Educate me on FJ Cruisers (1 Viewer)

[Stoshu]

Gents,

My daughter is getting her license this year and she is hell bent on getting an FJ Cruiser for her first car. Her Mother and I are trying to persuade her into a more reasonable ride, such as a Corolla or Camry. She'll have no part of it.

At any rate, I've looked through some ads and CL and there seems to be a decent number of them to pick through, ranging in price from $8,500 (high mi. 2007's) to 30K for a newer pristine one. My question to the FJC owners and Yota guru's out there is...what should I be looking for? Are certain years preferable to others, options to look for or avoid, manual vs. auto, mileage threshold to stay away from, etc...

Any helpful advice would be appreciated. BTW - the truck will be for daily use, a college vehicle, and perhaps mild wheeling in the future (she really digs the off road thing).

Thanks in advance.

Stan

 

[76FJ40]

Drive one and see how bad the blind spot is before you buy one for your daughter's first car. You can buy convex mirrors that completely cover the OEM mirror to help with the blind spot.

I believe the early 6 speed manual tranny is the same as the Tundra with the 4.0. This tranny has mucho problems and a replacement is no longer available from Toyota. Check the FJ forums to verify my sketchy information before you buy.

 

[PAToyota]

Drive one and see how bad the blind spot is before you buy one for your daughter's first car.

This. I can’t say that I would like the blind spot for a daily driver with over 30 years of experience behind the wheel.

 

[dci blair]

I own one. Can't say I've ever been bothered by the blind spots, but that might just be me. I own an 07, and like any first year car it has its share of issues. The diffs (specifically the pinion bearings) are prone to fail. Alternators, and torque converters are also subject to fail in 07. I've also done calipers, but typically yota truck there. I've got 140k on mine and plan to get another 100k out of it, but I'm also a mechanic so there is that. I'm located in sepa (coatesville specifically) if you ever wanted to come take it for a spin sans sales pitch.

 

[fjc-man]

I've had my 07 since 6/06. Just about to hit 200k. 6MT with a slightly noisy throw out bearing. The only thing it's needed other than regular maintenance items is a radiator. It has never let me down or got stuck and we get alot of snow here in the colorado front range.

 

[Stoshu]

Thanks for the offer @dci blair, greatly appreciated. I've driven a couple for short distances (< 50 miles) for work and thought they were easy to drive vehicles as well as pretty responsive and fun. The wife is a little concerned with higher roll over probability, but I try to argue that the better (higher) forward visibility is a plus and the full frame construction would fair better in an accident than a compact car.

I appreciate the feedback on the early models as I was thinking this may be the case. Sounds like I should be looking for a 2008 or newer with an automatic.

 

[dci blair]

From what I've seen a decent 08 with sub 150k mileage should be around 15k or so depending on what the owner thinks the mods (if any) are worth. They've skyrocketed in price lately but that seems to be for late model low mileage offerings. Fwiw I love mine, and I've spent the last 20 years or so tooling around with VW's.

 

[joabmc]

Hi Stan,
Like others have posted, the blind spots can be intimidating if your not used to it. There are aftermarket mirrors that will help. Gas mileage is not good in the early years I'm lucky to get 15MPG on a good day with a tailwind. If you have the extra $$. I'd look for a 2010 or newer. 8.2 rear, the HP jumped from 240 to 260 that year. Also MPGs have been reported over 20 in those. Also backup cameras were available. No issues with transmissions that I'm aware of. Some have reported shuddering but that can be remedied by a tranny service. Toyota put it out as a lifetime no service transmission. We all know better than that. Around 100k it should be serviced. There was a very small number of weak rears in the '07s along w/ reported inner fenderwell bulges. Corrected in 08.
Mine is an early model. Manufacture date of 01/06. I beat it, run it, have over a 100k and everything is tight. Guys are posting up early models w/ 300-400k on them and still running strong. And they are retaining 90% of their value right now. Not a bad investment. '14s are selling for more than what they were new w/ 50k on them.
But they are very safe and Toyota dependable. Mine has proven to be a good off-roader too. If you do get one, I have a bunch of OEM parts in the garage if you need.

I'd want it to have A-TRAC and DIFF lock at the minimum.
But basically Toyota continued to improve the rig every year w/ minor tweaks each year. So the newer you can find the better. 8" rears in 07-09 and 8.2 from 10-14 with more HP and better gas mileage. When ordering suspension it's always separated by those year "blocks" and aren't interchangeable. They beefed up in the later years.

 

[Stoshu]

Thanks for the insight fellas. We're going to take our time and find the right one for her. Naturally, as a girl, only certain colors are acceptable. So, if you see any maroon, or army green (olive drab green?) ones out there in nice shape with reasonable miles, please let me know.

Jody, I appreciate the info on the improvements that came with the 2010 and newer models. That's exactly the type of information I was fishing for.

Thanks again guys!

