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I have had my 88 FJ62 for over a year. It has 288,000 mi on it and no rust (gotta love the west coast.) I will give you a quick breakdown of maintenance I have done on it since then (not including off road upgrades or offroad related fixes.)
Bought truck for $3,000
Radiator Leak: new brass radiator $300
Hooked battery up backwards: New fusible link $10
New Belts $60
Fuel Pump failed (someone had installed a cheap one in there,) had to drain and drop gas tank to replace. Let’s guess $200
Electronic 4WD did not switch when I bought it: replaced with an $18 solenoid valve off a camry (see writeup in FAQ.)
Replaced Rear Carpet with cheap stuff from Home Depot $25
Starter Contacts Kit and Plunger $40
Oil Pan Gasket $18
Transmission Pan Gasket $10 (new trany fluid too)
Aftermarket Transmission Cooler and fittings $55
Front and Rear Differential Fill Plugs $10 (replaced diff fluids too)
Replaced Passenger Side Power Mirror $55
Let’s say all replacement fluids cost around $200
That’s a total of around $1,000 to date
My auto trany is clunking from park to drive but I picked up a spare from Ducattiman 6 months back for $170! That means gaskets and labor and I have a relatively new trany. So let’s estimate $500 for the whole installation and parts. That means my truck would cost me $4,500 with a new/used trany in it that can last for years. My conclusion is that the FJ62 is a dependable vehicle if maintained properly like 2mbb has stated above. Just be careful not to tell Prius owners what your gas mileage is because they might go riot in the streets. Ask them what the battery life of their vehicle is and tell them that the Ni was mined. Anyways, I digress.
This total does not include UPGRADES. That is the magic word. Lots of people pour money into these things because they love to offroad. If you are going to use it as a daily driver expect about $1,000 of maintinence your first year or two. Your water pump may go out or the thermostat may go bad. Little things are easy to repair IF you DO IT YOURSELF. If you don’t do your own work then this car is will be expensive. Join a local cruiser club even if the vehicle is stock. They can help you maintain your vehicle. They have all the special tools for axle rebuilding and what not. They break things on the trail and they’ve worked on these beasts for years.
Good luck, I hope this has helped.
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