Mechanic says no to FJ62

[RodrigzCrzr]

I daily drive my 60! She starts every time and gets me where I want to go. And runs good and cool.
When I owned my 62 series that was a daily driver for me while getting my 60 going.
I took it on long trips and did the maintenance on it. My biggest fear in it was it was going to break down in the middle of nowhere. It never did but always feared it in the back of my mind. Slow as heck on the hills but “slow and steady she chugged along.
I guess if you have a mechanical ability you can do most of the work and feel confident after.
I sold the 62 to buy a motorcycle! And still own the 60.
Edit: I guess once you do all the base lining and fix the leaks. And do some of the upgrades. Which is spendy btw. You will have a pretty reliable truck.

 

[toy_tek]

Can’t say I really disagree w his opinion.

I mean, look at it this way: if he said “buy it”, and for the foreseeable future you constantly needed to be dropping it off for “work” (not only plausible, but probable), could you not see developing a negative opinion of the mechanic’s initial recommendation? He’s partly protecting his reputation. He isn’t wrong.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

I joined this forum in hopes of learning about LC and learning from its members.

This morning I went to go look at an '88 FJ62. It had been sitting for some time so I couldn't bring it to a shop for inspection, so I snapped some pics hoping I could get some info based on what I can catch with my phone. On the way home I stopped by one of the more reputable LC shops in my area - they work mostly on Toyotas and had three 80's sitting on their lot.

When I asked the mechanic if he could give me his opinion based on the pics, he immediately said, "I hate them, don't do it". I let out a big laugh. He gave me at least half a dozen reasons why I shouldn't buy anything before 1998 (poor performance, hard to work on, parts are scarce, etc). I couldn't believe it - he was actually talking me out of buying the FJ62, and this is coming from someone who works on them all day five days a week.

Has anyone else ever had the same experience? I'm thinking of going back to look for a K5.

Also, sorry if this post doesn't belong here.

So, what did you end up doing?

The highest rated shop around here, by consumer poll, balks at working on LCs too. Guy says he won't touch them (
"But they're great rigs!", he says) except for exhaust, which is his specialty. They actually did a crap job on my exhaust last time I was in there so I'm not planning on going back.

I would advise someone not to buy 60 series in my area due to propensity to rust. Common replacement parts are not scarce and it is not a hard vehicle to work on, so I mostly disagree with your mechanic. Poor performance? Good grief, it's not a sports car! If you're looking for durable, dependable performance, that it has.

 

[213]

So, what did you end up doing?

I'm going to pass on the 62 I saw earlier this week, but I'm still on the hunt.

After reading through these comments, his words make a lot more sense now. I get how working on these can be a nightmare if it's not your passion. In meantime, the best thing I can do is more research on maintaining and working on 62's. I wouldn't mind working on it myself if I can save money and gain a sense of satisfaction. It's been awhile since I got my hands dirty, but I'm sure I can tackle a lot of the work as long as there's some how-to instructions I can follow, which looks like there's plenty on here. Engine/transmission rebuild - nope - but I bet I can handle a knuckle rebuild. Plus, I have family that would willing to help if I kept the ice chest full.

Also, after the mechanic's suggestion, I might consider a GX470 instead.

 

[RredFJ40]

Good for you for knowing your limits and following advice.

Too many folks buy one of these because they look cool and are popular right now and get in way over their heads. Paying someone $100+/hour to work on your truck is no way to develop an appreciation for these vehicles. If you can’t do it yourself move on to something way more cookie-cutter.

 

[TheElegantFox]

I DD my FJ62 that I bought for $8K USD and I'm about 10K in the maintenance hole within the 1st year, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Thankfully I live near a specialist/restoration shop so it makes the service appointments easy.

Now that it's mechanically sound, I should be good for about 100k.

 

[Spook50]

I wouldn’t buy a 62. A 60 sure, but between the obd1 fuel injection and the notoriously bad auto trans... I agree with him.

The A440F is tough as nails. Only issue is you can get them way too hot if you tow (lol) and they absorb a lot of power from the engine.

