Cost to buy all new non-discontinued oem parts (2 Viewers)

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My two cents, as someone who has been driving his FZJ80 in California for the last 5 years, I cannot wait to get a second car. Its a ****en terrible daily and I really think your original thought was just wrong. Use it for everything other than your commute and you will be a happy man. Grab some hybrid for your commute, bring the 80 out the garage for camping/snow/mud/desert/fun.

Repairing it and baselining it as you want, is literally over 100k as people have said. I bought mine for 1800, and I think Im nearly like 30k in since I got it. I did have to rebuild the engine. Buy a cruiser you dont have to work on, its way cheaper when someone already got suckered into doing that, now you reap the benefits. I also suggest getting a 95, 96, or 97, the wiring s*** i have to deal with because toyota doesnt make a harness for the earlier 80s is super ****ed up.
 
i've been semi dailying my bat 80 for about 3 years now. 10k/year. bought it a 97k miles. its not my only car though. for my commute i love it. usual maintenance with nothing major unexpected. prefer it for road trips but the wife much prefers the gx. oh and it gets babied at the dealer ;)
 
My 80 is my DD. Approx 15-20K miles/year.
When I first got it I threw over $6000 in parts alone at it. The HG had already been done.

In the last 9 years and 150K miles, I have replaced tires, done oil changes, alternator belts, alternator, starter, exhaust, brakes (multiple times), radiator once more, All cooling system hoses.

Thing is, parts don't all fail at the same time. Maintenance MUST be part of the regular plan. There is no such thing as 100% reliable.

I live on the road with my truck. I have lived for a month with a starter going bad. I have lived for a month with an alternator that decided it wanted to do weird charging things. I have been driving with a slightly leaking radiator now for over 6 months.

The amazing things about these 80 series, is even though they are in need of maintenance, they keep going. They can be run for a VERY long time with minimal or abusive maintenance.

That said, they NEED maintenance, regularly. If you do your own work, you know what to look and listen for and you know what it can do. If not, you will take it to the shop for every squeak and rattle because you are too ignorant to know what the problem may be and what the severity of it may be. You will pay dearly for that work.

If money is no object and you take it to a shop for every little thing, you'll be spending more time at the shop than what you want to be doing, and thus deem it "unreliable".

It is a 26+ year old truck. No matter what environment it has lived in, rubber deteriorates, oils leak, fuel is used.

It's as reliable as you want to make it. Just realize it won't be 100%. Mine is as reliable as it is because I know that the squeak when I back up is the LR caliper hanging up. I have an OBD2 reader so I can clear codes while driving. The P0401 code I get every two starts is the EGR valve and I need to clean the intake plenum.

I NEED to do a LOT of maintenance on my truck right now because it is due. I just don't have time or the place to do it because I'm living in a hotel for 4-5 weeks at a time.

If you know nothing and don't do your own, buy a brand spanking new Bronco. Then determine reliability from there. and see if you include the 3+ month wait in parts for a tie rod that is a factory failure. Does that count as down-time? It's still reliable because it's not moving.
 
I DD my 80 and only have 1 regret--the poor fuel economy. Otherwise, I'm happy driving the 25 miles daily to and from work, plus whatever adventures I take my family on. I am fortunate to have purchased a very decent stock example prior to the pandemic price hike and have put in about 3k base lining it. I'll need to put a little more into it now that the front diff is whining and it's almost time for a brake job. I became an amateur shadetree mechanic working on the 80 and I'll forever be grateful to it. The vehicle has been reliable (knock on wood) and operates even better after recently changing the O2 sensors. I averaged 18mpg doing 70% highway driving (data based off 1 tank of gas)--we'll see how long that lasts. As a desert truck in the US for the past decade, I was worried about leaks after moving to England, but after experiencing heavy rains in 2 recent storms (Babet and Ciaran), I'm very happy to report that the truck has remained dry.

That said, the 80 isn't for everyone and many people want to get behind the wheel of one because it looks cool or they read and heard great things about it. I get it--there are lots of volunteer 4x4 recovery clubs in the UK and most have old Defenders and 70, 80, and 100-series Landcruisers. People see these workhorses and want one, but often don't realize how much of a labor of love they are. In fact, I was shopping for an older Defender 110 because they look so awesome, and then I drove a few. The 80 felt like a Cadillac compared to them and as far as I'm concerned, the UK can keep their Defenders.

You say you want to do light off-roading. Heck, a Subaru Forrester can do that. Get a Honda Pilot if you want something bigger, or a used Sequoia if you must have a Toyota. They will all have better economy and decent examples likely require far less maintenance than a 25-30 year old 80. And personally, I'd skip the first year Prado 250 and let Toyota refine it a bit.

If you still want an 80, just fully understand what you're getting yourself into. Solid axles, a thirsty engine, 4-speed auto, and 25-30 year old wear and tear on everything. If you want to drive fast, experience better on-road handling, and expect good economy then get yourself a more modern SUV.
 
