The FJ Cruiser is certainly built to look tough, and it has a bunch of near utalitarian elements, but I'd want to wait 30 years and see how many are still running before declaring that it actually is tough.

I had a Toyota Tacoma before the FJ that had over 250,000 miles on when I sold it. So far I like the mechanical engineering more on this vehicle. There is even more room around the engine so its easier to work on and because of how the oil filter is placed, I can run full synthetic and change filters without losing much oil.

With Toyota vehicles, the biggest thing to keep them running for a long time is doing maintenance. If done properly, they will last for longer than you want them.

Also the off-road capabilities are awesome. It has done well in the sand, gravel, inclines, declines, snow, mud and water very well. Its exhilarating to easily get through conditions where others got stuck.

> because of how the oil filter is placed, I can run full synthetic and change filters without losing much oil.

How much oil do you have to drain to change the filter? And do you just pour the drained oil back in or do you top it off with fresh oil?

How often do you keep running the same oil through, anyway?

Haven't heard of anyone doing that before; I'm intrigued.

Actually, I lose less than a 1/4 cup of oil with the filter change. It all depends on how your engine layout is. For the FJ, more oil is lost from burning than from the change.

This. I have a '88 Toyota Land Cruiser that still runs like a dream (well-maintained), but still -- with over 240K on it.