 

[Cruzerman]

He's right on several of his points. The thing does have poor performance, especially by today's standards. However, if you don't care, then it is a non-issue. And parts are becoming scarce and will only get worse. Just a fact of life for old vehicles. But hard to work on? Hardly. Later models are much more difficult to work on. Things are way harder to get to on my FZJ80. However, that rig has better performance and easier to obtain parts.

In general, old vehicles don't have the performance of new ones. They are harder to get parts for, but are easier to work on.

 

[hj 60]

I stopped the daily driving after 75000 kilometers and bought an, at that time, new type 3 cilinder, 1 liter gasoline makes 20 kilometers and low maintenance as it was new.
Then the must do while there maintenance was easier to plan and no more hurry.
Because they need new oil every 5000 kilometers, the rest keeps going.
If you buy a cluncker the obvious new parts needed make it more expensive in the begin but later you will be assured it is done, like new brake rotors, 5 tierods, birfs, engine belts, tires, proppeler shaft bearings, maybe new suspension and bushings, engine refresh etc.
Anyway now with the 60 and a boat trailer in Dubrovnik Croatia, 1600 kilometers and one issue is sticking hand brake cable but ordered new one at home.
Tomorrow we will visit Montenegro so further from home and driving the S bends here is a nice thing with a landcruiser.
And the abandoned hotels...

 

[brownbear]

dubvrovnik and montenegro are very nice places. Went there last year on a cruise on Norwegian. Want to go there again.

Everyone on this forum is a land cruiser enthusiast.

With land cruiser the 60 series is in the middle sort of. Not really old, not new. But still being 30 years old it isn't really a daily driver or a vehicle you should consider your main ride.

I could not consider owning one of these and having to shell out money for every repair. This is a vehicle a person could wrench on themselves and guess what? Almost everything that goes wrong with these trucks is documented on here.

These are incredible reliable trucks. Their downfall is only rust.

 

[Whiskerz]

Do you have skills and tools ? If you can do the basics you will be way ahead of the game.

 

[Elbert]

I DD a corolla that gets me anywhere on the pavement and is fuel efficient. I have a 60 to screw around with, personally I would not DD a 60. In my case I commute to work some 100+miles a day, setting that aside I need a car/truck that is fuel efficient and dependable and repairable no matter where I go or the distance I travel. A 60 just does not fit into a DD for me, even if I did not commute, but thats a subjective choice. As noted parts can be a problem and some parts are a showstopper so you still have to get to work and whatever else... Ill continue to DD something like a corolla/camry or civic/accord and unless my fortunes change I'll have the 60 for trails or whatever else I want to do with it. At some point you'll cross the threshold of whats a decent trail truck vs one thats comfortable on the pavement and that crossroads just seems to be a magic point floating around where you give here and take there to reach some mental and physical compromise.

 

[toyotaspeed90]

An 80s Toyota EFI vehicle is kind of perfect for learning EFI. They generally work very well because they're pretty simple, a major fault is usually obvious and a minor fault usually throws a code without stranding you. Further there are tons of DIYers who have been working on these systems for decades, making info easy to find.

In some ways this makes them more desirable to those who have a desire to work on vehicles- where as a 100 series or GX might make you question how far you'll make it when a dummy light pops on (if you aren't EFI/OBD inclined).

I have found that I enjoy owning vehicles that mechanics generally don't like to work on - and a lot of the time that has more to do with their billing time vs actual time to complete the work. When vehicles don't constantly come in, understanding how to most efficiently work on them is difficult.

That said... our 62 is rarely driven.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, We daily drive 6 fj-62s. After driving most all makes of cars from inexpensive to very expensive , these trucks are very dependable. Some of our trucks have close to 400,000 miles. Some have laughed at my maintaince schedule but it works for me. The transmissions benefit from a separate transmission coolers, fairly easy to install. Keep the engine cool, I use Gano filters in the upper radiator hose to remove scale from the engine. I change oil and filter every 3000 miles. Fan cooling clutch,oil replaced with heavier oil. We frequently trailer and interstate travel. Adjust your valves, they do need it. Is your smog working ,probably not if it hasn't been cleaned. Clean and balance your fuel injectors. Mike