1972 FJ40 “for sale”……the 40 market????? (1 Viewer)

[cruiserkev]

30 years ago when I started looking at FJ40s this would have been a $3k vehicle, today due to popularity, probably $10k is about right. Only a fool would pay that price in this condition. Guess inflation has truly taken over.
The kind of crap these sellers try pull is embarrassing and only makes my 40 worth that much more to me.

 

[3_puppies]

Ok, as a guy who VERY recently bought a 40, maybe I can tell a slightly different story. Sorry guys, the days of these trucks being $5k may (left myself some wiggle room) be over. At the end of the day, Land Cruisers are worth what someone will (or won't) put in your hand. I read recently that Manual Transmissions now represent 6% of the new car market. We (gosh I love being able to put the word "we" in this) are driving something that is no longer mass produced. So, in my (worthless) opinion is this truck worth $30k? Not sure, I already got my 40 and you can pry it from my cold dead hands.

compare this rig to the one listed by Cruiserdan and there is a huge difference, for $3000 more, it would be well worth the extra money

SOLD - Land Cruiser Heritage Museum collection 1980 FJ40

SOLD! Thanks everyone. The Land Cruiser Heritage Museum is offering an opportunity for a Land Cruiser enthusiast to purchase a vehicle currently in the museum’s collection. Offered for sale is a 1980 US market FJ40, manufactured in October of 1979. This vehicle was taken new from stock at...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[White Stripe]

Looks like Stevie Wonder did the body work with a stick welder after downing a 12 pack. Being that everything will have to be redone, I personally would give 2500 bucks for it. The tub was probably so poorly repaired that it's now warped and the door gaps will never be right. Frame is ruined. Whoever messed with it created far more work to make it right than if it had been left rusty. I'm sure someone will pay 29k. A lot of people have no idea what a turd is if it's shiny.

 

[martymart]

This POS is $8,000. I really didn’t realize I may own a rig worth $50,000 if this is worth $8,000.

Check out this item on OfferUp. https://offerup.co/oYmCEKYXpsb

 

[knuckle47]

i think I may have seen this truck on Rt 9 in New Jersey around Monmouth County. It stands out to me because, I have not seen any land cruisers around New Jersey for 10 years or so. Having been an owner and being an owner, it’s like when you buy a white car…all you see from now on is white cars. Everyone has a white car. Of course it was at 40 miles an hour, it was parked and looked nice at that instant, a momentary flash out of the corner of my eye. These close-ups dictate otherwise

 

[White Stripe]

i think I may have seen this truck on Rt 9 in New Jersey around Monmouth County. It stands out to me because, I have not seen any land cruisers around New Jersey for 10 years or so. Having been an owner and being an owner, it’s like when you buy a white car…all you see from now on is white cars. Everyone has a white car. Of course it was at 40 miles an hour, it was parked and looked nice at that instant, a momentary flash out of the corner of my eye. These close-ups dictate otherwise

There is a guy in Brick new jersey that always has 40 stuff for sale. I saw a fj40 in a salvage yard once in upstate new York. It was mostly rust.

 

[knuckle47]

@White Stripe thanks….i was at his place about 2 weeks before I bought my FJ40 In May. He had a running ‘69? and another ‘81? in his yard as well as a bunch of parts. We spoke a few times but the 81 was quite rusty, didn’t run and he wanted near 20k. It really needed 15k worth of new body parts, a lot of labor and then whatever mechanical repairs and maintenance….for my preferences …..and that 69 was a bit rough but ran And drove.

I was tempted, but my ‘75 is a sweetheart. Despite what money I have put into it so far, it is all optional “return to stock” stuff and updated maintenance parts, except for the Holley Sniper.

My first experience with fuel injection was so “amazing“ that the 1995 memory just stands out. I had been kick starting old Harley-Davidson (1935-1964) motorcycles for so long and eventually bought one of the first new fuel injected Ultra Classics. Turn on the key and press the button…instantly done! For anyone who remembers those days…what a difference. My land cruiser deserves that

 

[120mm]

Ok, as a guy who VERY recently bought a 40, maybe I can tell a slightly different story. Sorry guys, the days of these trucks being $5k may (left myself some wiggle room) be over. At the end of the day, Land Cruisers are worth what someone will (or won't) put in your hand. I read recently that Manual Transmissions now represent 6% of the new car market. We (gosh I love being able to put the word "we" in this) are driving something that is no longer mass produced. So, in my (worthless) opinion is this truck worth $30k? Not sure, I already got my 40 and you can pry it from my cold dead hands.

The problem with that logic, is that you assume that a vehicle that is fundamentally unsound has some kind of derived value from vehicles that are sound.

This vehicle is fundamentally unsound. It is worth precisely the good parts on it, as it cannot be made sound. It is what us old Soviet Technical Intel guys used to call a "value-subtracted" vehicle.

