First Land Cruiser Purchase... Need Advice! (1 Viewer)

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Kaj

Joined
Feb 18, 2021
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I always dreamt of owning a classic 40 or 70 series Land Cruiser, so I found one this week and really want it. I started searching for more info about Land Cruisers and found your forum!
Does somebody have advice about this LJ70 2.4 Turbo Diesel?


I'm planning to buy this Land Cruiser for camping and driving in the trails and back country in the summer, maybe also towing an RV trailer.
Would love to drive and restore this -- always been my favorite era of vehicles and Land Cruisers in general!

I've already booked an appointment to see it, really eager to own my first!
 
Wow. That's a price they ask...
Remember: 4x4 need to be inspected from the bottom. Carefully check underneath...
I wouldn't trust the milage stated. Pretty low for the age.
Check windshield frame, wheel arches and panels behind the wheels. If no rust there, there is a chance to be OK in less prone areas.
Add says: Restored by European specialist. Try to get more info on that and try to make contact. Take the VIN along and check the papers.

More advanced technical advise I leave with the experts.

Good luck
Ralf
 
I am not sure I would tow a RV trailer with a LJ70.
Good point. The engine isn't that powerful.
This is also a short wheel base. You will find pretty rare space in the back. Not much space to store gear unless you take out the back seat. But the roof can bear a roof tent (which ist difficult with the hard tops of the 73s, like mine).
 
I always dreamt of owning a classic 40 or 70 series Land Cruiser, so I found one this week and really want it. I started searching for more info about Land Cruisers and found your forum!
Does somebody have advice about this LJ70 2.4 Turbo Diesel?


I'm planning to buy this Land Cruiser for camping and driving in the trails and back country in the summer, maybe also towing an RV trailer.
Would love to drive and restore this -- always been my favorite era of vehicles and Land Cruisers in general!

I've already booked an appointment to see it, really eager to own my first!

Looks like a clean LJ70 and the mileage could be correct looking at the seats and shifter knob , door panels have been replaced with later model ones.
As far as pulling a trailer with a LJ70/73 .......I have done it in the past and a small trailer under 5000lb that does not create a ton of wind resistance should be no problem unless you want to race over mountain passes then it's not going to happen !

As far as the price anyone can dream right but that would be more like a 15-20k cruiser to me , I have seen the prices creep up in Europe for the LJ series as most people start to realize that for recretional purposes the coil spring suspension is just way nicer to drive then the leaf sprung HD models.
 
I'm not sure if everybody knows, but it's price is 30K in Canadian dollars, would you still consider it pricey?
For the RV trailer, I was planning to get somewhere around 3000lbs. Hoping it won't push the Land Cruiser too much. Especially for the longer trips.
 
I'm not sure if everybody knows, but it's price is 30K in Canadian dollars, would you still consider it pricey?
For the RV trailer, I was planning to get somewhere around 3000lbs. Hoping it won't push the Land Cruiser too much. Especially for the longer trips.

I think that's way too much money. Like easily 2-3 times what I'd be willing to pay. But the cruiser market is ridiculous right now. Like anything, a bubble that could blow....

Also, that motor makes 50hp to the rear wheels on a good day. They're prone to overheating and damaging cylinder heads when under high load for long periods (towing). If you want to tow, look at HJ61, BJ74, HDJ81, HDJ100. Those all have good direct injection turbo diesel motors that can work hard without issues. Manual transmission are best, but auto can be ok if you get an aftermarket valve body on it.

In a nutshell, landcruisers just ain't good at towing - even light weights like 3000lb.

I tow with my LJ78 that's been significantly upgraded. And it still sucks.
 
I'm not sure if everybody knows, but it's price is 30K in Canadian dollars, would you still consider it pricey?
For the RV trailer, I was planning to get somewhere around 3000lbs. Hoping it won't push the Land Cruiser too much. Especially for the longer trips.
Honestly I'd wait for an HD Cruiser. I have to be patient enough in my BJ74 and plan lane changes and gear shifts climbing grades in traffic, but I've driven an LJ in good running condition and while it's fine around town (and I assume in low range) it just doesn't have enough power to do what you're looking to do, not to mention the engine is known to be problematic.

I get the temptation, that's a clean rig, but I'd wait for something a little more equipped for what you're looking to do.
 
Personally I wouldn't want to tow a 3000lb trailer with a short wheel base rig. At least a MWB 73/73 or larger...and especially not an LJ with those engines. I would think 13BT is the smallest engine I would go for towing in a Land Cruiser. I would lean towards an HZJ73 or better towing yet, HDJ80/100 series. That said the 80/100 don't look at all like 70 series, so if you want that I would stick with the 73/74 75/76 setups.





