Living with the FJC (2 Viewers)

[swank60]

The FJC is back up for consideration as a replacement for my FJ60, but I just want to hear from the owners on how you guys like living with the FJC.

It seems small inside compared to what I live with - how is it for a family of four? We've got two kids (7 and 3) - is there enough room in the back for the kids? Does it start feeling cramped when travelling?

How is it off road? Do you feel safe, feel like you can get into and out of anything? Does the limited visibility come into play off road? With the 60, I'm totally aware of all four corners at all times, I feel like I can see around me with no problems (my sister, upon seeing the 60 for the first time, said it looked like a greenhouse) - and I have been in the FJC - it feels more like a cave - is it easy to get used to?

I'm hoping to get honest criticism and feedback here. I don't need the "rha-rha-rha" bit of cheerleading. I know it's a Toyota, I know it's IFS, I know the top doesn't come off of it and I know it doesn't come in a diesel. I want to know what it's like living with it, especially after the honeymoon is over and you've moved on to more practical things like being sick and tired of the kids kicking the back of your seat or complaining that they are cramped, not being able to get mud out of the seat upholstry, or how you might feel like you're going to back over someone else's car every time you back out of a parking spot. I'm looking for the ugly truth.

Anyone? Anyone?

 

[Corey]

The cabin feels like a spaceship to me with the newfangled design, and is also very spacious up front.

Having came from a '91 4Runner there is no comparison in the front room, it is huge.

My youngest son says it is way more spacious than his step dads new Xterra too.

As far as the back seats, I only have rode in the back once and it did not bother me at 5'9" or so.

Had it off road once so far, and it felt great.
Going over a few hills the visibility up front was not as good as the 4Runner was.
This rig has a longer hood line, and you do sit way further back than the mini truck/4Runner type of cabin.

But you get use to it.
You also get stared at a lot too, but you get use to it, and the people stopping you at intersections wanting more information.

I would try to arrainge a test drive and see how you like it, and stuff the kids back aft and see what they think of the room back there.

Oh, and the infamous blind spots you may have read about?
I have no issues with them at all.
Adjust your mirrors correctly, pay more attention to your surroundings (many do not) and you should be fine.

I would not trade this vehicle for anything right now.
It suits me just fine.

 

[swank60]

Good info, thanks!

The Xterra is on my list tenativly, too. I have a friend who's wife has one and he hates it (not sure why though).

I've been avoiding the test drive for a while - when I test drive anything I get blindsided and my better judgement gets clouded over by the "oooohhh!" factor. I may soon though, just to get it out of my system. I just don't feel like fielding 30+ phone calls from the sales guy I get stuck with.

 

[weever]

Hi!

I too have a 4runner and compared to it the inside feels massive and the back seats are small.Its harder to get in/out of the back. I guess with kids, until they can get their feet on the floorboards they would be kicking the seats.That would drive me nuts.

I have taken the truck off road a lot and it is extremely capable. I recently went on a long 4x4 trip with a Tundra and he bottomed out a lot, damaged his front bumper and I had no problems but I did the OME lift.

As far as the blind spots....I dont really feel it is a big deal. you get used to it. In fact I set my mirrors wide and see everything fine ..the only thing I would want you to know is: its kind of hard to see over the hood when you are on a steep climb... gas mileage is actually decent...

 

[hammer1]

I bought my FJC with the intention for it to eventually replace my '84 60, but am keeping the 60 for work, or until i get some sort of catastrophic failure.
My wife has an xterra> nice truck, but a little small in the cabin, the FJ's a lot bigger up front.
the blind spot...you get used to
off road, cant beat it.
my advice? keep the 60, and get the FJ
you can never have enough LC's

 

[soggy60]

Swank,

You'll regret "replacing" the 60 with an FJC; instead, add to your stable !

As hammer says, you can't have too many LCs !

Soggy60 wants an FJC,too,,,in addition to my beloved 60
no room in wallet, no room in driveway...

 

[CandyPants]

I bought my FJC last March. I traded in an X-terra.

The blindspots were an issue for a little while, but you get used to them. One nice thing about the FJC is that you know where your wheels are because they sit squarely on the corners of your truck (if that makes sense). It's really easy to get used to. With the Xterra being thinner and longer, it feels like you are trying to drive a train next to the FJC.

The FJC is much roomier feeling in the front, but it is a bit cave like in the back. I had my borhter and his kids with me wheeling at Tellico and they complained that they couldn't see out the windows (and they were in car seats, ages 2 and 4).

As far as offroad, it depends on what you want. If you want a truck that requires muscle and skill to drive, this is not it. It's easy to drive and honestly changes the way you drive. Lower clearance, ATRAC, etc. makes you more techincal and less "stomp on the gas". I feel very safe in it and have wheeled mine a lot.

