Buying a Landcruiser

[Grouseman]

Recently I have looking online for a Cruiser. It seems that I will not be lucky enough to find a Cruiser (93-97) that has locking differantials in my home town. Therefore it is probable that I will have to purchase out of town. When I find one, what kind of inspection service should I ask a Toyota dealer to perform. Of course I know that I will pay for any type of inspection performed, but it may save me lots of money to have one done. Toyota has Certified Cars, Trucks, etc. Should I have them do the same inspection that they use for Certifying their Landcruisers, etc.

Steve

 

[Cruisin'Carolina]

Do a search, it might also help to list where you are from so people can help you.

I posted a thread last week you can find pretty easy with a short list of what to look for that I complied after reading hundreds of old threads here.

 

[snowcruiser]

If possible I'd try to find someone on the board here that could help you check it out. All dealers are not created equal and the horror stories are endless so it would be a tremendous leap of faith to blindly trust a dealer to do an inspection for you. Where are you located and where are you willing to travel for your cruiser. This may help others chime in that could help with your search. Someone that works on their own cruiser and drives one daily will be a better help than any dealer inspection IMHO.

 

[flintknapper]

If possible I'd try to find someone on the board here that could help you check it out. All dealers are not created equal and the horror stories are endless so it would be a tremendous leap of faith to blindly trust a dealer to do an inspection for you. Where are you located and where are you willing to travel for your cruiser. This may help others chime in that could help with your search. Someone that works on their own cruiser and drives one daily will be a better help than any dealer inspection IMHO.

Excellent advise.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Also agree. Particularly the "person who works on and drives one daily" being far more valuable than the dealer who wants your money. You should go look at every one you can find and drive to as quickly as possible. By doing this, you'll quickly develop a feel for the range of conditions they're in and what they drive like. The 80 is a well engineered vehicle, but it's also a fairly expensive one to maintain if it has been neglected or abused. Interestingly, they all look nice on eBay or Autotrader pictures and it's only when you're looking at it in person that you can tell the nice ones from the junk. With the newest models (97) being 8 years old now, the balance is tipping in favor of specimens that are junk.

DougM

 

[Grouseman]

Advise

Thanks for all the advice. I reside in Middle TN. When I find a Cruiser that has relatively low mileage, is a certain color, and has locking Differentials, I will post the location of the truck and see if there are guys here that live in the area. Appreciate all the help. Somebody here suggested driving several to get a feel of the good and bad ones. Great idea.

Steve

 

[stuck in GA]

Yeah you just got to be patient too. They will come around. I had to go through a good many before I found the right one for me. It had low miles, lockers, and the right color. So just wait it out and keep searching. Good luck!