Advice on possible purchase

[Swirvinnirvinn]

Hey everyone! I was hoping to see if you could spare some knowledge on a noob like myself as I’ve recently been offered a 95, 1hdft cruiser with center diff only and 290k km on the clock for $18k here in the states. Seller says the ac compressor was rebuilt, has new belts, new brakes, new batteries. It also has aftermarket exhaust, snorkel, and lift kit, though it’s probably worn. Needs new tires and the sunroof doesn’t work.

I honestly have a budget of $16k and was planning to buy a gasser here which I would later turn to diesel, but I was considering stretching my budget for this one since it is the better motor, but also don’t know if I should be weary as he said the undercarriage had rusty components, which I could upgrade, but no corrosion.

I was hoping to see if anyone had any input based on the photos and info as I’ve been searching for 7 months to no avail and I know desperation can kick in sometimes, but some experienced folks like yourselves can sorta keep me grounded.

Thank you in advance for any time and info you can spare, and I hope you all have a great day!!

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

More photos.

 

[SNLC]

You can see the rust is creeping into the rear floor on the body at a minimum. JDM Cruisers are also notorious for having rot in the firewall body mounts.

While thats not a bad price, I personally don’t care for RHD. Looks like it needs wheels and tires to me too, I would be embarrassed to rock those.

I would expect to spend a fair amount baselining it. That is also an EGR FT so I would expect a fair amount to a lot of clogged up gunk in the intake and head, which suffocates them performance wise.


Cheers

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

You can see the rust is creeping into the rear floor on the body at a minimum. JDM Cruisers are also notorious for having rot in the firewall body mounts.

While thats not a bad price, I personally don’t care for RHD. Looks like it needs wheels and tires to me too, I would be embarrassed to rock those.

I would expect to spend a fair amount baselining it. That is also an EGR FT so I would expect a fair amount to a lot of clogged up gunk in the intake and head, which suffocates them performance wise.


Cheers

I definitely hear you on those wheels and tires! that would’ve been first on my list of things to change as well as baselining. However, I do appreciate the input on the rust issue! I messaged another person on IG, and they said coating it would probably preserve it for a very long time. Others have said it’s pretty much surface level imperfections that I could work out as I go.
RHD doesn’t bother me as I have been considering diesel for a while, but don’t have the premium paper for LHD. Five minutes of hitting windshield wipers instead of turn signals wouldn’t be too much trouble.

What is the cost for baselining usually on a diesel?
Would you also be able to explain what EGR means in this case? I’ve been trying to research the different motors but any bit of info would be the greatest of help!

best regards!

 

[SNLC]

We fix rust for a living in my shop. There is more than what you can see, I will put $100 on that statement.

Cheers

 

[SNLC]

EGR = exhaust gas recirculation. Its for emmisions and dumps a ton of soot and oil into the intake and head.

I have torn down a number of these FT/FTE, I have pics of how clogged up they get and its bad. They run cleaner though with less smoke.

Cheers

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

We fix rust for a living in my shop. There is more than what you can see, I will put $100 on that statement.

Cheers

Oof. Any way to take care of it, or is this going to be a growing problem regardless of effort?

EGR = exhaust gas recirculation. Its for emmisions and dumps a ton of soot and oil into the intake and head.

I have torn down a number of these FT/FTE, I have pics of how clogged up they get and its bad. They run cleaner though with less smoke.

Cheers

If one were to go through and clean it, would you say it'd be a PITA to do so, and would there be any way to prevent future buildup?

 

[SNLC]

This is what the EGR does to the intake and head. This engine had about 250,000kms.

Yes you can do something about it, delete the EGR and put a catch can on it. Problem solved but you have got to get it cleaned out first. No way to clean the head without pulling it.


As far as rust, Cruisers are a layered seam body design. Toyota put seam sealer on the seams but when it is comprised you have rust between the layers. You also have hollow panels all over the Cruiser, such as the rear floor crossmembers and rockers.

Cheers

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

This is what the EGR does to the intake and head. This engine had about 250,000kms.

View attachment 2680795
View attachment 2680796

Yes you can do something about it, delete the EGR and put a catch can on it. Problem solved but you have got to get it cleaned out first. No way to clean the head without pulling it.


As far as rust, Cruisers are a layered seam body design. Toyota put seam sealer on the seams but when it is comprised you have rust between the layers. You also have hollow panels all over the Cruiser, such as the rear floor crossmembers and rockers.

