Why the USA never got the 70 series I will never understand.
1987 FJ73 - fjcalifornia
- Thread starter fjcalifornia
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Thread starter
- #102
we do get them, only after the years are passed (and in california it needs to be diesel)
The same reasons the Australian mining industry has been turning away from, being safety.
Toyota's sued for faulty floor mats in what are otherwise commendably safe vehicles, and the 70 platform, to this day, is rooted in early 80s simplistic design that lacks hi tech traction and stability control systems.
It hasn't been that long ago that ABS was instituted on, so really a no brainer as to why NA never saw the 70 platform.
- Thread starter
- #104
taking offers...
Meaning by we dont get that that the US does not have them offered new. I hope to bring a LHD FJ73 gasoline in at some point allow people a choice. Issue is the Colombian 70 series having a very high resale value down there versus what the US market would pay for a truck which is not 'classic' yet. I personally love them just that the numbers are not quite there yet.
I just got offered this one 1987 but seller wants $25,000 and that is before I review it, ship, tag and add a profit.
Love the 1980s stickers. I think this is 3 F 5 speed Fj73. has custom soft top and OEM radio. very clean.
Colombia has a high car tax like Europe so a new 70 series is $100,000 US. Thus 1990s 70 series are high resale and people keep them forever.
Advantage of Colombian trucks is most are rust free and I can add back very high quality new interior and soft top. No diesels.
I will get one over here this year 2015 hopefully.
I just got offered this one 1987 but seller wants $25,000 and that is before I review it, ship, tag and add a profit.
Love the 1980s stickers. I think this is 3 F 5 speed Fj73. has custom soft top and OEM radio. very clean.
Colombia has a high car tax like Europe so a new 70 series is $100,000 US. Thus 1990s 70 series are high resale and people keep them forever.
Advantage of Colombian trucks is most are rust free and I can add back very high quality new interior and soft top. No diesels.
I will get one over here this year 2015 hopefully.
Are the diesels illegal there, or just not available
Chas -
By choice, do you mean LHD vs. RHD or gas vs. diesel?
I applaud what you are doing and wish you luck, but the mileage/use and price premium in the South American markets seem pretty extreme compared to Japanese markets. With relatively low mileage JDM diesels becoming more available due to the 25 year window opening up for 1HZ 73s, etc. Perhaps the most valuable imports you could bring in would be LHD 1/4 cuts (firewall, wipers and dash, plus steering box and linkage) with all the parts necessary to do a RHD/LHD swap on JDM rigs imported from the Far East. In addition, you could use your Colombian manufacturers to produce replacement upholstery kits and even soft-top conversion kits for the JDM trucks.
Are there many candidate FJ73 wrecks at the yards down there?
Just another two cents.....
The shipping is much more expensive from Colombia because of paperwork and I am sourcing out of the mountains to avoid rust issues from salt air along the coast. My shop has a 1990s FJ73 right now that is completely rusted through the floor. No idea why Toyota did not do more rust protection. Makes no sense to buy wrecks etc due to the hassle and cost. The 70 series have a high resale value in Colombia bec they are still used every day and there are high new car taxes like Europe. This makes the pricing tough for the US market.
Also you really can't invest too much into restoring a 70 series versus a 40 series. I am going to be buying an FJ73 right now to see if I can make this work. I just drove one 3F 5 speed for the first time. WOW it sure drives nicer than an FJ43. Much more modern. I need to be $20,000 to $25,000 on these. The advantage of the Colombian trucks will be little or no rust plus I can review them mechanically and do new interior and soft top option. Can't do diesels but yes LHD. I know a lot of people are sourcing trucks from Japan and Australia but I am not a fan of RHD. I would rather pay a bit more to have LHD. Can recoup it easier when resold too.
Also you really can't invest too much into restoring a 70 series versus a 40 series. I am going to be buying an FJ73 right now to see if I can make this work. I just drove one 3F 5 speed for the first time. WOW it sure drives nicer than an FJ43. Much more modern. I need to be $20,000 to $25,000 on these. The advantage of the Colombian trucks will be little or no rust plus I can review them mechanically and do new interior and soft top option. Can't do diesels but yes LHD. I know a lot of people are sourcing trucks from Japan and Australia but I am not a fan of RHD. I would rather pay a bit more to have LHD. Can recoup it easier when resold too.
Drove this 1985 FJ73 the other day. Honestly it looks better in photos than up close. It has recent paint but was not a top quality paint job. 95% sure I am buying this one. I have someone interested in it. Ideally I would pull the glass on it and do new weatherstripping (that would cure the sloppy overspray issue). Tidy up the paint a bit. Looks to be rust free other than some surface rust/dirt inside and the rear wheel panels just behind the wheels were repaired and show a small dent on either side. Has factory heat and AC (AC not cold). 4.0 liter 3F and 5 speed. power windows etc. Frame is super clean and not covered in undercoating like the northern European trucks. has nice snorkel that functions. Again I would be putting new interior in it and going over all the mechanical. new tires. spend about 2 weeks on it. I need to be around $20,000 to $25,000 on these. End result would be a clean truck. All depends on how much mechanical work these need. They are still 30 year old trucks and I would rather do the overhaul in Colombia where the labor is less and all the parts are available. Oh this one had some rust in the driver's door needs to be repaired.
