[corhof]

Hey everyone,
I've been browsing craigslist for the last few weeks looking for a car. My criteria are simple: 4x4, big enough to haul the dogs around, reliable. I only have about $5K to spend and have quickly realized that you can't find a decent 1990s or newer 4X4 for that kind of money. In my many hours of searching, I have come across a few FJ60s and they really caught my eye. . .in fact, I can't stop obsessing about them! They seem like they would be a great car for me (as long as I can put up with the gas mileage!). If I'm really going to take the plunge and buy a 1980s auto for a daily driver, I need to make sure that it's going to run great! I was hoping that all you FJ60 pros can help answer a few questions to help me in my search.

1. Can I really trust one of these FJ60s to be my daily driver?
2. What do I need to watch out for when I'm looking around (besides rust)?
3. What are your thoughts on FJ60 vs FJ62 for a daily driver? My gut feeling is to stay away from the electric windows and auto transmission as with the 62 because it's just more stuff that can go wrong!
4. What are your thoughts on rebuilt engine vs. original engine? Does it even matter as long as it's running good?
5. How do I convince my wife that this is a good everyday car?!?

Thanks for the help! I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress!

[GLTHFJ60]

Originally Posted by corhof

1. Can I really trust one of these FJ60s to be my daily driver?
2. What do I need to watch out for when I'm looking around (besides rust)?
3. What are your thoughts on FJ60 vs FJ62 for a daily driver? My gut feeling is to stay away from the electric windows and auto transmission as with the 62 because it's just more stuff that can go wrong!
4. What are your thoughts on rebuilt engine vs. original engine? Does it even matter as long as it's running good?
5. How do I convince my wife that this is a good everyday car?!?

Thanks for the help! I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress!

1. When properly tuned, 60's make great daily drivers. Mine isn't quite tuned properly but I still love driving it each and every day.

2. Check the front axle for leakage, frame for rust, body for dings / dents, see if all fluids are up to spec. Basically everything you would normally check when buying a used car.

3. I have a 60 and wouldn't have picked anything different. I like simple, so having EFI and electronic accessories are not for me. That's a decision you're going to have to make yourself.

4. Rebuilt ones are better if done by a reputable shop ( not always the case with a dealer ) but these engines run for forever anyways. Get one with around 200k that has good compression and you'll be golden.

5. Good luck! Tell her that there's nothing safer on the road to drive and that there are no car payments. That's usually the ticket.

[NLXTACY]

1. Yes. Many, including myself use it as a daily driver. I've also found that when issues do arise there is plenty of documentation available on this site to remedy myself or with the help of an extra set of hands. Plus everything that does need to be fixed can be done with basic tools.

2. Look out for rough shifting. Listen for throw-out bearing. Make sure the transfer case works. Do you hear a rod knock? Does it spew out white smoke? Blue smoke? Black smoke? Each has its own set of issues. How is the carb? Are you in CA? Will it pass smog? That right there could bring a lot of pain.

3. Asking opinions about 60 vs 62 is likely asking Coke vs. Pepsi. And well we all know that Pepsi is better as is the 60 series. The auto trans is a pile IMHO. The 3FE is a slug and is a mess to work on. The carb'd and manual 60 is just easy to work on when you need to.

4. Don't bother rebuilding a 2F unless it really needs it. And even then you can find relatively low mileage 2Fs for decent prices. I almost bought a 120k 2F for $400. Only reason I didn't get it is because I didn't have the room to store it.

5. Let her drive one. My wife is a priss but she really like the retro look on the 60s and doesnt mind driving it at all. Of course she still prefers the LX.

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

1. Can I really trust one of these FJ60s to be my daily driver?

Yes. Expect some maintenance and upkeep though. If you're not afraid to work on it this site will help you fix about anything that will come up. No need to be a super wrench.

2. What do I need to watch out for when I'm looking around (besides rust)?

GLTHFJ60 and NLXTACY covered it pretty well. I'd add to look out for sagging suspension and decent tires (or at least use deficiencies in those areas as bargaining points).

