Feeler: Any interest for this 1986 FJ70 in the USA?

[albertom]

Hey everyone,

After reading up a bit on the import laws in the USA, i realized my car is now mature enough to be eligible to be sent over. The rig is currently in Colombia where it has been all of its life. I am the second owner and have had it for some 8 years where I have done the following modifications:

It is an FJ70 from 1986 with 266,000km on the clock. Engine was fully repaired less than a year ago. (pistons, valves, the works... with OEM Toyota parts)

Complete Old Man Emu 3" suspension
33" BFG MTs with steel rims
Original Ragtop (beige)
Original rear FRONT facing seat (this 70 came with side facing rear seats)
Custom fabbed sliders, front and rear bumpers
MileMarker Hydraulic 12k wich with Amsteel Blue
Lightfore 240 HIDs on front bumper, IPF rear fog light
Custom roof rack with bike holders
Custom hi-lift carrier on rear door (spare wheel)
Custom headers for the 3F
Safari Snorkel
ARB Air compressor under drivers seat, 1500W inverter under passengers front seat
Rust removal and new paint 2 years ago
Much much more...

Plus all the regular maintenence and upkeeping this ride deserves.

My question is, would there be any interest for this kind of vehicle in the US? Any of you die hard 70 series fans want to shoot me a rough estimate of what I can expect to get if I ship it to the US and sell it?

Thanks for the feedback and sorry for the pics, its everything I could find. I can post better poser shots tomorrow!

 

[Gun Runner 5]

The more photos you can post ( interior / exterior ) the better the advice will be.
Good luck .....

 

[crushers]

good luck with the sale, i love my 2 ragtops.
gassers don't sell as well as the diesels
i am assuming it has the H55F, not mentioned
86 will have the full sized diffs front and rear (nice combo)
you can retro fit a hard top to it which is appealing to those in cooler climates
looks like a nice rig
LHD will appeal to a larger buying crowd

i would say somewhere between $9K and $15K would be the selling price.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

I assume since you didn't mention it in your post, your Cruiser doesn't have factory A/C?
Thanks....

 

[albertom]

I actually have the beat up Colombian made Hard top... I took it off because I think it looks so much beter with the rag top. All OEM parts for the ragtop.

It does not come with factory A/C, it does however have an aftermarket unit that works pretty well.. Curiously enough, no heater for the AC either.

It does have the H55F 5speed and as far as I know it does have the full sized diffs front and rear.

I was thinking of offering my services to source this type of vehicle to the US if there is enough interest. They would mostly be gassers since this market basically never got diesels officially. (horrible quality diesel)

Im on my way to take some additional pictures. Let me know if you feel any specific pictures might help.

I assume since you didn't mention it in your post, your Cruiser doesn't have factory A/C?
Thanks....

good luck with the sale, i love my 2 ragtops.
gassers don't sell as well as the diesels
i am assuming it has the H55F, not mentioned
86 will have the full sized diffs front and rear (nice combo)
you can retro fit a hard top to it which is appealing to those in cooler climates
looks like a nice rig
LHD will appeal to a larger buying crowd

i would say somewhere between $9K and $15K would be the selling price.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

As Wayne mentioned in his post, diesels will command a higher price than the petrol models but there will still be a market for the gasser. I believe the key to selling a 70 Series ( or any Cruiser for that matter ) is to provide a detailed description and back it up with high quality photos. ( a lesson some Central and South American importers didn't understand )
Good luck ......

 

[Tapage]

knowing our conditions ( talking about Panamá ) I know just few ( very few ) 70 series ( diesels ) that would meet NA buyer standards ..

 

[hoser]

It does have the H55F 5speed and as far as I know it does have the full sized diffs front and rear.

Doesn't this have the Dana 60 diff in the rear?

 

[albertom]

Interesting point, what would they be looking for, because here in Colombia we fully restore FJ40s, 70s and other series of land cruisers given the amount of parts available. The bodywork and frame are fully done and can be relatively cheap in comparison to what you would have to pay and the hastle it would be to source parts for any old LC.

What do yo mean by conditions... are we talking mechanical? Rust? or just a straight frame with an aligned vehicle?

 

[crushers]

a detailed definition of "restoration" please...

not being a prick, there is so many different varieties of restored.

thanks.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Interesting point, what would they be looking for, because here in Colombia we fully restore FJ40s, 70s and other series of land cruisers given the amount of parts available. The bodywork and frame are fully done and can be relatively cheap in comparison to what you would have to pay and the hastle it would be to source parts for any old LC.

What do yo mean by conditions... are we talking mechanical? Rust? or just a straight frame with an aligned vehicle?

Unfortunately another Central / South American importer has tried to sell Cruisers in North America and would make claims about the vehicles condition ( no rust, low mileage, excellent condition etc. ) and the limited photos wouldn't bare out the claims. Evidence of doctored odometers, duct tape on hoses, overall poor condition and a general lack of knowledge pretty much destroyed their ability to sell anything up here.
Where I am going with this .......
If a Cruiser is advertised as "restored" or near "mint condition" ( the most abused term on this forum ) the seller better have documents and extensive photos to back it up.
There will always be a market for GOOD Cruisers and you shouldn't have any problems selling one if it fits in that category.
Good luck .....

 

[albertom]

I absolutely agree with you guys, it has to be backed up. My rig isnt exactly the OEM classic some people may be looking for as it has been used for offroading and has lots of accesories. However, restorations here can go from a simple detailing on the paint to a full body off with replacing of every part that doesnt suit the classic specs.

I have a quite a few friends that restored FJ40s to original mint condition and it was a 12k USD job on top of the value of the car (which is quite high here). Basically I wanted to know if all the hype regarding the 7X series can hold up an interesting value in any way shape or form. It could be interesting, if the market and the money is there, to fully restore a rig taking advantage of relatively inexpensive and qualified hand labor as well as the ability to source products for these (provided they are gassers)