FZJ80 or HDJ80... (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Sep 17, 2020
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11
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70
Location
Calgary, AB
Hi everyone,

I am an owner of 1997 Lexus LX450 - 3x locked, 140k miles, bone stock, clean body w little surface rust on rear tailgate, above the windshield, and underbody, clean for being in Canada- and I am seeking your expertise today.

I have recently been looking closely at diesel 80 series near my area, mostly HDJ80 and wanted some advice on if it’s worth my time and possibly money to trade up for it instead of keep my FZJ80.

More about the HDJ80- it’s 1990 Toyota LC with the HDT engine w auto tranny and 3x locked as well. The body has roughly 200k miles (rocker rust, underbody in decent condition, clear coat peeling) but the engine, turbo, and transmission has been rebuilt in the last 80,000km. The owner put the car up for 18,000 CAD and would be interested in possibly trading for my Lexus.

With that being said, we haven’t met up to check out our cruisers and I need some guidance on whether this is a good idea or I should keep my bone stock 80 I bought my Lexus less than 10k CAD and its not perfect but I believe it has potential. I plan on using my rig to not only off road but to travel across Canada, USA, and possibly SA in the near future once I’m kitted out (still a broke college student😅).

I have no idea how much my Lexus is really worth and what a fair trade would be. The HDJ80 is in no near perfect condition but it’s not in horrible condition either. My friend who helped me buy my current LC thinks I should keep mine since it’s cleaner and I bought it from original owner but the diesel does sound cool😂.

Anyways any help or advice would be greatly appreciated! I’ll try to pull some pictures from both of our rigs (white one is mine)

Thanks!

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The rust on the diesel would be a hard no for me. As much as I would want it, I would want the rust even less.
 
I see. Thanks for your input. Other than the rust that’s on the diesel, is it a decent trade from my FZJ to HDJ?
There are some here that would say yes, others would say no.

Deep in your heart, you already know the answer. You are hoping that many on here will tell you what you think you want to hear.

It is seven years OLDER than your current one, with more miles.

It is 3x locked just like yours, so that is no change.
What is the maintenance like?
What is your maintenance like? Anything upcoming that's major that you know it's going to need? Do you think he's holding out thinking about something similar?

Is the grass always greener on the other side of the fence?

Maybe you should both trade for two weeks, then make your decision.
 
It's likely in the wrong section, but the HDJ81 is posted on here:

 
It's likely in the wrong section, but the HDJ81 is posted on here:

Yes this is the vehicle I’m looking at
 
I would not recommend buying that HDJ81. Nor would I recommend buying local HDJ81's in general.

Best bang for you buck, import a fresh 95-97 HDJ81 from Japan. I imported one bone stock with 208,000 km for $17k landed at my door and it was immaculate. In my opinion, that's the only way to go. The condition and quality direct from Japan is far better than what you'll find here. But you would have to be patient.
 
There are some here that would say yes, others would say no.

Deep in your heart, you already know the answer. You are hoping that many on here will tell you what you think you want to hear.

It is seven years OLDER than your current one, with more miles.

It is 3x locked just like yours, so that is no change.
What is the maintenance like?
What is your maintenance like? Anything upcoming that's major that you know it's going to need? Do you think he's holding out thinking about something similar?

Is the grass always greener on the other side of the fence?

Maybe you should both trade for two weeks, then make your decision.

Man you’ve really read my mind...

I always wanted a diesel LC and my very first attempt was buying a LJ78 and figuring out the head issue and other things wasnt something I wanted to deal with so I sold it off. I am beyond thankful and lucky to have found a low mileage, 3x locked FZJ80 which has been a mall crawler all its life but something inside of me still itches for that diesel and ran into few diesel 80’s and 60’s yesterday and that diesel purr gets me ngl!

But the things you’ve brought up are all valid points I must consider. The HDJ80 has more rush that will take more money and time, and it’s been somewhat modified and played around with while mine is stock. But far as maintenance goes I haven’t had the chance to talk to him in depth (definitely will before making any moves), as far as rebuild goes I know that the HDJ80 was previously owned by mud member and there is a detail thread on his rebuild so I guess little assurance there.

As far as mine goes, it’s been sitting in PO garage for the last 5 years so I’m taking my time with the PM to make sure everything is checked off so little work to be done there.

I know what my rig is capable of and it’s potential if I do stick with it, it’s just I’ve always had the want for a diesel but idk if it’s the right move w my rig that I have.
 
I would not recommend buying that HDJ81. Nor would I recommend buying local HDJ81's in general.

Best bang for you buck, import a fresh 95-97 HDJ81 from Japan. I imported one bone stock with 208,000 km for $17k landed at my door and it was immaculate. In my opinion, that's the only way to go. The condition and quality direct from Japan is far better than what you'll find here. But you would have to be patient.

That’s a fair point but I’m a college student who do not have the sitting fund of 20k atm and I know prices of 80’s going up. I’ve been looking online for imports but decent diesel sits around 16 to 23k USD which is just around high 20’s CAD for me😬. Which site and when did you get yours? There’s some local HDJ around mid teens but most of them do not have lockers which I would prefer since mine does.
 
That’s a fair point but I’m a college student who do not have the sitting fund of 20k atm and I know prices of 80’s going up. I’ve been looking online for imports but decent diesel sits around 16 to 23k USD which is just around high 20’s CAD for me😬. Which site and when did you get yours? There’s some local HDJ around mid teens but most of them do not have lockers which I would prefer since mine does.

PM me, you can EASILY import a diesel 80 for less than $18k CAD.

If you're looking for a diesel cruiser in general, import an HDJ101. The 1HD-FTE will last far longer than a 1HD-T or 1HD-FT.
 
PM me, you can EASILY import a diesel 80 for less than $18k CAD.

I just had a look at the few sold prices and I could see, and I'm surprised you are correct! I would have thought prices would have been higher given that they seem to be trending a bit higher locally. Of course, the budget depends on your requirements for condition mileage and anything else the buyer might want.

@cruiserman5 just remember that once it's at your door the expenses haven't stopped. Any time I have imported anything I always budget for new brakes, and tires at a minimum. With the diesel 80 you'll also need to budget for BEB's and likely a front end rebuild plus any other small issues that may come up during inspection.
 
I just had a look at the few sold prices and I could see, and I'm surprised you are correct! I would have thought prices would have been higher given that they seem to be trending a bit higher locally. Of course, the budget depends on your requirements for condition mileage and anything else the buyer might want.

@cruiserman5 just remember that once it's at your door the expenses haven't stopped. Any time I have imported anything I always budget for new brakes, and tires at a minimum. With the diesel 80 you'll also need to budget for BEB's and likely a front end rebuild plus any other small issues that may come up during inspection.
Thanks for your help. If I go the import route I’ll definitely keep that in mind. You mind sharing some of the prices that HDJ has been going for these days. The import company I contacted wants a deposit in order to start the hunt and I’m still trying to do more research. I would love 3x locked low mileage HDJ but if I can get one without lockers at a good price in good condition and price, I’d be inclined to put them on after.
 

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