3. What are your thoughts on FJ60 vs FJ62 for a daily driver? My gut feeling is to stay away from the electric windows and auto transmission as with the 62 because it's just more stuff that can go wrong!

My only experience is with the 60. I dig the manual transmission. There are few places around me where the speed limit is above 55, and only some freeway at 65. At anything over 65 my 60 doesn't "feel" happy, though it will do more. Don't know if the 62's are any better in that department. I must be getting old cause I don't mind driving slow

4. What are your thoughts on rebuilt engine vs. original engine? Does it even matter as long as it's running good?

Good running used 2f's are cheap

5. How do I convince my wife that this is a good everyday car?!?

Tell her it's "4x4, big enough to haul the dogs around, reliable" meets your price range, and that you found a great online community to help you keep it in top condition

Good luck!
Butt

[mkguyvr]

Well first off I will have to speak for the 62s here and say the autos do have a history of problems usualy around 175-200 thousand miles,if you get one BUY A TRANS COOLER this wil prolong the life of the transmission for a long time,that being said when you find a 62 or a 60 for that matter first thing is ,does it look clean inside and out.You can tell alot about a truck by the way it looks and how the P.O. drove it.Look for signs that it has been off road or used in 4x alot because this is why you want it and you dont want your favorite parts worn out do ya? You may notice rust everywhere which would indicate salted roads and excessive use of 4x4 system. When you go to see the truck where it is being sold, is it parked on concrete,if it is look for fresh oils leaks.Depending on whats leaking you can determine how it was maintained. Ask for maintenance records if they dont have any then you are taking a risk.Mine came with a stack of about $12000. that was spent on it in the 20 years before i owned it.I was lucky to be the 3rd owner and it was bought and sold in the same town 3 times. As far as the wife goes you tell her that you are buying it and if she doesnt like it she will be riding in the back with the dogs.

[Spike Strip]

Hehehehe...

Be sure to read NLXTACY's link: http://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wa...e-my-pain.html

And do the opposite.

But he's got a nice lookin' and runnin' truck now!

[Michael Hanson]

If you look at my foot notes here, you see what my family drives everyday.That said, I do my own work and check our cars weekly and keep full records on each car,change the oil(mobil one) every three thousand miles.Also I have alot of good friends at Lone Star Land Cruiser that help us with questions,parts and moral support.Great community of nice people who are very smart with cars. 2 cents Mike

[ElliottB]

Originally Posted by Spike Strip

Hehehehe...

Be sure to read NLXTACY's link: http://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wa...e-my-pain.html

And do the opposite.

But he's got a nice lookin' and runnin' truck now!

hahaha BURN!

[NLXTACY]

Originally Posted by Spike Strip

Hehehehe...

Be sure to read NLXTACY's link: http://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wa...e-my-pain.html

And do the opposite.

But he's got a nice lookin' and runnin' truck now!

Spike is right on. Do NOT do what I did, absolutely. Do your homework FIRST, test drive as much as you possibly can then make sure you have a ride home just in case.

And yeah mine runs great and is actually starting to look better but it was all done by myself with basic basic tools in my HOA nazi controlled garage or it was done at Spike's. Don't let anyone kid you, nothing beats an extra pair of hands.

[NLXTACY]

Originally Posted by ElliottB

hahaha BURN!

Haha no burn

Spike is right, I was retarded and everything that could go wrong DID go wrong.

[89GASHOG]

Originally Posted by corhof

1. Can I really trust one of these FJ60s to be my daily driver?
2. What do I need to watch out for when I'm looking around (besides rust)?
3. What are your thoughts on FJ60 vs FJ62 for a daily driver? My gut feeling is to stay away from the electric windows and auto transmission as with the 62 because it's just more stuff that can go wrong!
4. What are your thoughts on rebuilt engine vs. original engine? Does it even matter as long as it's running good?
5. How do I convince my wife that this is a good everyday car?!?

