Is this a deal?? HJ61 landcruiser

Camper75

New member
I've been a member on here for several years. Havn't used the forum in a while and forgot all my details. So here I am starting again. I'm considering buying this truck:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Land-Cruiser-VX-HJ61-12H-T-Turbo-Diesel-Wagon-/121620929670?forcerrptr=true&hash=item1c512c1c86&item=121620929670

I spoke to the guy in Vegas and he seemed ok. Tough to tell. I'd be buying pretty unseen. I used to own an HJ60 so am inclined to trust the vehicle regardless. Anyway, is it worth 11k? I feel like taking a punt on it. I'd need to put it though emissions down here in Pima County.

Thoughts appreciated.
 

DieselFreak

Adventurer
Don't know what it's worth. Hard to say.

The YT video is two months old though, so I would venture a guess that it has been up for sale for at least that long. Usually the good deals are snatched up in a day or two, so with that in mind it may have issues or other problems that have any discouraged potential buyers.

You might want to drive down to look at it or pay a local shot to evaluate the HJ61 before purchase. It's alot easier to spend a couple hundred bucks to get some piece of mind than to buy a turd and regret it later.

Good luck.
 

Camper75

New member
Thanks, don't want to buy a turd for sure. I bought an hj60 in the Uk back in 2008 for $1000 and drove it down and all round west Africa before selling it in Timbuktu. That was a truck, with a tale to tell. I bought another a few years later that was a turd for sure.

What's a 'local shot'? Know of anyone on here from Vegas that I could pay to check it out? Thats a great thought.
 
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DieselFreak

Adventurer
Sorry, didn't use spell check. I meant a local respected repair shop who can evaluate it. You can pay for a few hours of labor and they can check it out for you and report their findings.

In my experience, if the seller does not want you to have it looked at or is resistant to the idea-walk away.

No I don't know anyone in LV. Look for someone who knows something about Toyotas/Land Cruisers and/or diesels. Use Google or call around and see what you can find. You can also search the AAA approved repair shops as well http://ww1.aaa.com/services/automotive/shopLocator/shopLocatorSearch.xhtml
 

MikeCG

Adventurer
Depends on what you mean by deal. You can get a Cummins dodge or diesel Suburban way cheaper with about the same mileage, however the diesel Toyotas a rare in the states. Most of the ones I've seen have been around the same price and mileage, but didn't look nearly that good. Having lived and off-roaded in Vegas, most of the people their are more about the rock crawlers. The truck your looking at would be targeted toward a different crowd, however it's a crowed that would be willing to pay the price asked. I'm looking more at the cheaper American market diesels myself. I'm not afraid to turn a wrench so I'm looking for cheaper diesels with better parts availability. I'm sure the Toyota diesel is more dependable, but I don't think the parts are as readily available at your local parts distributor.
 

Camper75

New member
Thanks Scott,

Do you know anything about emissions and these trucks down here in Tucson? I can't get a straight answer from the emissions people after multiple calls. Seems that they may look at the engine and just decide that they can't or wont test it. Do you know of anyone whose done it in Tucson? Cheers
 

westranger29

Adventurer
For comparison and to help shed some light on the condition and price for you, I had purchased a 88 HJ61 that was in absolutely mint condition, NO rust, under 90k mi, perect body condition and even had some aftermarket add ons, needed absolutly nothing done and it was from a reputable dealer (Land Cruisers Direct)...and that was for $17k. (IMO I would pay the extra for knowing what Im getting is legit and from someone I can go back to if needed.)

Not sure what your budget or time frame is but you can always wait and find something nicer in better condition for cheaper if your patient.

Also, I saw this seller with an HJ61 for sale not too long ago, looked to be in better condition than this one so I would just be careful if I were you...like people before said try to have someone look first or buy a cheap ticket out to see it yourself.

Hope this helps!
 

Camper75

New member
Thanks for the advice, I'm working on getting an inspection done today or tomorrow. Not going to part with any cash till I get it looked at . Sounds like you got a great deal on your truck. He's accepted an offer of 10,700 from me and I'm happy to pay if it's in good nick. Would love one in your condition but I don't have the cash. What's the resale value on yours do you think?
 

westranger29

Adventurer
Thanks for the advice, I'm working on getting an inspection done today or tomorrow. Not going to part with any cash till I get it looked at . Sounds like you got a great deal on your truck. He's accepted an offer of 10,700 from me and I'm happy to pay if it's in good nick. Would love one in your condition but I don't have the cash. What's the resale value on yours do you think?

Sounds like a plan! Good luck I hope it all works out for you.

Funny you ask, long story short...I had been looking for close to a year and finally found this one I told you about. I bought it, and the same day the money cleared on the sellers end, he got another offer before he took the truck off of his website, although he already sold it to me. It must have been a significantly higher offer because he offered me to pay me back my original payment of 17k plus an additional $2,500 so he could sell it to this other person. Anyways, I ended up doing it becuase I couldnt refuse making $2,500 in less than 24hrs. I never even had the chance to drive the truck in person, and I probably should have kept it and re sold it myself, but I'll always find something else. Live and learn. Truck was prob worth 22k IMO in the condition it was in.
 

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