THE Toyota Land Cruiser comes in a number of shapes and sizes, but for this appraisal I'll stick with the biggest Amazon.
To give an idea of how tough these big bruisers are, I once spent a happy three or four hours helping police pull cars off a snowbound road with one I had on road test. It never faltered once.
They will go almost anywhere and they last indefinitely judging by the number of old ones still on the roads.
These are huge and very tough five door estates with either 4.0-litre turbo diesel or 4.7 V8 petrol - which is to be avoided because of its thirst.
The diesel is excellent for all reasons, on or off road. On road it is comfortable and refined, with surprisingly quiet six cylinder engine which offers fair performance with decent economy.
Off-road it is almost unstoppable, with lockable differentials and huge pulling power.
Check underneath for off-road damage and make sure the servicing has all been done.
Interior
They are huge but refined and comfortable, while top VX and Amazons have leather, aircon, automatic gearbox and eight seats.
More up-market versions have improved soundproofing, but all are pretty thirsty.
FAST FACTS
Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon 4.2 TD
Price: Pay around £7,100 for a '98 R-reg GX, £15,000 for an '02 52-reg VX auto or £22,000 for an '04 54-reg auto
Mechanical: 201bhp, 4,168cc, 6cyl diesel driving four wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 110mph
0-62mph: 12.8 secs
Combined mpg: 25
Insurance group: 15
Marks: 9/10
Main rival: Range Rover TD