New Purchase?

What to do!?

  • Buy

    Votes: 11 73.3%

  • Don't Buy

    Votes: 1 6.7%

  • Ship the 40

    Votes: 3 20.0%
  • Total voters
    15

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Corrugated Toy

Corrugated Toy

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jan 21, 2008
Threads
28
Messages
254
Location
Somewhere between Indiana and Australia
Hello All. I need some opinions.

I have recently accepted a job in Australia and will be moving later this month. Before I move I need to sell my 64:crybaby: and then acquire new wheels down under.

After some searching and negotiating with the owner I have located what you see below. It is a one owner all original 78. It has 199K on the odometer. Everything is in working order.

As I don't have any experience with th 55's I have a few questions that I need some outside feedback on.

1. Opinions of worth
2. If I purchase should I respray? What color combo?
3. Are resto's comparable in cost to that of a 40?
4. Should I pull the trigger? (I feel like I'm cheating on my 40!)

A family friend in will be having a look in person later today. Hopefully they will send me some more pics!

I appreciate any and all opinions and suggestions.
FJ55-1.webp
FJ55-9.webp
FJ55-2.webp
 
Lil'John said:
Looks VERY clean. Worth is kind of hard to judge because it is in Australia.

However, keep in mind that there are LOTS of FJ55 specific parts that are hard to find/non existent. Weatherstripping is a great example. You can spend upwards of $2k on weatherstripping alone.

Body panel are usually limited runs.

I paid roughly $4k for mine in similar condition in the US. I still needed to do a bunch of work to fix some body issues. I also needed to buy most of the weather stripping.

Some like the FJ55, some don't. The body style grew on me:cool:
Click to expand...
Looks nice and clean for sure but 40s are really common downunder as are parts. Welcome to this part of the world. I'm in the Philippines.:cheers:
 
Shipping the FJ40 isn't really a option. It's a lot harder to get a LHD vehicle from the US on the road in Australia than the other way around. Power train is pretty much the same as the 40 series so parts couldn't be that much harder to keep it running. Looks rust free, longer/nicer riding as a DD. If the price is right I say buy the 55. If you don't like you could always put it up on Ebay Australia and some one from the US will probably buy it.
 
That is a beautiful Pig.
1) Needs more pics of the rust-prone areas ( raingutters, lower front fenders, door corners and hinges, rear sill, side sills, body mounts, floorpans...you know, everything) and the body damage left rear corner. Looks like there was some body patching already done. Left rear taillight lens looks broken, and those are harder lenses to find (that style was offered only one or two years). No idea what Pigs go for down there. A barn-door RHD straight Pig with a non-USA 2F (power steering?) should bring a pretty penny here, if you can get it smogged.
2) Do not respray unless absolutely necessary or you go Orange-and-white Creamsicle...
3) Yes, though that does not look like it needs a resto.
4) Yes, and I predict that you will fall in love with the ride and carrying capacity of the 55 and wonder how you could have ever settled for a 40...




Corrugated Toy said:
1. Opinions of worth
2. If I purchase should I respray? What color combo?
3. Are resto's comparable in cost to that of a 40?
4. Should I pull the trigger? (I feel like I'm cheating on my 40!)

.
Click to expand...
 
The full float rear axle would be nice. Also the barn style rear doors which weren't available here are pretty cool .

Looks in great shape as it is. If it passes the the test drive/inspection pick it up. Then consider how to get it back to the U.S. when you leave.

How long will you be in Australia?
 
We don't have a set time in mind at the moment. My wife is Australian and we lived downunder between 94 and 99. All her family is there and my son is going to university at the ANU when he graduates in June.

The owner accepted an offer of $3500. Is that price on the mark?

I appreciate everyones opinion. Thanks again!

Aaron
 
$3500 is pretty good if it comes with a roadworthy certificate, just about any old heap of junk is worth at least $1500 as long as it comes with a roadworthy certificate.
 
The Aussie dollar and the US dollar are about even at the moment. The Pig is located in Victoria and we will be living in Canberra near the majority of my wifes fam.
 
