60 series as a first car and importing from japan (1 Viewer)

[bootes]

gday i'm soon going to get my first car and i'm pretty set on a diesel 60 series landcruiser and preferably a 61 series sahara. i've done all the research, theres not one thread about the 60s i haven't read, but i do have a few unanswered questions which i'd really appreciate your advice on.

1. how is the maintenance costs? i'll be working so i'll have some money to spend on her but am i realistically going to be spending every cent i have on keeping it on the road? (there are quite a lot of wrecking part vehicles around the place in australia)

2. fuel economy. ive heard different things on the fuel economy but most threads seem to agree on about 10-13L /100kms which is pretty reasonable. is there a big difference between the economy of the 2h 60 and the 12ht 61?

3. i've basically seen every 60 series for sale on the internet (in Australia) from vic to brisbane and they range from about 10-15k for a rust free rig, but the kms are usually around 300-450 thousand (i know people say they'll go forever but things do break eventually and money is a factor) and the paint can be pretty faded. I saw ones in japan on a website which sorts all importing for you at a price of around $2000 AUD and with that there are 60 series for the same price they're asking here but better condition and half the kms. is it worth it and what are the downsides of importing?

Sorry for the long post but i want to know as much as possible about them before spending all my money (and help from my parents for my 18th) on a car.

Cheers from any help!

 

[mattressking]

As a preface to this, we know nothing about your mechanical prowess. You could be gods gift to spanners or Helen Keller spinning sockets.

1. It is an old rig and like ANY old car/truck, you will be working on it regularly to keep it running well. You will have to do a lot of baselining unless you spend a bigger chunk on a very well maintained and documented truck. Even then, you will always have the inevitability of repair. Good part is that a lot of the issues won't keep the truck off the road. Very few things will keep you down, it is antiquated technology and designed very simply. What gets you into trouble is not knowing its overall condition, you will need to learn the truck or get used to paying for someone to do so. Not learning will cost you a lot.

2. Will need someone to chime in on 2H v 12H-T, but no matter what these are gas/diesel hogs and not very efficient.

3. You'll have to talk to Aus people about importing as far as taxes and fees, but I see loads of guys shipping s, r and jzx chassis' to Aus all the time for drifting. Plus various other types. If you do so, find out who your importer/exporter is and find out the region the truck would come from along with detailed images. Northern Japan and coastal towns will be prone to rust.

I myself think new drivers should only drive old vehicles to learn how to maintain and appreciate them. Learn the beauty of breaking down.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

1) As @mattressking says, an HJ61 is an older truck now, how comfortable are you working on the truck yourself? If you have to pay someone to work on it, it will get very expensive very quickly. If you're comfortable turning spanners and sockets and spending your weekend crawling around under the truck as needed, maintanance and improvements don't need to be exorbitantly expensive. Secondly, the average mechanic over here seems to not be excellent at working on our trucks, more often than not, in the few instances I took the cruiser to someone rather than doing the work myself, I wasn't happy with it and ended up messing around with it myself anyway. I may be a bit OCD, but the first few weekends with a new truck, I spend underneath and under the bonnet and all that, learning the truck, changing fluids and checking belts and hoses and so-on. If you baseline the truck properly and get everything up to speed, and perform regular maintanance, no, I don't think you'll be spending every cent you earn on it.

2) a 12H-T gets quite a lot better fuel economy than a 2H, more like 15-17 litres/100 for a 2H. I agree with your 12H-T figures.

3) JDM trucks are often in better condition than our trucks here, and as you say, have lower km. Be aware of coastal trucks, and also be aware that seemingly, some japanese vehicles have odometer windbacks. a Jap HJ61 will be 24 volt, I don't really see it as a problem, but just something to be aware of.

As a 20 year old whose first vehicle was an FJ45, I say, if you're aware of what you're getting into, i say, go for it!

Incidentally, I may be able to help you finding an HJ61, I'll send a PM

 

[Freewheel]

I'll chime in on economy- I've been keeping track on an iPhone app since 2010, so I'm not guessing. I drive my truck hard on steep mountain roads and it spends a lot of time in the city as well. It has a 7 year average of 13.3 L/100km. It's a 2H with an AXT turbo. The turbo didn't really change the economy much - just made the truck faster.

As for maintenance- the the 2H's tend to eat their piston ring lands in the low mid 300,000 kilometre range, and lose compression in cylinder 5 or 6. If you are looking at one of that mileage, make sure you get to start it cold. I understand your'e in OZ so it's never really that cold, so you must get a compression test done. These trucks can have failing compression and still run great when warm. Cold startup will create a bit of a smokeshow with low compression.