I know @cruiserdan tows a Kimberly Kamper with a BJ74 with a 13BT. Here is his .02.

I tow an Australian Kimberley Kamper with mine on a fairly regular basis. Trailer "aggregate mass" is listed as 1,500 KG on the certification label. That would be 3,300 pounds. Roll-out is a bit slow but it is not horrible. On the flats it will run easily 65 to 70 MPH and I have seen 80 on I-70 for a few minutes just to see it if could do it. On decent hills it pulls down to ~48-50 MPH in third. I get around 17 MPG towing. My supercharged 80 handles it a lot better but barely cracks 10 MPG doing it. The 74 has the rubber-necking scale pegged...:grinpimp:

imgp2924-jpg.1597418
 
All the "you can't tow with a LJ or any other 70" are pretty hilarious , I have seen many carhaulers and big campers behind LJ's and BJ's and these people would rack up some serious miles with them, are they going fast ? No they are not but people in Europe and Auss have been towing for decades with small 70 series . You can't compare it to a domestic one ton pu but then again I once had a Tundra with the 5.7 and that could barely hold a gear on a flat road with a trailer behind it . I don't see why people can't tow occasionally with a 70 , if you need to tow weekly buy a Diesel one ton......that's what I did just to pull a trailer !
 
All the "you can't tow with a LJ or any other 70" are pretty hilarious , I have seen many carhaulers and big campers behind LJ's and BJ's and these people would rack up some serious miles with them, are they going fast ? No they are not but people in Europe and Auss have been towing for decades with small 70 series . You can't compare it to a domestic one ton pu but then again I once had a Tundra with the 5.7 and that could barely hold a gear on a flat road with a trailer behind it . I don't see why people can't tow occasionally with a 70 , if you need to tow weekly buy a Diesel one ton......that's what I did just to pull a trailer !

I've towed a camper with mine for years - so definitively experienced with it. But I wouldn't say it's comfortable in any way. Sort of 'white knuckle' experience. Takes a lot of mental energy to drive. And the IDI turbo diesel gets plain hot under load and there isn't much a person can do about that.

Driving slower just isn't an option a lot of the time on North American highways. My camper is about 3500lb loaded, and I'm often having to drive at 110km/hr on a 90F+ day with A/C on too. Truck loaded sits around 5500lb. That's 9000lb total. It's asking a lot of the 2.4!!

Even with everything I've done to mine, I can't keep it cool when I start climbing under those conditions. Only saving grace for me is I run a waterless coolant. So it gets hot, but nothing seems to come of it. Anyhow, from my experience, it's hard for me to recommend this to anyone. I suppose if you live in flat country and drive back roads around 80km/hr it would be totally fine however. I live in a mountainous region (BC Canada), so the hills are a real killer.

IMG_20160605_110858954_zpslibwobnr.jpg
 
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Found a couple of my old pictures towing with my LJ:

Typical speed up on highway high boost and egt (max load):

IMG_20180722_105600351.jpg



Cresting a long 8% grade. This is a typical temp at the top of that hill when towing. Engine has seen this about 12 times a year for the past 8 years. Amazingly I've had no cylinder head issues! I chalk it up to the Evans Coolant and intercooler/tuning.
IMG_20200614_144610604.jpg
 
Thank you for the photos and help!
Believe it or not, I wanted to take the RV to BC in the rockies, but during the Fall and Winter.

You're welcome. The LJ's are great trucks, don't get me wrong. I love mine, and I even like the little engine. Just not for heavy towing through mountains.

The price range you're looking at will get you a premium cruiser with a better motor for towing. Just do your research. Ideal for you might be an HZJ77 manual transmission with a 1HDT swapped into it.
 
Hello,

Yes, it is a bit pricey. Especially without AC. Missing factory AC is a deal breaker for me, but that is a personal preference.

All five wheels are factory, upholstery looks in decent shape. Together with the steering wheel and shifting lever, it suggests mileage may be genuine.

Door cards are from a later model, standard grade truck.

In theory, a Land Cruiser can tow its own weight. Reality is way different from that. Even more if mountain passes are involved. I would not tow more than 600 kg with this truck.

It is a good truck to get a feeling on what 70 Series ownership is all about, provided the seller is willing to hear offers.

If the towing requirement is a must, I would look for a 73/75/77 HD Series instead.





Juan
 
Towing is as much about the driver as engine power. It would not be my choice of tow vehicle because of the short wheel base. I think this has been resprayed. The inner fenders are normally black and these are all white. Proceed carefully. Its not hard to replace the odometer with a low mileage part from a wreck.
 

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