Newby Question - Miles vs. Lockers for FZJ80

[SteveFC]

I am looking to get a FZJ80 in the near future. I have been looking for a couple of years now, and two very good options just became available. I have looked at two 1996 Lexus LX450s, and they both have some appealing options.

LX450 #1
White, Factory E-Lockers, 197K miles, $6500. No rust, drives well, but front seats destroyed and the electric seats and windows are marginally functional (very weak). Everything else looks good. Current owner (2nd owner) purchased as a factory certified used from Lexus.

LX450 #2
Gold (not sure of actual color name), 140K miles, $6000. No rust, drives well, front seats show early signs of cracking, but still in ok condition. Very clean interior. Unknown number of owners.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[ewillis]

I would usually recommend whichever is the most mechanically sound, fewest miles and best maintenance history. This is a close call though. If it's not going to be your DD, I'd take the lockers. If it will be your DD, I'd probably take the unlocked with less miles. Hard to say for sure with limited info.

 

[duggy]

White with elocker

 

[SteveFC]

I would usually recommend whichever is the most mechanically sound, fewest miles and best maintenance history. This is a close call though. If it's not going to be your DD, I'd take the lockers. If it will be your DD, I'd probably take the unlocked with less miles. Hard to say for sure with limited info.

Thanks for the feedback. I am leaning towards the locked one.

I have a 2014 Mazda6 that I use to commute down to Denver and is my daily driver. The LX450 will primarily be used around Fort Collins and will be shared by my teenage kids and myself until they get a little older. I intend to slowly upgrade it to a durable trail vehicle (not rock crawling) and repair any issues as I own it. It will also be used for light offroad trips and camping around the Fort Collins area.

Once the kids are out of the house, I would set them up with a different vehicle and keep this for myself. I have thought about converting it into one of those Redline Cruisers FJ-Ute's, or just keeping it as my second fun car. Having a good full-size off-road vehicle makes it a lot easier to justify to the Mrs. a Porsche or other mid-life-crisis-mobile.

 

[decoco]

no offense, but if that's the description you can give of the car, and expect the board to give you adequate, honest, and trustful advise, you may be in over your head.

what does a seat tear have to do with the longevity of a 20+ year old vehicle.

 

[n00g7]

Get maintenance records and get both inspected. Pick the mechanically superior one.

 

[Beej]

Get maintenance records and get both inspected. Pick the mechanically superior one.

^^ This. Lockers are not needed most of the time. Its the rock crawling guys who want the lockers. I have them and you know what? The rear one broke and that's $400 bucks out the porthole. I think it was a vanity thing for me when I bought my rig and I paid for it.

 

[SteveFC]

no offense, but if that's the description you can give of the car, and expect the board to give you adequate, honest, and trustful advise, you may be in over your head.

what does a seat tear have to do with the longevity of a 20+ year old vehicle.

Honestly, I don't know how anyone could take offense to that.

My question would be, what more do you want? They are unmodified, factory direct vehicles. Neither has been in an accident. Clean titles. Neither has any rust and the bodies are in good condition. Neither consumer oil. Neither has been offroad. All fluids where filled and looked freshly changed on both vehicles. One needs tires, the other (with lockers) has pretty good tires (75% life left).

In response to the seat, it directly applies to cost of ownership and upkeep. New leather seat cover replacements are in the $750 to 850 price range, and aftermarket suspension seats costing $850 to 1000 with brackets. Those prices are for me to install. Also, the interior is usually a pretty good indicator of upkeep.

Since "the board" has nothing to look at and hasn't seen the vehicles in person, I would expect the board to give more of a relative value between the vehicles. A better question may have been, is a 200K mile car with lockers worth approximately the same as a 140K w/o, everything else being equal.

 

[Tools R Us]

All other things being equal, I would get the locked one. But I prefer factory lockers and use them, would rather deal with the seats/windows than swapping locked axles. Doesn't sound like lockers would be any advantage for your intended use, so pick the one that you like.

 

[n00g7]

Mine doesn't have lockers, just plan to add them when I regear it. Plenty capable without them in the meantime. My wrangler is locked, really only need them when rock crawling.

The LC can do things without lockers my Wrangler can't do with, and vice versa. I wouldn't get hung up on them.

 

[SteveFC]

^^ This. Lockers are not needed most of the time. Its the rock crawling guys who want the lockers. I have them and you know what? The rear one broke and that's $400 bucks out the porthole. I think it was a vanity thing for me when I bought my rig and I paid for it.

I think this is probably the best advise. Its much appreciated.

 

[izzyandsue]

So many factors can influence the decision, from how you plan to use it, your mechanical ability or willingness.... I agree with Tools, I have e-lockers on mine, have replaced them all, but do use them due to what I do with it and the terrain I do it in. I am not into rock crawling at all, but lockers have helped quite a few times. More important, in my opinion, regardless which one you end up with go to a reputable off-road driving school, best investment, and you will be able to go a lot of places without lockers or further with lockers (and how to use them too).

Either way, both sound great and the price is good too, congrats!

 

[Heckraiser]

The difference between 140k and 197k is pretty marginal in my opinion. "Low" vs. "below average". These trucks are getting old enough that some stuff needs to be replaced due to age more than mileage anyway. If lockers are part of your eventual plan, then get the one with lockers. Way cheaper to do it that way than aftermarket or OEM retrofit.

If you don't care about lockers or don't intend to use them, just get whichever one is in better shape (sounds like option #2).

 

[Tools R Us]

^^ This. Lockers are not needed most of the time.

Agree.

Its the rock crawling guys who want the lockers. ...

In my experience, it's more about the level that you intend to wheel. Where are the rocks that you speak of in these? Sure, you could have a buddy strap you out, but it's much easier/quicker to simply click on the locker?

Good luck climbing this without a locker, some of us have tried, as soon as the rig starts slipping/walking it becomes sketchy in a hurry! Looks flat, it's not, about 40+ degrees and pea gravel surface.

 

[Beej]

In my experience, it's more about the level that you intend to wheel.

I agree with this (and those pics are super sweet). That is the real point I'm making. Its not the terrain in particular but that higher degree of difficulty. Those trucks could all handle rocks fine too.

 

[mrsleeve]

I found more use in the spring time for the lockers, just getting into places that still have snow on the roads/trails up in the high country. I ran back into a spot we wanted to go, through about 4 miles of unbroken trail under about 8"- 24" of snowmobile packed snow, this spring thanks to my rear diff being locked.

I agree with a lot of what guys are saying here, that you dont need lockers 99.2% of the time on a overland/DD/ Forest service road type set up, but it all depends on what time of year your trying to get someplace, or go places "truck sized" rigs dont fit so well they might come in handy. Its your call either way sounds like a decent place to start from what you have given us to work with. Really I would not worry too much about the seat condition, a nice recover set can be bought from a vendor here for a very reasonable price, give the windows a shot of silicone down the runs and clean an lube the seat mechanisms and all will be well

 

[Dave 2000]

The problem with these vehicles is that you never plan to do this or that but, they are infectious. It will start off as a DD, the odd bit of off roading, a small mod here or there, before you now it you are in the middle of nowhere, halfway up a mountain!!

Go for the locked one IMO, more expensive to add in than a couple of seats.

regards

Dave

 

[Tools R Us]

... Forest service road ...

Define "Forest service road" all of the above are on a Forest service road, FR42. So, I guess it depends on your local Forest?

 

[Heckraiser]

yet not a tree in sight

 

[GHOSTFJ]

Better to have it and never need it, than to need it and not have it. IMHO