I only drove 40 mph I really want to see how they run on the highway. My FJ40s only go to 60 mph which can get pretty old.
I only drove 40 mph I really want to see how they run on the highway. My FJ40s only go to 60 mph which can get pretty old.
Interior looks good in photos but is pretty drab. not original either. Top floors look bad in photos but looks to be just surface rust and that Toyota sound deadening. I think it is best to have my guys sand it then put a coat of rust inhibitor paint on it and a few coats of white. Under the truck no holes at all or any repairs that I saw. I guess Toyota did not address the rust issues it had in the 40 series with these later 70 series. Really is the Achilles heel of Toyota.
Rear section behind each tire. I am guessing it had rust and was repaired quickly. I can address this. Photo of the FJ73 next to the 82 FJ43 I am going to buy. The rear floor is actually fine just has that hairy sound deadening.
This is the high quality gray vinyl we used on our 1982 FJ43 that is in Tampa now (on the avatar here). Actually used 70 series buckets in that truck. Turned out very nicely. I think I would do the same interior in this white FJ73. Also do custom vinyl mat that can be pulled out easily. This would really upgrade that white FJ73. This is my new interior guy and his quality is fantastic. hard to replicate this in the US.
Anyhow I have to be very careful how much overhaul we do on a retail truck at $20,000 to $25,000. You would be surprised how much mechanical/paint/interior work a 30 year old truck needs. I am pretty confident I can find rust free trucks that are mechanically strong. Do a light overhaul included mechanical review and maybe new interior. Idea being buyer does not have to do as much work on the truck. Can't find diesels but a 3F would be nice as it has no emissions and all the parts are available from the USA FJ60s. Truck felt "quick" around town too. Should be able to keep up with modern traffic unlike the FJ40s.
My pictures are not great. Hopefully I will start on this white one and can make it a guinea pig 70 series.
My pictures are not great. Hopefully I will start on this white one and can make it a guinea pig 70 series.
Truck is filthy under the hood. The snorkel looked to be nicely adapted. They do have 70 series down here that came with factory snorkels. not sure if this was one.
This must have been a loaded truck as it has power steering, heat, AC, power windows. Windows don't work along with some of the instruments.
This must have been a loaded truck as it has power steering, heat, AC, power windows. Windows don't work along with some of the instruments.
Anyhow I hope I can do some 70 series. Personally I would like one for myself. I would really like to see the non-Toyota folks reaction to these trucks in the US. With big tires etc these are pretty cool looking 4x4s.
I'm confused, did the subject matter of this thread go from "Fjcalifornia's" ownership and eventual desire to sell an FJ73 to a multi post promo for a South American importing company?
Hello,
The 73 that originated this thread initially came from Colombia... Kind of a "one thing led to the other" situation.
I remember reading somewhere that diesel was not as readily available in remote areas as was gasoline/petrol in Colombia. The same thing seems to apply to most of South America.
Juan
The 73 that originated this thread initially came from Colombia... Kind of a "one thing led to the other" situation.
I remember reading somewhere that diesel was not as readily available in remote areas as was gasoline/petrol in Colombia. The same thing seems to apply to most of South America.
Juan
Hello,
The 73 that originated this thread initially came from Colombia... Kind of a "one thing led to the other" situation.
I remember reading somewhere that diesel was not as readily available in remote areas as was gasoline/petrol in Colombia. The same thing seems to apply to most of South America. Juan
Perhaps, but that "one thing led to the other" theme seems to be common in multiple threads.
Especially in the 40 Series threads.
I will start my own thread soon on an FJ73 that I am buying. I get this a lot hope not to ruffle too many feathers. For everyone that loves to see the pics of Colombian trucks you get people who are somehow bothered by the fact that I am doing this as a business. For the record as of this date I have sold 0 trucks to MUD members. I do this less to promote and more because I enjoy the trucks. The business only hopefully allows to follow my passion. I wanted to bring a 70 series to the US over a year ago but the pricing is not there yet as there is not really an established market. Seeing pics of 70 series or FJ43s or whatever should be a positive and fun thing for Land Cruiser enthusiasts. I also just personally drove on for the first time and also was able to take pictures and see one that had rusted floors. This experience should be helpful for others looking to buy these trucks whether from me or the poster or Australia or whoever. No harm meant to the poster especially as he has what looks to be a very nice truck.
Hello,
The 73 that originated this thread initially came from Colombia... Kind of a "one thing led to the other" situation.
I remember reading somewhere that diesel was not as readily available in remote areas as was gasoline/petrol in Colombia. The same thing seems to apply to most of South America.
Juan
Yes my understanding was that there were just no diesel 'gas stations' put in in rural areas. Also Colombia gets most of its gasoline from Venezuela who maybe does not or did not refine much oil into diesel. There are very few original diesel classic Toyotas in Colombia for that reason. The few that do become available are usually priced high. Another issue is that the pre-turbo 90 hp diesels just do not have the power for the Colombian mountains. NOW today you can buy awesome Toyota turbo diesels that you can not buy in the usa. They are priced very high due to high Colombian car taxes. a 2014 crew cab 79 series pickup is around $90,000 new.