New 7X in North America?

[70seriesaddict]

i was at the new Cross Lander dealership in St. Paul last week and the owner came out to see my HZJ75 and when i started it for him he was so surprised it was as quiet as it was. diesel tech has gotten better and this ain't your grandfather's loud, smelly VW rabbit anymore. madams557 is right in that the US market is coming around, 'bout bloddy time too.

one thought i have always had is what adding diesels would do for toyota's fleet MPG average, i understood them to have had a lot of problems meeting the fleet average EPA requirements for 2005...

 

[cruiser_guy]

one thought i have always had is what adding diesels would do for toyota's fleet MPG average, i understood them to have had a lot of problems meeting the fleet average EPA requirements for 2005...

That's very likely due to the addition of the V8's over the last few years. Adding diesels would certainly be a boost for the MPG average.

I think Cruiser_guy hit it on the nose. A recent article in the WSJ that was covering the anticipated release of the Diesel V10 by Volkswagon spoke to this. While I wasn't a driver at the time, I believe that everyone of the U.S. Big Three had dabbled in diesel cars in the 80s. I know that I've seen a diesel Chevette and Escort. That along with diesel VW Rabbits and Mercedes Benz, I think those diesels left a bad test in everyones mouth.

How many of those mid '80's domestic diesels are still on the road and with the original or rebuilt original engine in it?? Precious few I'll bet.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

A friend picked up an '85 diesel rabbit a few months ago with 200K on original engine for a thousand bucks. He loves it, gets 50mpg!

 

[madams557]

Haven't seen too many myself. Always heard the same thing from the older folks that remember them and it seems to be the same thing. Diesels are made for long hauls and not short jaunts to the corner store. That and poor maintenance. Don't know if I completely agree with that, but then again, I've never owned a diesel (though I'd consider a diesel cruiser).

 

[tlcruiserman]

Revised Question

I should have been more specific on my question. If you could easily buy a JDM used BJ73/BJ74/or 75 series in the US with it being legal and no hassle, what would it be worth? ok let me emphasize "realistically" on the what would it be worth? and would you try to buy one?

Thanks,

Michael

 

[cruiser_guy]

A friend picked up an '85 diesel rabbit a few months ago with 200K on original engine for a thousand bucks. He loves it, gets 50mpg!

The import diesels were designed from the ground up as diesels. They last. The mid '80's domestics were bastardized gassers that did not last. My brother in law had an '86 Golf that had well over 300,000 miles when the speedo broke and he drove it for years after that (and he's not gentle on the car either).

I expect that the newer domestic diesels will do MUCH better as they are real diesels. I've had a Cummins Dodge, great engine, crappy truck, Detroit diesel that Chevy and GM use has been making diesels for years, I'm sure they'll be decent as will the International that Ford uses.

 

[madams557]

tlcruiserman - to answer your question, I would be interested in a JDM 7#-series, though I would be more interested in a LHD 7# more, if I had a choice. As for what I would pay, that's hard to say but I don't see why I wouldn't pay a reasonable price. I'd pay a little more for a LHD than a RHD for convenience, I'd pay a little more for a removeable top of course. I'd pay up to a point where the price becomes unreasonable, and by that I mean that if I had to drop money for a 7#-series and I could buy an 80-series of the same year, mileage, condition, I would buy the 80-series instead.

All this under the premise that 7#-series are easily purchased without conditions in the U.S.

 

[crushers]

ihighly doubt you will be getting 7* series in the states for the same or less than the 80 series:

1997 Toyota Landcruiser - $8000 (santa cruz)

Date: 2005-02-23, 1:37PM PST


Dark green color, 4 Wheel Drive, low gear with automatic locking diffencial
will get you out of any sticky situation, 7 passenger seating. Tan leather
interior, dual airbags, six-way power driver and passenger seats, power
lumbar support, adjustable seat belts, power windows, power mirrors, power
moonroof, running boards, FM/AM/Tape/CD, alarm. Everything works great! This
is the best off road vehicle in the world, bar none. $57,000 new in 1997, in
the family since. 165,000 highway miles, engine and transmission will do
twice that - check any 4x4 web site. Body in very nice condition, only one
scratch on front bumper, interior is showing a little wear, but no cracks or
rips. Sorry no pictures.

i highly doubt it...
like comparing apples with bananas

 

[madams557]

Wayne - that is a really good priced 80 - series, but I honestly don't think that is indicative of all 80-series prices. I did a two second search and found a 1996 with 135,000 miles for $13.0K and a 1995 with 148.0K for $11.0K.

You currenly have a 1990 HDJ81 with 58.0K for sale for $26,000 CAD or in today's USD $20,892. Now while the 5-speed and diesel would be highly desirable, as well as the rarity of it, the question I would have to answer is do I spend that type of dough on a 1997 FZJ80 with factory lockers and have money left over to build a trail rig. That is personal preference and subjective.

Prices are subjective. I believe the question posed was "If you could easily buy a JDM used BJ73/BJ74/or 75 series in the US with it being legal and no hassle, what would it be worth? ok let me emphasize "realistically" on the what would it be worth? and would you try to buy one?"

So, under that premise, the U.S. market would be open to free importing and controlled by supply and demand. Currently the JDMs are coming through Canada and are priced at a premium due to their rarity. Being that this is all hypothetical, it could be assumed that U.S. importers could began to sell at a premium, but as more importers enter the market, the laws of competition would cause a lowering in price.