Thanks for the help! I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress!

1. What do you mean? Are they dependable trucks when well maintained?
Absolutely. Does a 20+ yr. old truck have the potential to break down on you unexpectedly? Absolutely.
2. Check the obvious things that wear out most rapidly on any vehicle-brakes, exhaust, cooling system. You can't expect perfection, but at least you'll be more aware of potential costs down the road.
3. My wife loves our 62 as the winter ski machine. Sure, I'd prefer manual windows but the electric ones have caused no problems in 6 yrs of ownership. The auto tranny would be quite costly to repair, so the manual has the advantage. On the other hand, your wife may prefer the auto. I don't like carbureted engines because they're dirty and never seem to run as smoothly as EFI, so the fuel injection of the 62 is a big plus IMO. Toyota carbs are good, however, so if you find one in stock condition that runs well you should be fine.
4. The 2F/3F engines can easily go 250-350K. Rebuilt or new is nevertheless a bonus.
5. Let her test drive one-a good one. She may like it- or not.

[ElliottB]

Originally Posted by NLXTACY

Haha no burn

Spike is right, I was retarded and everything that could go wrong DID go wrong.

I'm right there with ya man. I paid for mine before I even took it for a test drive. Upon the test drive I realized the heater, blower motor, dash lights, radio, turn signals, and a billion other things didn't work. Got it home and discovered a TON of rust and thrashed conditions.

Fortunately, it wasn't a huge investment. I guess you get what you pay for!

[Texx]

Grow a sack and tell the wife to bite it. Honestly, you're never going to convince her. Just buy the damn thing, throw a tool box in the back and haul ass. If she's going to bitch about every dollar you spend, do yourself a favor and buy something with a warranty. Look at the sheer number of folks on this board alone who are daily driving these 29 year old and slightly less vehicles. Seen any 80 model Cherokees on the road lately?

[kling-on]

the bigest thing to remember is a cruiser will go ANYPLACE ... just not anyplace FAST I would make sure and get a 84 and up with rear wiper my 82 doesnt have the wiper a defroster and i miss it alot in the winter and the glass fuses on the older ones are harder to find as well and if you get a late 85 and up a H55 convertion is easyer to do later

[karlsz]

Had I done my research (like you) before I bought my 62 I probably would have gone with a 60. I had never owned an auto before my 62 but like I said before I did not do research and did not even know there were two different 60 series vehicles. That being said I have not had a single problem with the auto it now has 215k on it. The truck did leave me stranded once when I first bought it but it was a Mass Air Meter problem (something you need not worry about on a 60) and was easily fixed. I also replaced the felt tracks that go around the windows when they started slowing down and they have worked fine since, no lock issues to date.

I think you will be happy with any version you buy just shop around and find the best deal and the one that suites your needs. The one great thing about autos is they make for nice DD’s.

[GLTHFJ60]

There were two things I forgot to mention. As Kling-on said, if you get a late 85-87 60 the H55 swap is a bolt in operation. Wicked easy. Definitely favor a later truck.

Second, buy the cruiser, either 60 or 62, that will perfectly fit your needs. I battled for a long time with the decision to buy a really clean truck and take care of it or a truck that had a bit of rust that I didn't mind bending up the metal on. I knew I'd want to wheel the hell out of my truck, so I bought a cheaper one in good mechanical condition that I've been beating the hell out of. It's definitely not the prettiest truck, but it does everything I want it to do!

[Ducks]

Originally Posted by corhof

1. Can I really trust one of these FJ60s to be my daily driver?
2. What do I need to watch out for when I'm looking around (besides rust)?
3. What are your thoughts on FJ60 vs FJ62 for a daily driver? My gut feeling is to stay away from the electric windows and auto transmission as with the 62 because it's just more stuff that can go wrong!
4. What are your thoughts on rebuilt engine vs. original engine? Does it even matter as long as it's running good?
5. How do I convince my wife that this is a good everyday car?!?

