First off, let me just say thanks!! To Woody, Cdan, Beowulf, and all, thank you for the help and support. Not sure if my rig qualifies for ROTW, but being a contributing member it bothered me that 5 weeks went unclaimed last fall. I figured that I'd step-up. That said, here's my ROTW.
Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted a 40. To me it was the "coolest" thing on the road that stood out in the late 70's, early 80's, and I had just never liked Jeeps, as all of my friends and lots of others did. I loved the white roof, rounded back and windows, and the fact that the rear passengers faced each other. I have always been an expedition hiker and camper and had owned stationwagons, modified with sleepers, for all of my college years and dragging my two dogs along with me. A few years after college, I quickly realized that it was no longer fun to "rough" it and that we outgrew the wagons, so I decided to look for a Land Cruiser, a 40 in fact.
I had never owned a 4x4 or a truck and at that point in my life, at 26, I had only driven a truck once or twice. Quickly into my 40 search, I realized that for a daily driver, it might not be such a good choice. Set on getting a Land Cruiser, I quickly started eyeing the 80's as I had always liked those as well. Without much research, I grabbed the first good deal that came along: a 1995 "puke" green 80 with damage multiplier and tail light guards, gold emblem kit, no lockers, that had 60,000 miles for $14,000 in 2000. Sorry I couldn't find any pics, but I loved it and I thought it was the greatest vehicle I had ever driven. I beat the hell out of it and since I had never owned/understood a truck, I tore it up and ran it into the ground, thinking it was indestructible (I now realize that they are, if you take care of them and know how to drive).
I used to talk to every other 80 owner I came across, and some I chased down. Somewhere during ownership of my first 80, someone directed me towards Slee/Acme offroad. I set his website as a bookmark in 2002, and longed for a solid rig. During my various drool sesions of other 80's, I came across MUD in 2004.
In March of 2006, my 1995 was on it's last leg, including a rapidly approaching HG replacement, and I decided to get a solid 80 to baby, mod, and keep for life. My search led me 400 miles and 6 hours away, to a Toyota dealership in Odessa, TX. I made the deal over the phone, drove my 1995 out, and my new 1997 back.
1997 FZJ80: 87,000 miles/ one owner(little old lady)/ no lockers/ $9,000 w/ trade-in
Here it is as I got it:
Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted a 40. To me it was the "coolest" thing on the road that stood out in the late 70's, early 80's, and I had just never liked Jeeps, as all of my friends and lots of others did. I loved the white roof, rounded back and windows, and the fact that the rear passengers faced each other. I have always been an expedition hiker and camper and had owned stationwagons, modified with sleepers, for all of my college years and dragging my two dogs along with me. A few years after college, I quickly realized that it was no longer fun to "rough" it and that we outgrew the wagons, so I decided to look for a Land Cruiser, a 40 in fact.
I had never owned a 4x4 or a truck and at that point in my life, at 26, I had only driven a truck once or twice. Quickly into my 40 search, I realized that for a daily driver, it might not be such a good choice. Set on getting a Land Cruiser, I quickly started eyeing the 80's as I had always liked those as well. Without much research, I grabbed the first good deal that came along: a 1995 "puke" green 80 with damage multiplier and tail light guards, gold emblem kit, no lockers, that had 60,000 miles for $14,000 in 2000. Sorry I couldn't find any pics, but I loved it and I thought it was the greatest vehicle I had ever driven. I beat the hell out of it and since I had never owned/understood a truck, I tore it up and ran it into the ground, thinking it was indestructible (I now realize that they are, if you take care of them and know how to drive).
I used to talk to every other 80 owner I came across, and some I chased down. Somewhere during ownership of my first 80, someone directed me towards Slee/Acme offroad. I set his website as a bookmark in 2002, and longed for a solid rig. During my various drool sesions of other 80's, I came across MUD in 2004.
In March of 2006, my 1995 was on it's last leg, including a rapidly approaching HG replacement, and I decided to get a solid 80 to baby, mod, and keep for life. My search led me 400 miles and 6 hours away, to a Toyota dealership in Odessa, TX. I made the deal over the phone, drove my 1995 out, and my new 1997 back.
1997 FZJ80: 87,000 miles/ one owner(little old lady)/ no lockers/ $9,000 w/ trade-in
Here it is as I got it: