93 LC, should I?

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L

Long Duck Dong

15 Year 10 Year
Joined
Sep 10, 2006
Threads
18
Messages
162
Location
Albertville, Alabama
Ok so I will confess.....I caught the bug and caught it really bad.....Something about lifting my LX450 sparked me to dive in pretty deep. Not to mention the Cottonland Event coming up in October has got me wanting to go a bit crazy....So I put my feelers out to try and find a rig to build that would be off-road use only..... I love my LX450 and the way she looks but I'm not ready to abuse her just yet, so I found a rig I can abuse.

A buddy of mine has had a 1993 Toyota LC that has sit in his wrecking yard for a few years. It has a clean title, no damage...he just got a good deal on it and kept it.

I asked him about it the other day and he wants $3600 for it...but it does not run and he says he is not sure whats wrong with it but would assume it needs a new motor.

I'm sure a used motor might be hard to come by, and at what cost? Our labor rates here are extremely cheap....I have had engines pulled out and replaced CHEAP....I mean CHEAP....

Is $3600 a fair price for a "rough condition" not running 80 series? Does anyone have an motor suggestions? can I upgrade to a 1FZ? or does it have a 1FZ? Or should I just move on and find another rig to make a toy?

Thanks
 
$3600 might be a good deal, if you can get that motor running. A used motor will run you between $1000 and $3500 + labor to install. Does the rig have lockers? I bought my locked 93 with a running motor(200K miles) 3+ years ago for $5000. You see high milage running rigs on ebay all the time selling for $4k-6K
 
So I was cruising around on ebay looking at a few rigs...If you had a choice of year 80 series what would you get? It seemed the 91, 92's were pretty cheap....Cheaper than a broke down 93...
 
Generally speaking I wouldn't take a 91-92 the lower HP motor and no locker option makes me want the 93+ more.
 
Stick with 93-97 LC's, with locking differentials. 3600 bucks doesn't sound cheap considering it has a blown motor. Find it and build it up, you'll love it more than your LX if you build it right:)
 
Don't let them fool you, if you're buying a trail only rig, a '91/'92 will do you just fine. It might not have lockers, but you can push the skinny pedal harder and still get through it, just maybe with a few dented panels.

If you want something cheaper that wont require as much care then get a '91 or '92, lift it, put tires on it, and wheel the shidookie out of it.
 
93 has the 1FZ, personaly I would stick with 93-97. There are not alot of blown up 1FZs that I know of, so it could be a good deal for you, especially if it is something less catastrophic. I would at least check it out...
 
I think you guys are right on the 93 to 97, but I'm still not totally sure that $3600 is a good enough deal...

Check this thing out....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SAND-RAIL-ROCK-BUGGY-BEACH-CRUISER-JEEP-4-door_W0QQitemZ320028522752QQihZ011QQcategoryZ6443QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

a2_12.JPG


Interesting rig....
 
alkaline747trio said:
'93 and up would be great, but will this rig see much highway? Are you gonna spend the cash for lockers on a beater rig? If so then go ahead, but if not, a less expensive '92 would be nicer on your wallet!
Click to expand...

This is a good point of question, and probobly what I'm scratching my head over the most.....

Ever since I lifted my LX450 it has been a serious addiction....I read every post on here, no kidding....

I'm ready to spend money to feed the addiction, but I dont want to spend money two and three times over.....simply put if I buy a 92 cause it is easy on the wallet now, will I be happy enough with it's performance to solidify all that I have finacially put into it?

If I spend bigger $$$ on a 93 to 97 with or w/o lockers will it end up like my LX450 now that I'm not ready to abuse.... I guess at least I know there is room to build up in a 93 to 97 with a s/c and other bolt on performance stuff.....how much are aftermarket lockers?

The truck will have to go on the highway to get me to where ever there is an event I wish to attend, so I guess that has to be considered too....

Thanks Again....
 
Well, if this is gonna be abused, you'll be less reluctant in a '92 to try the fun lines and wont mind a little body damage. A '92 can handle the freeway, you're foot will be to the floor, and hills will be slower, but the handling is the same, and the ride will be the same, power and brakes are the only places a '92 lacks, and when the brakes are setup right and an good condition work very close to what a '93s do.

Aftermarket lockers are cheap and expensive. For an aussie locker in the rear, which is just about all you'd need, you'd probably drop $500 for the locker + installation. Tires are also cheaper with the '92 since you can run a 15" rim. On the trail you wont notice the lack of power. It has torque down low where you need it, and I don't think anyone has ever complained about the power when off the streets.

If you do buy another cherry '93+, you will probably cringe every time you scrape, bump, drop, etc. and wont be able to enjoy the fun. If this is gonna be your trail rig, you wont be sad that you saved money on the initial buy and went with the 6" over the 4", and the 37's over the 35's, and the extra money still left for gas, food, and whatever else you would spend when you go wheeling.

It's all up to you, and the best thing to do would be find a '92 and just test drive it. If you don't think it has enough guts to be your trail rig, then you'll never be happy. If it does, you'll definatly be glad about the lesser hit to the pocket.
 
The only advantage to a 91-92, as Alkalinetrio referenced, is that it is cheaper to buy. If you would be happy with noticeably less power than your LX, and can save some significant money, it could be worth going with a 91-92. Just test drive whichever rigs you look at and you should have a good idea of what you can live with and whether or a not a 91-92 is for you.
 
firetruck41 said:
The only advantage to a 91-92, as Alkalinetrio referenced, is that it is cheaper to buy. If you would be happy with noticeably less power than your LX, and can save some significant money, it could be worth going with a 91-92. Just test drive whichever rigs you look at and you should have a good idea of what you can live with and whether or a not a 91-92 is for you.
Click to expand...

I think you guys are right.....a 91-92 might be a better option due to the low cost of a used rig. I'm not so concerned about the rig being "speedy" on the highway's. I just want to make sure that when I'm on a trail I have sufficent power to get me where I want to go, and the truck has the ability to climb.....if you know what I mean....

I guess for some reason I thought spending $3600 on a rig I already knew was a basket case was a better idea than spending $2k or $3k on a year or two older rig that I wasnt sure was a basket case or not.....PO are funny things....lol

Just for curiousity are 91-92 parts (engine related) any cheaper than 93 to 97? I know there is an HP difference but other than the rather sluggish motor are they the same rig?
 
Long Duck Dong said:
I think you guys are right.....a 91-92 might be a better option due to the low cost of a used rig. I'm not so concerned about the rig being "speedy" on the highway's. I just want to make sure that when I'm on a trail I have sufficent power to get me where I want to go, and the truck has the ability to climb.....if you know what I mean....

I guess for some reason I thought spending $3600 on a rig I already knew was a basket case was a better idea than spending $2k or $3k on a year or two older rig that I wasnt sure was a basket case or not.....PO are funny things....lol

Just for curiousity are 91-92 parts (engine related) any cheaper than 93 to 97? I know there is an HP difference but other than the rather sluggish motor are they the same rig?
Click to expand...
I think you will find parts to be similarly priced, many parts are the same, outside of the engine, and rear axle (front?), a few other things...
 
Your LX wheels w/285s will fit just fine on any 80 series.
 
LLD, I would recommend before you bid on any truck on ebay you have someone check it out first. I bought mine there, but after I passed on the first two I wanted to bid based on the report.

The first one looked awesome based on the pictures and everything, but the report came back with 2 pages of issues.
 
33x12.50's will fit on those 15" factory wheels? seemd like the wheel would'nt be wide enough..
 
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