Welcome to MUD and good luck in your search. To find a good truck it takes looking at the sources mentioned above multiple times a day. You want to be the first one in line on a new listing if possible.
Here are random some buying notes I’ve kept from other posts.
Duncan imports
bringatrailer.com
4buyingautosales.com
SearchTempest to search Craigslist nationwide.
SearchWorldMarketplace (same thing, but for FB marketplace).
ih8mud classifieds
Toyota Land Cruiser marketplace FB group
KSL auto
Profit Resurrection
Corsetti Cruisers
Landcruisersdirect.com
JDM Cruiser dealerships
As soon as the excitement of the purchase starts to fade, the questions start popping up. What modifications can I make? What are those 4 bolts on the back
sleeoffroad.com
Pre-buy inspection
For importing, do yourself a favor and call Steve Jackson at Land Cruisers Direct. He’s one of the best for a Japanese diesel importing.
Don’t settle for an abused truck. Take the time and wait for the right one. Anything under 200k is a winner, but, not necessary.
Worth paying a premium for no rust and/or an enthusiast maintained vehicle. Check New Mexico and AZ rigs. Rust free and you can find some gems down here for a decent price.
If I was to do it again I’d look in the Southwest and ship it or make the journey. No rust on these old Toyota’s is such a treat. Makes working on them fun instead of a nightmare with broken bolts and stripped nuts at every turn.
I’d want to know if it uses oil & how much.
I’d ask if the headgasket is original or a replacement? If replaced, was the head surfaced & were the stem seals changed?
I’d also want to know the last front axle service done? Look for caked on crap on the front knuckles since they are rarely serviced.
Look for something with documented maintenance If possible, but not a deal breaker. I want to see receipts galore & do a very good inspection from running every last control to doing full lock circles to see if the birfields are ‘clicking’ AKA need replacing or swapping side-for-side.
Lockers are a bonus, but if not locked, you can always add them later. Better to find a good condition, well maintained truck.
Some say the ‘93/‘94 are the best year, OBD1, best engine, best tranny... etc....
93 and up has a good following for aftermarket stuff or OEM.
Also keep in mind that the 93 and 94 model years had the slightly shorter birfields which makes them easier to find Aisin hubs for if you choose to convert to part time 4x4. And they also have the better looking front grill without the space cowboy emblem.
‘95- ‘97 have airbags, full float rear diff, OBD-II, and you can still get engine wire harnesses and o2 sensors.
95+ has a mass air flow sensor, not a MAF meter, so you don’t have to worry about the MAF meter failing.
3FE parts are starting to become scarce. Most of the heater hoses on the 3FE are discontinued
The 3FE is slow, dead reliable, and relatively impervious to neglect. They are slow on the highway, slower on steep highway grades, and happiest cruising in the mid 60 MPHs, which was the speed limit for which they were designed back then.
It's reasonable to expect deferred and ongoing preventative maintenance. Somewhere on this forum is an excellent 3FE tune-up checklist--this is must-do for the 3FE. Sunroofs leak. Cracked dashboards and front seat bottom cushion sidings are common. Also expect to replace rubber things, especially suspension bushings and belts, but also door seals, window runs, etc.
Plan on spending $2500+ to get it baselined (hoses, gaskets, o rings, seals, tools, cooling system updates, knuckle rebuild, fluids, etc). If you get a cheaper rig, budget for more in catch up maintenance.
. 
