Wanted J75 Troopy (2 Viewers)

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Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum as well as new to the idea of importing or buying a car that isnt sold in the US, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I am looking for something reliable to travel and live in while i travel. I have friends from all over the world that i know from playing online games over the past 15 years or so, and the goal is to visit as many as i can while driving across the world. I just also want to get out there myself and explore, and im going to need something that will not only get me across the world, but also get me back home safely.

After doing some research, i think ive settled on a HZJ75 Troopy. My reasoning is this:

- naturally aspirated engine will last longer and less maintenance (no turbo to replace)
- HZ 70 series because the engines, and cars, are still being produced today. This makes it easy on finding replacement parts if needed, or even a new engine
- long wheel base and 2 door for extra cargo space (im looking for a pop top as well)

With that said, if anyone knows where i might be able to find one for a reasonable price, then please let me know. I can wait as long as needed for the right one.

I will also gladly accept advice in general if anyone has any suggestions on how to look or what to look for, or even offer alternatives if they think the hzj75 isnt the best candidate. Im all ears!

Edit: I realized after i made post that the 77s only come in 4 doors so i edited post to look for J75.
 
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Click to expand...
This one seems ready to go...

forum.ih8mud.com

SOLD - PRICE DROP 1992 HZJ77 PopTop Camper built Los Angeles

1992 Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ77 with Poptop conversion and interior build. I am selling this for the owner who I built this for. He originally had this built along with another to use as rental vehicles but has since changed his focus to renting Volkswagen Westys and Sprinter vans. Specs 1HZ...
forum.ih8mud.com forum.ih8mud.com

But it’s not a troopy
 
Yeah i saw that one and have drooled over it many times, shes a beauty for sure. I wished that was in my price range!

Anyways thanks for sharing bud.


JMasi said:
This one seems ready to go...

forum.ih8mud.com

SOLD - PRICE DROP 1992 HZJ77 PopTop Camper built Los Angeles

1992 Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ77 with Poptop conversion and interior build. I am selling this for the owner who I built this for. He originally had this built along with another to use as rental vehicles but has since changed his focus to renting Volkswagen Westys and Sprinter vans. Specs 1HZ...
forum.ih8mud.com forum.ih8mud.com

But it’s not a troopy
Click to expand...
 
Dangcat said:
Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum as well as new to the idea of importing or buying a car that isnt sold in the US, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I am looking for something reliable to travel and live in while i travel. I have friends from all over the world that i know from playing online games over the past 15 years or so, and the goal is to visit as many as i can while driving across the world. I just also want to get out there myself and explore, and im going to need something that will not only get me across the world, but also get me back home safely.

After doing some research, i think ive settled on a HZJ75 Troopy. My reasoning is this:

- naturally aspirated engine will last longer and less maintenance (no turbo to replace)
- HZ 70 series because the engines, and cars, are still being produced today. This makes it easy on finding replacement parts if needed, or even a new engine
- long wheel base and 2 door for extra cargo space

With that said, if anyone knows where i might be able to find one for a reasonable price, then please let me know. I can wait as long as needed for the right one.

I will also gladly accept advice in general if anyone has any suggestions on how to look or what to look for, or even offer alternatives if they think the hzj75 isnt the best candidate. Im all ears!

Edit: I realized after i made post that the 77s only come in 4 doors so i edited post to look for J75.
Click to expand...
Come to the 5th Annual 70 Series Meet & Greet and you'll be exposed to a "cram course" of all things 70 Series.
 
Gun Runner 5 said:
Come to the 5th Annual 70 Series Meet & Greet and you'll be exposed to a "cram course" of all things 70 Series.
Click to expand...

I was looking at that on facebook! I would love to, but as of right now i do not have a car. If things go well i will be able to make next yearsl's meet in my very own cruiser!
 
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No idea what your budget is, or how much trouble you're willing to go through to get one. There aren't a lot here in the USA, but they do show up for sale every once in a while. Keep an eye on the 'Mud classifieds.

I just checked a few of the more popular European websites, and there don't seem to be any 1HZ Troopies available there at the moment that are suitable for import to the USA. I'm assuming you already know that you can't bring one in legally until it's 25+ years old? Since the 1HZ was introduced in 1990 worldwide, (not until 1993 in Europe) and 25 years old would be 1994, you've got a very narrow window of possible candidates for which to search. That is, only 1990-1994 production years. You could probably stretch that to 1995, since it's getting late in 1994 and given the time it would take to import one, you could probably arrange for it not to hit the port until next year.

