Need Advise Buying a 1989 Land Cruiser

[Manhattanite]

I always wanted to own a Land Cruiser. I found a seller in my neighborhood (rare vehicle in Manhattan) that has a 1989 Land Cruiser with 197,000 miles. I need some advice on what are the things I have to be aware of. I love the car, and I am sure I will be able to negotiate the price with my neighbor up to something I can afford, but on the other hand I don't want to get stucked in the city with a car that doesn't run.

Please tell me what the flaws of this model are so I can do a thorough check of the car. What should I look for? I think the 192,000 miles are not a problem am I right?

Thank you guys!

Manhattanite!

 

[grant5127]

Do you have any history back ground on this cruiser? Isn't rust a major factor in your area? Many shops will do a buyers check for about 1 hr labor.. money well spent if they know what they are doing..

 

[zcruiser]

Just work your way through the vehicle... No glaring flaws in these vehicles, as long as it's maintained you'll get another 200K out of it.

However.... A 200K vehicle is going to need SOMETHING.... New alternator, water pump, starter, PS pump, AC, knuckle rebuild, tranny flush, possible transfer case rebuild.... Just look through the threads and you can gather all the potential problems that you may face.

Then ask yourself: "Can I do any of these repairs myself?" If the answer to any of these is "no", then ask yourself "Do I have a truck mechanic that I can trust to do these repairs for me in a reasonable amount of time at a cost I can afford?" If the answer is again "no", then you may want to look for a newer vehicle that is more common in your area that will be consistently reliable and/or easy to get fixed in a reasonable amount of time/$$$.

The trucks are great fun to drive and maintain, but you need either (a) the tools and skills to fix the truck yourself or (b) someone who can do the repairs for you along with backup transportation while you wait for repairs to be completed and a financial plan to pay for the labor/parts required to make the repairs.

Maybe a better question would be... What are the typical parts/labor costs for things that can (and will) break on this vehicle?

 

[TroyboyFJ62]

I bought a 89' FJ62 w/ 196k miles and needed to fix/replace...
Exhaust manifold
Oil pan & gasket
Tires
Alternator
Timing belts

also getting the spare tire down was an adventure, the hand crank didn't work, so I was forced to use a small hack saw to cut through the chain, be careful using any power saw cause the tire is a little too close to the gas tank for my comfort...
other than that enjoy the rig, maybe i'll see you around the City, I am attending Wagner College w/ my cruiser

 

[TroyboyFJ62]

by the way, my cruiser now has 208k miles and still runs like a champ, with no repairs since purchase

 

[fowldarr]

My cruiser has 285,000 miles on it and needs a lot of stuff, Here is how I justified it. My cruiser cost $1250, It's paid for, if I put $200 back every month (less than a car payment) I will have money for repairs when needed, (Hopefully have enough money to replace or rebuild the engine when the time comes). I'm fortunate enough to have some basic skills and I can do a lot of the work myself. My point is; if you plan for repairs it won't be such a big deal when it happens. Expect a delay in parts as many major autoparts chains do not carry basic parts for the engines (I'm waiting for an alternator). By the landcruiser, love it, drive it, don't forget to take it offroad, they don't run right if you pamper them too much.