is this a good deal on an 80?

d5c5b · 11-01-09, 05:08 PM

guys.. thanks ahead of time for the help... ive been a long time reader of the forum.... though own a 4runner, have always wanted a land cruiser

so heres my question-
i have come across an opportunity to trade my 4runner for a land cruiser.
the 4runner is a 97 sr5 4x4 with 87xxx miles on it... and i plan to build a weekend off roader with it.... BUT, i just found a sale of a 93 land cruiser with 180xxx on it and the guys asking 5grand for it... but is very excited about trading for my 4runner and giving me some cash.

he picked the cruiser up 2 months ago from his local mechanic after the previous owner didnt want to spend the money to do the head gasket... so he has since replaced that. the cruiser runs great, handling is solid, front birfs are leaking a bit... never seen any dirt, the underside is spotless minus some oil leak from the bottom (rear main seal?!)... anyway, what do you guys think of a 93 for 5g's?... and what could the lower leak be? oil pan seal seemed new... whats the pan above the oil pan? it seemed to be leaking from there? ... only bad news is, no lockers... tho im not a huge off road guy... more in it for the community and to own one of these great cars!

guy didnt know the first thing about cruisers, seemed like a very honest dude who always wanted a cruiser... then after purchasing realized they need more love and care than he's interested in, so wants to sell... i have a feeling its because something expensive needs to be replaced. also gets a check engine light when you floor it... then goes away after you restart the car... he said his mechanic mentioned something with the TPS?

thoughts?

thanks guys!

Ebag333 · 11-01-09, 05:31 PM

Does it have lockers?

If the front end needs work plan on about $600 (if you replace the bearings) to do the work yourself, or $2k-3k for a shop to do it.

Location would help as different areas tend to have different prices.

Condition? Pics? Rust?

Don't worry about the oil leak. Almost certainly the typical seepage all 80's see (and often not the rear main).

Check engine light needs the code pulled to diagnose. Find that out first.

d5c5b · 11-01-09, 05:48 PM

there is no rust,.. and also no lockers. the interior is very clean, the exterior has had some patch paint work done (hood, roof, front fender)... i am some what mechanically inclined and would be fine fixing the birf's myself. the oil leak does concern me as i wish i knew what it was and how to fix it. suspension is in great shape... motor is over all very clean... i feel good about it, except the lack of history on the car, the guy owning it 2 months... and not knowing the oil leak and CEL... i want to take it to the dealership and have them check the car out... what do you guys think?

pic attached

bpassmore · 11-01-09, 05:49 PM

good looking. no leather, no lockers. might want to keep looking... if it is a DD, get ODBII

Ebag333 · 11-01-09, 05:55 PM

No roof rack. (Usually considered a plus.)

$5k doesn't seem a bad price to me, but I don't think it's a super great one either. If you want to wheel it, you will want lockers. If it's a DDer, then this would be perfectly acceptable.

As bpassmore said, I prefer an OBD-II truck to OBD-I.

d5c5b · 11-01-09, 05:56 PM

what would be the benefits of obdII? it will be a DD

ToothDr · 11-01-09, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d5c5b

what would be the benefits of obdII? it will be a DD

Easier to pull codes, add supercharger...etc.

Cloth interior is a plus in my book. The seats will be manual, not electric like the leather ones. One less thing to break and the 80 series leather doesn't hold up that well over time.

Lockers, meh. Depends on what you want to do with your truck.
DD on paved roads in sunny Florida, I could care less about lockers. Snow, offroading etc, lockers are nice to have.

Pete

bpassmore · 11-01-09, 06:23 PM

lockers most certainly are not meh.....

d5c5b · 11-01-09, 06:48 PM

how do you pull codes on a OBD I?... this land cruiser will most likely see very limited off road conditions... here in sunny, mostly paved florida

ToothDr · 11-01-09, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpassmore

lockers most certainly are not meh.....

They are to some people. I have em, but it wasn't why I bought my 80. Bought mine because it was in mint condition with a documented sevice history. Lockers just happend to be on the truck. Depends on what the owner wants to do with the truck.

Ebag333 · 11-01-09, 06:52 PM

80 series axles without lockers seem to go from anywhere from $250 to $750.

80 series axles with lockers (with wiring, etc) seem to go for about $1500 to $2500.

bpassmore · 11-01-09, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d5c5b

how do you pull codes on a OBD I?... this land cruiser will most likely see very limited off road conditions... here in sunny, mostly paved florida

then you MAY want an 100 series....

ToothDr · 11-01-09, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d5c5b

how do you pull codes on a OBD I?... this land cruiser will most likely see very limited off road conditions... here in sunny, mostly paved florida

at the diagnostic port in the engine bay you stick a paper clip in certain terminals, this causes the check engine light to blink in a certain pattern. That pattern of flashes corresponds to a code that can be looked up in a FSM or here on mud to tell you what's wrong.

greentruck · 11-01-09, 07:49 PM

We recently bought our '97 for reasonably more money for reasonably less miles. Dropped about $2k more in getting mostly the front axle and driveshaft up to snuff. We're very happy, most everything else is in good working order.

I'd figure out what kind of oil you're dripping. There was fresh tranny under ours, but then the dipstick showed some dipstick had overfilled it. No nasty aftertaste on the stick, looked good, so cost to repair was have the dealer take it down to correct level.

It was one owner before me, like the used car loy guy said, he didn't tell me any stories, it's a small town. Toyota dealership hadn't seen it in 50k, so once that got squared away, things are good.

