Huge price differences HJ60 HJ61 right hand drive/ left hand drive??

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603

603

10 Year
Joined
Jun 21, 2014
Threads
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52
Location
Belgium
Hello all,
my search continues as I really want an HJ61... Differences between good dry HJ61's in Southern Europe and the ones for sale Japan/ Australia are huge. basically one can buy a right hand drive for half the price in similar shape.
What's the reason for this, I can't imagine it's just the having to deal with the steering wheel on the other side of the vehicle?
Shipping cost is about the same to the USA, maybe a bit more for a RHD. That's not the issue.
 
I imported my HJ60 from Japan with 178,000 miles on the clock and in really good shape. Total price with shipping & customs here in the states was 6k. I looked at a lot of FJ60's here in the Western US and I couldn't get anything in the same shape for the same price; and now I have a Diesel 60series!! I highly recommend importing from Japan but be patient. Even over there some Japanese vendors are looking to break the bank.
 
That's incredibly cheap. A good clean HJ61 in southern Europe is 14000 euro's. much less and they need work.

I'm thinking to go your route as well. BJ40 cruisers are still good to buy in Europe, but nothing under 9000 euro's for a decent one.
 
6K for an HJ60 isn't much of a steel in my opinion. A diesel is great, but if your going to go to the trouble of importing a truck, get one with a 12HT. The 2H is only slightly less gutless than your stock 2F.

Try to import an HJ61 with similar milage and your looking at a minimum of 10k.

Not to hate on the 2H but in my opinion its not worth it. Pony up and get something with a 12HT or 1HZ if your looking for a diesel.

To put things in perspective, I imported my 12HT (engine and parts only) for 8k. It only had 60,000 on the clock.
 
Compare other vehicles right hand/left hand drive and you see there's generally a significant price difference between the two. I never thought much of the difficulties driving a right hand drive truck in a place where you drive on the right side until I spent some time in Europe on drove both. It's super difficult to see, to pass, drive through toll booths, fast food drive throughs...There's actually a lot of small issues that quickly add up to take some of the fun out! That said, I wouldn't completely run away from doing it, but there are a lot of small issues that compound...
 
Well.. I've been looking at some more BJ40's in Europe and they're not cheap. A near rust free one I found for 9000 euro's but paint isn't good and wrong colour, no ambulance doors, cloth side doors, missing a bench seat, and the engine has some miles on it... Seller won't budge. HJ61 like I said, nothing real good and crisp under 14000, which I may just fork out seeing that cruisers in Japan are actually more expensive than in Europe??
 
heidtman79 said:
I imported my HJ60 from Japan with 178,000 miles on the clock and in really good shape. Total price with shipping & customs here in the states was 6k. I looked at a lot of FJ60's here in the Western US and I couldn't get anything in the same shape for the same price; and now I have a Diesel 60series!! I highly recommend importing from Japan but be patient. Even over there some Japanese vendors are looking to break the bank.
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That's great. It matters not how slow the 2h is. It's a freaking diesel!! Hats off to u friend!
 
I think having one in a small town, where you mostly piddled around with it, ran small errands and didn't plan on long trip or passing could be fun...Beyond that, I think the novelty would quickly wear off.
 
On long two lane highways, driving solo, RHD is hell on LHD roads. Though guys do it and say it doesn't bother them.

If someone gave me a brand new RHD HJ61 w new 12HT to drive in the states or Mexico, I wouldn't take it. That's how much I despise RHD in LHD country.
 
If you are getting HJ60 for the pure pleasure to have a Diesel .. good .. an a healthy 2H can be decent, aftermaket turbo, and some other goodies can make it decent but if you are looking for performance that really impress you, get yourself a DI Turbo engine ..
 
Here is my .02

the Land cruiser diesel is one of life's great joys and there are a few ways to attain this nexus:
1) pay too much for an HJ60/BJ60 and have a diesel engine that isn't perfectly suited to the weight of this hog and the needs of most of us.
2) Find the Mighty HJ61 with a 12HT and h55*** This requires patience and a deep pocketbook. These were only made for a few years and are globally coveted. Most have high KM's and colorful pasts. Parts are somewhat hard to find and mechanics even harder.
3) find a good shell and install a Cummins or diesel of your choice. This is easier than a 1HZ and parts are easier to source. Cost is also lower and power/torque are up. downfall is that you have a Frankenstein and longevity can suffer.

My experience is this: I was lucky enough to source a 1989 JDM import this year and paid through the nose for it (15,000 USD). 338,000 km but clean and solid where it counts as well as a rebuilt turbo, knuckles, and complete engine overhaul and NO RUST. I live in southern California which boasts the worst traffic and drivers. I have found that a RHD in a LHD world is easier than you think. It took me 15 min to feel comfortable and now I can clip down the 6 lane I5 freeway at 80 mph and feel perfectly fine. Drive-through's do require a **friend. You should be able to source a RHD Jap truck for $9,000 + and make it work. just make sure you can import it legally or have it done for you as its a pain (at lease it is here). I paid the top end because it was a good truck and had some things I wanted like 24v/winch/clean interior etc.

