Is a cruiser right for me? (1 Viewer)

[FJMOSES]

first off i love the forums. the fj60 and 62 have been dream cars of mine forever. i am to the point where i want to seriously look in to getting one of my own instead of living through yall. i just have a few questions for the experts. if i get a cruiser i want it to be my daily driver and also a light trail rig. nothing to serious, just fun in the mud and rocks. what am i getting myself in to as far as regular maintenance and things like that. i have a 1980 scout II with a turbo diesel in my yard that i dont have the time or money to give it what it needs. i dont want another one. i know these things are rugged and tough, and not too good on gas, are there any modifications to increase my mpg for daily driving. any info and help would be appreciated. also anyone know of a good starter rig for sale. also the scout is for sale if anyone is interested. thanks for your time

 

[brownbear]

Welcome to the board.

60's are fun. But if your wanting a newer car, go 80 or 100.

A 60 needs an attentive owner to keep it happy.

Lots of great cruisers for sale on here in the for sale section.

They are cheap enough to not have to be just a "dream car" go out and get one!

Cheers.

 

[lovetoski]

A 60 can be a DD, but the best way is to start out with it as a second vehicle. No matter what you buy, it will need some TLC. For DD and "light trail" use, a stocker will work great. You can do mods, but won't have to.

A 60 in good shape, with all worn parts replaced, and all appropriate PM done, is a super reliable rig. Fuel milage won't be great, and you do need to keep the PM going, but if you do, you'll always get where you need to go.

 

[2damslow]

For a daily driver a 60 will work great. You can even hit some pretty greusome trails without any ill effects. The only complaints I have with my 60 as a daily driver is the lack of overdrive transmission and the 16 miles per gallon that I get.

 

[roscoFJ73]

The 60 is an ideal DD and if you can do the easy but regular maintenance then it can be a a very effective vehicle.
I do agree that its better if there is another vehicle you can use from time to time.
It takes all the stress out of looking for parts and doing maintenance and gives you time to make decisions without worrying how you will get to work for the rest of the week.
There isnt much you can do to improve MPG except maybe looking at that turbo diesel in the corn binder and see if it will work in a 60

Starter rigs dont always make good DD.
Spend as much as you can and find the best stocker with a good history.
Dont wear rose coloured glasses when it come to rust

 

[DCM36]

I have had good luck with my 62 as a dd besides around 15 combined mpg. I initially had to sort some issues out, and no problems since.

If you can, and if you want it to be your only car, the best option IMO is to go with an essentially restored truck. This will be as reliable as anything out there. If you search listings for a while (cruizers.com etc) you will sometimes find someone selling one for quite a bit less than what the restoration shop charged and will cost around what a new corrolla would.

 

[redvalkyrie]

What's the hardest job to tackle on a 60? How about the most common?

Sorry to hi-jack--I'm in the same boat.

 

[cruiser88]

What's the hardest job to tackle on a 60? How about the most common?

Sorry to hi-jack--I'm in the same boat.

rust

 

[brett76]

For a daily driver a 60 will work great. You can even hit some pretty greusome trails without any ill effects. The only complaints I have with my 60 as a daily driver is the lack of overdrive transmission and the 16 miles per gallon that I get.

holy s*** you get sixteen miles a gallon

 

[MDH33]

An FJ 60 can be a daily driver if you don't mind never going over 65 and getting 16 MPG.

Note: You can get 16 MPG in a 60 but only if it's perfectly tuned, in top condition going downhill with the wind at your back and you are running oversized tires so your odometer is off and you can't calculate the mileage accurately anyway.

Get a Toyota car for your daily driver and build a cruiser for fun. My 2¢.

 

[JBBenson]

Where is the Scout, what condition is it in, and how much do you want for it?