If things look good and you want to build and maintain a nice 80, $5k doesn't sound like too much. But if you can find one by shopping longer, that might also tell you it's too much. Meh, either way, depends on whether what's already right is something you consider is important you don't have to spend money fixing.

Now me, it would have been nice to have lockers, that's a very cool factory option, but I've off-roaded all my life without them, only a limited-slip on my last Isuzu. I'll invest in something eventually on the 80, but I don't see that as a stumbling point in buying an 80 to start a build-up.

d5c5b · 11-06-09, 03:06 PM

had the car inspected today. alot of the issue's i saw when i first went to see the car were brought up in the inspection. below is estimate from the dealership for repairs.

again, 180k on a 93 with no lockers (not needing them, live in tampa,fl) asking 5000$ after lowering it from 5700$.

what are your thoughts guys? should i try and get him to bring the price down because of these issues, or do you think the price is fair based on these issues?
much appreciated!

(engine light) knocksensor bank2 broken 399.95.,(oil leaks)powersteering pump leaking621.95,both oil pans 684.95, possible rear main seal ,have to do oil pans first., front hub knuckle kit leaking 1121.85 left rear axle seal leaking 237.99, rear brake job 199.95

CruiserDave · 11-06-09, 03:34 PM

Pass, that's a lot of expensive stuff to fix if you don't work on your own vehicle.

ToothDr · 11-06-09, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d5c5b

(engine light) knocksensor bank2 broken 399.95.,(oil leaks)powersteering pump leaking621.95,both oil pans 684.95, possible rear main seal ,have to do oil pans first., front hub knuckle kit leaking 1121.85 left rear axle seal leaking 237.99, rear brake job 199.95

The truck is behind with maintenance. Yes, use that as a bargining chip. Are you mechcanically inclined? Most everything you mentioned is not too difficult(with the exception of the rear main/oil pans). You'll find that owning an 80 is MUCH cheaper if you do some if not all the work your self. I'd use the above problems/prices as a negotiation tool. Or if you're not mechanically inclined you may want to pass on this one. Also read this link
http://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-te...ownership.html

Roverrad95 · 11-06-09, 04:53 PM

Not the best deal:

Comparison: I picked up my 93 Land Cruiser (Super White/Grey leather) with 197k miles on it. It doesn't have lockers, is in decent cosmetic condition, amazing mechanical condition for $2,750. Granted I had to sink money into it ($420 for registration, $450 insurance, $90 for a broken tail light, $125 for a detail, $250 on tires). Mine is a California truck (owned by Easy-E originally), no rust, no paintwork ever... That's a lot less than $5k. I'm the second owner. I'd personally keep looking

FYI the head gasket on mine was done at 180k miles, complete front axle rebuild at 194k miles.

There are way better deals. And Florida is way cheaper. I know, I used to live there (in Weston).

AJLFJ80 · 11-06-09, 05:41 PM

Hasn't Easy-E been dead for 15 years...what was the truck doing between 1994 and the time you scooped it up as the 2nd owner!?!?

sl33p3 · 11-06-09, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJLFJ80

Hasn't Easy-E been dead for 15 years...what was the truck doing between 1994 and the time you scooped it up as the 2nd owner!?!?

IMHO one should not question the wrinkles in the fabric of time... ROFL

it might get you a cap in the ice...

KliersLC · 11-06-09, 06:24 PM

The oil leaks may be as simple as changing oil. The shell rotella synth has a great reputation for sealing up leaks. The rest of that stuff is pretty easy and relatively inexpensive. Time consuming though. I'd offer 4k.

nello · 11-11-09, 07:25 AM

I bought my 1996 172k LC just over a month ago from the dealership. It appeared damn near mint too. They were asking 13k, but I paid not much more than what your seller is asking. I purchased a cooling off contract which allowed me to return the vehicle within 48hours, no questions asked. That's when I found out what was really going on.

Pros: dealer had already replaced the pwr steering pump, antenna motor, radiator, some smog equipment, oil change, and brakes before i ever saw the truck.

Cons: Two different oil leaks (appeared after i purchased), shocks were toast, battery couldn't hold a charge overnight, front bushings were rotted, steering linkage was loose, misc lightbulbs out, wiper blades, ect.

I brought the truck back to the dealership and explained the situation. The sales guys were useless, however the service manager was really cool. They ended up fixing everything plus an allignment. Was around 3-4k in service/parts/labor (what it would have cost me for them to do it) and I got all the service records, and a carfax to boot. Probably should mention, since they did a great job, Dublin Toyota in the East Bay of California. I feel I was able to get the ball rolling as I complained that they sold me an "unsafe" truck.

You may be able to find a really great deal at the dealership like i feel i did. There isn't much demand for 14 year old gas guzzlers on the lots. Mine sat on the lot for almost 3months.

Some of the items I mentioned are going to be a must on almost any LC. Remember, these trucks are old and heavy as shit. Don't forget you're going to want a full tune up.

I guess my point is, you can find a better deal. Sounds decent, but i'd keep looking or pay maybe 4k. Sounds like you're going to have a lot of work to do w/ this one. Good luck finding the diamond in the ruff.

ranma21 · 11-11-09, 09:30 AM

Will not touch it if I were you, you are going to end up spending more $$$ to bring the truck back to good mechanical condition. If the truck is well maintained, it shouldn't has problem like these unless he is willing to sell it cheaper.

d5c5b · 11-11-09, 10:04 AM

guys, thanks for all the help... i passed on the vehicle adter the inspection showed sketchy work done by some backyard mechanic... im taking all your advice and gonna continue searching for the right one!