Buying my First FJ80 LandCruiser.

[hikingff77]

So I'm selling my 2012 Toyota 4Runner which has been my personal car and work car for three years. It's got a lot of get up and go, compared to what people have said, and has been very comfortable. A year ago or so I noticed a neighbor had a 90's landcruiser in his driveway. I didn't know him very well so I waited until a Saturday when they were clearly home and I stopped by and asked.

It was his father in laws, has 160k on it and he's not sure what he's going to do. I said, I would like to buy it. At first he said somewhere in the $1700 price range, knowing what these can go for I started searching my couch for spare change. Then I thought, do I want this project? I need something reliable, semi-comfortable and not a HUGE project. I know a lot of you have done tons to yours, and they all look awesome, this one is mostly going to be a work car, with road trips here and there and dreams of bigger adventures.

I was still on the fence, and I said to my wife, what if I sold mine, and bought it. I'd be out car payments, have a car I like, is in demand to certain groups and is reliable. She wasn't sure. Since I use my car for work, I have to have it wrapped. Which costs $$$. It needs some body work, which is $$$. It hasen't ran regularly in over a year and the valve cap is clearly leaking more oil than normal.

I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason. One day I took my son to a doctors visit, there's an REI nearby and asked if he wanted to go in. He said yes. Not there's almost always near cars there, or at least ones loaded with kayaks and mountain bikes, but as we were leaving, there rolled in this look-alike FJ80. I stopped, turned around, and parked in the middle of the parking lot. Got out, introduced myself and began talking FJ's with him. Turns out, it's a small world, and he's a member here, rubicondon53. We chatted until people started honking at me. So that got me even more thinking of it. So I went to check out the cruiser again, this time the price went to $2500, I'm going to offer $2300, but I still know I'm getting a good deal from what I can find online.

So what comments do any of you have about your 80, do you DD it, if so, what's the daily commute in it. I can be 5 miles away one hour and 30 the same day. What should I look out for.

I really want this to be a true FJ like I see on here, to the best of my ability. Reliable, fun, great looking, purposeful, etc. I still want to take it camping whenever possible, take it to the trailheads and road trips.

Give me some feedback on your experiences, please. Pictures always help.

 

[stubbspy]

To be frank, I would recommend not buying it. You don’t sound like you want a project just to have a project, and a $2500 Cruiser is going to need a LOT of work and $$$$ to be a reliable work vehicle and DD.

I’ve found (regrettably, several times) that it’s nearly always cheaper to buy something that’s already in good shape. Either a project somebody else has loved on for years and fixed up or one that’s just been well maintained from new.

Believe me, if your wife isn’t sure about the idea she really won’t like it when either all of your evenings and weekends are spent wrenching or all of your money is sent to a repair shop. It’s easy to spend $5k in parts alone for preventative and restorative maintenance on these, even if they look OK at a glance when you buy.

For 10-12k (at least in Utah where I live and cruisers carry a premium) you can find one that needs nothing to be a reliable DD and solid adventure vehicle.

I bought my ‘04 100 a year ago for $14k and I’ve already spent $7k on new suspension (including a lift, not just stock replacement), new catalytic converter, wheel speed sensors, and other odds and ends. In other words, I’d have been better off buying a nicely built $20k cruiser that’s been fully baselines to start with!


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[stubbspy]

Oh yes, must insert obligatory picture of why I bought the expensive thing in the first place!

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[Upland80]

Agree with above post. I would not advise someone to get an 80 as a DD. They're great as a 2nd or 3rd vehicle that can be worked on when wanted/needed.

 

[borison]

Buy the 80 and a reliable work car. Everybody wants a land cruiser, you know you’re gonna buy. Just get it over with.

 

[lumpskie]

I say buy the 80 and baseline it. Once all the maintenance has been taken care of, sell your 4Runner. I daily drive mine (50,000 miles in the last 2.5 years) and haven't had an issue. But, mine has been brought up on maintenance. Maintenance will depend on what year the 80 is. If it's pre 90-92, it will be an FJ80 with the 3FE. That engine is very reliable and torquey but not very fast. Later models have the 1FZ which has more power but, in some cases, has a tendency to blow the head gasket.

Check out this link:

80 Series Newbie Guide - Slee Off Road

As soon as the excitement of the purchase starts to fade, the questions start popping up. What modifications can I make? What are those 4 bolts on the back

www.sleeoffroad.com

 

[hikingff77]

I have a reliable car while having some work done, for now. LandCruisers around here don't tend to draw any kind of premium, unless they're new(newish). Not many people around here even know what the things are, besides old and boxy. There are a couple floating around, but in the past 10 years, I've only seen 3.

I'm still not sure. I want the thing cause they're awesome, I plan on doing some maintenance and stuff, but the one thing that's screwing me up the most is it'll need a paint job, so that I can use it for work. In the end, after selling my car, getting this one up to date, I'd be left with around 3k in my pocket. I've never had that happen during a car purchase.

