So now that you have had the FJ Cruiser for a few weeks/months.....

[warpedone]

I didnt notice the armrest not being there until after I bought it.
The dealer wanted $117.95 for it, so I bought one online for $85.00.

[fjlien]

Hope I'm not too pretentious here- for I have only 9 miles on my odometer- and this thing is fun. How, you ask? I'm into week three, and have installed $3k worth of All-Pro Off Road steel, shocks and links; a Warn 9k lb. winch; PIAAs; 33"Toyo MTs on Appliance rims; various Yakima sundries to support my Hi-Lift and Pulaski tool, and a couple little niceties. Also painted the grill surround the correct color.

Anyway, it's been a fun project in the late evenings. I should probably be done with the front coilovers so I can take my daughter on its maiden voyage this Sunday! Nothing like reaching deep into each fender well and under hood- and the arms never coming back greasy! I think my wife reported my FJ 40 to OPEC.

Complaints- just the usual- tough to see out of compared to my '77 FJ-40 or my wife's '03 Pilot. I will add 12v convenience soon- in the back of the center console.

It took 6 months to get the rig I wanted here in ID- absolutely bare-bones 6M with only one option- the roof rack (all under $25k). For a 4x4 FJ Cruiser in ID anything under $29k is unheard of. This is a feat my dealership did not want to go through.

bd

[monniepoo]

[warpedone]

If you are talking about the 83' Toyota pickup, the only reason
I keep it is because it was my Dad's.

[notyourmomslx450]

Originally Posted by warpedone

How many of you Toyota lovers own an FJ ?
Most of you bash the FJ all the time.

I don't own one because i feel that, from riding in one on some trails, they don't offer the vertical sightlines that i like to have for going up and down hill climbs. that said, the one i rode in was bone stock and hit up some nasty trails w/ street tires in the rain. it was incredibly capable, if you ask me. the rear diff lock was great, as was the a-trac. i was floored by its offroad ability right out of the box. i can only imagine how well a modded one would do. I do think the FJs are kinda ugly, and have yet to get a wave back from one single FJ owner, but they are toyotas, and they'll be wheeling long after your new rubicon has broken down and been sold off as scrap. i've never heard of a jeep w/ over 400k miles on it and still running, but my dad had a toyota like that. I had a toyota w/ over 300k. You just can't beat toyotas for long haul durability.

[cruiser88]

Originally Posted by notyourmomslx450

I don't own one because i feel that, from riding in one on some trails, they don't offer the vertical sightlines that i like to have for going up and down hill climbs. that said, the one i rode in was bone stock and hit up some nasty trails w/ street tires in the rain. it was incredibly capable, if you ask me. the rear diff lock was great, as was the a-trac. i was floored by its offroad ability right out of the box. i can only imagine how well a modded one would do. I do think the FJs are kinda ugly, and have yet to get a wave back from one single FJ owner, but they are toyotas, and they'll be wheeling long after your new rubicon has broken down and been sold off as scrap. i've never heard of a jeep w/ over 400k miles on it and still running, but my dad had a toyota like that. I had a toyota w/ over 300k. You just can't beat toyotas for long haul durability.

my 73 40 had 792 thosand miles on her when she sold i may have put 20 thousand miles on her myself

[calstyl2]

buddies YJ, hit a major bump in the desert, the whole windshield frame ripped out, the entire structure was rusted out from the inside, all around the hinges were gone

[MuddyFJ]

Love the FJ "."

The only 6 things that I don't like:
Paint Chips
Windshield Chips
Holy horrible fuel economy Batman! This V-6 is a mini V-8....
That other people keep buying them
That I keep wanting to buy more stuff for it
and the fact that I put my 1st ding in the door when a ladder fell on it last week....(offroad cosmetics are acceptable...clumsiness is not).

[monniepoo]

That other people keep buying them
That I keep wanting to buy more stuff for it

I feel the same way...

[cruiser88]

i really enjoy seeing the fj on the road.gives myself something to look forward to when i done with school

[notyourmomslx450]

yeah, if only they'd wave back.

