Buying a JDM diesel 4x4 vs buying 'local'

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well the issue with RHD is not how easily you can get used to driving it. If you can do anything with your left hand, drink coffee, type etc, you can handle the stickshift.

My first time driving a RHD was in NZ, and I got thrown into it at 11 oclock at night, stick shift was nothing compared to figgering out which side of the road to drive on...especially when you hit a big multi lane intersection...:eek:

the issue with it is vision. it's bad enough making left turns off the highway without being on the far side of the truck.

all the rhd owners will say it's no big deal, but the simple fact is you cannot see as well as you can in a lhd truck in a lot of situations. and that catches up to some people.

That said I'd love to have a JDM rust free low mileage truck, but I'd probably swap the steering.
 
Devils Advocate

I dont disagree with what has been posted but ill offer a slightly different opinion.

1986 HJ60
Purchase Price $1500, $4000 to rebuild TCase, New brake lines, etc etc.

40K km since very little issues, Have towed 5000-6000 lbs thousands of kms,

So Yes my truck is nowhere near as nice as a JDM, but I dont loose sleep about parking it overnight at an apt building, I dont get upset about door dings and trail marks. I have carried 4 engines in my cargo bay. I dont think I could do the same with a JDM truck with a mint interior

So All told I probably have about 9K total into my truck, with the 40K km I figure the truck still owes me alittle money,


We probably shouldnt forget these are landcruisers I personally think that if your truck is too nice to get greasy parts in, tow anything, go anywhere, get dirty, get scratched, then its not being used to its full potential.

this is just my opinion, and im not out to start an arguement with anyone.

So my vote is for CDN Cruisers, I have purchased 3 HJ60 for under 1500 each, and non have had any serious frame issues.

I've also gotten a good BJ60 which I cleaned up and sold.

There are still decent deals out there, they just don't show up everyday.
 
John Galt said:
LOFTAM Conversions specialize in this sort of thing.

Lots
Of
Frigging
Time
And
Money
Click to expand...

well, time anyways. lots of thousand buck rust bucket LHD conversion kits out there.

building from scratch is kindof my idea of fun, so moving steering from one side to the other doesn't worry me too much ;)

and Icefire, I pretty much agree, still driving my 1500 buck BJ70 3 years later. it's probably getting close to a 3000 dollar truck now...:lol:
 
Icefire,
once again compare apples to apples...
you bought a HJ60 with how many km on it?
what shape is the body in, really?
interior?
options?

you have roughly $9K into it.

a JDM bush beater HJ60 can be bought for $4500, shipping and customs is roughly $4500 so... for roughly the same money you can have a turn key bush JDM that will be easy to work on (no 'welded by rust' parts), solid frame and probably half the km you have on yours. if you shop and are not in a hurry you MIGHT even score a HJ61 for that price.

i bought a BJ61 (no, it was not a turbo) 105K, 5 speed, rotory pump, solid but dented body, PS PW AC blah blah for $2500 and had less than $7K into it. it ran like a top, needed NO work and was ugly.

i bought a BJ74 (this was 2001 so the cost would be more now) for $1500 and because shipping was much cheaper then i had it landed in Calgary for under $6K.

i bought my present PZJ70 for $2500 and shipping was more so i had $8K into it, i now have about $20K into it and it still looks like a $2500 bush beater but works well.

there are good deals in Japan if you want a DD / bush pig but are not concerned about body or interior conditions or milage

RHD is not for everyone. if you feel you will not be comfortable with RHD then either buy LHD or convert. no skin of my back either way.

there are disadvantages to RHD just as there are disadvantages to LHD vehicles. to me, i bounce back and forth daily so no biggie.

one thing, if you say you will not like RHD then you won't. it is a mind set.

we all could be engineers... if we WANTED to be...


you say you have $
 
i went back and forth for many months, researching and test driving both 80's and 81's and even contemplating importing on my own. when i ended up purchasing back in march of this year, decent locked 81's were still going for the upper end of 18-21K. non locked wasnt an option. i ended up with a truck that met almost all of my expectations. which were:

locked. check.
lifted. check.
bumper. check
3rd row seats. (ive got 3 kids and it helps although not necessary but i often do haul more than 5 people). check.
well maintained. check.
decent colour. check. (ive always loved black trucks...only jdm colour i really liked was the silver/grey. the gunmetal blue was too common, kind of like the emerald green FZJ's. no on the red/grey 2 tone.

and most importantly..with in my budget of under $15K after all taxes, inspections misc fees and first round of insurance is done. check.

what did i end up with? a 97 FZJ80 from a fellow mudder that happend to be within 20 minutes from the border. his ad also appeared the day after i sold my 4Runner. i could have gotten a stock locked 81 for about the same price, but then add the 3K+ for all the bits i wanted, would have blown my budget. yeah 81's can get into the mid 20's in mpg. but my pig is pretty decent averaging about 16-17...same mileage that my runner was getting. diesel is also stll about ¢15-20/L morehere in the valley. would have loved a truck with absolutely zero rust and supposed 100,000km that gets 25mpg? damn straight. did i have 20 grand to do it? no. but these trucks are built to last...regardless of the motor in them or where they're from.