 

[joabmc]

Black Cherry's like mine were only available in 07'. The brick, Burgundy was available in '08. The green didn't come around until '11 w/ the Trail Teams edition which was solid green and then the regular army greens w/ white roof were available from 12-14. The '11 TT is a pretty messed up year due to the Tsunami in Japan. Some came complete with all badging and trim. Others not so much. You'll see some w/ steel rims, missing TT blackout features etc etc. kinda funny, they are considered "NSSE- Not So Special Edition". But for some reason they are sought after. Only 2500 of each TT model were produced each year so they bring a premium. The TT's are easily identified because they are a solid color for each year produced. Can't remember them all but
07- all black TRD SE
08 - sand storm
09- white
10
11-green
12-red
13-cement
14-heritage blue

 

[rubicondon53]

Great info guys,, my wife just decided she wants one as well, so we've been looking around a bit. Test drove an 07 last night and I'm thinking the pinion bearing was whining a bit. Looks like we'll be shopping for an '10 or better..

 

[joabmc]

Great info guys,, my wife just decided she wants one as well, so we've been looking around a bit. Test drove an 07 last night and I'm thinking the pinion bearing was whining a bit. Looks like we'll be shopping for an '10 or better..

The rear failures on the early years which in the big picture of production numbers is still a small percentage.
And of those, 99% of the time it's from rock crawling. Most failures occurred when the rear DIFF was locked while trying to get over difficult obstacles. DIFF locked, heavy skinny pedal, on an obstacle and a bounce = almost all of the failures.
There was a limited run in 07 that these occurred on.
Factory autos have 8"- 3.73 gears. The 6 speed manuals are setup a little differently and have a different transfer case. They are also full-time 4WD.
Most upon a failure and again, almost all failures have been during extreme use, will get a new 3rd from East Coast Gear Supply
for a fairly reasonable price and usually upgrade to 4.56 gears to help when running 35s and other larger tires.

I wouldn't be too scared to buy an older rig. I have one and am not too concerned about it. If the rear grenades, I'll get it fixed up stronger than new. Some are swapping to the 8.2 rear, some the Dana 60 and some have even done the ford 9.5.

But if I had the money, I'd buy the newest model I could afford as they are out of import. Not that parts are difficult to find as they share a lot of parts from 4th and 5th gen. 4Runners. The 1GRFE is a staple in the Tacos. So that's not a concern. But what I learned since owning one is that they continued mechanical improvements every year up until '14. There were interior improvements:
Backup cameras
Extra map and dome lights
Bluetooth connectivity for hands free
Crawl control in 13-14
No body changes but there were engine tuning in 10 that increased HP and MPH. Less torque. And of course going to the 8.2" as well as beefing suspension component mounting brackets etc etc.

I think you'll find better pricing here in PA as I don't believe they "caught on" like they did in the west and CO. Out there they bring a premium.

Most of the aftermarket stuff I purchase is coming from the west coast, TX or Co.
and the aftermarket selection is endless.

It's a shame to see them go as they were built to run and abuse. I know they aren't a fan favorite from the purists but Toyota did build a niche off-roader that wouldn't appeal to everyone. They didn't market the crap out of them either. Just took the Trail Teams around the country to off-road parks to market their capability.
You'll see them for sale with low miles as I believe most thought they were buying a modern SUV... They don't have lots of bells and whistles, rubber floors for easy cleanup, poor gas mileage, and the aerodynamics of a dog house. The damn thing wont coast going down hill!! So the soccer moms realized that and trade them in for hilanders and outbacks instead as they are more practical.

The A-TRAC is such an impressive off-road tool. It took me awhile to figure it out but after I did, it makes crawling much easier. That combined with DIFF lock makes for a pretty decent off-roader.

The independent front is always up for debate but it makes the overlanding part of life and road manners much better. So there is a bit of a compromise there. Some of the more serious have done SAS on them.

I was very skeptical buying having come from my old '86 4Runner. But I have been nothing but impressed and plan on keeping mine as the 40 and 80 folks have done. If I get lucky, I'll try to find a 13-14 in a few years when the pricing hopefully come down to a realistic number IMO.

 

[shmukster]

Speaking of the Trail teams, they attended Coal Mine way back when they first came out, they brought three FJ's to Paragon with them, three drivers. One of them wheeled in my group each of the three days of the event, and everybody in our group got a chance to drive an FJ in the rocks. If i remember correctly they had sliders and BFG all terrain tires but no other mods. Their performance was very impressive. One of the drivers was a professional and I can still see him (I have a video of ti somewhere) going up the steep hill out of the paragon play area. No problem, that after a built jeep couldn't make it. He came back down, drove halfway up and stopped. Puleld right out from there showing how good the ATrac worked. Came back down and proceeded to BACK up the hill! Extremely impressive. I forget the driver's name, one of the other drivers was Will Bobbitt. They also gave away a ton of FJ swag- backpacks, books, shirst, all kinds of stuff and put on a BBQ for all attendees on Friday evening.