That's the big failure that will cost a lot of money to fix- most everything else is pretty easy to work on, if the maintenance has been kept up. If every things been ignored, it will probably still run, but maybe it'll overheat cause it needs new rad/fan clutch/thermostat/ or it won't stop well cause half the front calliper pistons are frozen...

What I've found with the HJ60 is that it takes a LOT to stop one dead... unlike my old Volkswagen Van, where the slightest problem stopped the truck immediately, these things will happily run forever and just have performance flaws..

For example, I've had my truck for 10 years. I thought the clutch was just fine and drove it for that entire length of time without even thinking that maybe the clutch power booster was shot. I pulled it apart last month and rebuilt it. (with a kit still available from Toyota) Now my clutch has a lighter push than the one on my Mom's 2010 Honda Civic!

Stuff can fail and you don't even notice it- unfortunately it can mean that a whole lot of failures have snuck up on the previous owner as well. Failures can tend to cascade a bit as well- a clutch booster failure can result in a lack of brake booster vacuum. One dead glow plug will can take out a few more if you are slow to replace it..

Anyway, I'm rambling... If you have mechanical aptitude- go for it. It will teach you a lot.

 

[bootes]

1) As @mattressking says, an HJ61 is an older truck now, how comfortable are you working on the truck yourself? If you have to pay someone to work on it, it will get very expensive very quickly. If you're comfortable turning spanners and sockets and spending your weekend crawling around under the truck as needed, maintanance and improvements don't need to be exorbitantly expensive. Secondly, the average mechanic over here seems to not be excellent at working on our trucks, more often than not, in the few instances I took the cruiser to someone rather than doing the work myself, I wasn't happy with it and ended up messing around with it myself anyway. I may be a bit OCD, but the first few weekends with a new truck, I spend underneath and under the bonnet and all that, learning the truck, changing fluids and checking belts and hoses and so-on. If you baseline the truck properly and get everything up to speed, and perform regular maintanance, no, I don't think you'll be spending every cent you earn on it.

2) a 12H-T gets quite a lot better fuel economy than a 2H, more like 15-17 litres/100 for a 2H. I agree with your 12H-T figures.

3) JDM trucks are often in better condition than our trucks here, and as you say, have lower km. Be aware of coastal trucks, and also be aware that seemingly, some japanese vehicles have odometer windbacks. a Jap HJ61 will be 24 volt, I don't really see it as a problem, but just something to be aware of.

As a 20 year old whose first vehicle was an FJ45, I say, if you're aware of what you're getting into, i say, go for it!

Incidentally, I may be able to help you finding an HJ61, I'll send a PM

As a preface to this, we know nothing about your mechanical prowess. You could be gods gift to spanners or Helen Keller spinning sockets.

1. It is an old rig and like ANY old car/truck, you will be working on it regularly to keep it running well. You will have to do a lot of baselining unless you spend a bigger chunk on a very well maintained and documented truck. Even then, you will always have the inevitability of repair. Good part is that a lot of the issues won't keep the truck off the road. Very few things will keep you down, it is antiquated technology and designed very simply. What gets you into trouble is not knowing its overall condition, you will need to learn the truck or get used to paying for someone to do so. Not learning will cost you a lot.

2. Will need someone to chime in on 2H v 12H-T, but no matter what these are gas/diesel hogs and not very efficient.

3. You'll have to talk to Aus people about importing as far as taxes and fees, but I see loads of guys shipping s, r and jzx chassis' to Aus all the time for drifting. Plus various other types. If you do so, find out who your importer/exporter is and find out the region the truck would come from along with detailed images. Northern Japan and coastal towns will be prone to rust.

I myself think new drivers should only drive old vehicles to learn how to maintain and appreciate them. Learn the beauty of breaking down.

yeah its my first car so i dont have much mechanical experience other than working on a few tractors and stuff with my dad but nothing major. definitely keen to learn to do as much as i can myself and im definitely not afraid to get my hands dirty and spend some time figuring things out. i reckon im a pretty quick learner so hopefully it wont take me too long to get used to doing stuff myself and figuring out the basics.

cheers for the reply!

 

[AussieHJCruza]

If you can work on a tractor, you'll be fine with a Cruiser, they're basically just a road legal tractor with a few extra seats...