1985 FJ60 buying advice (1 Viewer)

[leonethelion]

Hi everyone,

First time post here. I was wondering If I could get some advice on a purchase I may make this Thursday. Little background on the vehicle...

1985 FJ60 with 182,000 miles. From the photos the body and interior look clean for the most part with normal wear. I don't see any major rust. However there are no pictures of the engine or underbody. Sight unseen I offered the guy 15k. He has it listed for $22,500 and from only messaging him I got him down to 17k, sight unseen. Now I know what these can go for but I also know most of them need some updating and repairs. Obviously Im trying to get the best deal possible and I was thinking of putting 5k into the vehicle to do the repairs and get it to a place where I know it will be reliable. But what I don't want to do is put too much into it where Im upside down on the value. Is 5k enough to put into the vehicle to make it reliable without going over its value? Any advice would be awesome, Thanks!

 

[OSS]

You GOTTA take a look at it before making an offer. Or find someone you trust who can do it for you. It might be a $6K cruiser.

$15K should have a completely overhauled cylinder head, 5 speed transmission, newish suspension, clean body with insignificant rust and a strong frame. The engine should run GREAT and idle like a purring kitten. Interior should be clean with the front seat fabric in very good condition.
Throw in an ARB bumper and lockers — then it would be worth $15K

I think

 

[MTB Land Cruise]

Hi everyone,

First time post here. I was wondering If I could get some advice on a purchase I may make this Thursday. Little background on the vehicle...

1985 FJ60 with 182,000 miles. From the photos the body and interior look clean for the most part with normal wear. I don't see any major rust. However there are no pictures of the engine or underbody. Sight unseen I offered the guy 15k. He has it listed for $22,500 and from only messaging him I got him down to 17k, sight unseen. Now I know what these can go for but I also know most of them need some updating and repairs. Obviously Im trying to get the best deal possible and I was thinking of putting 5k into the vehicle to do the repairs and get it to a place where I know it will be reliable. But what I don't want to do is put too much into it where Im upside down on the value. Is 5k enough to put into the vehicle to make it reliable without going over its value? Any advice would be awesome, Thanks!

is it close by where you can do a hands on inspection before purchase? Hard to advise whether 5K is/would be enough to make it "reliable." 182K miles for an 85 is not bad.

 

[John Staton]

I paid $13 and turned around and put another $13 in. Better understand what you are buying and be ready to spend some money. If you keep going down the road you are going and not checking it out better expect to put into it what you pay for it.........maybe more.

 

[Gretsch]

He has it listed for $22,500 and from only messaging him I got him down to 17k, sight unseen. Now I know what these can go for but I also know most of them need some updating and repairs.

He has it listed for that because everyone else does and they only go for that kind of money because people pay it. The mystique of the 60 series is hard to contain. Listen to @OSS. You gotta see it first. You already made him an offer so who knows here. He has already come down $5000 with nothing but an email and a promise. Not sure what that says about what he has. Is the seller on Mud? Maybe someone on here knows the truck and can vouch for it some.

My experience is low miles means nothing that it needs has been done so you could be in for significant money and time ahead. Any recent work done on it? Even better than seeing it is having a mechanic run some tests on it. Why are there no pictures of under the truck?

Just for reference, mine is an '84 I bought with 175,000 miles on the clock, no visible rust anywhere (AZ truck) for nowhere near that sort of money. I spent almost $1000 just replacing hoses/gaskets (among other bits) in the first few months of ownership. Have spent plenty more getting it right so who knows how much it owes me at this point. Thousands though.. As PO's tend to do, the PO for mine did a few things 'less than correctly'. GLWP. HTH.

 

[runthejoules]

You GOTTA take a look at it before making an offer. Or find someone you trust who can do it for you. It might be a $6K cruiser.

$15K should have a completely overhauled cylinder head, 5 speed transmission, newish suspension, clean body with insignificant rust and a strong frame. The engine should run GREAT and idle like a purring kitten. Interior should be clean with the front seat fabric in very good condition.
Throw in an ARB bumper and lockers — then it would be worth $15K

I think

someone would pay 40k for what you just described...

Obviously it should drive and stop pretty well and suspension shouldn't be too saggy. Bring a magnet, check for rust (then check again), check for corroded clamps and cracks in hoses, check the steering knuckles, check for oil leaks, check the lights/signals etc, check the heat and A/C and if it has problems with a couple of these things (or more) price should be adjusted. Interior should be in pretty good shape for that price. If all these things check out, then grab it and put it on bringatrailer for 25k!

 

[Spike Strip]

I see $40K FJ60s listed occasionally and they don't sell for anywhere near that unless there's something exceptional about them: very low miles. Perfect diesel conversion with expensive Toyota engine. Excellent tasteful resto with quality V8, etc.

And since it looks like gas is heading back to $5/gal since talented grifters are back in power, just watch what happens to the price of vintage 4x SUVs.

Buying a vintage truck for full price from an unknown party without having someone independently examine it is just asking for sleepless nights. This forum is full of confessionals about similar purchases.

Is the truck in Los Angeles ?