 

[Jan-78FJ40]

don't be fooled by the numbers here. 15 and 16 mpg are exceptional, and, as MDH33 mentioned, usually only achieved downhill with strong backwind, and bad math.
expect more like 10mpg.
j

 

[hks3sgte]

Speaking from first hand experience, a 60 is a perfect daily driver. Which in a sense means you don't mind a "rough" ride, no overdrive in the 60, sub 20 mpg, and a little pm. I've been literally daily driving my 1895 FJ60 for years now. It's at about 225K miles and I've had no problems with it. I drive it everywhere also.

With that said, if I could do it all over again, I would spend the money on a clean HJ60 from Canada. That would address at least the overdrive (HJ60 can be had with 5 speed) and the MPG problem (diesel!)

 

[uberhahn]

What's your risk aversion level?

I've been searching for a DD FJ60 since I joined this forum a few years ago. Through my search and various posts here, I've realized that a 60 simply isn't for me, not yet.

I needed something that can be my only vehicle, my primary vehicle for daily duties, something that I can fix quickly, but not have to worry about constantly.

Though these vehicles are super durable, they are all over 20yrs old. Even with a "low mileage" one, you would still need initial PM to get it to a level where you were comfortable with (at least I would).

I decided on a slightly modified '99 4Runner with a manual transmission. I have no regrets, as it fits my needs - but does not fullful my WANTS.

Therein lies the main difference. If you can afford the risk, and have another standby vehicle, go for it. If you need something you can forget about, go newer.

uberhahn

 

[BGarcia88FJ62]

You may also ponder the thought of "Are you right for a cruiser". Note that no matter which model or year they all need a little tlc and regular service you may have the cash to let the dealer or technichan do it for you but most on this board including myself enjoy wrenching on these rigs for some unfound reason. Probably has a lot to do with parts cleaner fumes and the subsequent loss of brain cells. Im sure it has nothing to do with the beer or liquor consumed during such activities..:

 

[Chase77]

I got sucked into the cruiser thing a couple of years ago with my 40 and decided that a 62 would be a great dd. It has been but the whole rust repair and s*** mpg thing have kinda pissed me off. For all that time and $$ I could have bought the 80 I thought I couldn't afford and had a little bit of everything that I wanted. BUT never have I met a female that doesn't dig the 6x series cruisers.... My wife hates cruisers to the maximum but loves the 62.

 

[brownbear]

note, only the gassers get such low mpg. A diesel converted or stock one(like in Canada) will achieve well over 20 mpg us. But granted not with the same power as the 2f.

A converted to diesel 60 is a great rig to last many many years.

My choice if I was buy a 60 again would be to find one with absolutely no rust, then oil the crap out of it every year.

 

[Winston]

I was in your shoes just over three years ago. I wanted a Cruiser or a Landrover Series 2/2a/3 and had absolutely no prior automotive knowledge.
I settled on the 60 series because I felt that going to the 40's/55's or Landrover would be stretching it as a DD and for any prolonged highway travel.
I purchased a low mileage (65K) stock truck on eBay and it has been my DD since Oct 03.
Initially I had the dealer look it over and rape me on changing out gaskets/clutch/etc., but it was worth it so that the truck was tuned up and ready to go so that I could start learning about it before I had a tremendous need.
For the past three years I've been doing all the routine maintenence and in Nov 06 when my smog pump seized, I performed my first real repair. The torn knuckles were offset when the wife and rest of the neighborhood saw me wheeling her out of the garage weeks later.
I am now thinking about getting a 2nd vehicle because although I enjoyed the repairs it was a little stressful from a time/transportation standpoint.

In hindsite, my biggest mistake was being so geeked about finding a low mileage cruiser was that I 1) overpaid and 2)bought a vehicle from New Jersey (I have rust issues.) But, having a low mileage truck really cuts down on major repairs - its just depressing to think that the rust will kill my truck before its ready to go.

Good luck!
87 FJ60

 

[Max.Powerzz]

I've got a 62 that gets 15mpg. Plus, I easily can get 75mph on the freeway, even 80 comfortably. I do have 31" tires but other than that it's stock (and I know, my speedo is off a tad, but that just means I'm actually going faster than the speedo reads).

 

[hks3sgte]

Oh yeah! Forgot to mention the rust! Avoid it!