FJ40 as a first car (1 Viewer)

[FJBen]

Awesome! An FJ40 would be a blast to drive, work on and learn for your first car.

What shape is this FJ40 in? There are a lot of very overpriced 40s that are junk right now.

i would definitely make sure you have a backup for awhile until you work everything out. It sounds perfect for back roads to school and enjoying it, BUT it is 40 yrs old and will most likely need work.
They are simple to work on and will treat you right once you get the things back up to spec.

safety first!
brakes
Tires
Steering

then get everything else up and baselined. Skills that will save you thousands upon thousands of dollars later on if you decide to work on your own cars.

Post some pictures of it. Everyone is good on here about looking them over.

 

[macdaddy59]

If you were my son I would already have it in the garage with a list of cool things to do to get it ready for school. You are only 16 once GO FOR IT. The best thing that can happen is you fall in love with it, become a toyota gear head, learn some great wrenching and mechanic skills, bond with your dad, date a super model that has a passion for FJ40's. Worst case is that you sell it for what you paid and had a great experience and learned some life lessons. You can always come up with more money to buy another car for transportation.

 

[maxgrinfeder]

@FJ404345 said about safety.

How long have you been driving, and what other vehicles have you driven? Do you have a back up plan if you have a repair that requires a few days down time?

I have been driving for almost 2 years now.. I got my permit at 14. My dad drives a Toyota Tundra but my uncle has a 1979 CJ7 that I have drive which I really enjoyed. The only vehicle I would have to drive to school would be my mom's car because she doesn't work. The only problem is that I could never buy a beater car because my dad would freak out if I took away some of his workshop space parking a '99 Civic

 

[SteveH]

Buy a 1997-01 Camry for $1500-2000, drive it everywhere, and work on the FJ40 on the side. You will need a vehicle to do parts-runs for the '40 and if the '40 has been parked, it will meet that old saying that 'chances are good that someone stopped loving your Land Cruiser long before you bought it'. This phrase has applied to most of the LCs I have purchased. Some of your trips to school should be an adventure, but not all of them.

I think that having an FJ40 as a 16 year old would have been cool as heck, but you need something that is bombproof reliable and will allow you to enjoy the FJ40, not dread it.

 

[FJBen]

I drove an old 85 CJ7 (it was my moms) in high school for a couple years. It was a softop, we beat the crap out of it all stock, and I worked on it quite a bit. Living at 8100' elevation in the mountain and snow, it was great for that, not so much for keeping elements out. The cheap soft-top leaked like nobodys business and after coming home late from sports trips, I would have brush the dust out of the INSIDE. It was loud, cold, lacked power but I learned a ton and loved it.
I loved that top off/doors off feeling. After highschool I was finally able to get an FJ40 again and haven't looked back from land Cruisers.

I still don't mind driving an old tractor, even though my current ones a bit nicer tractor.

 

[tls3601]

Having N inexpensive Camry or Corolla as DD is idea, and you can use it to get parts as you are working on getting the ‘76 roadworthy. If you are passionate about 40’s go for it. Just realize they all require time, money and energy to bring them back. Is it worth it? A million times YES in my obviously biased opinion. Let us know how it works out and post up pics, mud community loves that

 

[pigmony]

My first vehicle was a lifted, American, standard cab, bench seat, V8, long box pickup, in Bahama Blue, with big tires. It was loud, flashy, and (I thought) really cool. Gas was pretty cheap at the time, so the 7-9 mpg wasn't a huge deal for a teenager with a part-time job. Then I grenaded the first rear axle, and that wasn't very cool because I didn't have anything else to drive. After a few axles of practice, I got so I could swap out a rear axle in about 20 minutes. (There was a time when I kept a spare axle strapped down in the bed.) Then I blew up the first motor, and that wasn't very cool, but I found a pretty sweet stroker to replace it after a few weeks of bumming rides everywhere. Then I went through 3 transmissions in a real short period of time, and that was really putting a damper on my ability to entertain young ladies, so that wasn't cool. A main bearing failed in the second motor, the truck got parked in a shed for a few years, and I discovered how cool a turbocharged flat-four can be, how well Japanese engineers seem to understand making things easy to work on, and that cars with fold-flat rear seats and cargo areas can be a lot of fun for young guy. I had so much fun with that truck but, years later after I swapped a third motor into it, I realized that it really wasn't a very good vehicle. I learned a lot from that truck, but I learned just as much, for less money, and without as much downtime, working on Subarus.

If I got to go back and do it again, I'd start with a Subaru turbo wagon. They're fun, safe, easy to work on, they don't cost a fortune to own, and they're cool cars. I love my FJ40, but I've got an engineering degree with a decade of experience that means my budget is significantly different than it was when I was 16. I've also got 2 cars, a truck, and a motorcycle to use whenever the 40 isn't running, which is pretty frequently. I don't want to say don't do it because my first vehicle was unsafe, unreliable, and totally a blast, but I also know that I'd do it differently if I had to opportunity to do it again. There are lots of cool vehicles in the world. Some are even cheap to own and reliable.