That being said, with 4 full doors, the Xterra would probably be more practical for hauling kids around. The doors on the FJC are a PITA to open in a crowded parking lot when you have to maneuver around to get people in and out.

Oh, and by the way, I vote for keeping the 60 and getting another truck!

Hope it helps...let us know what you decide. Oh, and I don't know where you are, but see if there's someone on the board that will let you take theirs for a spin...a lot less sales calls that way!

 

[swank60]

Swank,

You'll regret "replacing" the 60 with an FJC; instead, add to your stable !

As hammer says, you can't have too many LCs !

Soggy60 wants an FJC,too,,,in addition to my beloved 60
no room in wallet, no room in driveway...

That's my issue right now, too. I've got a jam-packed driveway (Corolla, Avalon, TR6, FJ60) and would get rid of the Corolla and the 60 and replace it with *something*. I just don't know what yet.

I may end up selling my 60 to my brother so we can work on it together, get him into wheeling and that sort of thing. I would hate seeing it go, but it's not like I couldn't buy one that's in better shape later down the road for next to nothing. But I have to face facts: it's getting too many miles on it, it needs more attention than I can give it, and I don't feel confident jumping in it and taking the family out any further than approx. 2.5 hours away. In the near future, it'll be it's time to move on to another owner. I hate it, but it has to be.

 

[swank60]

The FJC is much roomier feeling in the front, but it is a bit cave like in the back. I had my borhter and his kids with me wheeling at Tellico and they complained that they couldn't see out the windows (and they were in car seats, ages 2 and 4).

That's a good point, and exactly the sort of details I'm looking for/am worried about. My son is only 3 and it's been a while since we've gone wheeling, but he's got to be able to see out. We also go for drives in the winter out on country roads a lot looking at flora and fauna, drive for long stretches and get out one in a while for photos and exploring - so there's a good bit of seat time.

I feel like whatever I buy will be as much for him as it is for me, so the visibilty thing is pretty important.

Ugh...

 

[macneill]

Just get the minivan already!

 

[fjlien]

a "family" related opinion

It may be too soon to tell- but my 8 y.o. daughter agrees that outward visibility is cavelike and restricted- especially compared with our 77 fj40. I FULLY intend to replace the 2/3 (passenger) side of the rear seat with a competition bucket- on custom frames that will pull my girl a little bit further forward- and definately plant her in place for off-roading. I'll retain the 1/3 side for the occasional adult (though I don't like anybody and vice-versa). Of coures, those with more than 1 princess don't have the luxury of tearing seats apart. I have the rarer advantage in that our FJC is a dedicated off-road-type RV and our 2000 Tundra stands at the ready for real family stuff. I am blessed to have a rather open budget for practical mods- and the patience to carry them out right-

I also fully intend to design risers for the front seats. I have 2" risers on my FJ40- and the visibility is unmatched by anything except NAVY jets!

If anyone has done any mods like these- I'd love to hear a report--bd

 

[aaronsca]

I've had my FJC now for about 6 months now. The biggest thing that took getting used to was outward visibility. Once I got the mirrors dialed in and learned to rely on them, it was much less of an issue. I still have trouble backing out of some parking spots. People seem to walk right into the blind spot, so I just back out real slow.

Apart from the odd outward visibility, I love the rig. It's solid, quiet, comfortable, and decent offroad performance. I wouldn't take it rock crawling as stock, but I think it has just the right mix of daily driver and go play on the trail.

As for kids, I wouldn't try to lug them around on a daily basis in the FJC. It's plenty of room for them, but the suicide doors are a pain in the a**, and it's hard to see much (from a kid's eye view) from the back seat. You'd do better with a 4Runner.

 

[1911]

The FJC is back up for consideration as a replacement for my FJ60, but I just want to hear from the owners on how you guys like living with the FJC.

I bought mine to replace my FJ80 as a daily driver.

It seems small inside compared to what I live with - how is it for a family of four? We've got two kids (7 and 3) - is there enough room in the back for the kids? Does it start feeling cramped when travelling?

IMO it's NOT a family car. We only have two kids left at home, ages 14 and 16. It's OK driving to town with them in the back, but it would get old back there on a trip. I recently took a 2000+ mile trip with only one of them in the back and it was OK, but two would have been cramped IMO. The front is roomy; more head room and way more dash room than my 80.

How is it off road? Do you feel safe, feel like you can get into and out of anything?

