Newbie here looking for help (1 Viewer)

[l3n0x]

Hi Chaps!

I'm a 33yo guy from eastern-europe, and chasing the dream of having a J100. Previously I had a Prado 120 and a Defender, but the Prado was too suv-like and the Defender was.. Well let's not talk about it. Both where high milegae (350k miles+, so I guess that undermined our relationship)

Anyways, I've always liked the looks, the comfort, and the message of the J100, and now that I've sold the Defender I might have the opportunity to buy one. It's not all sugar and sweets though..

Budget is around $16.000. I'd like leather & automatic & 1HD-FTE.

So I've found a 2000 one that has ARB (knock-off) bumpers front and rear, pristine body, non-adjustable suspension, pristine interior, clock reads 160k miles, it could be altered though, but.. (there is always a but, isn't it?!)

- While the body, rear axle and chassis (mostly) are pristine, there are some corrosion issues:
- Front suspension, including torsion bars & mounts, top & bottom arms & mounts are rusting. So is the front cross member near the front of the engine. (if that's what it's called)
- Radiator and IC is also corroded (but not leaking.. yet..)
- Engine is also corroded, especially the exhaust part, right after the turbo (can't even distinguish the nuts and bolts), brake pipes here and there in the engine bay a bit, even the connector and plate that feeds the climate from the engine bay to interior at the bulkhead.
- The spare carrier is non existent, as that had also rotten away

I somehow fell in love with this exact car, but the list goes on:

- Can't select low range
- Rear locker won't engage (or does it only engage in low range?), the light for it is blinking, then nothing, goes out.
- Engine has a slight knocking sound which may or may not be normal, don't know how they should sound exactly.
- There is a small clunk in the drivetrain when I select D or R

So I thought I should look at a better one, and that's what I did. Had a look a 2005 facelift, adjustable suspension one.. This one is almost double the price: $22.500. Same mileage on the clock. No rust, no clunk when I select D or R, can select low range (no rear difflock in this model), stock bumpers. I could afford it if I trade in my Prius, but then this has to be my one and only car + totally empties all of my savings. Right now there are no in-between options in my country.

Everything works, but.. engine has the same knocking sound, however maybe a tad quieter. And the other one didn't do this, but when I unscrew the oil filler cap, this one was smoking out of it - which I guess kind of breaks the deal.

So the question is. Should I save more money (that takes years for me) and wait for something in between? Or should I get the 2000 one and hope it won't fall apart / rot away in the upcomming 5-6 years? Maybe I can invest reasonable money ($500-$1000) to manage the rust, or would it take far more? Yearly I could reserve some $1000-$1500 (only) on maintenance. Usage dream-about would be long tarmac (100-140km/h) travel, around 10k miles a year, little to no offroad - which makes the lockers and low range obsolete anyway, even though it would be nice if they've worked. If it's a must I can use it in the city as well as a daily commuter, but I'd prefer the prius for that. Anyway, if there is no other option, I can talk myself into selling / trading in the prius and take the comfort hit by using public transportation and/or borrow GF's car when really needed, or just use the LC - which I'd rather avoid on short trips (and because of the city consumption compared to the prius). But I wouldn't like to do all of this for the 2005 one, that might have a pretty worn engine?

Didn't test drive either of them yet, as I'm not yet 50%+ commited to either.

Engine and drivetrain reliability is however a huge factor. I'd like to travel in peace of mind, not having to worry when or if the tranny or the engine goes kaboom, which was my main concern about both the 120 Prado and the Defender. Both had strange sounds, whiny diffs and what-not.

It very well could be, that this is out of my leauge, and should stop chasing the dream and leave it for the big boys with proper wallets.

Thanks in advance!

 

[BJJCruiser]

I would not get the rusty one. There is really no good way to solve that problem. From my experience there is usually more rust than you can actually see. If the other option is too expensive, wait awhile longer. Other cruisers will come up for sale eventually. That's my advice, but I also searched for around 6 months to find mine. I am sure it is a different market in your area. Others may have better advice.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

WELCOME ................

 

[l3n0x]

Thank you! I think I will go and have another look at this car (it's a 1.5h drive away), and try to take some pictures and post it so it gives you guys a better idea.

 

[l3n0x]

...

 

[uHu]

Is there a problem with buying one from another country?
I found my last one in Germany, and the previous one in Sweden, before that from Japan. In Germany they are often priced much too high, so there is room to negotiate.

The version of the HDJ-100 with a 5-speed auto-box is really much better than the older 4-speed. Better response on throttle and much crisper shifts. Plus better collision and rollover safety.
Rust is a killer. Nearly the only important factor. 250 k km is not much. Finding one without integrated Navi is the best, like the one pictured above. (On non-navi: The HVAC controls are better on the 4-speed version -- that's the only drawback on the 5-sp ones)
AHC or conventional isn't that important. After X milage the suspension parts have to be changed anyhow, and the cost of conventional parts are the same whether you have ahc parts there from before or not.

 

[l3n0x]

Thanks for your thoughts. Yeah, it comes down to two choices really here where I live (because people are not going to sell a fully great condition HDJ100, that's for sure. The moral is keep it until it's close to useless, because if it's working great, why sell it?):

1, It either has rust on it
2, The engine and or driveline is pretty much on its way out.

First thought is that it's better to get a rusty one, pull those 4-5 years out of it without worries about breaking down, then parting it out / scraping it. Because if I buy a no-rusty one with a tired engine, I risk breaking down in the middle of nowhere, possibly in another country, which would not be fun at all & still wouldn't have some $5-10k to rebuild / get a new engine / driveline.

That is my dilemma right now, coming from a tired 1KD-FTV Prado 120, and an even more tired 300Tdi Defender engine, I don't want to live again those days when I was worrying if we were able to complete a 50 mile trip while listening to a pan full of bearing balls under the hood & the diffs whining loudly like a ticking bomb)

The problem of buying from another country is that it instantly adds around $3000-4000 to the price because of the trip and registration tax, which makes it a bit uneconomical for a 18yo truck.

That said, unlike in the US, it might be that the days of the 100's are pretty much over in Europe, and it is no way to get into one without major issues / for reasonable prices. Most, if not all of the affordable ones (that is, cheaper than for example 2008 200 series) are due to a proper restoration / rebuild, which kind of rules it out for me. See the prices in Europe for the model is already double or triple of what it is in the US for a same condition one.

 

[l3n0x]

Does anyone happen to know how fast rust will render the car scrap? 1-2 Years? Less? More? Cheers