In the Market - A Little Advice (1 Viewer)

[snye]

After selling my 60 about 8 months ago I'm now in the market for an 80. I wanted to make the transition due to a need for better A/C, a more comfortable ride and room for a growing family.

My budget is $4,500. This will not be a daily driver, but a camping/hunting vehicle I hope to have for the next 10 plus years. Lockers are not important because I live in Oklahoma and if you haven't noticed, it's pretty flat in this part of the country.

I've done my research about the differences between '91 - '92 vs '93-'94 vs '95-'97.

My questions are:
- With my smaller budget, is it better to buy an older (91-92) with low mileage or a newer vehicle with high mileage (>200,000 miles)?
- what regrets do you have from purchasing your 80 or what do you wish you would have done differently?
- What are the most important deal breakers that I should be on the lookout for (ie rust, leaking knuckles, etc)?

Thanks in advance!

 

[greentruck]

Personally, I'd buy the newest truck you can find, but $4500 may limit your choices there. Even our 97 was already 12 years old when we bought it.

Mileage is less of an issue, because the 80 holds up very well. It'll be a keeper, so worth investing in.

The 1FZ has noticeably more power. If you're in OK, I'm gonna bet you'll be taking her to CO. Those mountains will be more pleasant with all the stock power you can muster. Less of an issue driving around home with 3FE power, but just saying...plus if you want max AC, then the extra HP is always good to have anyway.

mid-95 thru 97 are all OBDII, which greatly simplifies diagnosis even for the home mechanic with the low cost of scanners these days.

 

[7schulz]

I've had a 93 LC OME 2.5 35's, 96 LC stock, 96 super built LC, 96 LX450 stock and the latest 96 Lexus have been the best ride and quietness, which is why I have another coming on a trailer today. I have also DD every one, for pure simplicity get a 91-92, 93-94 you can get for $4500, I think you will be happy with any of them for your purposes.

 

[duggy]

I got the 95 for the updated dash, OBD2, and front end refresh.

The main thing I've spent money on is preventative maintenance. Find one that has been kept in good shape and you will be happy with it.

 

[snye]

Thanks for all of your input. I have worried about the lack of power in the 3FE. My brother in law has a 93 Runner and that thing almost gets run over by itself. I guess power and a newer vehicle may in fact be more important in the long run, especially if I'm only going to use it for a few thousand miles a year.

 

[PIG PUNISHER]

From what i've seen you can get a 93-94 for the same price as a 91-92. 95-97 will go for just a little more. I think you could find a nice 93- 94 for 4500 without much issue. Just be patient and wait for the right Cruiser. Use your best judgement on deal breakers. Are you good at wrenching? Knuckle rebuild is not that expensive. Make sure your HG is good and keep the cooling system tip top. Even a 200+k truck should last a really long time for your uses.

 

[abruzzi]

I got a 97 lexus with lockers for $4500 a few months ago. I wanted lockers, but if I didn't I could have gotten a 97 40th anniversary for $3000. To me. The later models have enough improvements to make them worthwhile. OBD2 simplifies diagnosis. Rear disks improve stopping and simplify brake maintenance. Everything I found was over 200k miles, so that didn't come into the calculus for me.

Look at what will be needed. And what you want to put into it. I didn't want to spend on interior upgrades, so the fact that the leather in the one I got was in good shape was a big plus. If the seat covers are bad and you can't live with that, you will spend a minimum of $1500, probably more to recover.

I wanted an immediate daily driver, so good solid running was paramount. Mine has a CEL for egr excessive flow, but that doesn't impair my ability to drive it (non emissions county).

 

[grain2glass]

Is your $4500 budget just for purchase price or does it include maintenance?

I had a similar goal in mind when buying my 80. Except mine would be my DD. I don't drive so much, my total mileage is around 7k a year. Basically looking for a 10yr rig that I can camp and use in bad weather. I didn't care about looks so much, but wanted one that had been reasonably well maintained and not wheeled. Got my 94 for 3k, locked and stocked. Had an egr CEL that was fun to fix. Then proceeded in putting 6k into armor, tires, and PM over the last 6 months. It's not a show truck, but that's kinda the point. I do have complete confidence in it to get me where I need to go.

My only regret is not having a garage to work on it. I could have saved a bunch of cash. If you can wrench, the majority of PMs can be done at a well equipped home.

Like others have said, maintenance history is more important than mileage. That being said, before buying I went to a Toyota scrap yard and most of the 80s were at around 260k. Very subjective info, but food for thought.

 

[oestlarsen]

My only regret is focusing on low miles and paying for it up front. My Porsche 911 had 200k on it and was in much better shape than 100k garage queens with neglect. Same for cruisers....
I ended up spending a fair amount on baselining and still going..

 

[Duiser Offroad]

Around here you can pick up locked 93-94's for $4500.00 so that is what I'd do.

You don't really need lockers but, the 80's I've owned without lockers are regretful.

Wait for the right deal, look for a clean mall cruiser or one that has already been modified some.

Yeah, rust! Watch out! The HG is a pain and or expensive, so it'd be nice if it was already done.


My questions are:
- With my smaller budget, is it better to buy an older (91-92) with low mileage or a newer vehicle with high mileage (>200,000 miles)?
- what regrets do you have from purchasing your 80 or what do you wish you would have done differently?
- What are the most important deal breakers that I should be on the lookout for (ie rust, leaking knuckles, etc)?

