Getting ready to take the plunge...?'s

[kirkm76]

I am current looking at purchasing either a nice 120k ish FJ62 in excellent shape, a well maintained 93FZJ80 with 238,000 or a 91FJ80 with 140,000. The 80's are substantially less money in both cases with the 91 being the cheapest by far. They all seem to be very good specimens for there year. My question regards upkeep and maint. I know the 62 is a simplier beast, and that apeals to me. It is also the most expensive by quite a bit.

I have no issue working on them myself. I have changed engines myself and am not easily intiminated, but the 80 scares me a bit with the full time 4wd and what not. So Is the 62 substantially easier to keep up and is there really that much less to go wrong or am I just being nostalgic for old simple iron?

 

[klinetime574]

The 91 FJ80 and the FJ62 both have the same motor, the 3FE.

I've never heard of any issues with the Full-Time 4WD on an 80.

If it were me the only way I'd get an 80 is if it had the 1FZ-FE, the 4.5L I6 hence an FZJ80

They are probably going to need around the same amount of maintenance. Don't think there is going to be too much of a difference in price of upkeep. That also depends on how well it was taken care of.

 

[kirkm76]

Kinda figured

I've been reading away and it seems that the 62 and 80 are all amazing vehicles, just seem to hear of more expensive issues with the 80's...then there is all the power stuff, seats...sunroof, etc that I dont care for. Here is what I am looking at.

The 62 is 9000 bucks...120k miles nearly perfect. No rust...looks new, probably best shape of the bunch. But it is 9000 bucks

The 91 is 5500...140k miles, very good condition

93 is 6000. 230k miles its a garage queen that has seen a lot of mall and soccer practice.

I am after something that I can get in and go. I don't mind doing some maintainence but I don't want any big projects for a while. I am sure I'm not the first to come on here with an FJ62 vs 80 debate. I want to pull a little camper (pop up) also from time to time. 80 is probably a bit more practical but I like the 62 better. All seem to be on the higher price side.

 

[3_puppies]

the 62 and early 80 are going to be slower than the later 80.
there have been some issues with the coupler thingy in the transfer case of the 80's, also more birf wear.

what's your price range? for low teens you can get a 100 series. 9,000 seems steep for a 62 that gets 13-15 MPG, not saying the 80's or the 100's get much better.

 

[kirkm76]

price range

Well honestly 9,000 is the upper end of it and I'd like to stay under that because that doesn't leave me much room to deal with the issues that always seem to come up on a used vehicle. I think I'd be unreasonable to expect to buy anything at the age of what I'm looking at and not have to drop some cash somewhere. On the other hand if I can't spend 9 all together and have a reliable rig then I might need to look at a lesser vehicle. I think the price is doable though.

 

[kirkm76]

What I really want is something more "work truck" style...simple and easy to clean out after taking it fishing up in the mountains. Thats why I lean towards the 60s, but with some of the 80 prices I could just rhino line the inside and have everything covered in vinyl.

 

[klinetime574]

So you want the interior of a 40 but the looks of a larger Landcruiser

I'd go for the FZJ80, if it runs fine of course.

Towing with it would be much better than with the FJ62.

80 series are like the ultimate conglomeration of all Landcruisers before it. Fuel Injected Straight Six, Solid Axles, Coil Springs, Leather, 4WD, and ample space. I think the 62 was the test vehicle for the 80 series. They tested the automatic transmission and the vacuum operated transfercase, just to make sure they could still sell them

All kidding aside Landcruisers are just plain awesome.

 

[slcfj62]

I'm not sure where you are located, but they all seem pretty high priced. I wouldn't buy any of them, especially at those prices without having a very knowledgeable Cruiser mechanic do an extensive pre buy inspection including compression test, etc.

Regardless of the miles, they are all older vehicles and will require a lot of attention at first to catch up on deferred maintenance. Rubber seals will be hard, and you will have other age related issues depending on how well it was maintained and how it was driven.

238K of soccer practice miles are a lot of hard miles. Short trip miles are the worst, so I'd be very careful of the mechanical condition of the FZJ80.

Other than that, which one is reaching out and grabbing you? You don't pick a Landcruiser, it picks you.