Later that summer they brought one truck to Paragon for the pig run. Will and the pro driver were in the FJ. We had a great day of wheeling Saturday and we actually hit a trail that I had never done before, not too far off I-81. The first climb was a big rock- picture of my 55 attempting to climb it attached. Well, with the pro driver spotting and Will driving they made it up over the rock, around the short very difficult loop, then back down over a rock with about a 5 foot drop. broke both tail lights and something else. Coming down the big drop the truck banged so hard Will hit his head on the top of the door and almost got knocked out! No problem for the truck just drove it on the trails the rest of the day. I have a video of this somewhere and it is pretty decent.

After being able to drive the demo trucks Rich Casella, former pres of the Gotham City club, bought a 6 speed FJ. He wheeled the s*** out of it, did all the hard stuff the rest of us did, and got a big settlement from his insurance company two years ago when a tree fell on it during a storm! I rememebr one time going up the hillclimb where I flopepd the pig, Rich lost his spare tire- memories! Also after wheeling the demos John Merkey bought an FJ that he took on a trip to Alaska in 2015, and his son Craig also bought one that he uses as a daily driver. I think they're awesome trucks and wish Toyota would make something similar to a 40 series again.

 

[joabmc]

@shmukster
Bill Burke maybe?
And thanks for some history. I've taken a lot of slack from some friends over my FJ. I usually just smile and invite them to go wheeling sometime.
A-TRAC, I've learned, is about consistency w/ the skinny pedal. Keep the RPMs just over 2K and let it work its magic. Early on I wanted to bump and force instead of having some patience. If things look really rough I'll engage the rear DIFF lock but most of the time, A-TRAC does the job.

I do recall reading when the TT folks took a stocker w/ nothing more than Sliders and ATs, and completed the Rubicon with it.

 

[jamarquardt22]

Alota $ the throw into a first car. College would last a lifetime.

 

[Stoshu]

Couldn't agree more Andy. She's got her sights set on Cornell Pre-Med. Smart one with good (albeit expensive) taste in vehicles! Mom and Dad will most likely be broke by the time all three are through school.

 

[dci blair]

Great info guys,, my wife just decided she wants one as well, so we've been looking around a bit. Test drove an 07 last night and I'm thinking the pinion bearing was whining a bit. Looks like we'll be shopping for an '10 or better..

Just don't jump the gun on that noise, granted mine failed but could easily go misdiagnosed as a wheel bearing and/or feathered tires. That said, in my opinion the pinion bearing was easier to replace than the wheel bearing. Total rear failure may be rare on the 07, but the "outside" pinion bearing failure is "somewhat" common on all solid axle rear trucks due to the fact that it's the farthest away from the oil and if the rear isn't serviced regularly and oil level maintained, well...

 

[rubicondon53]

Couldn't agree more Andy. She's got her sights set on Cornell Pre-Med. Smart one with good (albeit expensive) taste in vehicles! Mom and Dad will most likely be broke by the time all three are through school.

I finally talked our Phd candidate daughter to get responsible about automobiles. She is now happily driving a Hyundai

 

[V8FJ4078]

Stan,

I would have no problem putting my daughter in on, and she probably will since by that time my wife will want a newer one. We have just over 130,000 miles on it and other than brakes, oil and tires I have done very little. Easy to maintain. I did change the front driver's side wheel bearing at 103,000 and just did the passenger side about 130.000. I also just changed the lower control arm adjusters since they were froze and couldn't be aligned correctly. Definitely pull these early on and anti-seize them!! I have an 07 and I am getting some noise in the back end, so will be checking axle bearings and pinion bearing as well. I have a 3 inch OME lift on it and winch tucked under the original bumper. Dad was able to fabricate a mount I found online that replaces the grey part of the bumper and it looks great! My wife drives it every day and now that I balanced the tires and realigned it, she has no complaints again!

I loved it when I drove the trail teams and the blind spot you get use to, no different than any other car that has its own unique things.
I was impressed as Gary said about the trail team guy backing up the hill, none of the jeeps could do it and I know I couldn't have done it in my FJ40 either! I drove down the hill with the trail team and it was steep! Everything they had on the rear seat fell forward. He drove it back up the hill, turned around at the top and then came 1/4 way down, stopped and then backed up to the top, then 1/2 way down, stopped and back to the top then 3/4 way down and stopped back to the top...then the whole way to the bottom then completely backed up the hill....WOW!

There was a "trail rated" h**p liberty there and one of the Trail Team guys asked them if they were going next...since it was badged as "trail rated".

We would definitely buy another!

 

[Stoshu]

Thanks for the insight @V8FJ4078. I've always admired the FJC's and respected their off road ability in stock form. My wife and I are of the opinion that we could get our daughter into an 07-10 FJC for the same price as a used Corolla, Altima, Elantra, etc. and we'd feel better about her being behind the wheel of a full framed, true 4WD vehicle, with airbags. I know they are not cheap, but it seems like one would last her through her college years. Not the greatest MPG, but she's not planning on going far from home for school, etc...

Once again, thanks for the opinions guys!