 

[RodrigzCrzr]

Yeah don’t make an offer on the truck without checking it out in person. I found one CL and it looked awesome. I set up a meeting and when I went to look at it I went underneath and the frame was compromised with rust and floors where patched. They may look nice from afar but once you really start looking you will find the problems. 180k says nothing. It’s the maintenance and the intervals that has been done to them. Find some who knows and can spot potential problems before you buy this persons problems.

 

[leonethelion]

Thanks guys that really helps. Im definitely checking it out in person first. Sorry i did not mention that. I have spoke to a local mechanic. He could help out and take a look but id have to convince the seller. Here are some pics. There are more but i can only upload five.

 

[RodrigzCrzr]

Wow
That thing is pretty nice!
Seems there is a few oil leaks from all the spots on the ground. If that’s where that rig is parked. Or could be from other cars.
Either way have them check it all out.
Things add up pretty fast on these things of things needed done.
Good luck!

 

[cruiserpants]

Not a bad looking rig.
The interior looks like it was well taken care of.
Ask if they have service records for the truck.
Also, check for rust underneath (C channels, etc) as well as potential oil leaks.

 

[Cincodemustache]

Underneath will tell you your answer whether to buy or run. If you can contain your excitement post some undercarriage pics here while you are there and get some additional feedback from the crowd. Take a quick video of the engine idling and try to post it. If you can’t shoot me a PM and I’ll get it posted for you somehow. Check those rain gutters.

Nit-picky, but I don’t see the black rear hatch lock shroud. This is small, but could indicate work back there. Or, they simply removed it since it faded or disintegrated.

 

[3_puppies]

wondering if all the spots in the driveway in front of where it was parked are from the rig?

 

[2mbb]

Used car sales in CA require the seller to provide a smog certificate taken within 90 days. Make sure you get one. His registration looks like it could be due in May 2021, so it could be almost 2 years since the last smog check. CA smog is the primary reason I consider selling mine every two years.

 

[DFXR]

^^^ Do not, under any circumstances, let the seller convince you to buy it without him getting it smogged first. Even if you can bargain around it. It does happen, and the result is almost always a long post-purchase period of frustration, shame and misery, instead of a honeymoon.

I would bet the oil stains are from the 60. The PO of mine told me the oil stains in his driveway were from his son's car, and when his son pulled up while I was there, the guy went through this crazy show of shaming the kid for not cleaning up after himself, and the kid just stood there and looked confused.

 

[leonethelion]

Thanks that really helps! Ill try and take some pics on thursday and post them here during the inspection.

Lets say you have 20k for a classic FJ. Now if this person cannot provide smog, those oil stains are from the FJ, he doesn't have much in proof of repair work/updating done, ac doesnt work, engine hoses and belts look old, and the underbody has no rust. Considering all that and assuming the body and interior are as clean as they look in photos, where would you be at buying? 8k?

 

[DFXR]

These days, it’s really hard to say. While 8k seems like too much for what you’re describing above, we’re all aware that people are paying that and more for really average 60s. So I wouldn’t expect the guy to let it go for a whole lot less than where you’re at now (15k?).

 

[leonethelion]

Yeah 15k was just what I threw out to see if he was willing to negotiate. Him dropping to 17k without a conversation says he is. I agree people are paying 8k and a lot more for average ones. Im willing to buy cheap and invest into it to get it where I want. As long as the body has no rust. At 8k it seems do able without going over value. Maybe not though haha thats why Im on here asking you guys. Im hoping he doesnt know what he has but thats a longshot. Its worth a try though!

 

[John Staton]

A few leaks are almost to be expected. Rear main seal probably leaks, but it looks pretty clean from up top. Check for body work and I would insist that you have a mechanic look at it. That is a completely normal request and you should expect to pay someone for their time to look at it and give you a list of what needs to be done, and there will be things, but if nothing major AND you can get the smog test passed I would probably pull the trigger. You can get a 5 speed conversion for another $6K or so and have a sweet rig. Good luck.

 

[batthewmrown]

The real lynchpin is that you’re in a place with the strictest smog standards in the country. I’ve dealt with and am currently dealing with smog issues and it’s no fun. The truck looks solid from what we’ve seen. Those oil stains are definitely concerning. I’d crawl under and see if you notice anything glaring. But with a 35 year old truck, with undoubtedly deferred maintenance, there’s bound to be something leaking. I think your $8k is optimistic. A flipper with a rack and garage could replace the RMS and a few other bits and put it on BAT for $25k.

The bottom line is don’t spend more than you’re comfortable with. Can you turn wrenches? Have you driven one? The allure is strong but they aren’t for everyone. What I’m saying is that this isn’t the last 60 that will come up for sale. If you go see if and it feels right, go for it. If you’re uneasy about it, take a walk.

Also consider what you want to use it for. Grocery getter/head turner/garage queen is fine but if you want to get out on some trails, maybe look for a cheaper, less pristine *looking* example that you wouldn’t worry about rubbing up against some branches in.

That said, it looks like a nice truck and I hope it all works out swimmingly!