It's great off road; way more power (and less weight) than the 80 but it's hard to compare - the 80 is a tank, I actually like the weight and solidness of it, but the FJC is more nimble and responsive off road. The FJC is well-suited to a variety of offroad environments and trails (though I've mostly had mine only in the mountains and on oil field roads). The 80 would be my 1st choice for expedition-style travel, but the FJC seems to do real well in most off road situations. The auto tranny and transfer case setup is very tight and response is instantaneous, compared to the slop in the center diff/full-time 4WD setup in the 80, which can sometimes induce a pucker factor on the trail. I realize this is not an issue with your 60 though.

Does the limited visibility come into play off road? With the 60, I'm totally aware of all four corners at all times, I feel like I can see around me with no problems (my sister, upon seeing the 60 for the first time, said it looked like a greenhouse) - and I have been in the FJC - it feels more like a cave - is it easy to get used to?

Well, it definitely takes some getting used to. Nowhere near the visibility of the 80 either. I didn't like it at first, but I'm adjusting. A good spotter will help especially at first.

...or how you might feel like you're going to back over someone else's car every time you back out of a parking spot.

There is that. In opposition to 35+ years of driving habits, I now use my outside mirrors to back up because the view out the back is so poor. The rear sonar has helped me avoid obstacles once or twice but I don't depend on it.

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. The FJC is a way better highway car and DD than the 80, and still very capable off road - but as I said it's not a family car for me and I wouldn't recommend it as one. YMMV. Good luck with your decision in any event.

 

[monniepoo]

I got mine in august and have loved it all the way! I traded in a sienna xle for the fj. I have three Kids and they just just hop in either open the door or crawl over the seat. they did it anyway in the van with two sliders. I like the fact that you cant open the back doors from the inside unless you get out unbuckled or reach over. We have been all over in it and we love it! Kids seem to look out the windows fine. Just added a few mods and Im happy as a clam!

 

[Rockrawler]

My kids love the FJ, front seat is huge enough you dont have to have the seats all the way back making the rear smaller, and when you're the only one driving with the seats all the way back its downright cavernous for a 6'3 guy like me. I added it to my wifes 62 and we enjoy both, but the FJ is definitely both of our favorite.

 

[swank60]

Thanks for the feedback you guys - this is the stuff I was looking for.

1911 - I see you're in Parker Co. You're going to have to turn me on to some of your oilfield roads! Now that winter is coming in, we'll be out and about for our day-long rides and need some new areas to explore.

 

[1911]

1911 - I see you're in Parker Co. You're going to have to turn me on to some of your oilfield roads! Now that winter is coming in, we'll be out and about for our day-long rides and need some new areas to explore.

Most of the well site work I do is southwest of here, in Schleicher, Crockett, and Edwards Counties. Edwards County in particular is very beautiful (hill country, West Nueces River) but Crockett is not too shabby either. They're far enough away that by the time you got there, you could have been to Barnwell or Katemcy.

I do have one client with a 4,000 acre ranch in Hood County (northwest of Granbury) that has some fun hills and creeks but he and his wife are very fussy about who has access. They like their privacy - I guess that's why they have a place that big.

Next month I've got some well site work coming up in western Kentucky. The topo maps look pretty cool; I'm trying to decide if it's worth driving all that way so I can have my FJC or just to fly and rent a car. It's fun to get paid to wheel.

 

[gnx7]

I had an FJ60 and purchased a '96 FZJ80. I couldn't be happier with the smooth ride, power everything, quiet cabin, option for a supercharger/turbo kit, stronger diffs, factory diff locks, sunroof, sound system etc. You can find them ('93-97) with around 100K miles for around $12-14K if you keep your eyes peeled with factory diff locks (front and rear). Mine was $57K new before taxes/reg. I bought it used for $11K with 130K. 20K miles later I have only changed the oil on it. Time to do plugs now .

Why spend the extra $15K+ on the FJC that is smaller and won't wheel as well? The FJC only gets 3-4mpg better on the highway anyway and carries less.

It would be nice to get a new vehicle though.

 

[nychot]

Perfect Vehicle For A Cpl With Dawgs

Kids grown, have their own, so my babe of a wife and i and our two westies love the rig. al tricked out soon. we'be both had wranglers, so we know the score. have this baby, just brand new, combined with an infiniti g35 black beauty coupe m6. anyway who need kids, lol!

 

[gaylonw]

My FJ will be my DD with my 60 as a back up.

My TRD SE gets in anyday
I traded in my wife's '03 LC 100, she moved into my '04.
The FJ will be my DD, with the 60 as back up when I need a real back seat.
Kids are grown and my 3 year Grandson is my traveling buddy most days, more often than not.
He will like riding in the front in his booster seat with the weight sensitive SRS off.
He will also like the back as well with the optional DVD- that way, he sees exactly what he wants to, currently its the new CARS movie.
Josh was with me on my test drive and he gave me his high five approval from the car seat in the back!....................gm