It is a parts truck.

I bought a much cheaper truck earlier this year, and it was miles ahead of the pictured vehicle, because it was basically sound. And that is with a stuck motor. Every part I subsequently put on it, increases its value, over the value of the part. This makes it a "value-added" vehicle.

 

[mrad2181]

The problem with that logic, is that you assume that a vehicle that is fundamentally unsound has some kind of derived value from vehicles that are sound.

This vehicle is fundamentally unsound. It is worth precisely the good parts on it, as it cannot be made sound. It is what us old Soviet Technical Intel guys used to call a "value-subtracted" vehicle.

It is a parts truck.

I bought a much cheaper truck earlier this year, and it was miles ahead of the pictured vehicle, because it was basically sound. And that is with a stuck motor. Every part I subsequently put on it, increases its value, over the value of the part. This makes it a "value-added" vehicle

I think you are twisting my words about as hard as might be possible. Might be wrong. See, I don’t know jack about cars so I don’t find myself qualified to assume anything. Therefore I don’t do it. Let alone deciding that a vehicle is fundamentally (or not) sound. What I did say is that the days of 40s being $5k may be over.

If that is incorrect, I will look forward to you showing me. Be well.

 

[brooklyn]

The market is inflated across the board, used cars are almost the cost of new. After awhile anything priced under 20k is suspicious. All of a sudden, 30k is reasonable for something we wouldn’t have paid 15k for.

From the sellers point of view, if you don’t want it - someone else will.

The way used parts are for selling for, it might be worth that to part out! Even in the Mud classifies— what I was buying parts for a few years ago are costing way more,

 

[knuckle47]

@brooklyn Well put….I have to agree with you as I have been watching this “swell” in pricing over the last 14 months…. My truck as I bought it should be an extra $10,000.00 not counting the money I have put into it getting it back to “purist level stock”. I wanted to buy one for bashing through the woods around here but the $8500.00 truck I was watching sold for near double that.

 

[1969FJ]

The FJ40 market is the same as any classic market. People are pulling cars long in water and restoring them. (For big money ). Part prices follow. The one thing in the FJ40 market is that Toyota sent a lot to foreign markets and they are old enough to come here and act like were original. This is well understood on this forum.

 

[120mm]

I think you are twisting my words about as hard as might be possible. Might be wrong. See, I don’t know jack about cars so I don’t find myself qualified to assume anything. Therefore I don’t do it. Let alone deciding that a vehicle is fundamentally (or not) sound. What I did say is that the days of 40s being $5k may be over.

If that is incorrect, I will look forward to you showing me. Be well.

Over the last couple months, I've turned down several $5k-ish rigs that were in much, much better shape than the rig you are talking about. I literally have someone right now who wants to sell me a $5k-ish FJ40 that IF I didn't already have a $5k-ish project FJ40 (which I purchased earlier this year, obtw) I would buy in a heartbeat. This tells me the real market for less than peak condition FJ40s isn't as inflated as others think.

FJ40s are like any antique, mass production car. The absolute bottom for vehicle value is zero, and that bottom value will always be worth zero. There are those cars which are insanely valuable in any shape, but the FJ40 ain't one of them. The original rig you posted requires a 100% restoration to be made right, which will cost more than it will be worth once completed. Even at inflated values.

I'm old enough to have grown out of the idea that something being old, and even rare, makes it valuable, even if similar items are valuable. This excludes what is called "a greater fool" principle. That's what happens when you get ripped off in a deal, but you convince a greater fool to make the same mistake only with more zeros.

BTW, even when the market for some cars peaks, anyone with patience and cash can wait until that same market makes a smoking hole in the ground, and you can snap up those super valuable cars for peanuts.

 

[mrad2181]

Over the last couple months, I've turned down several $5k-ish rigs that were in much, much better shape than the rig you are talking about. I literally have someone right now who wants to sell me a $5k-ish FJ40 that IF I didn't already have a $5k-ish project FJ40 (which I purchased earlier this year, obtw) I would buy in a heartbeat. This tells me the real market for less than peak condition FJ40s isn't as inflated as others think.

FJ40s are like any antique, mass production car. The absolute bottom for vehicle value is zero, and that bottom value will always be worth zero. There are those cars which are insanely valuable in any shape, but the FJ40 ain't one of them. The original rig you posted requires a 100% restoration to be made right, which will cost more than it will be worth once completed. Even at inflated values.

I'm old enough to have grown out of the idea that something being old, and even rare, makes it valuable, even if similar items are valuable. This excludes what is called "a greater fool" principle. That's what happens when you get ripped off in a deal, but you convince a greater fool to make the same mistake only with more zeros.

BTW, even when the market for some cars peaks, anyone with patience and cash can wait until that same market makes a smoking hole in the ground, and you can snap up those super valuable cars for peanuts.

Interesting.