Guide to Buying Imported Land Cruisers (2 Viewers)

[knuckle47]

Here in the USA I have worked with large groups of Latinos, Polish, Italian, African-American, Argentinians, and Americans in an automotive repair background and like anywhere else in the world, there are good people and a some bad eggs as Carlos mentions. I have seen vehicles that had 1/4” of bondo sculpted to look original and vehicles with painstakingly tedious repairs that were outstanding. So, my take is, do your homework and make your decisions.

The greatest thrill for me these days and as a long-term FJ40 guy is the fabulous attention to detail that you guys on IH8MUD live by. Never so impressed as with vintage car guys with regard to near perfection. I am seriously overwhelmed by the quality. I applaud all of you here and those who have helped me and I message occasionally.

I didn’t know that Toyotas were so highly revered south Of the border. I would have believed that Australia was another hotspot for Land Cruisers based on the YouTube hosts like 40Channel and Mr. Landcruiser videos. Yet my good friend Adrian who lives very near their territories tells me .” I don’t see any of those around here” but if you need a part tell me where to get it and I’ll ship it to you”. Here’s a quick side note. My wife made 3 baby quilts for his children… after COMPRESSING them into a post office “if it fits, it ships” box. About 12x12x6”. $107.00

EDIT: By the way….this box weighed under 5 lbs. Can you imagine shipping a power steering pump?

So my take here is…kinda like I’ve been doing for my entire life. Due diligence

 

[Carlos Ortegon]

Here in the USA I have worked with large groups of Latinos, Polish, Italian, Africa-American, Argentinians, and Americans in an automotive repair background and like anywhere else in the world, there are good people and a some bad eggs as Carlos mentions. I have seen vehicles that had 1/4” of bondo sculpted to look original and vehicles with painstakingly tedious repairs that were outstanding. So, my take is, do your homework and make your decisions.

The greatest thrill for me these days and as a long-term FJ40 guy is the fabulous attention to detail that you guys on IH8MUD live by. Never so impressed as with vintage car guys with regard to near perfection. I am seriously overwhelmed by the quality. I applaud all of you here and those who have helped me and I message occasionally.

I didn’t know that Toyotas were so highly revered south Of the border. I would have believed that Australia was another hotspot for Land Cruisers based on the YouTube hosts like 40Channel and Mr. Landcruiser videos. Yet my good friend Adrian who lives very near their territories tells me .” I don’t see any of those around here” but if you need a part tell me where to get it and I’ll ship it to you”. Here’s a quick side note. My wife made 3 baby quilts for his children… after COMPRESSING them into a post office “if it fits, it ships” box. About 12x12x6”. $107.00

So my take here is…kinda like I’ve been doing for my entire life. Due diligence

Totally right!, Larry chen has made a couple of videos in Colombia and I loved them because the show some of the things you can find here:

 

[chelo]

I like what Carlos Ortegon has to say and the misconception. I travel to Central America quite a bit that I ended up buying an 80 for my usage.
There are certainly many beat up trucks, specially the 45 series because they get worked. When you actually start looking at the 80 series there are many very well kept dealer maintained trucks. For one, they were just as expensive new there than in the u.s when comparing apples to apples. I for example had the dealership do all the maintenance and so does anyone who buys one new.
I've tried to buy a few one owner trucks and to tell you the truth, very rarely to people sell their pristine trucks. Just like the here, the first owner takes care of it. The second still does it but when it's 3rd owner or beyond. They ride en hard and that can be with any car.

 

[Exiled]

I appreciate the corrections from Carlos; I tried very hard to clarify in the article that Toyota "restorers" come in many guises and I also did not point to any country as being a problem issue. Rather, I tried to highlight that there are sketchy folks and incredibly honest folks in every market and every automotive group, none of the issues we experience are unique to the Land Cruiser world.

I'm originally from Venezuela, and I've seen a LOT of sketchy Land Cruisers in the US market that came out of Venezuela. But there are restorers like Gustavo Guia (Rustilift, @gustavoguia21 on Instagram) and Luis Velosa (Hermanos Velosa, @luisvelosa on Instagram) that are dedicated to their craft, hold tremendous knowledge, and build vehicles that anyone would be proud to own. But as Carlos also pointed out, those aren't going to be bargain vehicles.

Another thing that's worth pointing out is that in some countries there's a lot more adherence to factory or near factory looks, which often makes it easier to correct any lingering issues, whereas in some countries people tend to modify quickly and often and it becomes harder to determine what was stock for a given year and market. Toyota didn't help us with their comically wide range of variances across the globe.

I appreciate all the feedback on the article, let's keep the thread going to keep newer folks informed.

 

[Tears]

I have no idea what the part numbers are but those black plastic mirrors are apparently OEM for the Saudi or maybe for the entire GCC 4X series models.

The Answer is yes

 

[Tears]

I have no idea what the part numbers are but those black plastic mirrors are apparently OEM for the Saudi or maybe for the entire GCC 4X series models.

BTW I find someone in Saudi selling new OEM parts and one of these parts the black mirror or the black mirror cover and some other parts

 

[aljollano]

Very well said @Exiled. I’m from Colombia and I know exactly what you describe.
Not only the cosmetic part applies for the trucks to your description but also on the mechanical. One example, 90% of the trucks that come through my shop from overseas to get work done and you will soon realize that whatever specific tools that were required by Toyota to do X repaired were not use. A 54mm socket to remove the nuts on the spindle and to preload the bearings is important but some managed to do this with a chisel.

A.J

 

[fjfjfj]

Hello you guys,,,,,So, does anyone happen to know ( 2025 info ) if I can take my 1978 BJ40 Diesel ( all original ) Land Cruiser that I bought in Florida that has a Florida Title and go into a CALIFORNIA DMV and EASILY re-register it and obtain a California Title without having to jump a bunch of additional hoops. The cruiser came into Florida from Costa Rica. Again, I have it with a Florida Title. Thanks for any updated information.

 

[bhsdriller]

nope

 

[deeman001]

Trying to reg a ’78 BJ40 Diesel in CA? Even w/ a FL title, it likely won’t be a cakewalk. Here’s why:

• Came from Costa Rica – DMV don’t care that FL titled it, they’ll key in on the import origin.
• You’ll prob need a CHP VIN insp, maybe even a BAR referee visit.
• Might have to show EPA/DOT compliance docs—most rigs this age from overseas don’t have ‘em.
• Yes, it’s pre-’98 diesel = smog exempt, but not exempt from import/emissions regs.

Bottom line: Unless it came in legit under the 25-yr rule w/ all the right papers (Form 7501, bond release, etc), you’re in for some DMV hoops. Hit up a CA reg/import specialist—they’ll save you a ton of time and headaches.