Within my group of the 10 or 12 people I text message most frequently, there are approximately five Toyota Land Cruisers. The guy who’s going to be the best man at my wedding owns two of them. I have several friends actively looking for the right one. There’s a reason for this: Land Cruisers simply last forever. And their owners keep them forever, too.
So says a new study from iSeeCars.com, which analyzed more than 15 million cars sold by original owners to discover which vehicles are kept the longest when they’re purchased new. The top spot will surprise no car enthusiast who’s ever looked for a used SUV: it’s the Land Cruiser, with an average ownership period of 10 1/2 years after buying it new. That’s several years longer than the average vehicle (a little over seven years), and quite a bit longer than the Porsche Boxster, which is second on the list at just under a decade.
When you think about it, the Boxster isn’t that surprising, either, as they’re often purchased by people interested in a second car — and driven sparingly, on weekends, with no need for the latest gadgets or technology. The entire the top 10 list is as follows:
So why do people keep Land Cruisers for so long? Simple: Land Cruiser owners buy their cars to use, and then they use them — for towing, hauling and family duty. Often, when a Land Cruiser owner is done Land Cruisin’, they just hand off their Land Cruiser to their new teen driver and get another one. It’s a cycle playing out in Greenwich, Connecticut, right now, at this very moment, as you read this.
Maybe more interesting than the Land Cruiser’s position on this list is the fact that the entire list is made up of basically two types of vehicles: big SUVs and sports cars. In fact, nine of the 10 vehicles fit that description, with only the Toyota Avalon breaking the trend. Find a Toyota Land Cruiser for sale
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I’ve had 1/2 a dozen Land Cruisers starting with FJ40’s after High School, an FJ80 the most well rounded and capable 4WD there ever was and now I’m looking for a 200 Series for the next part of our adventures in life. There is a reason the models has been around 61 years and counting don’t let the fluff fool you reliable as you’ll ever find and good at everything there is always a place in my garage for a Land Cruiser.
Which year is pictured in this piece?
2008-current