high school

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
11/26/2014 at 22:28 • Filed to: None

There are at least half a dozen students, if not more, who drive 100 Land Cruisers. I know at least three personally who all drive identical white ones. This does seem to me like a bad choice for a first car for a couple reasons:

They aren't as safe as parents think they are. Yes, it's a big, heavy SUV, but the crash avoidance abilities of these things are what I would best describe as woeful. They are top-heavy, sluggish to turn and stop, and have bigger side and rear blindspots than a normal car. They really do give a false sense of security. And they are hard to maneuver around a HS parking lot.

They suck down gas. They get 12 MPG city, which is basically the only place they get driven. That's impressively bad. Even a V8 4x4 Suburban of the same year does better than that. The perks of driving an off-road oriented vehicle exclusively on the road.

They are expensive. All the examples I see are low-mileage examples in excellent shape. They will run you at least $20,000, despite being at least seven years old. At Hollywood High, it's not at all uncommon for students to drive cars that are more than that, but surely these style-conscious kids would rather be in a V6 Mustang or C300 Mercedes.

Do I care about this? Nope. I'm just glad to see so many classmates rolling in a truly classy SUV, and I'd like to think they will maybe get their tires a little dirty someday.

On that note, the J100 Lexus LX is even more popular with the parents than the LC is with their offspring. I know two families that have two of them, and lots more have one. So yeah, the off-roader isn't really dead at my school. It just gets used for the same duties as a crossover or minivan.

DISCUSSION (28)

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 22:36

1. not really. The land cruiser is super duper strong, they aren't that top heavy, the 100 series is actually pretty sprightly in the bends and they have very good turning circle and excellent visibility, WAY better than most modern cars. I wouldn't say its a false sense of security, I've seen some bad wrecks in 100's and they are TOUGH, as in tough roofs, doors and body. they are stronger than the 80 and i've seen a lifted 80 that had rolled 3 times in a t-bone collision where the roof hadn't collapsed at all.

2. yes, the 2000+ models do better. could be worse, could be an 80 series. also suburbans don't do much better, i drove suburbans of that era a lot, they drink just as heavy.

3. Yes...and no. expensive? yes, but 20 grand? nope. A clean example will be 12 and a clean low mile example is 15, depending on market and who you buy from.

lastly, as this is just a nit pick of mine, its either a uzj100 or just a 100, no one calls them j100.

Also, 100 series are excellent, I'm thinking of trading the 80 for a 100 eventually.

jkm7680 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 22:38

Jeez, where I went to High School there were at least 15 Wranglers. No joke.

You're outclassing them anyways, Haha.

dogisbadob > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 22:39

90s Toyotas are awesome. The 80 and 100 series LC/LX do have those awesome third seats that face forward or sideways! That cool-ass sliding back window, basically a Range Rover that actually runs! Any LX450's?

The Suburban does win for fuel economy and barn doors and diesel availability though.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
11/26/2014 at 22:47

I figured you would have some more insight for me on this.

1. I've driven these things. Compared to a normal car, they don't stop or turn as well, and they are hard to see out of. And an SUV, particularly one as tall as this flips more easily than a car. Yes, they are not particularly any worse than most other full-sized body-on-frame SUVs, but they are still not great for a first-time driver. They are safe in a crash, but not having a crash is the safest thing to do.

2. Worse than that is pretty awful.

3. I couldn't find one with under 100k miles for under about $18,000. I know you can get 'em cheaper on CL and with higher miles, but these are not families which are buying the cheap, >100k miles examples from Craigslist. I'm going based on how much I'm guessing these families spent, knowing some of them.

I love the 100-series, and my point is not that it's a bad car. Far from it. But as devil's advocate, I can't see it being a super practical first car.

But then again, I don't argue from a strong point.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > jkm7680
11/26/2014 at 22:49

We have Wranglers by the boatload, old and new.. It's probably the most common (noticeable) car at the school.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > dogisbadob
11/26/2014 at 22:50

No LX450s, but I one kid I know has a two-tone 80.

jkm7680 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 22:53

If I was a parent, I probably wouldn't get my kid something with the same center of gravity as a three story house.

