1958 folks.. regrets?

A

Aurora85

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📛 Founding Member
Oct 10, 2024
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N. Alabama
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GX460
Waffling over my future purchase. LC vs GX. Background I've owned a new 2016 Trail Ed 4Runner with KDSS and upgraded to a 17 GX460 with need for a 3rd row when we had kids. Both were nice offerings and I loved owning both of them. I'm looking to move back into the Toyota/Lexus camp after owning an F150 for a few years. I was leaning GX, but the lack of efficiency isn't doing it for me and I prefer the styling and hybrid of the LC.

With the decision to move on an LC, I'm all over the map on the 1958 vs LC trim. I much prefer the idea of a bare bones LC. I love the round headlights and more rugged interior. I'm getting over the unpainted plastic bumpers up front and for that reason would probably go with black color to match it or possibly meteor shower to make it blend better. I'm surprised Toyota didn't body paint the 1958 up front. Obviously the question remains..for a few more grand we can spec an LC trim and there is the dilemma.

For the current 1958 owners is there any feature you feel would have been nice stepping up a trim? Many of the features are fluff me in the LC trim , but I'm used to 360 cameras, memory seats (wife and I are not even close driving position wise) etc in my truck. They are not deal breakers. With younger kids it appears the 1958 would possibly hold up a bit better to the wear and tear of an active family? The price is so close I'm trying to figure out the best move. My dealer has no LCs at all in stock, but a 1958 is coming in next week and I can take a look at it at least to make a more informed opinion.
 
Aurora85 said:
when we had kids. Both were nice offerings and I loved owning both of them. I'm looking to move back into the Toyota/Lexus camp after owning an F150 for a few years. I was leaning GX, but the lack of efficiency isn't doing it for me and I prefer the styling and hybrid of the LC.

With the decision to move on an LC, I'm all over the map on the 1958 vs LC trim. I much prefer the idea of a bare bones LC. I love the round headlights and more rugged interior. I'm getting over the unpainted plastic bumpers up front and for that reason would probably go with black color to match it or possibly meteor shower to make it blend better. I'm surprised Toyota didn't body paint the 1958 up front. Obviously the question remains..for a few more grand we can spec an LC trim and there is the dilemma.

For the current 1958 owners is there any feature you feel would have been nice stepping up a trim? Many of the features are fluff me in the LC trim , but I'm used to 360 cameras, memory seats (wife and I are not even close driving position wise) etc in my truck. They are not deal breakers. With younger kids it appears the 1958 would possibly hold up a bit better to the wear and tear of an active family? The price is so close I'm trying to figure out the best move. My dealer has no LCs at all in stock, but a 1958 is coming in next wee
Click to expand...
Don't forget to ask the LCLC owners, too. Lots are happy with the $ variance they paid to get the little upgrades like more soft-touch materials and a better-throwing headlight, among other things.
 
Heated mirrors would've been great, considering they have all the other features of the premium trims.
 
I prefer minimal options for a Ute or truck. If I could have spec’d my ‘02 LC any leaner, I would have. Thus, I like how the 1958 refers back to the 80 series when you could get cloth seats, waive the sunroof, etc.

Plus, I like how my ‘24 1958’s sticker is not much higher than that ‘02. You start adding too many options and this new light duty LC begins to encroach on the street prices of the 200 series before it was canned. I don’t think that’s a good result.

If LCLC units were readily available with minimal distributor addons when I was buying, I might have picked it instead. But most were loaded up and you still have vinyl seats!

Lastly, the Land Cruiser reputation was established long before detachable swaybars and MTS. This 1958 has more off-road gadgets than my prior 100 series.

No, I don’t regret the purchase.
 
None, other than if I’d waited, I could have negotiated a lower price rather than settling for MSRP. I wanted a stripped down model and cloth seats. We have a 2022 4Runner TRD Off Road Premium and I’ve hated the softex seats since the day we bought it. I’m not sure why everyone is complaining about the lack of soft-touches on the door, I haven’t found that matters since I don’t lean on them when I’m driving. I like the straight, clean lines of the dash. The only thing I do miss is the KDSS in the 4Runner since my husband drives it now. There is a lot of body roll with the Land Cruiser. And, I’m not a fan of the huge screens in newer cars. Once I’ve learned the steering wheel controls, I don’t need the screen for everyday driving. If you feel you’ll miss some of the upgrades, and you can afford it, get the upgraded Land Cruiser.
 
1958 here,and it's perfect for what I'm needing.

I beach fish a lot and prefer the hard plastic, you can brush the sand off easier. On the dash portion that has the soft touch stuff, it tends to stick more to that than brush off. The salt spray doesn't clean that easily off the soft touch either

The screen size doesn't really bother me, I like how the volume knob kind of fits better in the 1958 location vs closer to the gauge cluster

I love the cloth seats, but honestly I've never had cloth and not sure how it'll wear down for the salty environment this truck is usually in. So far, cleaning these seats are just as easy as the hard plastic. I was worried cloth might retain some of the "smell" when I go fishing (bait, fish, etc), but it's been good so far. One thing I don't like about them is I get hooks stuck very easily on these seats

It still has adaptive cruise control and lane assist, so it'll pretty much drive itself on the highway - and this version doesn't have that eye thing tracking you

If the stabilizer disconnect is important for you, that sway bar is very easily accessible, it's probably an easy upgrade later on. I don't really need articulation, so it's not a big issue for me at this time

Overall, if you're looking for something that you know you're gonna get dirty (interior), then the 1958 is probably for you because of the ease of cleaning
 
To add, I was able to get mine for 54k which feels like the price it should be. It was a slightly used demo for the ride events in So Cal. I lucked out cuz the sticker was 61K
 
Zero regrets with my 1958, I love it. I really wanted the round headlights and the cloth seats, and actually prefer the unpainted front panels.

It was an easy decision for me, most of the LC’s around here seem to have the added $ 4,600 lux package and $1,250 extra for 20” wheels so the LC trim would have cost me over $ 12k more for a bunch of add-ons that I either don’t want or care about.

It’s seems to be somewhat in vogue to trash the 1958’s , but some of us actually want a utilitarian trim which is precisely why Toyota offered the 1958 to begin with. To each their own.
 
LCLC here (w/o the prem pkg). Test drove the 1958, it was nice, in line with my '09 FJ but with carpeting which the FJ didn't have. I went to the dealer with the intent that I'd get the '58 but after driving the base trim I realized that I'm not really all that jazzed about "getting back to basics." The FJ was my daily drive for many years and I have a lot of good memories of loading up the wife and the dogs and kids (in that order) and going camping without worrying about sand or mud because I could just power wash the inside when we got home. Basic, hard touch interiors are good for that and for providing a blank canvas for any multitude of customizations that fit your lifestyle but that's just not my day to day any more. Now it's the marital unit, a teenager and one small dog, none of whom are that into dirt and would rather take a road trip to a destination spa than go three days without a shower.

The LCLC is, IMHO, a reasonable compromise in this regard. Not overly complicated, not too many doodads to break in a couple of years or distract you while you are driving but quieter on the road (because the soft touch absorbs sound better), a bit more comfortable (maybe not GX posh but close enough) and still capable of getting us the heck out of Dodge if the zombie apocalypse comes knocking. The softex seats seem plenty durable and resistant to spills, foot scuffs and dog claws so far. There are really no differences between the trim levels in the cargo area and I have no qualms about throwing tools and lumber back there. The premium package adds a lot of niceties that you would find in the new GX but my experience is that a lot of those gadgets get used once in a while when you are showing off your ride to your friends and neighbors, not when your late for work and stuck in traffic but YMMV.

So tl;dr, If you are a true minimalist then go for the '58 and let your Stoic flag fly otherwise split the difference between the GX and bare bones and consider the LCLC base trim.
 
And, of course, the 1958 has the cool round headlights whereas the LCLC’s attempt at the 80 series lighting falls short.
 
Great points. And if you want to load up on features go LCLC with premium package and save $12K-$13K off the GX 550 Overland Plus.
 
Cool box eliminates much needed storage space. Went thru a lot to get 18" stock wheels as Toyota did not give dealership an option for 18" wheels. CLoth seats should hold up well if they are as durable as cloth on my 99 SR5 4Runner. You can add many features to the 1958.
Meteor shower should look good when dirty. Black not so much...
 
Trail edition 4Runner had mts, 1958 does not. It seems people get the 1958 and then try to make it into a lc or 1st edition by adding bigger tires, roof rack, even a larger display screen. They probably would have saved money to just get the higher trim. The VIN is going to show it’s still a 1958 and you won’t be able to add MTS, but if you don’t do any serious off road… mts is not going to be a deal breaker.
 
NoMe cruiser said:
Trail edition 4Runner had mts, 1958 does not. It seems people get the 1958 and then try to make it into a lc or 1st edition by adding bigger tires, roof rack, even a larger display screen. They probably would have saved money to just get the higher trim. The VIN is going to show it’s still a 1958 and you won’t be able to add MTS, but if you don’t do any serious off road… mts is not going to be a deal breaker.
Click to expand...
I owned a Trail Edition 4Runner. MTS is somewhat overrated. ATRAC and the locking diff really do the heavy lifting.
 
If Toyota would’ve let me I would’ve taken more stuff off my 1958. lol. I am the person Toyota built the 1958 for. While people were saying $60k for cloth seats? I said yup, I’ll take it. No hole in the roof, power lift gate or seats. Happy. For me it gets 21-22mpg in the city and can drive up a mountain. Happy.
 
I have a LCLC. For the price, the 1958 was just too bare bones for me, plus I prefer the rectangular headlights.

I would have loved to have wool seats, but the limited adjustability (previously owned an ‘18 Tacoma and was paranoid about seating position) plus the lack of a 360 camera was a bridge too far in 2024.

I don’t care about a bigger infotainment screen or a power lift gate, but I’m not gonna lie; when I look down and see that ‘sway bar disconnect’ button instead of a blank switch, I know I made there right move
 
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