 

[4Beast]

I have a reliable car while having some work done, for now. LandCruisers around here don't tend to draw any kind of premium, unless they're new(newish). Not many people around here even know what the things are, besides old and boxy. There are a couple floating around, but in the past 10 years, I've only seen 3.

I'm still not sure. I want the thing cause they're awesome, I plan on doing some maintenance and stuff, but the one thing that's screwing me up the most is it'll need a paint job, so that I can use it for work. In the end, after selling my car, getting this one up to date, I'd be left with around 3k in my pocket. I've never had that happen during a car purchase.

3 grand isn't really a lot in reserve for a 25 year old truck.

 

[Christian P.]

Keep the 4Runner. That $3k LandCruiser is going to require more than your current payment on the 4Runner. If you already have to scrap some money to buy it, it seems to me that you are not in a financial position to get a project - which the 80 will be.

 

[nickw]

Keep the 4Runner. That $3k LandCruiser is going to require more than your current payment on the 4Runner. If you already have to scrap some money to buy it, it seems to me that you are not in a financial position to get a project - which the 80 will be.

Yeah - I'm with Christian.

4Runners are pretty sweet rigs, reliable, well built and about the same size as a 80' and get significantly better mileage and you can drop it off at a Toyota dealer...and they'll have parts. You'll be on your own or be completely reliant on a shop with a 80 series if you have issues with it, it's a PITA, particularly someplace that doesn't have a big cruiser culture, which it sounds like you are in.

I had an older F150, late 90's, it was a cool rig, low miles, manual trans, relatively simple....Ford dealers wouldn't touch it so I had to deal with independent mechanics, source some parts myself and generally "deal" with it on a semi-regular basis, it was a drag.

80's are great rigs but best reserved for enthusiasts who have the time, patience, money....but more importantly, an understanding wife!

As a 2nd vehicle, if you can afford it, it may be a fun project though....

 

[MOAK]

80's are great rigs but best reserved for enthusiasts who have the time, patience, money....but more importantly, an understanding wife!


[/QUOTE] (Formerly known as rubicondon53)
You hit the nail on the head with "understanding wife". If our 80 needs something my wife has never even flinched. Why? Because it takes us to a lot of places that most people just never see or experience. 6 years ago I bought our 80 and sold the rubicon for 6 thousand more than I paid for the 80. Since that time I've dumped that 6 back into it. Reliable? Beyond what the ordinary driver can understand. How many horror stories have we all heard about the brand new gizmology loaded new vehicles that just stop, out in the middle of nowhere and the recovery costs are astronomical. I have advised HikingFF77 a bit on this matter and completely understand his quandary. I daily drive mine and have put just a tad over 100,000 miles on it. It has broken down only once, and it was my fault. My belts had 40,000 miles on em and I didn't replace them before a big trip. I carried spares so I thought all was well. I also ignored a weeping heater core. I figured less than a pint every year was no big deal. hisss booom !! Heater core blew, then because of very rapid super heating the radiator blew. I saved the engine as my first thought was to shut it down. It spent the Christmas holidays in a shop and we rented a car to get west, then retrieved the 80 on our way back home. My point in telling this story? I was humbled. I thought I had been atop the learning curve, and it is a steep learning curve. Currently my 80 is at a very well trusted mechanic and he is going through it with a fine tooth comb looking for anything that is borderline and needs attention. (think rear wheel bearings as they haven't been serviced since I've owned it). I do most of the wrenching myself except for two major maintenance repairs which are a bit out of my league. (valve stem seals, (the head was better than factory spec) and I had the trans dropped to replace the rear main seal) I've done all my math and all told we have $16,000 into the 80, not counting regular maintenance items, brakes, tires, lights, fluid changes. I'm at 304,000 miles now and short of a catastrophic failure we're good to go for another 150k miles before any more major maintenance items need attention. We all know these 80s especially the FZJ 4.5 in front of the a343f transmission were designed to last 500,000 miles with good maintenance practices. Just get used to having to do things like pulling the head every 150,000 for maintenance of the seals. It all boils down to how one chooses to spend ones money. And, getting used to carrying a tool bag, fluids, spare fuses, spare bolts, spare relays, a code reader, and a good digital multimeter.. Good luck with your decision.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Yeah - I'm with Christian.

4Runners are pretty sweet rigs, reliable, well built and about the same size as a 80' and get significantly better mileage and you can drop it off at a Toyota dealer...and they'll have parts. You'll be on your own or be completely reliant on a shop with a 80 series if you have issues with it, it's a PITA, particularly someplace that doesn't have a big cruiser culture, which it sounds like you are in.

I had an older F150, late 90's, it was a cool rig, low miles, manual trans, relatively simple....Ford dealers wouldn't touch it so I had to deal with independent mechanics, source some parts myself and generally "deal" with it on a semi-regular basis, it was a drag.