1. Full disclosure - I've had my 60 for two years and 25,000 miles (It now has 205,000 miles on it). In that time it has left my wife "stranded" once on the highway from a heater core that blew up and once I was on the freeway and lost a water hose. Both times AAA towed it back to my house and I fixed it myself with the FSMs (Factory Service Manuals) and help from this forum. Going threw and replacing all the water hoses preemptively would have avoided one of those instances. I had actually replaced most of the hoses, I just missed the one that blew. But in general, most things will give you plenty of warning that they are going bad. That is the nice thing about purely mechanical machines, they start to leak or wiggle or give some sign that they are going out way before they actually do.

2. Avoid rust. You didn't mention where you are from but if you are in the east and can't find a rust-free cruiser than look on craigslist on the west coast. If it is not local, you might be able to find someone on 'MUD that is willing to go look at it for you.

3. I love driving my fj60. I've never driven a 62 but I also wanted to avoid all the additional complexity to it, although it probably isn't all that bad. I just don't like autos.

4. As long as the engine is running good and the carb is tuned, then there are no worries.

5. Have both of you drive it. My wife really liked driving the fj60 until I lifted it and even now she is fine with it. Driving a clean 60 gets you noticed. At least it does in my town, but then it is full of college students that like the retro look, so it could be different other places.

Good Luck

[corhof]

Hey Everyone, thanks for all the replies! They have been very helpful! I have been browsing online and looking at what is out there, and my favorite is this one.

Based on the pictures, it looks like there is a small amount of rust on the undercarriage and possibly on one of the doors. Is this a big deal? I would expect to see some rust on the undercarriage of any car right? Any thoughts/insight on this rig would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[Spike Strip]

Nice cruiser, but overpriced by $2,000 - 3000 with mileage that high.

If it were me, I'd look for a 5/85 or newer, that way, if you ever decide to do a 5spd tranny upgrade, it's just a bolt up.

But if that cruiser were $2500, I'd consider it.

[NLXTACY]

X2, that price is way too high.

[Foreigner]

Well isn't this just handy. I came hunting purchase advice, as I'm going to have a look at this first thing tomorrow morning:

1983 Toyota Landcruiser

[Rigger]

My advice: think NO RUST! One of the biggest things to watch for when buying either a 60 or 62 is rust. Avoid rust. It is ugly, and it is expensive and/or messy to fix. Look for rust, look carefully, and look long. In certain areas of the country, rust kills both body and frame.

If you get a 62, the automatic tranny can do you wrong if it has not been maintained. On the flip side, though, some people are getting 250,000 miles out of these automatics!

http://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wa...st-thread.html

Under the hood, the 60's are easier to work on.

[slcfj62]

OK, I'm going to stick up for the fj62 crowd. If your wife is already hesitant about you buying such an old rig, she really is not going to like the manual windows, door locks and transmission. If the expectation is that she will ever drive it, go for the more modern amenities. The power locks and windows can be made to work like new. If the auto tranny pukes, you can swap in a used one, you can get an upgraded one from our buddies in Australia, or you can do a 5 speed conversion. The engine is EFI, which means it starts good, and runs good at any altitude. It has a learning curve, but will also help you diagnose problems with the built in diagnostic mode. 4X4 is push button also.

You would be well served picking up a good 62, and not on ebay. Watch in the classifieds here on MUD. It might take you several weeks for the right one to come along, but if you are not in a big hurry, you will be better served by getting one from a fellow mudder. You might pay a little more, but more than likely a lot of the neglected repairs will have already been made. Often, the rig is known by several folks on the board that can give a good recommendation. If someone is asking an outrageous price, that will also be pointed out. Getting one of these rigs is a little like getting married, so take your time and pick a good one.

[BG_TX]

My '2 years' of ownership feedback...

