just about to buy an 80, give me some last info if you could

[4dmalamute]

Ok so I just went and drove this 1993 fzj80. Has just about zero main. done on it and is in fair condition. No leather but has the power windows locks etc etc and the A/C works.This is good being I only want it for an offroad/some times on road truck. It has 236k and has the normal dripping of oil from the pan and rear seal. The good is that it has lockers and it actually drives really really nice. Has power and sounds tight still. Body is ok but once again, I dont care so much about it really. Question is, the guy said he would take 5k for it, and I told him I was going to go home and throw some numbers around and call him back. I asked this the other day on this site but now I am about to make the decision to buy or not. What do you think is a fair price?

ps The guy has owned it for the past 5 yrs and his wife used it for around town. He took his church group down to Mexico in it two years ago and that was the only big trip ever took in it. The thing literally has spider webs hanging from underneath it..i saw these as I was climbing around underneath looking to see if the lockers were really on there and not just on the dash. Oh ya, he asked me"what is that button your pushing", my reply was"uhhhh its the lockers"....the front engaged fine but the rear kept flashing, but I was only on dry road and going straight...I told him that could be a problem!! Anyway, what do you all think? let me know, Chans

 

[hank14]

I'm in foreign territory here, but I think 5K is less than you would spend on a 60/62 series in equal shape with equal mileage, and get way more truck. On the Cool Cruisers of Texas web site, they say that 93-97 80 series are, in their opinion, a good buy, if they have low miles, compared to the 60's.

Having said that, you should be prepared to spend some $$ on it the next year or two to keep it trail worthy. It's definitely not a low mileage vehicle, and people seem scared of cruisers right now, so they're not selling well.

Show up with cash and offer him less.

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

I think 5k is a good deal, but I'd take cash and offer him 4k and see if he takes it.

 

[semlin]

$5k with lockers is a good deal and i would say take it if he won't do less. your main walk away issue is the head gasket. Do the bubble test check for crusties and look at what shape the coolant is in. Also assume you are going to spend well north of $1000 in maintenance parts right away to get it into respectable condition: birf repack, wheel bearings, potentially brake pads rotors and maybe even calipers, egr system, o2 sensors, t-stat, fuel filter, air filter, plugs, plug leads, cap, rotor, all fluids, and the phh spring to mind as likely issues on a neglected high mileage truck.

 

[rgsiii]

This link is always a good starting point on cruiser information.

http://www.sleeoffroad.com/newbie/newbie100.htm

 

[4dmalamute]

thanks for the input. I am going to offer him 4k tomorrow and tell him the reason why is the maint. issues that he has not addressed over the years. I hope he will take it. Oh and the wife(my wife) thinks she put a stop to me buying another cruiser, but noooooo she is in for a big surprise if the guy says yes for the 4k! Oh god, I will be in deep s***, but owell, I will have my cruiser sitting out in front of the house waiting to be driven on the trails and worked on.

Oh I cant forget, this is with the head gasket, should I just look in the overflow tank and rad. when it is cool and look for bubbles and oil? I here that is the most common problem with these? let me know please. Chans

 

[gregc]

After what I've been through....
I'd consider this a REHAB vehicle that will NEED parts and $$$ and time in the garage. It may take a while for it to be DD (or trail) ready and reliable.

I would personally hold out for something with a better maintenance history.

Check the birfs if possible (sharp left with the gas) and listen for the tell-tale clunk-clunk-clunk
Check the compression if possible
Look for rust around the back window, depending on your locale...


G