Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series prices soar

As stock runs dry, prices of the 2021 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series 70th Anniversary range have skyrocketed as high as $150,000 on carsales listings – representing a $70,000 mark-up, less the on-road costs already paid.

According to Toyota Australia, there were just eight 70th Anniversary special-edition vehicles left unsold out of the 600-unit Aussie allocation as of December 21, comprising one wagon and seven utes – five single-cab chassis and two dual-cab chassis.

For reference, the original allocation was made up of 320 dual-cabs (from $82,600 plus on-road costs), 200 single-cabs (from $80,050) and 80 wagons (from $78,500).

Of the 13 listings live on carsales today, only one is advertising a ‘new car to order’.

The remaining dozen are all ‘dealer used’ or private-sale vehicles, with most of the odometers reading below 100km.

One private seller in Queensland is asking $149,999 for a 70 Series single-cab special-edition with 45km on the clock, while another dealer-used version of an equivalent model in WA is going for $114,990 and has an odo reading of just 21km.

The 70 Series pricing is charting a similar course to the Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series.

Once news broke of the new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and its six-cylinder powerplant, sales of the V8-powered 200 Series went berserk.

And when new LC200 stock began to run out, so did the prices, with some (modified) low-kilometre examples being advertised for as much as $280,000.

Owing to a myriad of parts shortages and other COVID-19-inflicted hurdles, wait times for a LandCruiser 70 Series of any body-style have blown out to around 10 months.

The production delays have been compounded by unprecedented demand for diesel V8s, thanks to their tow-friendly nature and lazy, burbly character.

In fact, following the retirement of the 200 Series, the more agricultural 70 Series has been left as the only diesel V8 available on the new-car marketwith a sub-$100,000 list price.

The engine in question is a 151kW/430Nm 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8. In comparison, the Toyota HiLux four-cylinder produces similar power and considerably more torque (150kW/500Nm), while the incoming new-generation V6-powered Ford Ranger is expected to muster about 190kW/600Nm.

carsales spoke to one 70th Anniversary customer who said they chose the 70 Series over a more modern dual-cab ute contender on the basis of its suspension articulation and V8 soundtrack.

“That’s the only reason,” the owner said, even acknowledging the more advanced technology and driver aids available in the current crop of 4x4 dual-cab utes.

Flicking through the 70th Anniversary listings, the average inflation rate of the private and dealer used examples is 51.2 per cent, equating to a monetary increase of $40,985.60 when referring to the $80,050 starting price of a new single-cab – the variant most of the listings are for.