1. Can I really trust one of these FJ60s to be my daily driver?
Probably as much as any other vehicle its age, all reliant on the up keep by the previous owners. Mud is a very powerful support group though, so any issue that may arise I am confident there is a diagnosis and fix provided on the site.

2. What do I need to watch out for when I'm looking around (besides rust)?
Aside from the normal inspection, specific to the 62 I suggest getting it on the highway and drive at high speeds (65+)for awhile and feel the shifter base for excessive heat... do the same with stop/go driving, minus the speed.

3. What are your thoughts on FJ60 vs FJ62 for a daily driver? My gut feeling is to stay away from the electric windows and auto transmission as with the 62 because it's just more stuff that can go wrong!
Your assumption is reality, the 62 transmission can be considered a weak point if abused by previous owners. I dove into a rebuild shortly after my purchase. After the rebuild I have had minimal issues that were easily resolved (alt, mc). I have no complaints for the transmission though, it can run 85+ mph for long periods with no issues and the ride is fine. The power windows gave me a little grief but 1 hour of work and a pencil eraser fixed the problem (dirty leads). I could drive it daily, just choose to drive a commuter instead of burning money.

4. What are your thoughts on rebuilt engine vs. original engine? Does it even matter as long as it's running good?
I've always heard a well tuned 3FE (62 engine) sounds like a sewing machine if tuned well, something to listen for if you check out a 62. (mine does )

5. How do I convince my wife that this is a good everyday car?!?
Take her on a test drive to a secluded location and lay the backseat down?

[NLXTACY]

Originally Posted by BG_TX

Take her on a test drive to a secluded location and lay the backseat down?

Repeat as necessary

[motoloco]

60's are cool but carburetors just PLAIN SUCK ( I can say this since I have owned well over 30 2F's) The auto's in the 62's are EXCELLENT, they use the 440's in commecial trucks overseas. Keep them cool and clean and they are a 250k tranny. The 62's rust less than 60's and most importantly EFI. It will be tougher to find a nice 62 than a 60 though, they got driven more and they were only made for 3 years. It still comes down to the how the truck was maintained, 60 OR 62. GOOD LUCK!

[corhof]

Here is one I am going to look at today. It seems way overpriced, but I'll check it out anyway.

But I just talked to this guy on the phone and he bought it in December which is kinda a red flag for me, but he says that he owns another one and he doesn't need two of them. It has 230k miles on it and based on what you guys are saying about the 62 tranny, it's gonna need an overhaul pretty soon if it hasn't been done already. He doesn't know much about the maintenance done prior to his ownership, but I could try to get in touch with the owner prior to him to get some more details. He says that it runs perfect.

Anyway, I'll check it over and maybe take a few pics of the undercarriage and post 'em. I'll definitely check for rust and drive it around to see how it shifts. As always, any thoughts are appreciated! What do you think something like this would be worth??

[mtrdud]

As far as that 62, it looks good in the pics but it's hard to say without really looking at it up close. I'd suggest getting under it with a flashlight and looking real good. I HATE rust and I can deal with most anything but try to avoid rust. I relaced the floorpans in my Early Bronco and I never want to do it again. I'm glad I can say I did it but again, I don't want to have to deal with that again. I say that to point out that rust is the number one issue I look at in a vehicle and go from there. I'va had FJ40's for a long time and I just got my first 60 and I REALLY like it. Personally, I like the manual transmission and I plan on an OME lift and bigger tires. Good luck with the search!

[BG_TX]

Originally Posted by corhof

I'll check it over and maybe take a few pics of the undercarriage and post 'em.

Clean body... who knows what's under the hood, etc.

I would hope for that asking price it is tip-top, I agree with you though... the quick turn around from Dec to now is a red flag. If he doesn't want 2 I would assume the 2nd was never purchased.

Hmmmm

[Andino]

>Foreigner on the '83-
Buy it? Thoughts? I love my '83. Course it is getting a new diesel with a 5 speed already attached.