Cheers

That is insane to see! Is it possible to know before taking anything apart if there is any buildup, or will it be that way regardless, and the only way to see how much is by taking it apart?

If you were in my shoes (complete novice, but willing to learn and on a budget with limited tools) would you say to just go ahead and avoid this vehicle completely and just look for a gasser here in the states that I could later turn into a diesel, or try to lower the seller's price to compensate for the amount of work required? Whatever Cruiser I end up with, I did plan on keeping it forever, but it does sound like this one would be a losing battle, based on the info you've shared so far.

Again, I genuinely appreciate all the time you've spared to drop some knowledge on someone like myself!

 

[SNLC]

Yes avoid it.

Being a novice I think it may turn you off to Cruisers.

Then again, I don’t know. Maybe it would be a good one to start with for you. I just despise rust and that would be the deal killer for me.


Cheers

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

I appreciate the honest advice man! I guess I'll just have to sleep on it and really consider the factors you've presented to me tonight. I'm supposed to meet the seller up on Sunday to inspect and test drive the vehicle, and being on the search for about 7 months has been quite the task, but I really want a good Cruiser to work on and enjoy for as long as possible. The search is fun, but man is it tiring.

 

[roscoFJ73]

and would there be any way to prevent future buildup?

Don't drive them in peak hour traffic jams without a regular country highway trip. Diesels like long runs with lots of hot gasses burning off sludge before it gets thick, they like operating at 90% capacity.
Ive seen old industrial and tractor diesels that have been operated at low rpms for a long time. When you increase the rpms to high rpms you get flames and sparks from the exhaust as they burn off the sludge. They can put on quite a show.
I haven't seen that kind of sludge inside Australian landcruiser diesels, because they are often bought for long distance driving.

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

Don't drive them in peak hour traffic jams without a regular country highway trip. Diesels like long runs with lots of hot gasses burning off sludge before it gets thick, they like operating at 90% capacity.
Ive seen old industrial and tractor diesels that have been operated at low rpms for a long time. When you increase the rpms to high rpms you get flames and sparks from the exhaust as they burn off the sludge. They can put on quite a show.
I haven't seen that kind of sludge inside Australian landcruiser diesels, because they are often bought for long distance driving.

I luckily never deal with traffic jams as I drive before or after traffic gets bad and my work commute is only about 10 minutes away, but I did plan on DDing her as well as road tripping with her. Do you think the sludge would burn off eventually, or would the cleaning process still have to happen before I add the catch can?

Any comment on the rust based on your experience?


Thank you in advance for any time and info!

 

[roscoFJ73]

I luckily never deal with traffic jams as I drive before or after traffic gets bad and my work commute is only about 10 minutes away, but I did plan on DDing her as well as road tripping with her. Do you think the sludge would burn off eventually, or would the cleaning process still have to happen before I add the catch can?

Any comment on the rust based on your experience?


Thank you in advance for any time and info!

I was thinking about engines coked up around the exhaust ports. Around the inlets would require some other method. But long runs keep the whole system clean. Part of the problem could be missed oil changes.
This one you are looking has the well travelled look, maybe this one is clean.
Rust, you could probably do a lot to save that body now with anti rusting applications but holes are going to need work later
IMO opinion, the 80 series are the most rust proof of the landcruisers . The ones that live in the Australian interior can often be rust free at 30 years old.
Whether you should buy it or not depends on if you have the funds to cope with a catastrophic break down. The engine/gearbox could go anytime soon or it could go for another 300000klms.
At a minimum I would want to see a cold start on the engine.

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

I was thinking about engines coked up around the exhaust ports. Around the inlets would require some other method. But long runs keep the whole system clean. Part of the problem could be missed oil changes.
This one you are looking has the well travelled look, maybe this one is clean.
Rust, you could probably do a lot to save that body now with anti rusting applications but holes are going to need work later
IMO opinion, the 80 series are the most rust proof of the landcruisers . The ones that live in the Australian interior can often be rust free at 30 years old.
Whether you should buy it or not depends on if you have the funds to cope with a catastrophic break down. The engine/gearbox could go anytime soon or it could go for another 300000klms.
At a minimum I would want to see a cold start on the

Gotcha!
I've posted this on Reddit and asked a couple of people on Instagram, and the answers seem to be all over the spectrum. A lot of people do mention that the engine looks a bit more loved as well as the vehicle (albeit kind of poorly loved in their color choices) but it's hard to gauge at this point since the market has been so damn crazy. I also understand that I don't realistically have the budget to buy a perfect vehicle and would like to fix one as I go, but the rust does have me worried as I've never really dealt with rust on a vehicle before.

