Finally, able to start a Build Thread on here so I’ll start with a little back story!
I’ve never owned an LC, they were always out of my price range so my experience is mainly with 4runners but some mini-trucks as well. My longest owned vehicle was a 1st gen 4unner which faithfully took me through the Rubicon 3 times without missing a beat. However, I sold that because the 2 door thing was annoying when trying to get to gear or more importantly put my daughter in the back. I’ve always loved the 70 line up since those angled body lines reminded me of my 1st gen 4runner, but it always seemed like sort of a pipe dream to buy one.
Then in 2017 I was able to head to Japan on assignment with my work at Toyota and I knew this was the time to get one! We got to attend a couple Land Cruiser 40 Meeting East while over there and thankfully the 1st time I got to check out a bunch of 77 and 75s that showed up, and then 2nd time we were able to borrow my friend GRJ76 for the trip and really seal the deal on going with a 4 door! I do love troopy, but with 3 kids the 4 door is the right choice for us for now.
As a side note, I used to spend a lot of time on Pirate 4x4, but the last few years I’ve spent a lot of time on mud gleaning info and book-marking pages, even getting in contact with a few members on here for questions. I really appreciate the help and advice that has been shared to me by those on here, so thank you again for that!
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a 77 to drive while living there as
1. Prices at dealerships were already high and
2. Emissions laws would set me back about another 10K putting on a DPF device and testing.
So I went with Brave auto to get a vehicle at auction pricing. My budget was pretty low, but last November I was able to finally score one that fit the bill. 1993 HZJ77, AT (thankfully its electronic that year!), ZX, Blueish grey metallic, 304K on the clock.
I was planning on going to see the vehicle before returning to the USA, but then COVID hit. We were requested to return to the USA, and since my wife had just had baby #3 2 week prior to that announcement, we got his passport and headed to our parents in SF expecting to return back in a month or two. 5 months later, my assignment was canceled, and 2 months later we were finally able to move back into our home in TX. The whole time I just wanted to send the truck early but the uncertainty of being able to receive it made that tricky haha.
At long last, the truck landed in Freeport TX on the 30th of Oct. I picked it up on the 2nd of Nov, and then the fun began! Thankfully the paperwork went fairly smoothly and its plated now and ready to roll. The best part was rolling it into the garage and my wife saying “I am so happy we got this truck, we are never getting rid of it”. Couldn’t have asked for a better reaction. My oldest daughter said “we need to paint a purple bow on it so it looks amazing”, I told her we could probably do a sticker as a compromise hahah.
Some fun reminders of our time in Japan, my wife loved seeing these
I’ve never owned an LC, they were always out of my price range so my experience is mainly with 4runners but some mini-trucks as well. My longest owned vehicle was a 1st gen 4unner which faithfully took me through the Rubicon 3 times without missing a beat. However, I sold that because the 2 door thing was annoying when trying to get to gear or more importantly put my daughter in the back. I’ve always loved the 70 line up since those angled body lines reminded me of my 1st gen 4runner, but it always seemed like sort of a pipe dream to buy one.
Then in 2017 I was able to head to Japan on assignment with my work at Toyota and I knew this was the time to get one! We got to attend a couple Land Cruiser 40 Meeting East while over there and thankfully the 1st time I got to check out a bunch of 77 and 75s that showed up, and then 2nd time we were able to borrow my friend GRJ76 for the trip and really seal the deal on going with a 4 door! I do love troopy, but with 3 kids the 4 door is the right choice for us for now.
As a side note, I used to spend a lot of time on Pirate 4x4, but the last few years I’ve spent a lot of time on mud gleaning info and book-marking pages, even getting in contact with a few members on here for questions. I really appreciate the help and advice that has been shared to me by those on here, so thank you again for that!
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a 77 to drive while living there as
1. Prices at dealerships were already high and
2. Emissions laws would set me back about another 10K putting on a DPF device and testing.
So I went with Brave auto to get a vehicle at auction pricing. My budget was pretty low, but last November I was able to finally score one that fit the bill. 1993 HZJ77, AT (thankfully its electronic that year!), ZX, Blueish grey metallic, 304K on the clock.
I was planning on going to see the vehicle before returning to the USA, but then COVID hit. We were requested to return to the USA, and since my wife had just had baby #3 2 week prior to that announcement, we got his passport and headed to our parents in SF expecting to return back in a month or two. 5 months later, my assignment was canceled, and 2 months later we were finally able to move back into our home in TX. The whole time I just wanted to send the truck early but the uncertainty of being able to receive it made that tricky haha.
At long last, the truck landed in Freeport TX on the 30th of Oct. I picked it up on the 2nd of Nov, and then the fun began! Thankfully the paperwork went fairly smoothly and its plated now and ready to roll. The best part was rolling it into the garage and my wife saying “I am so happy we got this truck, we are never getting rid of it”. Couldn’t have asked for a better reaction. My oldest daughter said “we need to paint a purple bow on it so it looks amazing”, I told her we could probably do a sticker as a compromise hahah.
Some fun reminders of our time in Japan, my wife loved seeing these
. Why you would do that is beyond me, but Ill take your old ones if you do so lol.