Quone said:
I was having trouble finding an answer to my question in other threads. If there is a thread that answers this, let me know.

I’m interested in purchasing a FZJ80 for daily driving and a few weekends of light off-roading during the summer. I would really like to get an 80 series, but I need very high reliability to get to and from work, as close to 100% reliable as possible. I’m not interested in purchasing two vehicles (one for daily driving and one for off roading).

Just as a hypothetical question, if I were to purchase a rust free FZJ80 and did all the work myself, how much would all of the new nondiscontinued oem parts cost? I figured if these parts are replaced, the truck is effectively younger and more reliable since there are less 26+ year old parts to break. The exact cost number might be too tedious to calculate so an estimation would still be helpful.

I want an estimate of the price because if it is too high, it might just make more sense to buy the 2024 j250 or even a more recent j200 to get closer to achieving that reliability.

If I include oem-quality aftermarket parts, how would that change the number?

Thanks again, any input would be helpful. I have a feeling that the juice might not be worth the squeeze by doing this, but the 80 series is awesome and I would prefer to go with it if possible.
Click to expand...


Every part still available is way over $100k.

Cheers
 
Thanks guys, great input. Many of what was mentioned, I hadn’t even considered. I guess the overall trend I’m seeing in the posts is:

  1. 80 series are typically used in one of two ways:
    1. Adventure/ off road/ camping/fun only vehicle
    2. Daily driver, but having a second transportation method is recommended in case a major repair is needed and one has to wait for parts, etc. criticisms people had: 1. Fuel economy could be better. 2. New cars may have more advanced safety features.
  2. Don’t need to replace everything with new oem on an 80 series to make it reliable, but do need to baseline it and continuously perform maintenance. Parts will break/fail over time and your job is to recognize when this is happening.
  3. Ideally get a clean 80 series with previous owner having done good maintenance so it will limit how much you have to do
  4. 80 series is extremely capable, but one can also tackle a good portion of off road locations such as Moab with other cruisers such as the 200 series, which is newer and parts overall still have more life left on them
  5. If you really want to take an 80 series off road, certain businesses may rent them. Maybe Navtec in Moab
  6. Ask around for potential cruiser mechanics in your area, thanks Cruznfj1 for the tip in Urbana
  7. The cost of creating a “like new” 80 series by replacing all available new oem parts will be at least as much as a new LX600, at least $100k, maybe way over $100k. It might be hard to insure such a vehicle.
  8. Doing work yourself will save you a lot of cash and will also help you be able to detect when components are failing so you can plan maintenance better
  9. Cost of new cars are getting very high, maybe getting a vehicle such as the 80 series and maintaining it may be better?
  10. Alternatives mentioned: Highlander, jeep, Kia sorento, GX, 4Runner, 70/100/200 series, bronco, defenders, Subaru forester, Honda pilot, sequoia
 
The best thing I ever did was stop DD my 80-series. Wish I would have done that years sooner. It’s cheaper to own a 2nd vehicle and your 80 will last way longer.

Back to the PO, buy a 4Runner/GX/100/200 to daily drive, they will all do Hells Gate. That’s really not a hard obstacle.

At this point I really don’t recommend anyone buy an 80-series unless you have money to burn. Cost of ownership just keeps going up as predicted many years ago.
 
I think this thread gives a real view of owning an 80 from a few perspectives, and without rose colour glasses.

I'd love to daily my 80, but fact is, my 80 has spent more time out of action than in use.

I currently have a new oem crankshaft with 20 minutes of run time on it rolling around in the back of the work ute waiting to go in a scrap bin at work.
I misjudged minor damage to the timing case that affected the oil pump pressure relief valve. This valve stuck open and will cost me thousands to rebuild an engine for the second time.
A professional mechanic might have picked the issue, also maybe not. It's one risk of doing major repairs myself
 
Nah.
You want a Ferrari that gets good MPG while also being affordable.
You know - the practical, purpose-built "super-rig".
lol
Naturally that doesn't exist, regardless of manufacturer's or fan-boi's claims.

Me thinks that you thinks a single rig can deliver.
There is not such a thing. At any price.

Go back.
Separate 'daily driver' from 'off road capability'.
 
I daily my 80, and have for my 7 years of ownership. No concerns about reliability, because a s*** ton of work has been put into it. You have to love it, and be willing to learn about it to both work on it yourself and to know when to call someone who knows more than you.

Building one is far more expensive than it was 10 years ago, but everything is astronomically expensive these days.

A lot of information on this forum and have spent hours reading about the smallest things.

