FJ62 vs 1st gen 4Runner (1 Viewer)

[RichardYoter]

Hi all,

Brand new to this site, but after daily driving an old Toyota for the last 2 years, I thought it was time to make an account. I have daily driven a 1986 4Runner for 2 years now and have racked up 30k miles of adventures in that time. Never once broke down on me, but of course always handled preventative maintenance. Unfortunately, at 299,950 miles a negligent dump truck backed over my front end and totaled it…

Now I’m thinking about buying a 1988 FJ62 with 280k miles to be my new (old) love affair. I’m no mechanic, but I don’t mind trying to do small to medium sized jobs myself and absolutely love the experience of driving simple, analog 4x4’s.

My question posed to all of you experienced LC owners is what are your thoughts on FJ62 reliability and cost of ownership compared to a 1st gen 4Runner? Do you consider one to be more reliable than the other? I took the 4Runner across Baja 1,500 miles and frequently drove it to mammoth (albeit very slowly). Think the 62 would be a fun upgrade and just as reliable as a daily/adventure rig if taken care of?

This is my first post, so apologies if I did something wrong and thanks for your patience.

-Rich

 

[oc cruiser 97]

Hi all,

Brand new to this site, but after daily driving an old Toyota for the last 2 years, I thought it was time to make an account. I have daily driven a 1986 4Runner for 2 years now and have racked up 30k miles of adventures in that time. Never once broke down on me, but of course always handled preventative maintenance. Unfortunately, at 299,950 miles a negligent dump truck backed over my front end and totaled it…

Now I’m thinking about buying a 1988 FJ62 with 280k miles to be my new (old) love affair. I’m no mechanic, but I don’t mind trying to do small to medium sized jobs myself and absolutely love the experience of driving simple, analog 4x4’s.

My question posed to all of you experienced LC owners is what are your thoughts on FJ62 reliability and cost of ownership compared to a 1st gen 4Runner? Do you consider one to be more reliable than the other? I took the 4Runner across Baja 1,500 miles and frequently drove it to mammoth (albeit very slowly). Think the 62 would be a fun upgrade and just as reliable as a daily/adventure rig if taken care of?

This is my first post, so apologies if I did something wrong and thanks for your patience.

-Rich

I would say that an f j62 is an upgrade . You have a solid front axle for strength . You have overall more size for overlanding, and you can if needed sleep in the back . You also have more Torque with the engine design. Fj62 is overall a strong platform. Go for the #Landcruiser. I own one myself .

Marc

 

[Otis]

I see that you posted in the 60 series section. You will definitely get more responses there!

I loved my 1987 4Runner but I would probably go with the 62 for your noted uses. A solid axle first gen 4Runner would make a great wheeling rig though...

 

[RichardYoter]

I see that you posted in the 60 series section. You will definitely get more responses there!

I loved my 1987 4Runner but I would probably go with the 62 for your noted uses. A solid axle first gen 4Runner would make a great wheeling rig though...

Yes realized after posting here that I should probably post on the tech section instead! The 1st gen holds a special place in my heart and I’m still upset that she’s totaled. However, I’ll probably buy back from insurance and get her fixed as a secondary (Against my wife’s wishes).

I’m definitely leaning towards a 62 now, as I want the EFI and extra horsepower for reliability and highway speed compared to the 60. Hopefully after battling with insurance I can pull it off!

 

[DirtyRice Joe]

Yes realized after posting here that I should probably post on the tech section instead! The 1st gen holds a special place in my heart and I’m still upset that she’s totaled. However, I’ll probably buy back from insurance and get her fixed as a secondary (Against my wife’s wishes).

I’m definitely leaning towards a 62 now, as I want the EFI and extra horsepower for reliability and highway speed compared to the 60. Hopefully after battling with insurance I can pull it off!

From my experience, the actual driving experience between the FJ60 & FJ62 is negligible. The gain in HP from the fuel injection is pretty much offset by the HP loss from the automatic transmission/torque converter.