Just asking for opinions and what others have seen on the trail. I have a 1972 FJ40 that is mine for the taking if I want it but it's not running. It was my first car and I learned to drive on it. When I was 18 I bought low mileage YJ Jeep Wrangler and my dad lost interest in the FJ40 when I was no longer at home to work on it with him and I was off being a teenager. It's been setting since 2000 and has no rust but I'm going to need to get it running again and my son is the same age I was when he bought it and we worked on it. On the other hand for around $8-9k I can buy a clean used LX470. I had a 460 and we traded it off for something else for my wife earlier this year. Do you think the GX470/LC120 is as capable as a stock FJ40? I know it's safer, more comfortable, and will probably be cheaper.
FJ40 vs GX470 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter rudyred
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Complete opposite ends of the spectrum
Capable of what? How far are you having to drive to the trail?
How big is your family, will they want to ride in it
Capable of what? How far are you having to drive to the trail?
How big is your family, will they want to ride in it
In one word: NO
Soccer Mom car vs hardcore purpose built utility 4WD. Not picking on it as I also own a 4Runner TRD Pro but no whereas near as rugged or capable as my 40’s. Apples to Oranges is accurate
brian
SILVER Star
Facepalm
PM me if you are selling the 40.
Soul or No Soul.
Choose.
Yeah, let us know if you are offloading that 40. I have an LX450.
Choose.
Yeah, let us know if you are offloading that 40. I have an LX450.
Store the 40. Work on it slowly. Get a 470 and cart the family around in comfort. Very few of us live on the trail, we want to though.
TCEd
SILVER Star
My experience. The FJ-40 will get you into more parking lot conversations than the GX. The GX will make you smile while driving on a cold rainy night.
Depends a bit on what kind of 'wheeling you do. A GX470 will take you a lot of places that any stock, competent 4x4 needs to go. An FJ40 will go a little further. I own both, as well a 3rd gen 4Runner and an FJ62. All four will go nearly anywhere I want in Colorado.
What my FJ40 brings me is a ton of memories from my 30 years of ownership and 'wheeling. Go restore/rehab the '40 with your son and create memories. Many on this forum would LOVE to have a restorable, rust free '40 and a child to restore it with. That right there can be magic. Get the kid a Camry to drive (if he must have a car) and work on the '40 on the side. That way, missteps won't make him learn a hatred for unreliable old vehicles if he's late for school or work. I really don't recommend a '40 as a kids first car until they have some drive-time under their belt.
What my FJ40 brings me is a ton of memories from my 30 years of ownership and 'wheeling. Go restore/rehab the '40 with your son and create memories. Many on this forum would LOVE to have a restorable, rust free '40 and a child to restore it with. That right there can be magic. Get the kid a Camry to drive (if he must have a car) and work on the '40 on the side. That way, missteps won't make him learn a hatred for unreliable old vehicles if he's late for school or work. I really don't recommend a '40 as a kids first car until they have some drive-time under their belt.
I was out on the trail with one a few weekends ago - we didn’t do anything particularly difficult but it held its own just fine. The GX went everywhere my 40 went and vice versa.
If you’re not planning on making a hardcore rock crawler out of it I think either one of them is pretty capable off-road. The GX is a heck of a lot more comfortable (I would have killed for AC on this trip) but the 40 is a heck of a lot cooler
If you’re not planning on making a hardcore rock crawler out of it I think either one of them is pretty capable off-road. The GX is a heck of a lot more comfortable (I would have killed for AC on this trip) but the 40 is a heck of a lot cooler
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- Thread starter
- #14
Soul or No Soul.
Choose.
Yeah, let us know if you are offloading that 40. I have an LX450.
Some trails, but I live in Norman, Oklahoma so putting around a college town where we raise our family and driving 7 miles to work each way. I've had that 40 up to the headlights in water and in some pretty crazy spots when I was a teen. Never took our GX460 offroad because we lived in the burbs of North Texas and nothing but city.
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- #15
Biggest concern is obviously safety and reliability, other concern is we live 300 miles away from our family lake house in Missouri so where I really want to use it, it would take forever to get there driving 55mph (LOL). Loved to take it trout fishing and hunting so a GX maybe a better solution.
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- #16
Good Point. I think the old 40 would be stuck in town a lot more than I like since there aren't a lot if any trails nearby.
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- #17
Aint that the truth. That's why I bought a YJ when I was 17. Tired of Oklahoma summers with no AC, no power steering, driving 55mph, and it didnt' always start, especially as I'd flood it on occasion.
I don't think there's any world in which a FJ40 could be compared in terms of safety to a GX or any modern vehicle. If you're carting your family around town, certainly, the GX is probably a better option by nearly every metric - comfort, reliability, safety. If I only had to choose ONE in this case, it might be the GX - after all I drive a completely soulless Chevy Equinox when I have to drive the family around.
That said - if you can swing both - then that's obviously the best of both worlds. I wheel my FJ40, I don't have a tow rig or a trailer - and the closest trails to me around between 100 and 200 miles away. It's a slow, noisy drive but there's some fun/charm in getting there as well. You certainly turn some heads...
I certainly USE the FJ40 around town - especially when I need to do heavy lifting. Last weekend it carted 800lbs of drainage gravel back from Lowes. But I'll agree with most that, particularly if carting a family around, a second, safe, reliable vehicle takes a lot of stress off keeping the 40 running.
In short - both. Keep both. The "holding cost" of my FJ40 is pretty slim - $200/year for classic car insurance, a silver star for this forum and the peace of mind of knowing when something breaks on the trail on Sunday, I can still get to work on Monday.
macdaddy59
SILVER Star
I have both. If your plan is to get the 40 running and modded for the trail calculate the time and money spent getting it to that point. Now consider spending that money on upgrades to the GX. It will outdo the 40 in every single aspect except the cool factor. My wife drives the GX daily and when she is feeling cheeky she asks to drive the 40.
I live in OKC and I would love the opportunity to buy your 40 if you decide to sell it!