Commuting isn't problematic, since my drive to work is 8 miles round trip. Everyone's situation will vary.
 
brockdeck said:
I daily my 80...because a s*** ton of work has been put into it...Commuting isn't problematic, since my drive to work is 8 miles round trip...
Click to expand...
Meanwhile, in the real world....
 
brockdeck said:
Everyone has a different use case. All I am saying is if you daily an 80, plan to put a lot of $$ and work into it and to expect to never be done doing so
Click to expand...
Agree and disagree.
Agree that base lining costs time and money.
Disagree that I'll ever have to base line again what's been done so far. In as much as OEM parts are concerned.
They are, after all, roughly 20yr life span parts. And that's in third-world environs.
With 1st-world use one can expect 30yrs+.
Incidentally, the same cannot be said for, oh say, Jeep factory parts.

As to OPs post tho - wanting to daily a vehicle built largely for off road use while not spending what it costs to base line such a thing - I stand by my recommendation for OP to use something else as a daily and keep an 80 in partial upkeep as a second.
 
LandLocked93 said:
Agree and disagree.
Agree that base lining costs time and money.
Disagree that I'll ever have to base line again what's been done so far. In as much as OEM parts are concerned.
They are, after all, roughly 20yr life span parts. And that's in third-world environs.
With 1st-world use one can expect 30yrs+.
Incidentally, the same cannot be said for, oh say, Jeep factory parts.

As to OPs post tho - wanting to daily a vehicle built largely for off road use while not spending what it costs to base line such a thing - I stand by my recommendation for OP to use something else as a daily and keep an 80 in partial upkeep as a second.
Click to expand...

Oh no I 100% agree.
 
Quone said:
Thanks guys, great input. Many of what was mentioned, I hadn’t even considered. I guess the overall trend I’m seeing in the posts is:

  1. 80 series are typically used in one of two ways:
    1. Adventure/ off road/ camping/fun only vehicle
    2. Daily driver, but having a second transportation method is recommended in case a major repair is needed and one has to wait for parts, etc. criticisms people had: 1. Fuel economy could be better. 2. New cars may have more advanced safety features.
  2. Don’t need to replace everything with new oem on an 80 series to make it reliable, but do need to baseline it and continuously perform maintenance. Parts will break/fail over time and your job is to recognize when this is happening.
  3. Ideally get a clean 80 series with previous owner having done good maintenance so it will limit how much you have to do
  4. 80 series is extremely capable, but one can also tackle a good portion of off road locations such as Moab with other cruisers such as the 200 series, which is newer and parts overall still have more life left on them
  5. If you really want to take an 80 series off road, certain businesses may rent them. Maybe Navtec in Moab
  6. Ask around for potential cruiser mechanics in your area, thanks Cruznfj1 for the tip in Urbana
  7. The cost of creating a “like new” 80 series by replacing all available new oem parts will be at least as much as a new LX600, at least $100k, maybe way over $100k. It might be hard to insure such a vehicle.
  8. Doing work yourself will save you a lot of cash and will also help you be able to detect when components are failing so you can plan maintenance better
  9. Cost of new cars are getting very high, maybe getting a vehicle such as the 80 series and maintaining it may be better?
  10. Alternatives mentioned: Highlander, jeep, Kia sorento, GX, 4Runner, 70/100/200 series, bronco, defenders, Subaru forester, Honda pilot, sequoia
Click to expand...

Just remember the age of these trucks. Very few are one-owner vehicles at this point. Most have had multiple owners and are victims of their mods and maintenance routines, or lack thereof. The good ones are either held on by MUD members or on BaT for big money. Sure, you can get fine examples from other countries if you want to put in the effort and funds to get one. The point is that most 80s that you come across for sale are like ex-wives--they'll make you happy in the beginning, but then you find out exactly how neurotic they are due to previous owners' indiscretions.

A few other thoughts...
- The fuel economy figures for the 80 are generally 11/14 or 12/15 mpg local/hwy when new and in stock form. Armor, lifts, bigger and heavier wheels/tires, and roof racks all reduce fuel economy. You need to decide if you're okay with that.
- #3 on your list is a given for any vehicle you buy.
- #7: I've not had any issues insuring my 80. However, if it ever got into a serious accident (knock on wood), receiving proper value for it will likely not be easy.
- #8 is not always feasible, which is why the 80 isn't for everyone. Unless you're a knowledgeable mechanic, do you even have the time to start a job on Saturday, spend time with your friends and family, and have the vehicle ready to drive to work on Monday?

We talk about maintenance a lot because these are older trucks that are used and abused, but they are reliable. Many have over 300k miles on them and you cant expect to treat an 80 like a 200.
 
If I bought a rust free 80 with <200K miles that had been decently maintained, I would probably plan on $15K-$20K in parts and hundreds of hours of labor to bring it up to a the level of reliability of my current rig (which I have had for 20 years). This assumes no internal engine or transmission work. Throw in another $5,000 for some cosmetic improvements, functional upgrades, and miscellaneous. This would still not be as reliable, safe, convenient, or economical as a modern SUV, but would put you in a pretty good place.
 
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