 

[tacocat]

I have been driving for almost 2 years now.. I got my permit at 14. My dad drives a Toyota Tundra but my uncle has a 1979 CJ7 that I have drive which I really enjoyed. The only vehicle I would have to drive to school would be my mom's car because she doesn't work. The only problem is that I could never buy a beater car because my dad would freak out if I took away some of his workshop space parking a '99 Civic

You might be a good candidate for the FJ40 since you have alternate transportation and a workshop. Still, you have to be a level headed driver. Young drivers and short wheelbase, tall vehicles are typically a bad combo.

A guy I used to work with died at 19 years old when he rolled his tan FJ40 on Saturday night. I never forgot that incident or that FJ40.

 

[studawg]

My first car was a 1977 FJ40. It was 21 years old at the time and in pretty bad shape actually, but it always ran.

If the one you are looking at is in decent running condition, I would definitely say go for it! 1976 is arguably the best year for the FJ40 because less smog controls before 1977 and first year of front disc brakes.

I made lifelong friends because of that car that I may not have otherwise made. Do it!

 

[fj40cruisin]

Go for it! You will learn a ton and will be hooked for life. My first car was a 1969 FJ40 when I was 14. It had a 2F and 4 speed. I worked on it for 2 years until I turned 16. I learned a lot and am now hooked for life. I agree with all that has been said. Be prepared to dump a lot of money for parts and gas. Enjoy and be safe!

 

[ccasteel]

I daily drove a '76 about 30 years ago. No reason this can't have one just as reliable with a little time and money. And the time and money will depend on what your start with.

A few years ago I bought another'76 for my daughter to drive to and from school. She loved it, and it never let her down. It was bone stock.

I currently have a '78 that someone didn't do a great job installing a 3fe in it. I can't rely on it from one day to the next.

So my advice is to go for it. But keep it stock and you'll have better luck with reliability. And definitely learn to drive defensively. It's not as safe as a Camry. But where's the fun in that. (My apologies to Camry lovers)

 

[gorgor]

All the pros and cons listed above are 100% accurate. Do it and never look back. Sounds like this is something you and your father will be able to share more than a few memories over. Some will be good, some will be bad. Some will be ugly. That is what life is all about. Go for it and never look back.

 

[franklin40]

my sons are 10 and 8. i already have a 40 for them that will be their daily driver. that being said i have a few years to base line it and work on it with them. if it’s kept maintained it’ll be reliable. a slower vehicle might be a good thing for them but i’ll definitely be there driving with them to teach the respect of a short wheel base vehicle. i daily drove mine until i broke it and loved every moment in it. now it’s six years into a frame up custom build!! a stereo isn’t that hard to install either.

just be smart while you learn to drive. any vehicle can injure you or others if you’re irresponsible. and you don’t have to be 16 to fit in that category!!

you’ll learn tons, meet cool people and be broke for ever. what are you waiting for!!

 

[maxgrinfeder]

Thanks for all the rapid responses! I think I might as well go for it! Seems like a lot of fun and something about its uniqueness is just fascinating. If I do, I will definitely post some pics here. Can't wait to get my hands dirty to keep this thing on the open road!

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Thanks for all the rapid responses! I think I might as well go for it! Seems like a lot of fun and something about its uniqueness is just fascinating. If I do, I will definitely post some pics here. Can't wait to get my hands dirty to keep this thing on the open road!

Go for it! There's something about a 40 that no other vehicle has!

 

[JohnnyC]

My dad's first car was a BJ40 back when he lived in Brazil.

You think the jeep guys are weird LOL

Welcome to our world ... the heep guys think we are the weird ones... you’ll fit right in

Btw is your dad sure it was a bj40? Not saying it couldn’t be... but... most likely it was an OJ40 or OJ50 if it was in the 70’s ... they have our cousins down there ...

The Toyota Bandeirante... looks a lot like an fj40... but they evolved into their own after the first few years at Toyota do Brasil

 

[maxgrinfeder]

You think the jeep guys are weird LOL

Welcome to our world ... the heep guys think we are the weird ones... you’ll fit right in

Btw is your dad sure it was a bj40? Not saying it couldn’t be... but... most likely it was an OJ40 or OJ50 if it was in the 70’s ... they have our cousins down there ...

The Toyota Bandeirante... looks a lot like an fj40... but they evolved into their own after the first few years at Toyota do Brasil

Yes he had the Bandeirante. He also bought an FJ40 afterwards when he moved to Miami. He loves these things... Can't blame him.

 

[studawg]

And I had my second FJ40, a 1975, which was over 25 years old at the time and daily drove it and commuted about 20 miles each way to work and school.

 

[batthewmrown]

Buy a 1997-01 Camry for $1500-2000, drive it everywhere, and work on the FJ40 on the side. You will need a vehicle to do parts-runs for the '40 and if the '40 has been parked, it will meet that old saying that 'chances are good that someone stopped loving your Land Cruiser long before you bought it'. This phrase has applied to most of the LCs I have purchased. Some of your trips to school should be an adventure, but not all of them.

I think that having an FJ40 as a 16 year old would have been cool as heck, but you need something that is bombproof reliable and will allow you to enjoy the FJ40, not dread it.

1000x this. Same applies to the Corolla of that vintage.