Newbie Asks: So do I do this? (1 Viewer)

[Urrrk]

Okay...let me buck conventional wisdom this time around...

The wobble during braking could be a couple different things -- rotors, bearings...don't know. If it's very slight, it's probably not a big deal, but what ever it is, you should get it checked out if you end up purchasing this rig.

Beware, there are some "mock" 40th Anniversary models. Make sure you're getting what's being advertised. The 40th Anniversary came in 2 (maybe 3 color options) and had 2-tone leather seats.

Whatever you do...get the hell out of that POS Exploder...god I hate those things...

Welcome aboard

Thanks, Doug. I think the brake thing is new front pads. I don't think they've got more than 200 miles on them. I'll have the mechanic look it over pretty close.

It says the thing is a 40th limited edition on the original window sticker, which was in the glove box, so I figure it's a real one, though that's not a particularly important feature to me. Are there LC afficianados that really care about these things? The seats are pretty sharp looking though.

LX450's seem to be higher around here, from what I've seen.

I'll look around some. Saw one in Tacoma that looked ready to rumble, but the mileage was higher than I want, and if it looks ready to rumble, chances are somebody rumbled with it. I'm not set up for mechanic work, so I'm not looking for too much of a project, just something with a little panache that I can nurse along for another 150,000 miles.

FWIW, we had an FJ40 when I was a kid. Dad sold it before I got my licence.

-E

 

[NorCalDoug]

I never thought the 40th anniversary model was such a big deal...but some folks here decided to start a "registry"...so maybe it is important to some. It should have no impact on the price. If you have the original window sticker, then it probably is a 40th.

 

[e9999]

never quite liked the look of the seats on the 40th myself...

(I will NOT make jokes about how they may help with serious puckering factor issues on the Moab rim trail. No sirreeee, I'm not that juvenile... )

 

[alaskacruiser]

80k for $14,000 + $1000 for maintenance
300k for $5000 + $10,000 for maintenance and mods
I go for $5000 everytime.
Can I get that number for your shrink?

ultimauk- many major parts would be quite worn on an 80 with 200-300k on it- engine and possibly tranny rebuilds would be in the near future for such a "well-worn" vehicle, not to mention every other part of the drivetrain. Whereas an 80 with less than 100k has a LOT of life left in it without questioning whether almost every major drivetrain part is approaching its lifetime. I have a feeling most on this forum would disagree with you on this- I'd be curious for Robbie's opinion on this!

 

[ultimauk]

ultimauk- many major parts would be quite worn on an 80 with 200-300k on it- engine and possibly tranny rebuilds would be in the near future for such a "well-worn" vehicle, not to mention every other part of the drivetrain. Whereas an 80 with less than 100k has a LOT of life left in it without questioning whether almost every major drivetrain part is approaching its lifetime. I have a feeling most on this forum would disagree with you on this- I'd be curious for Robbie's opinion on this!

You underestimate my 93 with 300K on her, maybe you didn't know this but these are simple great vehicles.

I've already made the mistake of replacing a few too many parts unnecessary once I got into an overzealous preventive maintenance mode.

As far as dragging someone else (Robbie) into this discussion to support your unknown theory, well that just kind of don't you think? Whatever happened to fighting your own fights, sticking to your own convictions... maybe those are out of place in todays times?

Anyway here's some of that 300k unreliability for ya,

cylinder #1, 168 psi
cylinder #2, 163 psi
cylinder #3, 171 psi
cylinder #4, 161 psi
cylinder #5, 165 psi
cylinder #6, 163 psi

So I guess my old 93 80 is ready to explode at any second?

I've already inspected almost every aspect of my 80 minus the flairing issue with my transmission and well I wasted a lot of unnecessary time, but I guess we're all looking for peace of mind.

And I'll throw a basically brand new 96 in great/very good condition 145k lockers for $6995, that I bought at Kings Nissan Cincinnati two weeks ago. I don't throw this information around to thumb my noise up at the forum, I put it out there because in my eyes and maybe others as well, there's a big difference between $7000 and $18,000 for the exact same gamble. I simply want everyone to enjoy inexpensive 80's and I suspect some of not most wish for their cruiser to sustain higher prices for either purposes of ego or resale. These used vehicles are simply a niche item that out volumes the market, this is why we see $18,000 97 LC that fall off the face of the newspaper and into my lap for $7000.

Hey, I'm not the only one that can read between the lines on this forum, so let me make it simple. If you have an ounce of mechanical experience and you have the ability to sniff out a ~bargain while employing financial siege then you could save apparently $10,000 off of a great 80 cruiser.

But what do I know?

 

[alaskacruiser]

You underestimate my 93 with 300K on her, maybe you didn't know this but these are simple great vehicles.

I've already made the mistake of replacing a few too many parts unnecessary once I got into an overzealous preventive maintenance mode.

As far as dragging someone else (Robbie) into this discussion to support your unknown theory, well that just kind of don't you think? Whatever happened to fighting your own fights, sticking to your own convictions... maybe those are out of place in todays times?

ultimauk- one thing we definitely do not see eye to eye on is the purpose of this forum- I do not view my discussion with you as a "fight" in any way, shape, or form, merely as a discussion. If I wanted to turn this into a verbal fistfight, you'd know it. As for why i asked for Robbie's opinion, I have no idea what he is going to say so it was certainly not to support my "unknown theory", it is just that he has seen and worked on more cruisers than most of the forum members combined, so his word would mean a lot more to me (and to others on this forum, with the exception of yourself, apparently) than yours.

Maybe intelligent, friendly, mature discussion is what is out of place in today's times- just look at how you have attempted to turn a simple discussion into a fight, even with some name-calling thrown in. I won't stoop to your level, as I'd like to keep this forum a friendly place with intelligent, mature discussion, but the concerns I voiced in my previous post still stand.

Awaiting Robbie's response...

 

[ultimauk]

ultimauk- one thing we definitely do not see eye to eye on is the purpose of this forum- I do not view my discussion with you as a "fight" in any way, shape, or form, merely as a discussion. If I wanted to turn this into a verbal fistfight, you'd know it. As for why i asked for Robbie's opinion, I have no idea what he is going to say so it was certainly not to support my "unknown theory", it is just that he has seen and worked on more cruisers than most of the forum members combined, so his word would mean a lot more to me (and to others on this forum, with the exception of yourself, apparently) than yours.

Maybe intelligent, friendly, mature discussion is what is out of place in today's times- just look at how you have attempted to turn a simple discussion into a fight, even with some name-calling thrown in. I won't stoop to your level, as I'd like to keep this forum a friendly place with intelligent, mature discussion, but the concerns I voiced in my previous post still stand.

Awaiting Robbie's response...

Oh my!

 

[White Shark]

You'll eat a lot of brakes in Seattle as you said it's al stop and go and it's a heavy truck. You can put 100 series pads on which last longer, and it's really easy to replace the pads, so I wouldn't sweat it too much. Get a jack, a few stands, and give yourself 2 hours and you can change all 4. Piece of cake.

The 97's are nice, but 18K does sound high. I'd keep looking. It's pretty much impossible to buy a bad year of Cruiser. Different features for different years, but all good nonetheless.