Also just checked Gumtree in Australia. There's several available there (usually are).

For about US$19k this one looks pretty sweet:

www.gumtree.com.au

DIESEL 6 cyl 53 000km TROOPCARRIER Toyota Landcruiser HZJ75RV | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Banana Area - Biloela | 1221492938

LOWEST KM 1HZ 6 cyl TROOPY AVAILABLE ,original 53 000km,white,barn find,used as GEOLOGISTS vehicle and done no work,all original inside and out,drivers log ..., 1221492938
www.gumtree.com.au www.gumtree.com.au

This one's a lot cheaper at about US$12k, but more miles and wear:

www.gumtree.com.au

Toyota landcruiser troopcarrier | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Byron Area - Byron Bay | 1226308292

1995 Toyota landcruiser troopcarrier 200000k on clock Turbo diesel turbo glide system tuned running stock 8 pound 33s mud tyres fairly new Arb bull bar and ..., 1226308292
www.gumtree.com.au www.gumtree.com.au

And another sweet, low miles unit:

www.gumtree.com.au

1991 Toyota LandCruiser Troopcarrier | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Brisbane North East - Northgate | 1225019481

Up for sale my pride and joy a real beauty 1991 1HZ 152,000 original KMs This is an exgovernment vehicle State Emergency Services Childers QLD I bought the ..., 1225019481
www.gumtree.com.au www.gumtree.com.au

Importing isn't as much hassle or risk as everyone seems to think it is. It does take time and money, though.
 
@gilmorneau Thank you again for taking the time to give me solid advice.

I have actually looked at all 3 of those, although very briefly, and i do check the classifieds here daily. Sometimes i check 10 times a day xD. The reason i havent looked hard at the gumtree posts is because my priorities are towards finding one in the US/my first pick. I will consider branching out to imports or even other models/engine (maybe a PZ??) I almost jumped on that one in canada, the PZ77, as soon as he dropped the price tp 14,500 from 20,000. In fact i made an account for this forum just to contact him, but it sold literally as i was making the account. My point is i have been giving other options consideration/thinking of backup plans if this search proves unsuccessful. However, i will reiterate the point that i can wait as long as needed. I need something within the next year, but i am starting my search now because i know it wont be easy to find my first pick (hz troopy 2 door).

I have also looked at some from Japan but the language barrier is a big deal.

My concern with the import route is that i have no idea how the process works, and im a little terrified of getting scammed or getting a mining/heavily abused cruiser. Also concerned that if i buy from a private party that i end up paying and what happens if they just take the money and keep the car? Is there anything equivalent to having a bank act as a mediator during the buying process? Can anyone give me advice on this?

I did figure out that the 1hz narrows me down to 1990-1995 (95 is ok, as that gives me time to make sure everything is good to go).
 
And good thing you pointed out the difference in currency. Ive known for a while that AUD is less than USD but completely forgot when looking at australia listings. That opens up some doors for sure and that makes those ones you shared quite a good deal! If only we can find ones like that here in the US for not much more.
 
if you end up going the Australian route check these guys out, they do all the work, I believe there are some on here that have used this site to get their cruiser.

AUStoUSA | Locating Australian cars for import/export

Providing American and Canadian clients access to pre-owned classic and collectible automobiles located in Australia. Specializing in vehicles located in AUS including Toyota HJ45 HJ47 HJ75 BJ40 BJ42 LandCruisers, Hilux, Ford Falcon, Mini etc.
www.austousa.com
 
coldtaco said:
if you end up going the Australian route check these guys out, they do all the work, I believe there are some on here that have used this site to get their cruiser.

AUStoUSA | Locating Australian cars for import/export

Providing American and Canadian clients access to pre-owned classic and collectible automobiles located in Australia. Specializing in vehicles located in AUS including Toyota HJ45 HJ47 HJ75 BJ40 BJ42 LandCruisers, Hilux, Ford Falcon, Mini etc.
www.austousa.com
Click to expand...

