'Nother Newbie Seeks FZJ80 Purchase Advice (1 Viewer)

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Hello all, I'm sure the regulars here are all too familiar with this one. Another newbie here. I've been lurking for a couple of weeks now and I have been using the search button. :)

Anyways, I'm looking for a 95-97 FZJ80. I found one at a Toyota dealer. It's a 95, 98k mi. Carfax'ed, clean body, clean interior. It's fully loaded, and locked . I would say the condition is above average, with no dents or dings. Overall it looks great. The dealer doesn't have any service records so at the very least, along with fluid changes, I know I'll need to service the front axle soon. The dealer is asking 13.9 and they won't budge on that price. Do you think this is a fair price considering I have absolutely no maintenance history?

I know from the used cars I've purchased private party that the PO's usually have maintenance records so I've been able to get an idea how the car has been cared for, but with this one I have no clue how it's been maintained, plus regardless of how it was maintained, it will need that front axle serviced soon.

Whadda think?

Oh, and FWIW, I'm very familiar with Toyota's, having owned a 1st gen and 2nd gen 4Runners. Now I look forward to owning an '80.

Thanks,
 
I had a similar experience a month ago. I found a '95 with 165K miles, but was set up almost exactly like I wanted and seemed to be cared for really well.

The dealer I found it at was pretty insistent that they could get $13,900 before the weekend was done. I was able to get them down to $12K, but their attitude was that if I didn't want to pay what they wanted, somebody else would. I even tried the old walkout bluff and they didn't really budge much. They were like, "ok, thanks for looking."

In the end I was ok with $12K and the truck I ended up with. Lockers, OME lift, ARB bumper, Borla exhaust, nice stereo, blah, blah. I was pretty happy and the truck checked out great at the mechanic. Get a truck that appears to have been taken care of, is set up like you want it, do your homework so you know what you're buying and jump in if everything looks good. Like with most things, you pay your money and take your chances.

Personally, I'd rather have a truck that is set up like I want, looks like it was taken care of and checks out ok with no service history than a truck with a stack of receipts that looks like all the little things were neglected.

Good luck,
Steve
 
Welcome!

not a smokin' deal at 14K, I would think... You could get a 96 or 97 with similar mileage for this price with some looking around and some luck.

But then again, if you really want it, go for it and enjoy. You'll soon have forgotten the bit of extra $
 
Not a smokin deal, but not a bad deal. Maybe you could get him to throw in the front axle job or at least the kit (Have him throw in front Rotors with the kit). Thats about $250-$300.
 
I need to ask something. Why is the "dealer service records" so important when buying the vehicle, yet 99% of the people on the forum hate dealers and does not want them to touch YOUR truck, however you really want them to have touched it before because that gives you piece of mind when buying the vehicle. Just a question?
 
Christo,

Great question.. Of course they want to know if it has been service properly.

Grouseman
 
location?
 
yet, many of us never ever ever take our rigs to the dealership for service....

My Dad has a Toyota Camry that is 100% dealer serviced...including the rear aftermarket brake calipers that went out in 6 months, the warped rotors, their inability to diagnose a bad strut (took me 5 minutes), etc....he has 165k on that car and is in no hurry to sell it....he hates it when I come home and drive it since I notice all the little things that need fixing ...things he can't hear or doesn't notice, and things the dealership hasn't bothered to catch during oil changes...

I looked at a 94 80-series locally, owned by a Toyota dealership guy....said the front knuckles were done 10k back, yet they were unbelievably coated with goop...also said the ticking of the valves was normal, and he had adjusted the valves twice to lessen it....

"as a rule", the front axle needs service once the seals/felts start sloppin up the knuckle...fluids are a normal "day one" project for a new vehicle when you baseline things....

$13.9 seems a little high to me....my 1996 with 116k and locked was $10.9 private, but the body does have some minor/normal dings....but, it will all come down to how much you WANT the vehicle :D
 
Thanks to all for the advice. While I'm not set on having "dealer" service records, I feel any type of service records (independent Toyota specialist are fine by me) indicating that basic maintenance has been performed would be reassuring.
The fact that the truck looks very well taken care visually, doesn't always indicate that the drivetrain has been taken care of as well.

This one was the first one I've seen and test driven so I think I'll keep looking.
 
Well when i sold my LC, a month ago, it was not dealer service..but did have receipts for the parts that i bought from Dan..that was enough for the buyer and logged in the date/mileage on the owners manual...

heck since i bought my 99 civic new, i've pretty much covered the back of it with dates/mileage on oil changes, tune up, tires purchased/rotated, timing belt/h20 pump done, etc...most of which i did myself...

if you have some sort of service history, than that should suffice.
 
As C6H12O6 said, they'll come down in price if they don't find any interest at their current price.
I had a similar experience -- I wasn't in a hurry to get the truck. Over the course of two months, their firm, etched in stone asking price of $26k dropped to $22k. I ended up carving almost $3k more off by the time we were done.

Give them your contact information and the price you want to pay and walk away. They'll contact you if they can't sell it.

The price seems a little high for what you described, IMO. Where do you live? What region?
 
sleeoffroad said:
I need to ask something. Why is the "dealer service records" so important when buying the vehicle, yet 99% of the people on the forum hate dealers and does not want them to touch YOUR truck, however you really want them to have touched it before because that gives you piece of mind when buying the vehicle. Just a question?


I take it that was a rethorical question, but anyway, I suppose because people here assume that in terms of the general public ownership of a truck or car, a so-so dealer regular work is better than a know-nothing private party that doesn't do anything? So they are looking for some evidence. Pretty reasonable I think.

Me, I would be more influenced by detailed records kept by a technically-savvy cruiserhead but those rigs are not bought from regular dealerships usually...

And Christo, I'm sure you realize that most people here do not lump Slee with the average Toy dealership, right? So no worry! :) I do agree that there is a fair amount of overgeneralization and stereotyping about dealers going on, though. I'm sure there are some great ones out there...
 

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