This. I have an LX470. I would have preferred to buy a LC but this was the deal I found when the timing was right. Other than standard AHC, the LX differences are mostly trim. Start here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/100-series-faq.30754/
I love the Active Height Control but lots of folks replace it with conventional. It gives you about a 2 inch lift or a 2 inch lowering at the touch of a button and it rides like a dream on the road. For a long time the conventional wisdom said when AHC started acting up it was time to just rip it out. But unless the lines are rusted out it's a pretty simple hydraulic system. More and more guys are sticking with it now. Mine been all over the backroads of Big Bend and some fairly chunky spots in Moab. IH8Mud.com is the big Cruiser forum and is a wealth of knowledge. You'll find tons of guys on there that use the AHC to its fullest ability right next to cruisers with a traditional lift in places like Moab and the big passes and trails in Colorado.
If your primary goal is off-road then you should look for an 80 series. Solid axle, many have all 3 diffs lockable. They are absolute beasts off-road. But the last one was made in 1997 and while you might get 400k out of the engine and the frame, thats a lot of age on all the other parts. The 100 series were made from 1998 to 2007. If you aren't wheeling it really hardcore in places like the Rubicon, it will go everywhere off-road you need it to and behave much better on the road. It doesn't have the charactoer of an 80 series, but it's a solid vehicle. My only real complaint is that the the headlights are straight up awful. I just replaced mine with HID projectors and wish I'd done it sooner. It was a pain in the ass but at least I can see great at night now, the stock lights are just terrible. Mines a 2000 and is my daily driver. I'm going to drive it until one of my kids takes it and then I'm planning to get a new longbed Tacoma after the next re-design in a couple years.
If you want good mileage, high towing ability, or to go fast, these are not the vehicles for you.