Hi All:

Leave your '64 FJ40 in North America. Taking a Land Cruiser to Australia is like taking coal to Newcastle! :rolleyes:

There are many great 70/75 Series rigs available downunder.

Good luck!

Alan
 
Aaron,

That pig has been for sale for a while now, it does look to be in great condition, and for a while I thought about pulling the trigger on it just for it's uniqueness.

What is your intention with a vehicle here? Collector, daily driver? Unless you were buying to collect it and return it to the US when you go back - perhaps you should think about some alternatives. You can pick-up good condition 60, 70, 75, and even 80 series trucks for a decent price. Unless you're going to be doing serious wheeling the 95 and 120 series are also fantastically good. Living in Canberra you will need aircon in the summer and a heater in winter - the 55 may frustrate you. There is also the price of fuel - petrol(gas) is expensive compared to the US - to consider. Having lived here in the past you'll be aware of the vast distances between places and the complete isolation in between. Reliability, comfort, and economy are going to be your killers.

Just my opinion - and not fully knowing your intentions or plans - if I were moving here I'd go for the diesel prado as a good compromise.

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
baas said:
Aaron,

That pig has been for sale for a while now, it does look to be in great condition, and for a while I thought about pulling the trigger on it just for it's uniqueness.

What is your intention with a vehicle here? Collector, daily driver? Unless you were buying to collect it and return it to the US when you go back - perhaps you should think about some alternatives. You can pick-up good condition 60, 70, 75, and even 80 series trucks for a decent price. Unless you're going to be doing serious wheeling the 95 and 120 series are also fantastically good. Living in Canberra you will need aircon in the summer and a heater in winter - the 55 may frustrate you. There is also the price of fuel - petrol(gas) is expensive compared to the US - to consider. Having lived here in the past you'll be aware of the vast distances between places and the complete isolation in between. Reliability, comfort, and economy are going to be your killers.

Just my opinion - and not fully knowing your intentions or plans - if I were moving here I'd go for the diesel prado as a good compromise.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Greatly appreciate the help/opinions. My intentions are to use the 55 as a daily driver until Oct/Nov next year then start a resto/mod. I definitely understand the remoteness of Oz. My previous job downunder took me to Broken Hill, Bourke, Mildura, etc. My new position is based in Canberra CBD. The longest trip, other than the Melbourne to Canberra trip, will be down to the Snowy for fishing, or down the coast.

The fuel economy is my only worry. I've heard between 10-16 mpg which I could live with, but we'll see. There could be a diesel upgrade in the future.

To tell you the truth I'm not sure if the 55 has A/C or P/S. It does have the front and rear heaters and both are in working order. From my discussions with the owner everything is in top shape.

For the cost I can't see how I can go wrong.:cheers:

A.
 
Hey Aaron,

It does look like a really nice 55 and the price is good. So I guess you can't really go wrong. My advice was purely opinion :)

Just for reference - fuel here costs about $1.30 per litre (which I think equates to about $6 per gallon?) - and the price varies according to the servo or the day of the week (funny how the price always rises before holidays or long weekends - but they checked there was no price fixing.....). I worked in Canberra for a year and found the bus system to be perfectly functional and inexpensive - so if you have a few days of downtime on the truck you should be okay.

Best of luck mate, hope you have a great time in Oz.
 
The Moose has landed!

Thanks Everyone! The numbers in the poll don't lie. They just reaffirm my opinion:)

"Moose" has been bought and is temporarily residing in Hillside VIC. My wife's best friend picked him up for me and took care of the paperwork. I wonder how long it will be until the little woman finds out we have a new family member:rolleyes:

It's exciting to have a new Toy and will be great to part of the 55 experience. On a sad note my old girl is going to have to find a new home:crybaby:

Thanks again everyone for the opinions and feedback. I'll start a thread in the 55 section for Moose and another :frown: in the for sale section for the old girl.
Sweet Pea.webp
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom