Kansas City Street Sighting: Toyota Land Cruiser diesel

I have to say, even though this is one of the coolest things I've run across for my blog; I literally stopped dead in my tracks for this. I know what JDM Land Cruisers look like, I've only ever seen one in person. While I would normally call this one a "JDM" vehicle like I did in the previous sentence, this one isn't.

First off, the steering wheel is on the left side, and it makes the Canadian plates the original plates; this truck is one of a handful imported into Canada when new, and according to wikipedia, the only way to acquire one was in Saskatchewan, and you had to be a miner or at least work in that industry; otherwise, no dice.

I have always been a staunch fan of the Land Cruiser nameplate, and I always felt Toyota fucked up by marketing the truck as a Range Rover alternative. Actually, let me rephrase that; Land Rover fucked up by marketing their products only in luxury trim, forcing other premium-feeling trucks to be marketed the same.

Toyota really jumped the gun here, because instead of being marketed as the true workhorse and capable vehicle that it is, most families bought them to sit next to the Supra in the garage. Shame, really, because these things can do so much more than be pampered.

I'm not sure how to rate this thing, condition-wise; while it is a rare beast, it's obvious that the metal-look trim is hiding quite a bit. The LX badge appears to have been oversprayed red, which is usually signs of a rather craptastic repaint, but I've never seen another example of these, so for all I know, it could be stock.

I really like the wheels on this thing, though those could be stock items as well. I've never seen Ansen-looking wheels on an SUV before, and honestly, they work. Quite a bit better than I would've thought they did.

Inside, all I saw was typical 1980s Toyota fare--not too surprising, I guess. Boring steering wheel, ugly dash, but hey, this is a truck. You know, before Land Cruisers were marketed as luxury items.

I am glad I shot this; not only was I extremely surprised by the sighting in general, I am even more shocked that I found this in the middle of the ghetto--far away from Canadian anything.