80's are great rigs but best reserved for enthusiasts who have the time, patience, money....but more importantly, an understanding wife!

As a 2nd vehicle, if you can afford it, it may be a fun project though....

That’s not true at all. I can still purchase parts for my fj60 from the dealer and they will work on it. Toyota is very good about supporting its vehicles.

 

[sn_85]

I have a 2016 Toyota 4Runner Trail and have thought about this as well. It's semi-built up and has served me well for the last 3 years. From DD to camping to some moderate crawling trails. I've poured in lots of money and garage time to upgrade performance and make it into what I want. Lately I've been thinking about an 80 series. I think there's something about the 80 series that appeals to your heart strings. The simplicity, brute strength, heritage, and image it spews. Every time I see a well built up one I lust after it. However when I get to the nuts and bolts of it the less and less it makes sense. My 2016 has 65k miles, all maintenance is up to date and I do a lot of the work myself so I know it's done right and just by some grease monkey. She still gets decent MPGs for now at 17-18mpg but stock you can 19-20mpg and the drive manners are nice. I don't owe that much on it and should be able to pay it off in the next 6-12 mo. It's truly a rock solid platform and I can see getting 250k mi out of this engine easily without any fuss.

Recently I saw a 94' FZJ80 FS "locally" 3 hours away. Looks really good, seller is very prompt, knows details about the car, and seems like it has been kept up nicely both interior and exterior. About 250k mi on it for $5,500. Seems to be the growing rate these days. However it's still a 25 year old car. I will likely spend $2k to baseline it so now we're at $7,500 for truck that is 25 years old and already has 250k mi on it. I know the 80's are built like tanks and can get to 500k mi but at that age and miles there will still be issues that pop up on it. So I ask myself which vehicle will take me to an additional 250k mi better, my 3 year old 4Runner or a 25 year old 80 series? The answer is hands down the 4Runner. I know it's history, it's newer and it would be the car I would trust more at this point as a DD. Finding a lower mileage, well maintained Land Cruiser for a reasonable price is getting harder and harder to come by nowadays.

I will continue to build up my 5th gen 4Runner and the more I do the less DD friendly it will become but I'll be in a position to pay it off soon and transition it to my weekend adventure rig and the mileage put on it will slow down. I'll get some CUV after that as a DD. From what I've seen a built up 80 series gets about 9-11 MPG. A built up 5th gen 4Runner built up with gears and such gets 13-15mpg. Honestly I think the two rigs are very comparable for vehicles built in different eras. Two very utilitarian vehicles that are rugged and simple. Similar size overall, both have slow and sluggish 6cyl engines, both are very capable off-road. The 80 series has a leg up in the SFA but at least the 4R still has a solid rear axle and you can still get a rear locker with the Trail/TRD Off-Road models. IMO a 5th gen 4Runner is the closest thing to an 80 series that you can buy brand new today from Toyota. 10 years from all we will have are $100k 300 series land cruisers with twin-turbo hybrids and electronics up the wazoo along with 6th gen 4Runners that cost $50k, 4cy engines, no solid rear axles, no lockers and are made in Mexico rather than Japan. I think a well kept 5th gen 4Runner will be the new 80 series and hold its value very well. All speculation of course.

I guess after going through my own situation my suggestion will be this. Pay off the 4Runner ASAP. After that save up for a good MPG DD and keep the 4Runner as a weekend toy. That's my plan going forward anyways.

 

[nickw]

That’s not true at all. I can still purchase parts for my fj60 from the dealer and they will work on it. Toyota is very good about supporting its vehicles.

Being able to get parts and having parts are different. Most dealers I'm aware will do basic stuff but cant or wont do major repairs on them. The 60s have been that way for a while, parts are slim outside of the basics.

Dont take my word on it (and this was started in 2014):

The Ultimate 80 Series Parts Discontinued Thread

I figured it was time to start this thread since there are threads like this in the older Land Cruiser series iterations. While the other threads reflect parts that are still available, I would like this thread to reflect parts that are no longer available from Toyota in the North American...

forum.ih8mud.com

Things like radiators, axle housings and trans to name a few...

 

[toylandcruiser]

Being able to get parts and having parts are different. Most dealers I'm aware will do basic stuff but cant or wont do major repairs on them. The 60s have been that way for a while, parts are slim outside of the basics.

Dont take my word on it (and this was started in 2014):

The Ultimate 80 Series Parts Discontinued Thread

I figured it was time to start this thread since there are threads like this in the older Land Cruiser series iterations. While the other threads reflect parts that are still available, I would like this thread to reflect parts that are no longer available from Toyota in the North American...

forum.ih8mud.com

Things like radiators, axle housings and trans to name a few...

I can get a lot of parts at the dealer. They adjusted the valves on it. They did more than basic maintenance.