reliability wise...you can have lemons with both flavours...but its all in the upkeep, and maintenance history. im lucky to not have any HG issues..so im knockin on wood. other than a P0401 code that i really dont care about...my gasser pig runs flawless.

if you have money to risk losing by importing yourself..go for it. the perceived risk is just that i think. i didnt have the money to lose, and i wanted to see/drive/feel/smell the truck i was about to plunk down large coin for. RHD wasnt an issue for me either. the price of JDM's are definitely going down. not sure if its because they're so many of them here now and the novelty has worn off...or its that damn economy thing. either way, nows a great time to get a gas or diesel 80 series.

it all evens out in the end. they are land cruisers after all. i would have loved to get a JDM...but i just didnt have the 20+ G's to buy the one i wanted. dont get a jdm because you'll save X amount of dollars/year in fuel bills...buy one because it meets all your expectations when searching for that perfect Land Cruiser.

good luck in your search! :beer:
 
nicely written Sonny,
to reitterate: DO NOT INVEST MONEY YOU CAN NOT AFFORD TO LOOSE.

importing a vehicle on your own is simple, owning a import is simple the crap shoot is over in Japan. i have gone through 4 exporters in the 7 years of importing. one bad unit and they are gone.
exporters are used car salesmen...think about it, you have NO recourse once you send your money over.

there are 2 importers that have earned a good reputation.

and , unless you are after a specific unit, then shop the ads in Canada, there are all sorts of vehicles here now and the prices of second generation JDM in the CDM market are dropping. bush trucks abound.

i have owned and driven almost every type of Land Criser that has hit our shores. the only ones i STRONGLY recommend to stay away from is the LJ series.

and yes, i agree, you can buy a dud with any used vehicle.

buy what fits YOUR specific needs and you are ready to rock...
 
ummm, i have driven in cities and in the rurals and if it is an usafe manouver in a RHD then it is also in the LHD, it is completely a mind set.

LHD vehicles have their downsides as well... do you really want to turn this into a LHD vs RHD debate?

the last sentence, i have no idea what i was saying... it looks incomplete...

the one about engineers is IF you put your mind to it you can do anything you want to (change the profeshion to anything you want) even drive RHD vehicles on LHD roads. what is amazing is that the Japanese can drive both hand drives on their roads and no biggie, the British and French bounce back and forth every time they use the tunnel, no biggie but HERE, to some, it is a biggie...

i can tell only what i have seen personally, if you can not drive a RHD then you suck at LHD as well...
 
Like I said to Wayne on my little test drive, the hardest thing to get use to is hitting the blinker and not the windshield wipers. The peddles are the same clutch with the left foot, gas with the right, brake in the middle.... shifting with the other hand isn't a big deal (and trust me I'm a very right handed person, it's kind of nice to control the wheel with my right)

To me it just adds to the pimp factor of owning a truck not too many others have...

and to clarify I think CDN LC's are great but many have been well used and are getting older and older, and unless someone has been meticulous about oil undercoatings, and routine maintence... they really aren't worth it... People usually want way to much for them....

I have more money into my truck than i'd like to say, and although it serves it's purpose and is a safe daily driver, it's not MINT... If you want a close to MINT truck JDM all the way....
 
it's interesting to see you folks up north arguing about trucks we here in the states can't even begin to consider buying because the risk of G-man finding out we have a truck that doesn't meet NHTSA and EPA standards and then confiscating it and crushing it is pretty big. Especially of you get pulled over by the cops and they start questioning whether your truck is legal simply because you're driving it from the right seat instead of the wrong seat. Most people don't even know it's perfectly legal to own a RHD vehicle in the states and simply assume it's illegal cause they only see gov't services vehicles with RHD. Also, almost every diesel that came in a vehicle that wasn't a Ford, Chrysler, or GM full size truck or tiny VW car was never tested by the EPA because the manufacturers rightly assumed nobody would buy them, so they just never bothered. Whether you folks drive a JDM, EUR, or CDN/USA truck, it's going to be the same old relationship we all have with our cruisers or any 4x4. Love 'em to death, take it out into the bush, wheel with friends and family, have a great time, go home and share the wheeling with others. You folks are just lucky up north to have access to any 4x4 that is 15 years old or older when compared to us down here below the parallel that can get 25 year old trucks. As the saying goes, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, eh? ;)
 
crushers said:
Icefire,
once again compare apples to apples...
you bought a HJ60 with how many km on it?
what shape is the body in, really?
interior?
options?

you have roughly $9K into it.

a JDM bush beater HJ60 can be bought for $4500, shipping and customs is roughly $4500 so... for roughly the same money you can have a turn key bush JDM that will be easy to work on (no 'welded by rust' parts), solid frame and probably half the km you have on yours. if you shop and are not in a hurry you MIGHT even score a HJ61 for that price.

i bought a BJ61 (no, it was not a turbo) 105K, 5 speed, rotory pump, solid but dented body, PS PW AC blah blah for $2500 and had less than $7K into it. it ran like a top, needed NO work and was ugly.


there are good deals in Japan if you want a DD / bush pig but are not concerned about body or interior conditions or milage

$
Click to expand...