Thanks brother. I did stumble across that site but wasnt sure how legit it was. I will take a closer look now for sure. I saw few on there im interested in finding out more about. Do you happen to know the name of a member who has used them? I would love to get in contact with them.
 
I also had one idea i wanted to run by you guys.

The 70s are rare here because they are not made here, just as the cruisers made here are rare in the countries where the 70s are still made. Because they are rare and because of import tax, we are getting less truck for our money.

Its possible that the luxury US versions are eye turners over there just as the 70 series are eye turners over here. What if i drove a US one from over here and trade it in for a 70s series over there? Then i can have the best of both worlds, like a comfier ride in the states and canada and south america, then trade it in in Africa and do the rest of the journey in the 70s. I also get a lot more truck for my money! Im sure there are people over there who would love one of the luxury US models.

Question going this route is what do i do with it when im back in the states xD. Maybe i could look for a 96 or 97 over there. Easier to find a good one when you can test drive it yourself!

What do you guys think? Bad idea?? Am i missing something? Maybe not africa and europe instead after south america?
 
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Dangcat said:
I also had one idea i wanted to run by you guys.

The 70s are rare here because they are not made here, just as the cruisers made here are rare in the countries where the 70s are still made. Because they are rare and because of import tax, we are getting less truck for our money.

Its possible that the luxury US versions are eye turners over there just as the 70 series are eye turners over here. What if i drove a US one from over here and trade it in for a 70s series over there? Then i can have the best of both worlds, like a comfier ride in the states and canada and south america, then trade it in in Africa and do the rest of the journey in the 70s. I also get a lot more truck for my money! Im sure there are people over there who would love one of the luxury US models.

Question going this route is what do i do with it when im back in the states xD. Maybe i could look for a 96 or 97 over there. Easier to find a good one when you can test drive it yourself!

What do you guys think? Bad idea?? Am i missing something? Maybe not africa and europe instead after south america?
Click to expand...

People in Europe now would love to have a nice low mileage ,one owner FZJ80 with preferably all the bells and whistles on it. Got to be dealer maintaned and accident free of course. Also no cracks in the leather , no fading in the paint and etc etc

I doubt it is a good idea trying to go and swap a US spec Cruiser for a non US spec one somewhere as the nice Cruisers here that people want overseas are bringing top dollar also in the US , the cheap "project" cruisers available here are not what the rest of the world is looking for.

Another interesting point to the HZJ75's is that at least in lhd in Europe these are very hard to find and the sales dropped over there year after year from 1995 so in the future it will be harder and harder to find a good one, on top of that for the Eurpeans the moment a vehicle becomes 25 years old they get a big tax reduction and the value of that vehicle sometimes doubles overnight( this is why I am buying now 95/96/97/98and 99 models already)

Australia is your best bet if you want an affordable troopy and you don't mind the rhd , almost no Troopies in Japan as far as I know and the Latin American ones are ussualy run in to the ground before they got the new paint job. There are some troopies available in Europe and I have some but lhd with 1HZ comes at a cost and if you want/need ac you are looking for the holy grail and the demand is far greater then the supply.

Just my 2 cents
 
joekatana said:
People in Europe now would love to have a nice low mileage ,one owner FZJ80 with preferably all the bells and whistles on it. Got to be dealer maintaned and accident free of course. Also no cracks in the leather , no fading in the paint and etc etc

I doubt it is a good idea trying to go and swap a US spec Cruiser for a non US spec one somewhere as the nice Cruisers here that people want overseas are bringing top dollar also in the US , the cheap "project" cruisers available here are not what the rest of the world is looking for.

Another interesting point to the HZJ75's is that at least in lhd in Europe these are very hard to find and the sales dropped over there year after year from 1995 so in the future it will be harder and harder to find a good one, on top of that for the Eurpeans the moment a vehicle becomes 25 years old they get a big tax reduction and the value of that vehicle sometimes doubles overnight( this is why I am buying now 95/96/97/98and 99 models already)

Australia is your best bet if you want an affordable troopy and you don't mind the rhd , almost no Troopies in Japan as far as I know and the Latin American ones are ussualy run in to the ground before they got the new paint job. There are some troopies available in Europe and I have some but lhd with 1HZ comes at a cost and if you want/need ac you are looking for the holy grail and the demand is far greater then the supply.