[billybongo63]

Well it's been almost a year and I still feel like a 15 year old in his first jalopy! I love driving it, then stepping out, stepping back and admiring it. Everything has its pro's and con's so I wont even delve into that. The hardest thing for me is to have the patience and not buy the first mods offered, but rather wait to see all the different offerings.
Bottom line...I like it, the old lady likes it and the kids like it...How did that happen?
Nice job Toyota!

[FJTex]

i'm pretty thrilled with my new FJC. this was my first new vehicle purchase and i feel farily confident i will drive it till either i or it dies. also this is my first post on ih8mud so, "hello world."

the pros list could go on for a long time and although i've only got 670miles on it and have yet to do any serious offroading, first impressions are very promising. but i'll try to sum up the pros and cons in top5 fashion

top 5 best things about it:
5. A/C controls are so functional
4. great on road manners
3. turns heads
2. top notch interior quality (the inside of this truck looks to be as durable as its motor)
1. expandability (the aftermarket for this truck promises to make this already capabale machine into a total beast, eitehr rock crawlin, mud slingin or baja jumpin, the FJC will cater to it all imo)

the lowsides:
5. lack of 'stuff' storage (which is actually good, it keeps the inside clean)
4. suspension is still kinda tight
3. fuel economy is good for a truck this size but it leaves some to be desired
2. gotta get used to the visibility issues (not all that bad really)
1. i see too many FJC owners that i jsut KNOW will never give their baby the non-pavement action it deservs. people that dont really seem to buy into the offroad culture. and i think thats why they dont wave, they just dont get it, too busy being badass in their truck... hell they prolly call it a car. but i imagine when their lease is up that too will change

[monniepoo]

Thats right... I see fjs all the time but mine is the one that you will see all dirty and muddy. We drove up to mt baldy last week and there is a cool trail I like to hike and take my dog. This guy asked me why would I take a new car out in this terrain... I relpied: Because thats what its made for! yuppy! 9,000 plus miles

[FJTex]

yeh... the sales manager asked me at the dealer if i was gonna off road it (i guess people are skeptical about a 24 year old buying a 28k truck) and i was like, "if i didnt plan on going off road i'd be getting a camry" i know its a lot of coin, but come on, thats like buying a radio and not listening to it.

[jfoobar]

Not much here that hasn't been mentioned by others already, but here is what I don't like:

1 12V outlet?? Needs at least 2 up front (prefer 3 with one on the rear side of the center console like on my Nissan Titan) and one in the rear compartment.

The lack of storage is a real shame. Thank God for the dashtop box or it would be unlivable in that regard. Look at that unused wide expanse of ceiling there with nothing on it. Toyota should have borrowed another page from Nissan and put a center strip of overhead storage compartments from the rearview mirror all the way to over the rear of the center console. Some pre-tapped and threaded holes for mounting things there would have been nice also.

Rear visibility. My last two vehicles (04 Titan crew and a 96 Bronco XLT) both required a lot of sideview mirror driving so that was nothing new. Where the FJ is more of a unique problem is angled rear visibility, like when trying to see to the rear sides when backing out of parking spaces. Even convex sideviews don't help there, you just need windows. The FJ has way too much in common with a cargo van under these circumstances.

Rear window should either roll down or flip up/down via control from the front.

Backseat windows should bump out or roll down.

Maplights. Again, acres and acres of unused ceiling space.

Passenger armrest is an option?? Also, armrests were made for really short people, mounted very low. I know the other end can adjust for height but the whole armrest should be height-adjustable if they wanted to make it so low.

==============

All that being said, I am rapidly growing the love the thing. It is a tremendous joy to drive both on and offroad. I love the cockpit design. The seat height and shifter placement is perfect. The quick shifter on the AT is very nice and responsive, much better than the Titan. It has taken some getting used to not having lower RPM V8 power at highway passing speeds but it is livable.

Overall, I am very glad I bought it and this is after swearing that I would not buy (and certainly never lease) another new car again for awhile after my Titan lease was up. When I started looking I was looking at recent vintage used cars but I was enamored with the FJ.

Oh, and just ignore warpedone. He trolls on fjcruiserforums as well, just using a different username.

