For Sale - 1988 HJ61 Landcruiser VX RHD, 12HT, AT, High Roof, PTO, 210k

Location: United States

Putting a feeler out. I just picked this up not long ago and I love it, but the timing isn't quite right for me.

The truck runs great, has a few minor bugs, but is in great shape overall. It would make an excellent overland rig with the 12HT, high roof, and roof rack. I can keep up with traffic no problem, it drives nice, and there's tons of room in the back for activities.

1988 HJ61 Landcruiser VX $14,500
Imported from Japan in December of 2013 by CCCruisers.com. I just registered it here in Utah without any trouble. Here's the original ad: http://cccruisers.com/1988-hj61-rooftop-tent/
I purchased it last month from a guy in Wyoming that bought it from CCCruisers. His wife ran the Roof Top Tent into a tree and messed it up, so it wasn't on the truck when I bought it. The roof rack and front pushbar/grill I removed, but still have. He put about 10k miles on it since December of last year. I also removed the big ugly wind deflectors from the front doors.

The Goods

210k Miles (347k-ish Kilometers)
12HT 4.0L 6-Cylinder Turbo Diesel Runs strong, no major issues, and no leaks that I've noticed. Blows some smoke at startup in the morning, but then settles down once it's warmed up. It does blow some smoke when you get on the throttle at elevation. I have a suspicion someone turned up the fuel screw and there's some unburned fuel making it through. I have no evidence to support that and haven't been able to investigate it. Driving normal, even slightly aggressive around town produces minimal smoke. Peaking through oil filler cap looks like there's no blowby, but I realize that's not a very sophisticated diagnosis.
Automatic Transmission: Shifts strong, no slipping or overheating.
VX: Power windows, Door locks, Heated front seats!, Sunroof (works great, no leaks that I've been able to see).
PTO Winch: Works great, though the cable has seen better days. No kinks or frays, just looks it's age.
4 Wheel Drive works great
31" x 10.50 R16 Goodyear Duratracs that are on their last legs. Still functional, but need replacing.
2.5" Tough Dog suspension - I'm making an educated guess on this. It's got a lift on it for sure, but seems to be smaller than a 4" kit, and since there were Tough Dog stickers all over it when it bought it I'm assuming it's their 50mm suspension lift. Rides well for a leaf sprung truck.
Greasable Anti Inversion Shackles - Again, I'm pretty sure these are Tough Dog.
Paint/Exterior: Paint is in decent shape for 25+ years. Has scratches and scrapes, but looks great from 10ft. The OG Japanese decals are showing some wear at their edges, but still look good. Some of the decals are missing from the passenger side front fender.
Interior: It's in good shape, but is starting to show it's age. No rips or tears in the seats (Driver's seat shows significant wear on the side, but there's no holes). Carpet is in good shape. The previous owner had 2 small children who got some unknown substances on the seats in a couple of spots. I haven't tried cleaning them yet, so I don't know how permanent they are.
Heated Seats work great!! It feels strange to have such a luxury in a 25+ year old truck.
24V: 12 more volts than you're used to!

Known Issues:

Some rust - It's mostly just bubbles under the paint around the rear wheel wells, nothing too crazy.
There are 2 spots that need attention:
Under the rear window on the (Right Hand) Driver's side. I don't think it's through yet, but it' probably close.
The inside edge of the bottom of the tail gate is rusted through in a silver dollar sized spot and it has some minor bubbles across the bottom of it.
Slow Drain on the battery/Misc electrical: At some point, the original Japanese owner had a 24v to 12v conversion system installed for the stereo and GPS. When I got the truck all that was left was all the wiring. I pulled out everything that wasn't attached anymore, but the stereo has never worked for me and there's a slow draw on the battery somewhere. If I drive the truck everyday it starts right up, but if it sits for a couple days the battery drops to a point it needs a jump. I have a small jumper box I keep in the truck and it starts it right up. It's probably something simple, but I haven't chased it down yet.
Cosmetic Dash issues The original owner in Japan seemed to really like gadgets. There's probably 7 or 8 brackets glued to, or recently removed from the dash. The worst is in the center of dash and took a couple of dime sized pieces of the dash plastic with it when it was removed. I was planning on buying a dash cover from SOR.com and calling it good. (they sell them for RHD): http://www.sor.com/sorimages/product/346-460-B-big.jpg
Interior lights: There's a handful of interior lights missing/burned out. I haven't chased them down and replaced them yet.
Overhead Inside/Outside Temp Gauge doesn't work. The altimeter works, but the Inside/Outside Temp gauge don't seem to work. I pulled it apart and didn't see any obvious issues.
Driveline Vibe: When driving 50+ mph, coming off the throttle, I occasionally experience a driveline vibration. Pushing the gas or brakes takes it out of "vibe mode". It doesn't seem serious, and the harmonic frequency band that produces the vibe is pretty narrow. In the short time I've owned it, I've learned to drive in a way that keeps it from happening.

Lower mileage, better optioned HJ61's from people like CCCruisers and LandcruisersDirect go for $18-22k (Like this beauty with factory Lockers for $20k http://www.landcruisersdirect.com/cars/2066/), so I think a price of $14,500 is a great deal. It's got some warts that need working out, but its adventure ready today.
I'm firm on price. I don't need to sell it, it's just going to sit for awhile until I can do anything with it, and I'd rather see someone using it than it sitting around.

Contacting Me: Text or Email me -- 801-787-9671, jaredtime@gmail.com. I won't answer phone calls.

More Pics:

Super sweet sticker that comes with the truck