Just my 2 cents
Click to expand...

Yeah the more i think about it the more i realize that its likely not a good idea. If it wasnt a conversion cruiser it will be easier but trying to find someone to trade for a converted cruiser really narrows things down. Thank you for taking the time to write that, was really insightful and covered some concerns i didnt think of.

Ill just keep checking australia.

Does anyone know if the prices on carsales.com.au is in USD or or AUD. Also, any other sites i should be looking at for the import route?

Also, from what i understand i could pick any car i find online in australia and then pay AUStoUSA to inspect it and handle all the import/transport stuff, then i can pick it up in virginia. It comes out to be around 5k for all this, with half of it being customs taxes. My only concern is how reliable are their inspections?

Does Land Cruiser Direct offer this, or anyone else? And at what cost? Thanks again @joekatana for helping steer me back on the right path.
 
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Dangcat said:
Yeah the more i think about it the more i realize that its likely not a good idea. If it wasnt a conversion cruiser it will be easier but trying to find someone to trade for a converted cruiser really narrows things down. Thank you for taking the time to write that, was really insightful and covered some concerns i didnt think of.

Ill just keep checking australia.

Does anyone know if the prices on carsales.com.au is in USD or or AUD. Also, any other sites i should be looking at for the import route?

Also, from what i understand i could pick any car i find online in australia and then pay AUStoUSA to inspect it and handle all the import/transport stuff, then i can pick it up in virginia. It comes out to be around 5k for all this, with half of it being customs taxes. My only concern is how reliable are their inspections?

Does Land Cruiser Direct offer this, or anyone else? And at what cost? Thanks again @joekatana for helping steer me back on the right path.
Click to expand...

One more thing I forgot but I see you asking about how thorough the inspections are. You have to remember that troopies are for the rest of the world what a 3/4 ton truck is here so just look on Craigslist at 25year old trucks to get a real sense of what to expect when getting a 25 year old workhorse. Unless you are gonna pay top dollar for that pink unicorn that had a pampered life I think it is fair to assume it will need some work, good thing is that the 1HZ and H55 are almost bulletproof so the majority of the work will be maintenance and fixing some details / previous mods.
 
gilmorneau said:
No idea what your budget is, or how much trouble you're willing to go through to get one. There aren't a lot here in the USA, but they do show up for sale every once in a while. Keep an eye on the 'Mud classifieds.

I just checked a few of the more popular European websites, and there don't seem to be any 1HZ Troopies available there at the moment that are suitable for import to the USA. I'm assuming you already know that you can't bring one in legally until it's 25+ years old? Since the 1HZ was introduced in 1990 worldwide, (not until 1993 in Europe) and 25 years old would be 1994, you've got a very narrow window of possible candidates for which to search. That is, only 1990-1994 production years. You could probably stretch that to 1995, since it's getting late in 1994 and given the time it would take to import one, you could probably arrange for it not to hit the port until next year.

Also just checked Gumtree in Australia. There's several available there (usually are).

For about US$19k this one looks pretty sweet:

www.gumtree.com.au

DIESEL 6 cyl 53 000km TROOPCARRIER Toyota Landcruiser HZJ75RV | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Banana Area - Biloela | 1221492938

LOWEST KM 1HZ 6 cyl TROOPY AVAILABLE ,original 53 000km,white,barn find,used as GEOLOGISTS vehicle and done no work,all original inside and out,drivers log ..., 1221492938
www.gumtree.com.au www.gumtree.com.au
Click to expand...

The more i look at this one the more i like. Also found it on ebay with an option to make an offer.
 
joekatana said:
One more thing I forgot but I see you asking about how thorough the inspections are. You have to remember that troopies are for the rest of the world what a 3/4 ton truck is here so just look on Craigslist at 25year old trucks to get a real sense of what to expect when getting a 25 year old workhorse. Unless you are gonna pay top dollar for that pink unicorn that had a pampered life I think it is fair to assume it will need some work, good thing is that the 1HZ and H55 are almost bulletproof so the majority of the work will be maintenance and fixing some details / previous mods.
Click to expand...

Thats what i have been reading and the biggest reason i would consider importing such an old car in the first place. Thanks for the reassurance!
 
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