So what would it be realistically worth and would I try to buy one. I would try to buy one, and its realistic worth would be based on condition, options, model, and availibility.

 

[crushers]

i was not trying to be argumentive, i was just posting that the 80 series gassers are dropping in price like a rock in water.

the reason the HDJ81 are priced so high is because in Japan they still fetch a premium dollar, if i could fine quality units for cheap then i could sell them cheaper.

oh and shipping has doubled from last year, the yen is climbing up slowly and that has not helped the resale costs either.

if you notice i also have a higher km unit is for sale at just under $20,000 C so that would be a fairer comparison with the units you described.

cheers

 

[madams557]

Wayne - absolutely not taking any of this as being arguementative, first and foremost. Sometimes brevity appears to be curt - sorry.

As for the 80-series, check out the discussion on prices. It has been talked about how 80-series prices are regional. Here in Colorado, they are still rather high. An earlier 80-series with the smaller engine may fetch a lower price.

When speaking economics, the falling value of the USD hampers overseas purchaes. A market such as limited importing of rare vechicles would be cyclical, having highs and lows depending greatly on the strength of the dollar and other variables (ie shipping and dock fees). It is my understanding that there have been some problems the past few years with California dockworkers, raising the harbor fees in California.

I have always believed that if NAFTA is extended to South America, the zero tariff would entice importation, and the fact that many South American countries have their currency pegged to the dollar. An importer could adjust the country of origin depending on normal economic changes.

None of this answers what I feel a respective price for a 7#-series would be. The only answer I can think of to that question is the single most common answer that I repeatively received from my professos at business schools - It Depends!

 

[tlcruiserman]

Well I can speak to this with some experience since I buy a lot of cruisers and have several 7x and 80 series I can tell you the pricing on the 80 series (across the country) is based on gas prices. As crazy as that sounds the price on 80 series if you recall bottomed out several years ago when 100 series cruisers first came off lease and since then the prices have come back up on 80 series. Now here is the interesting part, they prices came back up because the 80 series has a 6 and the 100 series has an 8. Joe consumer views a 6 as better gas mileage even though the 8 gets better mileage (wieght is over 1k less on 100 series). This is all based on the total US market for joe consumer buying a used Land Cruiser.

What I am talking about is more the Cruiser head that wants to buy a used cruiser. The numbers show that the 40 crowd as time has gone by or we have gotten older is now turning to the 60 series because of room and confort and the cheap price of the 6x series (this is a tread I am talking about not absolutes). I am not sure about the 6x crowd upgrading to the 80 series but I know when I did many years ago I was so happy I said I would never go back and have not.

Now with a 7x JDM (or whereever from) you have a crowd that wants a diesel and if you think about it a guy that has a gas pickup and decides to buy a used diesel pickup knows he is going to pay more for diesel because those engines cost more, same thing with the 7x series (assuming they are all diesel, and I think a good assumption seeing as the gasers would most likely not pass smog in any smoging state). I also think that someone who is considering a 80 series is proably not that likely to want a 7x in its place, because that is going from short wheel base off-roading to long wheel base off-roading so if you have a choice of one or the other I think most already one in mind and the reasons they want it. This last part is just my thinking here.

Cheers,

Michael

 

[madams557]

true, true. Good points tlcruiserman.

 

[Pluton]

I should have been more specific on my question. If you could easily buy a JDM used BJ73/BJ74/or 75 series in the US with it being legal and no hassle, what would it be worth? ok let me emphasize "realistically" on the what would it be worth? and would you try to buy one?

Thanks,

Michael

JDM cars no good in CA; RH drive illegal after manuf. date '72 or so, I can't see that changing...ever.

 

[madams557]

Must be problematic going through the McDonald's drive through by yourself, or the bank drive through.

Or toll boths...

Or drive-up mail slots...

 

[Landpimp]

yes I would, and would pay 15K-ish for a nice one.

as for what I woudl pay for a NEW 70, 40k-ish

John

I should have been more specific on my question. If you could easily buy a JDM used BJ73/BJ74/or 75 series in the US with it being legal and no hassle, what would it be worth? ok let me emphasize "realistically" on the what would it be worth? and would you try to buy one?

Thanks,

Michael

 

[crushers]

Must be problematic going through the McDonald's drive through by yourself, or the bank drive through.

Or toll boths...

Or drive-up mail slots...

makes life more interesting...

 

[crushers]

JDM cars no good in CA; RH drive illegal after manuf. date '72 or so, I can't see that changing...ever.

really??

 

[madams557]

makes life more interesting...

I guess you could always just drive through backwards...won't that freak out the McDonald's clerk.

 

[Stone]

Must be problematic going through the McDonald's drive through by yourself, or the bank drive through.

Or toll boths...

Or drive-up mail slots...

Picks up chicks like you wouldn't believe. If I wasn't already happily married, I would have a vigorous dating life solely on the merit of taking my lifted, snorkelled, TDI badass 74 through the McDonalds' drive-through. Of course, one has to be careful in order not to break any social morays and wind up in jail, as there have been some fairly young girls who have expressed interest in taking a ride in the 74.

Clarification: I have never taken up any offers of giving rides to any other females other than my wife.