What would I look for in a cold start?

 

[roscoFJ73]

A cold start usually tells you the basic condition of the engine. Worn engines take longer to start, make more smoke and some times run rough. Sometimes you may hear bearing noises. The more worn, the worse the symptoms are .
It should not have been started overnight. Beware of the owner that warms it up before you get there.

 

[Feistl]

I would be more focused on the engine condition and chassis condition...

If you buy the vehicle you can do a little to slow the rust a bit, but focus on getting the chassis/driveline really strong.

then in the future you might find a triple locked petrol 80 series with the body in good condition but the head gasket gone for cheap. That would allow you to swap across the rust free body AND the front/rear lockers and still retain the diesel in the diesel chassis.

I personally think swapping a body is a significantly easier task than dealing with rust. Not sure what Diesel engines cost over there, but here in Australia you’ll pay $10k+ for a high km 1HD-FT motor alone... so that’s potentially not a bad price. Also be weary of buying Diesel engines from Japan, you don’t know the condition and they get pretty expensive to repair. I just overhauled my FT motor and even getting parts cheaply and doing ALL the work myself, I still spent $5.5k AUD on the motor alone (and that was on a low km good condition motor that just needed basic maintenance).
So see what receipts/history the vehicle has, including when the pump/injectors were last done. If it’s mechanically really good with a lot of paperwork I’d consider buying it regardless of rust in the body.

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

A cold start usually tells you the basic condition of the engine. Worn engines take longer to start, make more smoke and some times run rough. Sometimes you may hear bearing noises. The more worn, the worse the symptoms are .
It should not have been started overnight. Beware of the owner that warms it up before you get there.

I would be more focused on the engine condition and chassis condition...

If you buy the vehicle you can do a little to slow the rust a bit, but focus on getting the chassis/driveline really strong.

then in the future you might find a triple locked petrol 80 series with the body in good condition but the head gasket gone for cheap. That would allow you to swap across the rust free body AND the front/rear lockers and still retain the diesel in the diesel chassis.

I personally think swapping a body is a significantly easier task than dealing with rust. Not sure what Diesel engines cost over there, but here in Australia you’ll pay $10k+ for a high km 1HD-FT motor alone... so that’s potentially not a bad price. Also be weary of buying Diesel engines from Japan, you don’t know the condition and they get pretty expensive to repair. I just overhauled my FT motor and even getting parts cheaply and doing ALL the work myself, I still spent $5.5k AUD on the motor alone (and that was on a low km good condition motor that just needed basic maintenance).
So see what receipts/history the vehicle has, including when the pump/injectors were last done. If it’s mechanically really good with a lot of paperwork I’d consider buying it regardless of rust in the body.

Thanks to the both of y’all for taking time out of your day, as well as @SNLC for giving me pointers. I decided to hold off on the purchase and the seller got a bit pissy when I asked if the price would be negotiable as I thought it through (because of everything @SNLC said) and he reclaimed with, “I don't see why you're negotiating when you've been advised to stay away. Lowering the price won't take any rust away.” So I decided to not work with the seller. Maybe I dodged a bullet, or maybe I lost a good opportunity, and I’ll never really know, but hopefully I find my forever rig someday. It just sucks as I want a cruiser, but I’ve been told to stay away from diesels by someone whose said they got a diesel and are now suffering as parts availability are dwindling in numbers and his engine now needs a rebuild when he’s only had it for a few years.

 

[SNLC]

Used car salesmen response?

Most of these guys flipping JDM Cruisers are doing it sight unseen. They buy at auctions in Japan on sites like goo.net and other than that they really are no different than your average used car lot salesman in any city. They are selling used cars for a profit, that is it.

So in my opinion if you are going to buy from them, educate yourself going into it and be ready to walk away.

The majority of JDM Cruisers I have seen have rust, often hidden or hard to find. Many come from coastal areas. I have also seen a number of issues from lack of use and or strictly city driving such as worn out 1st and 2nd synchros in the manual trans. Again educate yourself and view in person of get 3rd party inspections before purchase can save you heartache.

This applies to any Cruiser purchase.

Cheers

 

[chapel gate]

wow. that would be considered very good underneath in the uk..