[Nmyeti]

I'm at 6000 miles on mine and have finally gotten some nice custom pin stripes from one of the local NM 4wd play ground spots. Overall I'm very pleased with this truck though I think there are some things I’d love to see improved.

The factory tires are fine for the road, but it would be nice to have a decent off-road tire come standard. My FJ is completely stock and I took it out to play around on Sunday and while I was able to get just about anywhere I wanted to go, on some of the big climbs it would have been done a lot easier with a better tire.

I wish there was a 12 volt outlet in the rear of the center consul. I also wish the aux audio port was placed there as well. I don't like mess that is created by running the cables to the only natural place to stash an mp3 player, and even though I’ve hidden most of the cables under the edge of the center console they don't stay there because I’m moving the MP3 player around quite a bit.

I wish that the rear seat was about 2-3 inches farther back. I'd gladly give up the cargo space to have the rear seats have a bit more leg room. This would make having a car seat in the back a lot less of a pain.

A slightly shorter hood line would be very nice off road. As well as a little better sight line in the blind spots of the truck, but overall it's pretty decent.

The factory skid plate up front has to go. I'll need to replace it with something a bit stouter and hopefully something that tucks in better as well.

I want to add some protection to the rear trailing arm mounts. I need to think about this, but they are "in harm's way" and I’d rather not destroy them by dragging them on a rock if I get hung up.

The 6 speed works really well off road, and for those times when you do stall on an obstacle the E-brake is very easy to access and is stout enough to keep you in place while you work the gas and clutch to get you moving forward again.

The lower edge of the body needs some protection, easy to remedy with some sliders, so that's not much of a complaint, just an observation.

The Atrac system is awesome. 4 low, first gear, and you just idle forward letting it click and clack, doing its thing and it is amazing how well it works to pull you up and over sandy or wet rocks. It also works awesome on rutted out climbs that force a wheel into the air. The only downside of the system is that it makes noise. If it was silent I wouldn’t have to explain to my passenger that nothing was about to bust in the truck and the rigs I was sharing the trail with would be impressed with my driving not my rigs techno-wizardry. That’s really only a minor complaint though…
The Atrac seems to be much more useful all around then the locker. I need to perform the hack though so I’ll have atrac up front and locker working in the rear with each other. If I get about 10 minutes to do the mod this week I’ll give it a shot, but overall I’d rather have atrac on all 4 wheels then just a locker on the rear.
Overall the rig is exactly what I’d hoped it would be; a reasonably capable off-roader with nice on road manners. It fits my needs and goals quite well and while I have my minor complaints I am very happy that Toyota produced the FJ.

[D-Bell]

Had an FJ-40, have an 80 (254K miles) and 45 LB PU. Hooked on Yotas so when time for wife's 60th birthday she chose the FJC. We waited six months mostly because we wanted rear side curtain air bags and all options. I did not like that they advertised them with a GPS yet you could not get one stock installed and we never got the OEM runner boards we wanted. But the fiber glass Orion custom painted ones are a definite improvement anyway. Only problem is she doesn't want to drive it until the weather gets better. We abosolutely love it even though all the complaints seem valid we were aware of them before we bought it and have no regrets. Oh and a Garmin Nuvi 350 fits perfectly on the left side below the air regulator and matches the silver trim as if built for it. When the blume is off the rose I'll set about the good stuff mods and off road useage. With this classic you have dual utility and possibility yet with the tech-no creative engineers advantages down stream. You just gotta love it!

[phoenixrider]

Hello, FJ owners!

I have a FJ60. I went wheeling withg a guy here in his FJC. Pretty damn impressive off-road! Even if it does have IFS! Seriously, did alot better that what I expected.

As far as warranty goes, let me tell you. I had a KIA Sorento. I offroaded that thing hard. Busted a U-joint, fixed under warranty. Snapped a front axle. Well, the dealer had the area service rep come out and take pictures. Sorry, not under warranty - you offroad the vehicle. I'm like, well, you advertise the vehicle to be a rugged offroad vehicle (just like Toypta does with the FJC), you put in part time 4wd, with a 4 lo, a limited slip rear end (no lockers where availble - damn), and on top of that, you have a whole section in the owners manual dedicated to how to drive the thing off road!

