COYS
SILVER Star
Exactly my thoughts.
I heard someone say there's a quarter century "appreciation" cycle. People tend to gravitate toward vehicles, with passion, that made a strong impression on them in their teenage years. The 80 series is becoming ripe for a kick up in value so long as systemic events like a recession or rising gas prices don't interfere.
I'm actually a prime example of someone who grew up with an 80 and finally joined the fraternity in my adulthood. I passed up a lot of much more expensive new Toyota trucks to get into my '97 that required a ton of time, money and labor. Labor of love that is.
Not all 80s will enjoy the uptick. Most of these types of nostalgic buyers want clean, stock examples. Speaking for myself, when I was hunting, I didn't want any mods beyond a simple suspension lift. I wanted a pristine interior. Yes, I paid a premium, probably too much, but don't regret the purchase one bit.
Would I do it all over again? No. It's just too hard to find one in this condition and even this example will need a ton of OEM love to get it up to anal-retentive spec. 80s like this one puts you in a bit of a unique conundrum. It's really the oldest Land Cruiser I'd comfortably daily (I do now), yet you can't cya because the market has yet to catch up including insurance providers. They will only insure it as a classic car which limit annual miles severely (lame), likely not even cover true market value (because so few like examples exist), and require a private garage (urban life). There is a financial risk you must mitigate with your wallet.
Gotta pay to play, right?
YMMV
Last edited:
