I could use some feedback on a 60 for sale (1 Viewer)

[890man]

Hi all,

Id like to get your opinion on a 60 thats for sale. I have had a 40, a 55 and currently have an 80. I skipped over the 60 series. I would like to know what you guys think of this truck.

1984-Toyota-LANDCRUISER-FJ60

Im looking for my brother. He is looking for a nice "stockish" truck for his wife. He would like something that is rust free and ready to go. This price on this one seems high but I would like to get your input. He is in Southern Calif. but picking something up in the western states is fine for the right rig.

Thanks

 

[FishTown]

For what it's worth, it seems this FJ60 has made the rounds... It was for sale when I was looking almost a year ago. It was in Illinois then for about $15,000 I believe. I also want to say it was on consignment. I would never pay $18,000 for this (or any) FJ60. If you search hard enough, you can find the right deal. This isn't it unless you have more money than you know what to do with and don't want to spend more than a week looking. My $0.02.

If you do a Google search for '1984 FJ60 Illinois' this thing is everywhere.

 

[FJ60Seth]

That seems absurdly expensive. I would expect to pay 10K for an extremely clean & well maintained 60. Does it need to be a 62?If your brother doesn't need the truck to pass SoCal emissions, AZ or NV would probably be cheaper.

 

[Forerunner]

Seems very expensive... keep looking and you'll find the right deal.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

That's a long way from stock, and too much money. Give us another to comment on.

 

[890man]

It can be a 60 or a 62 but must be able to smog in Cali. He is not in a rush, just wants to find the right truck. Thanks for the input. He understands that he will pay a bit more for a clean rig but doesn't want to have to bend over. It doesn't need to be perfect but it will be his wife's rig. There selling the Rover to get something with more character that fits there lifestyle. It will be her DD.

 

[Supra60]

It doesn't have the 5 speed, the engine compartment looks like they armor-alled it, but it's missing the "cold air intake" pipe that connects behind the light to the air filter, they say it's a new paint job, then have the picture where the pin striping looks like it's just tape, the interior is soiled (look at the picture of the back seat) and it has 222k miles. It's not worth it. When I bought mine the paint didn't look as good, but everything else was as good or better (including the engine compartment, better) and it had under 160k miles for $4500 (didn't have the aftermarket stuff though) So I think you'd be able to find something better.

 

[890man]

That's a long way from stock, and too much money. Give us another to comment on.

Too much, i agree, but I would say its "stockish" ....Paint, Interior, Motor stock Lift, Tires, Snorkel, Rack not stock.

 

[FishTown]

So by "stockish" you mean original drivetrain, SUA, 33" tires or less, original paint or repainted an original FJ60 color, mostly original interior. Correct?

 

[890man]

Haha, yea I guess. Hes open to mods or not, Just not over the top. Just clean and driveable for his wife. Im not trying to make it too complicated. Just trying to help him out. It may be easier to say no rusted out, smoking trail rigs. Ill let him know about this rig and help him find something better. Thanks for the replies.

I know I could search but, just like other series, there must be problem areas. I would just be interested in body specific as I am familiar with the drive train. Do you have some quick links or pointers.

 

[TMW]

That price would be ballpark fair if you could confirm absolutely no covered up rust issues, if it had 30k - 50k fewer miles on it, if the paint was basically new AND you could confirm it was a high quality job, it had new brakes, knuckles, tires, newish OME suspension and you had it gone through by an LC expert who could confirm there aren't any other issues like a leaky gasket or other deferred maintenance. That truck does not appear to fit the bill on many of those points. Also, if his wife is like mine, she loves my stock 60 but would take one look at that snorkel, bumper and roof rack and say "what kind of redneck crap is this..I'm not driving this every day!!". On the total cost of entry generally, I would say that if he is looking to get a 60 and bring it up to really nice daily driver standards, he is easily looking at mid to high teens assuming he is looking to go the route of buying a rust free, lower mileage rig (and that is definitely closer to $10k than $5k in this market!), then take care of all of the deferred maintenance (brakes, knuckles, etc.), add an OME, interior work, + paint (new paint could put it up in the mid $20k's easily depending on the quality of the job). If he is able to do all or most of the work himself, this total comes down, obviously. It sounds like he is approaching the search with realistic expectations, though, and isn't under the impression that this is a $5 - $10k purchase and he will cruise off into the sunset with no more near term major expenses beyond general upkeep.

 

[hj 60]

Does your brother want to work on it? for maintenance (new filters, fluids, tie-rods, tires, brakes, etc.) and extras (snorkel, lift, tires, towhook, roofrack, etc.)
And my wife was driving a lot with the HJ but and me too but as daily driver I sometimes was struggling with the downtime for the maintenance and welding, mostly in weekends. I dont use it as daily driver anymore and that is far better for ordering parts/waiting.
Maybe take them for a test drive first?
O yes TMW I have the same: wife don't like snorkel, winch, roofrack, lift, front&rear lockers, tons of recovery crap: all that money could have been spend at a nice ring, dress, beautyfarm lol now calls the HJ the circus wagon
But must give credit when misses helps with splitrim repair, lokka installation and everything else

 

[FishTown]

It sounds like he is approaching the search with realistic expectations, though, and isn't under the impression that this is a $5 - $10k purchase and he will cruise off into the sunset with no more near term major expenses beyond general upkeep.

I, respectfully, disagree. I paid 7.5k for mine 9 months ago. Nearly rust free, 5 speed, clean original paint, 60k on new 2F block, and a 3 inch thick book of receipts. AND it was within 2 hours of me. Yes I've done some base-lining and done some minor repairs along the way, but I'm still under $10k. I daily drive mine so it has to be reliable.

My point is it IS possible to find a reliable rust free truck for under $10k. If money is expendable and you don't have the time to search for the right one/you're impatient or if you want one that is perfect as-is, then, yes, you're looking at probably spending $15k on a truck. But for me $7,500 + $1,000 getting her up to snuff was more than worth the 6 month wait. Or maybe I just got lucky.

 

[TMW]

Fishtown - that sounds like a great find, especially with what sounds like a decent amount of recent engine work, suspension and an original paint job that has been taken care of. Part of it depends on region when it comes to initial price (I am in Oregon where the market is pretty tight for good, stock rigs). I agree that when you take new suspension, tires, brakes, any deferred maintenance on the engine that is almost always there, and (most importantly from a $ standpoint) paint out of the equation, $10k + or - is a good ballpark for being able to get into a nice 60 series and drive it as is. I was assuming from the rig he initially linked to that newer suspension, paint, good condition interior, etc. is what he was looking for up front (or soon after purchase) in his 60, but it is good to point out that you can get into a daily driver for lower than my figures posted above if you are patient in your search and aren't looking to immediately upgrade everything I listed.

 

[gregnash]

It can be a 60 or a 62 but must be able to smog in Cali. He is not in a rush, just wants to find the right truck. Thanks for the input. He understands that he will pay a bit more for a clean rig but doesn't want to have to bend over. It doesn't need to be perfect but it will be his wife's rig. There selling the Rover to get something with more character that fits there lifestyle. It will be her DD.

That one statement right there is your deal killer on most. Cali has one of the most stringent CARB/Emissions laws in the whole US so your best bet is to find a vehicle that is currently for sale AND REGISTERED in cali to get it done with quickly. The headaches you will potentially go through by bringing a truck in from elsewhere and trying to retro-fit or repair that which is out of compliance will be a killer.

 

[TMW]

Fishtown - that sounds like a great find, especially with what sounds like a decent amount of recent engine work, suspension and an original paint job that has been taken care of. Part of it depends on region when it comes to initial price (I am in Oregon where the market is pretty tight for good, stock rigs). I agree that when you take new suspension, tires, brakes, any deferred maintenance on the engine that is almost always there, and (most importantly from a $ standpoint) paint out of the equation, $10k + or - is a good ballpark for being able to get into a nice 60 series and drive it as is. I was assuming from the rig he initially linked to that newer suspension, paint, good condition interior, etc. is what he was looking for up front (or soon after purchase) in his 60, but it is good to point out that you can get into a daily driver for lower than my figures posted above if you are patient in your search and aren't looking to immediately upgrade everything I listed.

 

[TallCanDan]

If you find any possibles in San Diego area I'll go take a look for you...

 

[TallCanDan]

Oh yeah and shame on you for skipping a 60

 

[albert110]

I may have passed over someone saying this already, but the truck you linked to has been smogged, so definitely a no go for a Cali car.

 

[CaptClose]

Prices on clean rust free 60's are going up. I see several thousand dollars of accessories on this cruiser: front and rear ARB bumpers and roof rack, lift, tires, rims, etc... you're paying for the truck plus full retail on all the accessories at the listed price.

As others have mentioned, you'll need to source all the smog equipment (in working order) and re-smog the truck. Good luck with that. It can be done, but it's not cheap and easy.

The inside needs some work. You can sometimes tell a lot about how a vehicle was cared for, by the condition of the interior. This one looks pretty good for its vintage, but you'll probably want to address some cosmetic issues... after you address all the baseline and mechanical issues.

It's been said before and I'll repeat it again. The purchase price is just the cover charge. You still need to buy the drinks. It'll probably take a few thousand to catch a buzz with this rig. But if you're in love with it, go for it. But I would suggest you look for a California cruiser under $10k and trick it out to your liking.