** for the record the 12-HT is as good as it's made out to be. My friends have 12h with turbos and intercoolers and one has a Isuzu diesel transport and neither can keep up with me plus I can get 22mpg in the real world (who needs a Prius!!!)

enjoy.
 
Output Shaft said:
On long two lane highways, driving solo, RHD is hell on LHD roads. Though guys do it and say it doesn't bother them.

If someone gave me a brand new RHD HJ61 w new 12HT to drive in the states or Mexico, I wouldn't take it. That's how much I despise RHD in LHD country.
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I don't mind a RHD personally but what does bother me is that the insurance companies are starting to price gouge even more as they are stating now that the RHD vehicles in the US are 35-45% more likely to be in an accident than a LHD vehicle.

I call BS, but its a way for them to justify even more in premiums.

J
 
French the insurance companies... Assholes!
 
I have a 3B, RHD and love it. The hardest thing to get used to with RHD is you will keep turning on your windshield wipers when you intended to turn on your blinker, and then when you finally get used to it, you screw it up when you get back in a LHD. Just have to remember the blinker is on the door side.
Theoretically, passing would be a problem, but I have a 3B, so it hasn't really come up...

The thing that I really don't like about RHD is attracts a lot of attention, although it is a tremendous amount of fun to drive around with a dog in the passenger seat.

Parallel parking is easy breezy with RHD.
 
Colington said:
I can get 22mpg in the real world (who needs a Prius!!!)
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But a Prius can get 50+mpg in the real world (ask me how I know)! They're not the most exciting thing to drive, but 3 years later I still have no regrets.

I just bought an HJ61, but no motor/tranny. Bringing it down from BC in a couple weeks. Was supposed to pick it up today, but for unforeseen reasons have to delay a little bit. Will be a long time before it's on the road, but it'll be a very fun (and likely equally as frustrating) project. I've never driven an RHD vehicle, and I'm not sure that I'm going to love it, but for better or worse, I'm committed, now.

HiQPen said:
The hardest thing to get used to with RHD is you will keep turning on your windshield wipers when you intended to turn on your blinker, and then when you finally get used to it, you screw it up when you get back in a LHD. Just have to remember the blinker is on the door side.
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Oh, I guess I wouldn't have expected them to switch those on an RHD, that will be fun to get used to…

HiQPen said:
The thing that I really don't like about RHD is attracts a lot of attention, although it is a tremendous amount of fun to drive around with a dog in the passenger seat.
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Not particularly looking forward to this
 
well, reading all this I'm not quite sure if it's worth it for me, to look for an HJ61. I really like the BJ40 and especially the 42, which I have found with a 5-speed. Have not bought it yet but it's priced right. What I like about the BJ is that it's a true iconic and collectible vehicle with barely any plastic and electronics in it. A great toy. The HJ61 is nice and more suitable for modern traffic but for those amounts, in the $15000 and up range, I'd much rather upgrade my (22mpg) 1994 dodge ram 2500 cummins to a newer one! Way less headache and it has a better engine, easier to get parts etc etc. I'm looking for something to actually use and not really for a toy. well, not a toy that's $15000 or more. Great information here that has made the decision a lot easier. I will be looking at some cruisers in Spain next week, will post photo's and updates!

I don't hear anyone talk about the tons of HJ's for sale in Australia. Probably a bit more used and not as clean, but sure enough priced right.
 
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Wondering how the Southern Cali HJ driver managed to bypass EPA?? I tried registering my last BJ40 there but this simply wasn't possible because it had no EPA label in the door jamb. And I wasn't going to spend thousands of dollars to have an EGR installed and go via a test lab etc etc.

There is really no way to do it through DMV, being a diesel, so what's the trick? having it registered in another state for a year and then bring it to California??
 
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I bought my 1989 HJ61, 110,000km, all original interior and engine, minimal rust last year from a Japanese collector and had it shipped here in Guam (military). Truck cost was $10,500 + shipping fees. Price wasn't bad IMO, but for a poor enlisted Sergeant---it ain't cheap either! Only took me a few days to get used to the RHD, but I the little things like the drive thru and left turns, as the others has already mentioned, does get annoying but the experience and being unique is worth all of it. Plus, my 12HT engine kicks ass on a daily basis--heck, I like driving this better than my FJC due to the awesome MPG I get from this old diesel engine. 25-28 mpg!

Also, I had no issues registering my truck here at the DMV. Guam has mirrored their policies to California DMV, so I don't expect any issues with it once I return back to the states. The only issue I had is with my insurance company, as their system doesn't have the capability to register non-VIN vehicles. JDM doesn't have VINs on them if they're not sold or imported in the US for selling purposes, so they had to contact their Japanese insurance sister company for assistance with my truck.
 
Good luck, directly into CA isn't possible, make sure to wait one year before rigistering it in California!
 
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