Just bought a 1996 80 about a month ago. To make along story short there is more severe damage from a previous accident than the PO disclosed. In fairness to him the accident didn't occur (so he says) while he owned it and he never bothered to look close enough to see the damage. He did say it was in an accident but it just got "tapped in a parking lot" and the whole fender was replaced. I bought (with the assumption it was in "good condition") it late at night after driving 7 hours with my wife and 3 kids and didn't start looking at it really close until I got it back home. I thought I got a pretty good deal since there was only 139,000 miles on it. Well, after getting it home and looking it over more closely there were a few things that just started looking suspicious. Water was leaking in like crazy (although it doesn't seem to have been doing that very long) through the drivers side door and the windshield. Got the windshield and gasket replaced but decided to take it to a body shop to check out the door. The top hinge was pulling away from the pillar and I figured they could do a better job than I could. The good news is all the water leaks have stopped due to some well placed sealant. The bad news is the true extent of the accident was uncovered. I ended up going to a total of 3 body shops and not 1 would touch it. They all said it was not repaired properly. One guy pointed out a place on the frame that appears to be bent (although it doesn't look terribly bent), the front pillar was bent and pulled back into place, the fender and hood are out of alignment, the body mounts are clearly bent. Two of the body shops even suggested that since the pillar was bent the structural integrity of the car has been compromised and won't provide as much protection in an accident. Now I don't mind fixing anything mechanical but the damage from the accident is making me question whether I can let my family drive in it safely and my wife has been using it daily to cart the kids around (she likes it as much as I do.....Yeahhh I picked a good one!). I called the PO and told him everything and of course he said he didn't know anything about it and he sold it to me as is and couldn't really do much,except feel real sorry for me. Since I'm unlikely to get anywhere with him I'm trying to decide if I should just cut my losses and sell it (auction or myself...and I would be 100% honest in everything I have discovered), just continue driving it and not worry about it (OK that's probably not really possible), or continue going to body shops until someone tells me something good. If you guys have any opinions let me know. I'm pretty bummed about any option....I guess love is truly blind!
Sincerley,
A Land Cruiser Addict
Sincerley,
A Land Cruiser Addict