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 22:55

no, you make a great point, these aren't great first cars. The real tragedy, IMO, is that these kids are driving a car they haven't earned. I don't mean spoiled kind of earned, I mean that your first car should teach you about things and go wrong and be interesting and quirky and you should grow into an appreciation for a high quality car when you get to choose one.

Its like with mountain biking or skiing. the people that start on crap equipment but do it for the love of the sport get better, faster and with a deeper and more complete skill set with a greater love and appreciation of the sport than those who have an itch and drop coin on the nice gear. The ones that earn it also stick with it longer and form emotional connections, vs the scratch an itch types.

These kids are missing out on that, and its a bummer for them.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 22:55

It'd be hard for me to find 381 reasons to love my high school. I can think of maybe 5 off the top of my head.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > jkm7680
11/26/2014 at 22:55

An inverted three store house. The Wrangler makes the LC look like a Lotus Elise.

jkm7680 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 22:58

Haha, the only thing that makes the Wrangler seem aerodynamic is Rihanna's forehead.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
11/26/2014 at 22:58

Sadly, I don't think I'm a lot different from them in that sense.

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 22:58

wait, isn't the 2 tone 80 an lx450? unless its a custom paint jobber.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
11/26/2014 at 22:59

I actually do love my school. Apart from Michelle's food this year, it's a great school that generally has pretty good people.

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 23:00

Thing is, for every 9 scratch an itch type skiier that drops out after a year, there is one that grabs hold and it forms a part of their life. there is hope.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 23:02

Yeah, pretty much the same here. I bring my own food for lunch. I know such a loser right? Well I'd rather have good food. Really I was just saying 381 is a lot to think of off the top of my head.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
11/26/2014 at 23:05

Looks just like this. Only one like it I've ever seen. And it could be a Lexus, but it's badged a Cruiser.

Kinja'd!!!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
11/26/2014 at 23:10

I pulled that number out of my ass, in case there was confusion.

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 23:10

hmm, not a factory color for a Toyota

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
11/26/2014 at 23:11

I'll get an actual SR20 of it on Monday so you can see for sure what's going on, but custom would be my guess.

Doug DeMuro > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 23:13

I've always thought this would be a great first car. They're tremendously safe — very tough as Hammerhead says. More importantly they're not really that expensive. Yes $15-20k is a lot BUT they hold value better than ANYTHING ON EARTH, so when your kid goes off to college, you can sell it for basically the same money you paid. Not the case with the C300 or Mustang. Mileage is bad, but reliability is EXCELLENT so you won't have to worry about your kid calling from God knows where saying his car won't start.

I love these. I prefer the 80 though!

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/26/2014 at 23:16

I figured as much, mostly sarcasm.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Doug DeMuro
11/26/2014 at 23:29

I agree, there's ups and downs to it like any good car. But it's a lot cooler than driving an old Expedition, plus as you said, they're tough as hell.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > HammerheadFistpunch
11/27/2014 at 00:00

I have a friend that is the same age as me. Her first car was a brand new Xterra pro-4x, she crashed it into a tree a few feet from her house because she was texting. Then she got a brand new fiat, crashed that into a nursing home. Now she has another new fiat, all these cars were purchased by her dad. My truck? I bought it with money that I have been saving since I was 14, I pay my own insurance and gas. This is what parents should be doing, making their kid pay for everything. If they do that, they earned it.

HammerheadFistpunch > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
11/27/2014 at 00:17

no arguments here. also parents should let someone who wrecks a car texting have to live without a phone until they can't legally stop them. my 2cents

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > HammerheadFistpunch
11/27/2014 at 00:19

Mom?

HammerheadFistpunch > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
11/27/2014 at 00:21

my phone typed that and apparently hit publish before i even knew

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/27/2014 at 01:44

Yup. same here. old land family carriers are very common up here! family hand-me-downs!

There are 2-3 lexus GX's, 2 Land crusiers of that vintage, a v10 excursion, a GMC Yukon etc....