True enough, but here is an interesting example of Cdn market HJ60 for comparison (not mine, don't know the seller):
1986 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER HJ60 4x4 DIESEL - Edmonton Trucks & Vans For Sale - Kijiji Edmonton
That $5k (barely above the cost of shipping the JDM) would get you a reasonable starting point for a bush truck. But, it would not have the fancy power features or the turbo diesel engine. The lack of the luxury power items most JDM's seem to come with seems a good thing in a bush truck; base model features are usually cheaper to fix. However, the JDM have some very nice mechanical options not available on Cdn market trucks. Some of the JDM's that have been running around in Canada for a few years are already quite rough around the edges.

But I do agree that a JDM is the way to go for most people. A bit higher cost up front but if you take care of it and do what you can to slow the rusting, you will be better off in the long run. And the cost will usually be lower than bringing a local truck up to par.

When I got into Land Cruisers I had time and shop space but not much money, so I couldn't have gone with JDM. Now I have more in my 40 than the cost of some well equipped BJ74's, and it is still not really equivalent.
 
317K on it, i would want a compression test done... but for $5K i still feel that is a good deal...

the accessories on it are worth that much.

i am not saying you can not find a good deal with a CDM land cruiser, i am just saying don't automaticly assume that the JDM units are all high priced. the high end units will still cost a fortune and not everyone NEEDS a highend unit. I do not drive a highend unit, i drive a beater. with my lifestyle and my abuse of vehicles it is senseless to put out the extra $5K to $10K for a sweet assed unit.

i drive what ever is in the yard be it gasser, diesel, JDM, CDM, Toyota, Mits, Mazda... i couldn't care less as long as it is reliable...
 
If I had known about the JDMs 12 years ago, I would have gone this route. I would have saved SO much time, sweat, tears, blood and money. (and had a high top roof!)

A buddy of mine picked up a great, rust free HJ61 for 10K with everything and it lacks all the frame patching/jerry rigging mine has. I have yet to see a NA BJ60 without frame issues.

If given the choice now I would go JDM, but I have way too much "invested" in my old trusty/rusty BJ60.

As far a safety is concerned I feel that there is no compromise driving a RHD. I feel totally comfortable driving my friend's HJ61. Working in the emergency services in BC, I have yet to come across this issue in any motor vehicle accident. I feel ICBC's standpoint is super unfair.

If only I could roll back time.....but it is cool driving a very unique and efficient truck.
 
I consider RHD inherently safer in many situations. I like the idea of a meter or so of steel between me and the oncoming idiots. If I have to move right to avoid them I've got a real good view of what I'm driving on. I just drift right to get a view of oncoming traffic around trucks. I wouldn't want to drive RHD in big city traffic, but for that matter, I don't want to drive in big city traffic at all, in anything. RHD is mostly just adjusting for a different set of blind spots.
 
oh, Seapotatoe, this is going to be fun...
<"out" as in cop out?>

okay, first for every advantage of a RHD you will have to post 10X disadvantages. your statement not mine.

1) as John said: in 99% of all head on accidents it really isn't a direct head on, it is the LH corner hitting the LH corner of the on coming vehicle. RHD you are sitting as far away from the accident zone as realisticly possible.

2) in adverse weather conditions, white outs, smoke, heavy rain you can see the shoulder of the road and judge your distance from on coming traffic easier and better than a non-visible center line.

3) when splashed with slush, mud, water from on coming traffic your visibility is not impared to the degree that a LHD vehicle will be.

4) when turning right in a LHD vehicle you experience a greater blind spot of on coming traffic than you do in a RHD. pedestrians, obstacles in the road.

5) parallel parking is safer and easier in a RHD vehicle than a LHD unit.

6) handicaped people can enter and exit the vehicle AWAY from traffic making it safer and more convient in a RHD vehicle should they stumble or fall.

7) on tight twisting roads it is easier to judge the edge of the road from the RH side vs guessing where it is from a LHD vehicle.

8) delivery of mail and flyers is easier in a RHD vehicle vs a LHD unit

9) garbage and recycling pickup is safer and easier in a RHD vehicle

10) parking control department in Saskabush have bought RHD since they feel the RHD is safer for thier officers

11) passing on a 2 lane road can be over come by not tailgating the vehicle in front. this applies to both LHD and RHD vehicles.

12) turning left at an intersection is dangerous in both a LHD and a RHD vehicle, the degree of danger is irrelevant since dangerous is dangerous.

okay, buddy, i await your 120 points of where RHD at more of a disadvantage than their LHD counterpart.

oh, and in some peoples hands it DOES take a genious to drive either LHD or RHD but then maybe you have never driven in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Ontario, BC,
 
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