Thanks in advance![/QUOTE]

 

[denys629]

I recently bought a 1993 with 230,xxx miles with a 3in lift on 35's and a bumper for 3000$ after everything said and done. I had to replace some minor things here and there with a pretty clean body and immaculate interior, but as said in prevous posts PM will start to add up.alot of guys always say check the HG and compression. you can find a pretty solid 93 to 95 with over 200xxx with your budget in my area,not sure about KS's market for 80's. there is a beautiful 96 in Rapid City SD with lift,tires,arb front and 4x4 labs rear swing out and sliders and she looks brand new for 6500$

 

[95ToyCruiser]

I would also watch out for rust... Check the bottom of the rear quarter panels (beneath the marker lights and behind the bumper corners) also the rockers... Especially where they meet the wheel wells.

Imo anything else can be fixed/replaced... Rust on the body (not fenders or hood, etc) cannot. Rust is my worst nightmare and is like cancer, it'll just keep coming back...

Other than that, buy what means the most to you... (Engine, diagnostics, interior, lockers, etc)

I got a 95 because it's obd2 (can use scan/ultra gauge and easy diagnosis) newer dash/grill, and here in PA I don't need the full emissions test (96+) and last but not least, it had lockers...

Ok, rust rant over...

 

[snye]

Thanks to all. I am definitely leaning more toward a 95-97 for the OBD2.

However, a few I have called on around here either have a small oil leak or a leaky power steering. What percentage of these trucks have some sort of leak at this point, being 15-20 years old?

 

[lrowe_csp]

My 97 LC with 225,000 miles leaked around the front oil pump seal, distributor o-ring, and both oil pans. My power steering was moist, but did not "leak", but I had the power steering box rebuilt because there was too much perceived slack in my steering. You can always add ARB lockers later if you need them in the future, head gasket is known problem in the later model motor 1FZ, so if that has been replaced already, high mileage isn't that problematic. Search for PHH (pesky heater hose) replacement on this forum and see if you can find one with this done already, or negotiate the price down. Rust free is important since I believe you want to keep the 80 for a long time- and rust free makes it a lot easier to wrench on the suspension. Shane on this forum sells seat leather kits, price is great and fit is excellent, and you can recover them yourself, or get an upholsterer to install Shane's kit for very little coin, so don't be put off by the seat leather, just use it as a bargaining point. The 80 is a great chassis and you and your family will be be very happy when you get it set up to your liking- however, better start a savings account because very few of us have been able to not start little mods, that then turn into fantastic big mod projects. HTH

 

[snye]

Ok, I have been looking patiently in a 300 mile radius and now I am having alternative thoughts.

As I said before, getting a $4,500-$5,000 80 is my current plan. I currently have a daily driver Honda that gets 25-30 mpgs. My car is worth about $5,000. If I sold my car, then I could get a $10,000 rig which would also be my daily driver. However, I would like to maintain a little better mpg than an 80 will offer. That leaves a 4runner or Tacoma.

I like the thought of having a separate daily driver so I can wrench on the 80 and not have to be under pressure to get back out on the road, but a newer 4runner or Tacoma would probably be less wrenching and something I get to enjoy everyday.

In the end, whatever I decide has to be a 10 year decision cause that's about how long until the wife lets me off the leash again.

Or do I take my $5,000 and pay off the minivan and stick with only a sedan? ;(

I appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Dazrin]

Ok, I have been looking patiently in a 300 mile radius and now I am having alternative thoughts.

As I said before, getting a $4,500-$5,000 80 is my current plan. I currently have a daily driver Honda that gets 25-30 mpgs. My car is worth about $5,000. If I sold my car, then I could get a $10,000 rig which would also be my daily driver. However, I would like to maintain a little better mpg than an 80 will offer. That leaves a 4runner or Tacoma.

I like the thought of having a separate daily driver so I can wrench on the 80 and not have to be under pressure to get back out on the road, but a newer 4runner or Tacoma would probably be less wrenching and something I get to enjoy everyday.

In the end, whatever I decide has to be a 10 year decision cause that's about how long until the wife lets me off the leash again.

Or do I take my $5,000 and pay off the minivan and stick with only a sedan? ;(

I appreciate your thoughts.

I hate to say it, but I know the biggest freedom I have felt in a long time was paying off my cars. If it was me, I would pay off the minivan first. Then either keep making the payments to yourself for a rig or sell your sedan and get the $5k option if you want something right away. That would give you some flexibility in looking for another rig - as you save up you can look for more and more vehicle until you find what you want and can pay cash for, maybe selling the sedan to help pay for it.

I know this isn't what many people would do, but I know I don't regret NOT having a car payment, not even when my friends have built-up rigs and mine is stock.

Also, it is amazing how long the leash can get when you don't have a car payment....ask me how I know...and it may very well be that you could do something much sooner than 10 years.

 

[Comet]

The borrower is slave to the lender. I paid off my cars and paid cash for my land cruiser. I don't drive new cars or have flashy things and the a$$ pucker factor when I discussed the LC purchase with my bride was nonexistent.

Bride: I know you want a LC really bad, do we have the money for it?

Me: I can offer him cash or a check.

Bride: I'll see you when you get it home.

Priceless

 

[western flyer]

^X3. I have not had car payments since 2005. Better life.

Having one rig that gets decent mileage would be nice. Good luck.

 

[snye]

You guys aren't telling me what I want to hear!

I did sell my 60, and my motorbike for a total of $6,300. I guess I'm not to excited to trade in my toys for a minivan. I'm not trying to justify that I deserve to get a new rig, and I guess I'm regretting selling my 60 of I don't replace it.

I hate being the responsible one in the family!

 

[Dazrin]

I hear that! I sold my 2-door Tahoe just before Christmas that I loved so that I could get some extra cash to pay off the credit card. I still think it was the right thing to do, but painful.