1995 FJ80 buying question (1 Viewer)

[OFM]

Hi all. I am on the verge of buying a 1995 FJ80 in apparently great condition. 143k miles, VERY clean inside and out. Test drive revealed that the AC didn't work (seller said it worked intermittently), but little else was obviously wrong. I've got it in a local shop right now for a pre-buy inspection.

My question is about the price. Seller has it listed for $7800. I asked if he would be willing to flex on price if the pre-buy inspection revealed anything significant (AC compressor replacement could cost $750+ from what I've read) and he said no... $7800 seems a little steep, even here in Oregon, but I wanted to see what the professionals (you) had to say about that. $7800 plus another $500-1000 dollars to make it ship-shape -- what are your thoughts? Anything major to look out for re: this year and mileage?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Seth Derrick]

That price is right in the pocket for what I've seen in the Phoenix area for similar year/mileage 80s.

 

[OFM]

Thanks, Seth. I appreciate it.

 

[nodaksn3]

I hate these "what's it worth?" posts, but here's my take.... I paid $10k for my 1995 80 back in early 2003. It doesn't have lockers, but does have a cloth interior which is much more comfortable and durable than leather (guy couldn't sell it because it is sort of weird looking, but who cares?), and was in excellent shape with around 130,xxx miles (can't exactly remember after 11 years). I still have it and now it has 308,xxx miles. Hands down best vehicle I've ever owned, but, since 130,xxx miles and today it's been meticulously maintained which includes a rebuilt front end, 3 (or more can't remember) new sets of tires (Michilins @ $800 or so a set), new radiator (Koyo), new a/c pump, new water pump, thermostat, all new hoses (x3 for the PHH), starter contacts (twice), alternator rebuild, HG, etc., etc., etc. What I'm getting at is this: these are very good vehicles, top of the line world wide (80's still are), but are expensive to properly maintain (and run, count on 14-15 mpg on a good day, down hill and down wind). If the truck you're looking at has a leather interior, make sure it's in good shape as replacements are very pricey. Fair is what feels good for you and you can afford, period. Take it to an a/c place to have it checked out. That may give you some negotiating room. May just need recharging? Rust? Lockers? 143,xxx is very low mileage for the age. Check our Slee's site for tips too.
But whatever, enjoy it when you finally get it.
Ned

 

[imhighlander]

Sure seems like a solid deal. I have a buddy really interested in one, too.

FWIW, I paid $7400 in October 2012 for a one owner, locked 1993 with 128,000 on it. It has a little rust around the windshield that a RS brother is going to handle for me and a little rust from a bad bondo job on the drivers door. Otherwise it was in excellent shape. Interior was super clean. I feel like I got a smokin deal, considering what I've seen others go for these days.

Good luck with your decision.
Matt

 

[OFM]

Thanks so much for the feedback, guys. I know these types of threads may appear to go nowhere, but I'm right at tipping point with regard to price and didn't want to leave any stone unturned. I have fairly good idea of gas mileage and annual maintenance costs. With your two cents I just need to sit down and determine if this is the right fit for my family. I truly appreciate the input.

 

[80FZJ]

It's all relative when purchase a vehicle especially an 80 series. The good one are scarce. So find one with a good condition expect to pay a premium. I paid for a 1997 LX450 with 167k ( previously overhead with a rebuilt cylinder head $7,000. ( excluding new tire and powder coating rims)

 

[IronCladLou]

I'll chime in also. I bought my '97 LX450 last year. 142k miles when I bought it (153k now). Pristine interior, paint/exterior was a ~8/10 and mechanically it was sound but had seen very little maintenance over the years. I paid $8k and was happy about it. In my neck of the woods, clean, low-mileage 80s are becoming dinosaurs.

One way to look at it - what else can you buy that is going to be the equal of a $7800 80-series in the used car market? Not much in my opinion. Even if you put a couple of kilobucks in it to get it in top mechanical condition, you've got less than $10k in an awesome, multi-purpose apocalyptic urban assault vehicle.

 

[artech]

I paid $5500 for my locked '95 a few years ago, but it had a lot of miles and was in pretty rough shape. I've put about that much back into it in parts and labor to get it where I want it to be.

 

[arcteryx]

If you like it, buy it. Dont worry about what you think it may be worth. Nice, low mileage ones are becoming harder to find, so if it checks out, get it before someone else does. You will almost certainly have to put some money in it due to the age, ie rubber parts.

 

[Beau Diddly]

No one would sell a vehicle in the summer with non-working A/C if it just required recharging. You'll probably replace the compressor, and you might as well replace the drier and expansion valve, and all o-rings...I'd budget $1,000. So you're in it for $8,800 plus other repairs. It might be worth it if everything else was perfect, no accidents, rust, has diff lockers, etc. It sounds high to me, but I don't know your market. If you're patient, I'm sure you'll see another good deal come along. Before I talk you out of it, if this rig has everything you're looking for and it's the one, go for it.

 

[Arizona Jeff]

If its in good shape and the undercarriage is clean its worth it without lockers. It's worth another $2k if it has lockers. I bought my 96 in february and looked online at hundreds and in person at many before pulling the trigger. (mine does not have lockers but only had 118k miles and 1 owner). I still put another $1500+ in baseline maintenance right out of the shoot. No regrets.

I saw a lot with high miles and good shape, and some with low miles but rust on the undercarriage. Tough to find clean and low miles.

Don't forget to post when you buy and good luck!

 

[OFM]

Well, a bit of an ironic end to this story. After I paid a local mechanic to give it a pre-buy inspection, the owner decided he didn't want to sell it after all! It's hard to say what the issue was with the AC. Could very well have been the compressor... Ah well, I'll never know. Regardless, thanks all for your input! I'll keep looking.

 

[ppc]

Did the deal fall through because the price could not be agreed upon? If you were willing to pay the asking price then I would think that the seller should be reimbursing you the cost of the inspection. Legally if you took him to small claims you would win. It may not worth the time or money to proceed with that. Next time I would get the seller to pay for the inspection up front and agree to add that amount to the sales price. That makes the seller more committed to sell. Also agree on a price prior to the inspection with anything found requiring repair would be either fixed by the seller or deducted from the price. Never ask a seller if he would reduce the price, you need to dictate the terms and if he doesn't agree then walk away.

 

[RS6tofj80]

Bummer on the deal not working out !

Not sure where you're located but look at CL in the southern states - I saw a really clean 40th in TX locked for 8k recently.... locked and with about 190k IIRC. it's worth traveling to find the right truck, you also can likely get a local mud member to at least get eyes on it before you get too serious.....

for reference I bought my well sorted 40th 3x locekd with new Metric leather, 4" slee lift and at the tiem an ARB front for 9500 with 195k - HG done and well maintained but in need of a full baseline to get it to my desired state.

well over 10k later I love the truck and plan on it being a long term hold - it's also my current DD.

 

[Bella1992]

I'll chime in too. I searched and searched and finally found a triple locked LX here in the Phoenix area. The older gentleman who owned it did not know what he had, and had it listed for 4500. We finally settled on 3300. It does have high mileage however, when I bought it I believe it had 265,000 miles. Very very clean. Owned by a dentist and never been off Road. Good luck.

For what it's worth you may be able to find a Lexus for a less expensive price then an LC. As the years go by a lot of these LX 80 series

get snapped up however.

 

[slow95z]

meh, i got my 96 LX with lockers and 190K on it for 3K. shop around and you can find deals. the AC was also bad in my truck but Rex got me everything i needed to fix it for about 400 bucks. after a good baseline and fixing little things i have less than 5K in the truck and would trust it to go anywhere.