Do you have good mechanic skills? You will need them or deep pockets to pay a good mechanic if you get a 60 (I know one if you need one). The newest you could find is still 25 years old. They are getting hard to find parts for. As long as you hang around here though that is less of a problem. If you live in Bernalillo County you will be terrified of that annual emissions test. If you don't live in county, de-smog it and eliminate a lot of vacuum hoses. Better yet, swap out the motor for a V8 or a diesel. Or re-evaluate your budget and get Greg's truck. He's already taken care of the motor issues and has done a TON of work on it. You'd spend a lot more than he's asking to buy a stock version and make it the same as his. The 60 vs 80 vs 100 topic has been covered ad nauseum on MUD. Hang out in the various forums devoted to each model. Do a lot of searching. Post messages about what you're thinking but be be ready for a barrage of biased opinions and a few useful ones.
I had an '87 (FJ60) for about 6 years. It looked great. It felt like a classic Toyota 4X4. But it was a nightmare of vacuum hoses. I did a ton of work on it. My father is a Toyota mechanic so I had an expert to work on it and it still failed emissions the first time almost every year.
The darn things are gutless wonders. The tractor motors they put in them have decent torque and have no problem going 300K miles.
Just make sure you understand the pros and cons of each model before you make your decision and don't fall in love with something just because of they way it looks.
The FZJ80, in my opinion, was the pinnacle of Land Cruiser off-road prowess with its solid axles, factory locker options, decent fuel injected motor, etc. If you want to consider that route, make sure you get the '93+ or you'll be getting an FJ80 which is really just an FJ62 with the newer body style. The 3FE motor was installed from '88 - '92. FJ80 model was '90 - '92. I don't know anyone that has good stuff to say about the 3FE motor unless they've removed the fuel injection parts and mated them to a 2F motor. Toyota reduced the stroke on the 3FE motor so it could rev a little higher and get higher HP ratings out of it. It just robbed it of torque. And the transmission they mated to that 3FE motor gets no love from anyone. If you REALLY want an FJ60, consider the cost of replacing the H42(4 spd) tranny with the H55F (5-speed). It's supposed to be easy to do on '86 and '87 models due to bell housing features. Then consider the cost of desmogging the 2F motor or converting it to a "2FE" or replacing it completely.
I sold my 60 because it was too harsh on my wife because of her neck/back injuries from a car accident. I debated an 80 but opted for the 100-series because it is more cushy and I'm not a hardcore off-roader. It still is a good off-road machine, comes with a better motor than an 80, had a rear e-locker available in '98 - '99, has a more comfortable/useable 3rd row seating for the horde of cousins, scouts, friends, etc. that I regularly haul around.....
) ! Hope you find the right Cruiser for you!
