Need valuation help - FJ40

Am considering plunging into a new project, would be my first FJ40. Going to inspect tomorrow - would really appreciate any advice. This guy has a '77 with a little rust on the doors, just starting to pit, size of a baseball - otherwise clean and straight. All original except for 2" lift, new seats, replacement ambulance doors (not installed yet) and I think he said a top from a '75. Motor seems to be mis-firing, he's not sure if it's just a tune-up or something more serious. Says it would be $1500 to have it rebuilt. He wasn't actively selling it - I approached him and asked if he wanted to get rid of it. He said he was going to fix it up but has too many other projects. He said he paid $2500 and paid $750 for the doors and top and will sell it for what he has into it - $3250. Please advise! Thank you gentlemen!

Too much.....

Post some pics....

too much b/c of rebuild (might or might not need it).

if he's sure it needs it, offer 1500-1700. no more. and only if the body is nice.

if i were you, i'd keep lookin unless this one is just perfect for you or something.

it's a lot nicer to be able to drive a cruiser you just bought than have to rebuild the engine first.

yea i would pass, unless the body is perfect.. i will only have about $3000 in mine and that includes my soa, 35"tires, PS conversion and the Chevy 350 that runs like a champ.. mine has minimal rust aswell.. you will probably find a better deal, just keep looking

isotel...your website is a popup whore

yea my website is F ed up sorry man, i should take off the link till i get it fixed..

<--- look at my Red X isint it Sweet!..

I guess I'll be the dessenter. Borrow it and take it to a shop and have them checkout the engine. If they can get it in good working condition for a couple hundered and the body is in good shape, I'd get it. That was the drivers for getting my cruiser. I saw some for $8K with home (bad home) paint jobs and motors that sounded like s%^t. I bought mine for $4K with a few repairable rust holes and a good strong engine.

Thats my 2 cents!

Ok....

So the 'original' ambi doors are rotted out, hence the need for 'replacement' units...There is rot starting/showing on the front doors...if these components are marginal, and the engine is questionable at best...how many more things do you need to have blaring you in the face??

Get under this thing, and look at the body seams, floorpan, and where ever the body meets the frame, I would be willing to be a lot of monies that this thing A- is a piece meal deal, or B- a rotting cancer whore, lying in wait for a poor Land Cruiser enthusiast/sucker to come along and not be able to see the reality of the marginal condition, and have them buy into some story about how great a deal and blah blah blah....

How about some pics!!

How about some pics of the wheel wells, the back part of the tub, where the ambi doors meet the tub, cross support between front and rear section of tub, right under operators seat, floors, under the floormats..etc.

How can he drive it to a shop and pay to have an evaluation done, if it is missing from the get go?? Sure, it could be bad gas that is still in there from god knows how long it has been sitting, or, we could have a hole being a very poor air compressor..


Run run as fast as you can....unless hes willing to go less than a grand....

(gingerbread man)

After further review..........PASS! A closer inspection and all I could see was dollar bills (and 20's, 50's and 100's) flying away in rapid succession. Poser was right. Being in SoCal, hopefully I can come across a nicer, minimal-rust specimen to adopt. This really was kind of a POS. Ya know how you feel when you meet a gal at a bar and tell your buds about this hottie you met and then when you see her again (without benefit of alcohol) - you're like "what was I on that night?" - that's what I feel like right now. Thanks for the input folks.

Dan

At least you did not get into it three large before the rose colored glasses fell off..

Congrats!!

Good luck!

-Steve