Long story short, don't expect too much warranty service from things breaking off-road, except for known defects (like your rear axle) Also, different dealers do help some, but at some point, it's really the factory that will or will not authorize the repair. And, there's really not a damn thing you can do about it!

I've often thought that only an industry wide class action lawsuit would work. You can't advertise, and have magizines endorse, the use of your product in a certain way, then when you use the product in that manner, they say 'no warranty for you!'

[bphinney]

I have the 6sp manual, got it in August. I had an '83 FJ 60 for 6 years. The FJ Cruiser supasses my exectations on and off road. I have had it on difficult trails, in the sand & on the LA Freeways. It climbed Oldsmobile Hill at Glamis like a pro. Whether with all 4 wheels locked or the front on computer it has many options, expecially with the 6sp. Gone wheeling with my cousin, a life-long serious jeep off-roader and a proud owner of a Rubicon. He respects the FJ!

[monniepoo]

Originally Posted by bphinney

I have the 6sp manual, got it in August. I had an '83 FJ 60 for 6 years. The FJ Cruiser supasses my exectations on and off road. I have had it on difficult trails, in the sand & on the LA Freeways. It climbed Oldsmobile Hill at Glamis like a pro. Whether with all 4 wheels locked or the front on computer it has many options, expecially with the 6sp. Gone wheeling with my cousin, a life-long serious jeep off-roader and a proud owner of a Rubicon. He respects the FJ!

I wanted to take mine up olds when I go out in a few weeks. Any suggestions? Howd ya do on the way to the hill?

[voodoofx]

I got my new Pro Comp Extreme AT 305x65x17's and thought I'd better take the FJ off-road . Luckily for me there are some steep, heavily rutted trails that begin a mile from my house. What a blast! Originally I thought I would just use the FJ for easy trail driving to hunt or fish but off-roading was so much fun I cannot wait to go again. I was going to get some lift just for looks but now I know I need it. Plus more protection underneath. The only problem I had was shifting into 4x low, not easy. Me or the FJ? The tires did not rub. I got a few bush scratches but I used to paint cars for a living so I'll paint the FJ when/if I sell it. Gotta join a club!

[FJTex]

Originally Posted by voodoofx

I got my new Pro Comp Extreme AT 305x65x17's and thought I'd better take the FJ off-road . Luckily for me there are some steep, heavily rutted trails that begin a mile from my house. What a blast! Originally I thought I would just use the FJ for easy trail driving to hunt or fish but off-roading was so much fun I cannot wait to go again. I was going to get some lift just for looks but now I know I need it. Plus more protection underneath. The only problem I had was shifting into 4x low, not easy. Me or the FJ? The tires did not rub. I got a few bush scratches but I used to paint cars for a living so I'll paint the FJ when/if I sell it. Gotta join a club!

its the truck, the first half dozen times or so getting into 4lo may be a little tight.. its a brand new T-case mind you, its never been shifted before so it takes some breaking in. also try to be rolling just a little bit when you go to put it in (like at a walking pace) this may make it slide in easier.... whoooh its gettin hot in here....

[jfoobar]

Originally Posted by FJTex

its the truck, the first half dozen times or so getting into 4lo may be a little tight.. its a brand new T-case mind you, its never been shifted before so it takes some breaking in. also try to be rolling just a little bit when you go to put it in (like at a walking pace) this may make it slide in easier.... whoooh its gettin hot in here....

Or just buy your FJ a new tank of premium gasoline and tell it you love it.

[52wheeler]

Proud owner of 07 FJ/TRDSE waited 2 mnths.Silly grin has become terminal. Only mod.,vent shades. I'm new to TOYOTA(first non BIG34X4) i'm happy so far.Are there any TRDSE owners in my area?

[Dbl Blk <>]

I love this rig! The only negs for me is the fact that the seatbelt has to be undone in the front to let out a back seat passenger. The suicide doors are tight when in a parking space next to another vehicle. Other than that...It has been a blast!!