FJ80 1991 buying help?

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Hey guys new to the forum.

I have been in the market for an fj80. My dad owned a 200 series growing up and my love for these cars begin there.

Im aware that 91 had a different engine but I loved the shape and have the budget for it atm. Theres one that I am potentially interested in purchasing this weekend. It has around 200k miles, family used. Seller has sent photos and videos. Rust is surface level and has been coated. Seats are redone with leather. Engine bay looks like there isnt any leaks. Im going to see it with a mechanic this weekend anything I should look out for?

Thanks

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I moved this thread here from Chat. Maybe some of you 80’s guys can help this newcomer.
 
I would hold out for a later model with the 1FZ-FE
 
The rust may be acceptable or good for your location but there is at least a little more than surface rust present. It may or may not be a deal breaker in your case but rust is one of the largest decision factors in purchasing an older car so deserves close scrutiny.

Price and records of good work done are also going to be be factors in your consideration of this particular 80. There's likely a price point where it could make sense and for me it would be relatively low as it looks like this 80 will need some time and effort to get to a really stable place where rust is stopped, all fluids and rubber are fresh (enough), cosmetics are fine tuned (dash, hood ornament, etc.) and then personal preferences are attended to (sound system, etc.).

Let folks know more about what you are looking for, how you'll use it, your expectations, etc. and they can be more helpful.

Finally, if purchase price is an issue then ongoing cost of ownership may be a bigger one. Relatively speaking these are more expensive than some other autos to keep up with. All automobiles are expensive and many will nickle and dime you much worse than an 80 but these are far from true budget options and you typically will spend in the neighborhood of $2k to $4k (more in many cases, less in a handful where the 80 is really dialed) on most of these that you buy if you want to set them up to perform as intended and reliably.

Once they are in the sweet spot 80s tend to stay there, and the 80s dialed-in spot is truly sweet, which is why so many love them.
 
How much are they paying you to take it?

I'm super averse to rust. And dirty, gross interiors. I think I can smell the funk from here.
Check the upper rear hatch for rust. Nearly 100% guarantee it's going to be bad.

Sorry. But keep saving and buy something better from outside the rust belt.
 
jpoole said:
The rust may be acceptable or good for your location but there is at least a little more than surface rust present. It may or may not be a deal breaker in your case but rust is one of the largest decision factors in purchasing an older car so deserves close scrutiny.

Price and records of good work done are also going to be be factors in your consideration of this particular 80. There's likely a price point where it could make sense and for me it would be relatively low as it looks like this 80 will need some time and effort to get to a really stable place where rust is stopped, all fluids and rubber are fresh (enough), cosmetics are fine tuned (dash, hood ornament, etc.) and then personal preferences are attended to (sound system, etc.).

Let folks know more about what you are looking for, how you'll use it, your expectations, etc. and they can be more helpful.

Finally, if purchase price is an issue then ongoing cost of ownership may be a bigger one. Relatively speaking these are more expensive than some other autos to keep up with. All automobiles are expensive and many will nickle and dime you much worse than an 80 but these are far from true budget options and you typically will spend in the neighborhood of $2k to $4k (more in many cases, less in a handful where the 80 is really dialed) on most of these that you buy if you want to set them up to perform as intended and reliably.

Once they are in the sweet spot 80s tend to stay there, and the 80s dialed-in spot is truly sweet, which is why so many love them.
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Hey thank you for your reply.

Im in northeast so this much rust is definitely on the lower side. The seller looks like he cared a lot for the 80. Im ready to put in another 5k-7k into the car over time. I am hoping I will learn along the way as I am ready for this journey ahead.
 
I don't see any obvious red flags under the hood, and it's good you understand that with something that old, you'll have to put money into it, period. I'll go against the grain of the replies so far and say that if you and your mechanic are satisfied with the general condition, and if you're comfortable with the price, then go for it.

FWIW, I've owned my 91 since 1998 and my 92 since 2006. I love them both, and they're still daily drivers for my wife and me.
 
CJF said:
I don't see any obvious red flags under the hood, and it's good you understand that with something that old, you'll have to put money into it, period. I'll go against the grain of the replies so far and say that if you and your mechanic are satisfied with the general condition, and if you're comfortable with the price, then go for it.

FWIW, I've owned my 91 since 1998 and my 92 since 2006. I love them both, and they're still daily drivers for my wife and me.
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Thank you for the positive reply. Its going to be a weekend car for us that we would like to take camping from time to time. Not planning on daily driving it anyways.
 
A few thoughts in addition to what has already been said...

On cheaper 80 series (really any car, actually) there tends to be two categories, and they can overlap too. There are ones that are poorly maintained and have deferred maintenance. And there are ones that are 'modified' (headlights, seats, radio, wheels, etc.), but not modified in a good way. I would prefer to have one that needs some work, but is highly original. When you get into the ones that have been 'jacked with', there tends to be more issues than what is initially seen. My 80 has issues, it's a project, but the body is 100% straight. Faded paint, cracked dash, totalled for hail damage, but the only things done in 30+ years are late model 80 wheels and replacement headunit/speakers. This is exactly what I want.

I'd look closely at the front clip. See of the panels align. Look at the body mounts. Look at the core support. Pull the clearance lights if you want (1 screw and a clip). I'd say that thing has been wrecked based on the headlights, bumper, and grille. The things I mentioned would help confirm that.

That rust looks manageable, especially for where you are. The axle looks kinda bad, but the frame looks OK. I'd look at the bottom of the quarter panels behind the sides of the rear bumper, and see if they're rusted through.

TLDR: it looks OK, but probably has some problems. I'd give about 4-5k for it, maybe 6k.
 
I’ve got a somewhat rusty unit but realistically it’s not too bad plus I’ve been a mechanic for 20 years so I know the tricks. If you can find one with less rust it’ll save you so much time and money. I’d try to find one less rusty and more unmolested and original. Either way if you don’t plan on being the primary mechanic on this thing you’ll get buried in expensive repairs that most shops just really aren’t proficient in effectively tackling. Try to find a FZJ with a OBD2 port 95-97 they really beefed everything up and massaged out the kinks in those years in every conceivable way as Toyota has a way of doing. I’d suggest a third or fourth gen 4Runner if wrenching isn’t as much your thing.
 
You were a kid while growing up with a family 200 series? That really puts me in my place age wise.

Look for rust on the tailgate as previously mentioned. Rust anywhere else too. How badly is the dash cracked? I personally dislike dash pads quite a bit.
Also not a fan of the replacement head lights or aftermarket wheels.
It doesn't look bad though, so if the price is acceptable then it could be worthy.
 
It’s got a skull on the hood that tells me all I need to know 😁
 
I spy with my little eye:
Replacement radiator, Non OEM fan shroud, Pusher fan, Horribly overtightened hose clamp with old non-OEM hoses.
All indicating a previous issue with the cooling system.

Not sure what's going on off the positive battery terminal. Looks like a mess.
Brake fluid is blacker than black=lack of maintenance.
 
Cracked flare. Rippled "metal" below the headlight.
Accident? yes. Probably more than one.

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No tie down on the battery. That's fun!
 
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