Opinions on this 3x Locked '94 For Sale (1 Viewer)

[fiskenmorder]

Didn't you already post about this rig? The rusted-through part is terrifying, and if I understand the picture correctly, that's the body behind the rear wheel. Always get a look at the back side of the rear axle and suspension, and the body behind the rear axle!

And forget about 3x locked. People are constantly posting about problems with the factory lockers seizing up at this age. Spend 1/4 the amount of money on an unlocked, rust-free rig and add Harrop lockers. You can wire them to a factory Toyota locker switch and feel super cool.

I just sent you a PM with a question about factory lockers.

 

[Red Merle]

I have the same rust hole in the rear that I cut out most of off and treated with POR15 and then patched with Bondo for now, but I didn't have the rust on the doors. My paint is much nicer overall than that though. I paid $3000 for mine in August of 2016. It's a nice truck and worth fixing, but not for $17K. For $17K, you would be able to find an immaculate truck with low miles and likely a bunch of baselining stuff done and even some nice add on like fancy bumpers, lifts, etc.

 

[GDA62/100]

@Will Van
Check the Redding, CA Craigslist for the 93 Land Cruiser, maroon/gray, triple locked with a long list of preventative maintenance. Nice rig. I know the owner. He's also on Mud.

 

[Will Van]

Awesome. I'll keep my eyes open. How far are you willing to travel to get one? It's too bad you're in Texas, there are 3 maroon ones for sale in my general area. None with lockers though.

I'm willing to fly anywhere in the US for the right truck. The main thing is if the truck is located in a metro area. There is one in Caleixco that looks really clean, but it's not near any major airport, so getting there to look at it is difficult.

These guys (in SLC) buy these rigs, do the basic lift/bumpers and shine them up. They do good work and have had a few pop up in good condition.

Check Denver's listings. There are a handful of trucks, 3x locked, lifted and ready to roll.

I'm not one to do a ton of my own maintenance, so I get your point about spending above 15k. For some of us, getting closer to the right rig is worth spending extra $. For me, it needs to be accident free and no rust. Well, a little in the obvious areas is okay, but that's a lot.

Denver has a bunch on the market. Good luck.

Thank you, sir. I will check it out.

Didn't you already post about this rig? The rusted-through part is terrifying, and if I understand the picture correctly, that's the body behind the rear wheel. Always get a look at the back side of the rear axle and suspension, and the body behind the rear axle!

And forget about 3x locked. People are constantly posting about problems with the factory lockers seizing up at this age. Spend 1/4 the amount of money on an unlocked, rust-free rig and add Harrop lockers. You can wire them to a factory Toyota locker switch and feel super cool.

I did. This is probably a double (or even triple) post, but I wanted to put all my cards on the table as far as the seller/truck. The info in this thread has been invaluable.

I agree about triple locked. I'm just going to find a clean rust-free truck, and add Harrop lockers if I need to.

I have the same rust hole in the rear that I cut out most of off and treated with POR15 and then patched with Bondo for now, but I didn't have the rust on the doors. My paint is much nicer overall than that though. I paid $3000 for mine in August of 2016. It's a nice truck and worth fixing, but not for $17K. For $17K, you would be able to find an immaculate truck with low miles and likely a bunch of baselining stuff done and even some nice add on like fancy bumpers, lifts, etc.

Yeah, I just made a mistake even considering the SLC $17k truck. I don't mind working on the truck, but at that price, it should be rust-free at a minimum.

@Will Van
Check the Redding, CA Craigslist for the 93 Land Cruiser, maroon/gray, triple locked with a long list of preventative maintenance. Nice rig. I know the owner. He's also on Mud.

Thank you! Highly interested in that truck. I'll contact the seller. Do you know his name on Mud by chance?

 

[fz1boxer]

price is to high-RUST
why didn't he start it up in the video or did i miss that part

 

[fiskenmorder]

Here's another to consider Will...

1995 Toyota Land Cruiser FZJ80

 

[gummycarbs]

Look in Oregon and northern California. They have the best price to rust ratio in my experience. Find all the weird local Craigslist areas and search them individually, since Craigslist's "nearby results" often omit listings.

 

[fiskenmorder]

What he said^^^^^^. In my search I found that Seattle vehicles were often more expensive for what looked like the same rig.

 

[Will Van]

Here's another to consider Will...

1995 Toyota Land Cruiser FZJ80

That’s really clean! I like the new paint. I think @gummycarbs has convinced me to find a 1x locked truck and put Harrop lockers on it!

Look in Oregon and northern California. They have the best price to rust ratio in my experience. Find all the weird local Craigslist areas and search them individually, since Craigslist's "nearby results" often omit listings.

What he said^^^^^^. In my search I found that Seattle vehicles were often more expensive for what looked like the same rig.

Agreed. All the good ones are on the West Coast! Thanks for the help gentlemen!

 

[ZackR]

@Will Van - I'd skip on that one especially for the price. If I was in the market for a $17k 80 series lets just say it would need to be a lot nicer that that one and come with some aftermarket goodies.

As others have mentioned don't discount the non locked versions. A non locked cruiser can have lockers added but a clapped out locked one is going to take way more work to make it nice. In addition, if you haven't wheeled an 80 before you'd be surprised what it can do fully stock and unlocked (depending on what your plans are).

My view on a 80 series purchase is that you can take one of two main roads. The first one is to find a $3-8k example that is in decent or above average condition and you build it up as you see fit over a period of time. The second option is to find a fully baselined and modified example in the $10-25k range that was owned by someone who did all of the maintenance and upgrades. These are often owned by mud members who are moving on to a 200 series or something else and have build threads and a well documented history to show what was done. It sounds like your budget is more in line with the second option which means you will need to be patient for the right one but fast to act once it becomes available. I recall one of these dialed in examples for sale in southern Oregon recently. I forgot the guys name but he had the Oregon ih8mud plates and even though I never met him based on the ad and the history I could tell it would be a solid rig.

 

[LS1FJ40]

Ok, I'm going to pass on the Cruiser. Although it is the exact color combination I'm looking for (maroon with gray interior), it's just got too much rust and is overpriced. I've been looking for the right Cruiser for a while now, so I think I was trying to force this Cruiser to work.

Thank you for talking me off of the ledge!



I saw that one, but I hate white cars/trucks.

Maroon is the worst color for an 80. Followed closely by green (I have one). Then black.

If I could pick any color I’d pick beige metallic first, then white. White (and black) are single stage (without clear coat) so you don’t have to worry about crappy clear coat peeling.

 

[Will Van]

@Will Van - I'd skip on that one especially for the price. If I was in the market for a $17k 80 series lets just say it would need to be a lot nicer that that one and come with some aftermarket goodies.

As others have mentioned don't discount the non locked versions. A non locked cruiser can have lockers added but a clapped out locked one is going to take way more work to make it nice. In addition, if you haven't wheeled an 80 before you'd be surprised what it can do fully stock and unlocked (depending on what your plans are).

My view on a 80 series purchase is that you can take one of two main roads. The first one is to find a $3-8k example that is in decent or above average condition and you build it up as you see fit over a period of time. The second option is to find a fully baselined and modified example in the $10-25k range that was owned by someone who did all of the maintenance and upgrades. These are often owned by mud members who are moving on to a 200 series or something else and have build threads and a well documented history to show what was done. It sounds like your budget is more in line with the second option which means you will need to be patient for the right one but fast to act once it becomes available. I recall one of these dialed in examples for sale in southern Oregon recently. I forgot the guys name but he had the Oregon ih8mud plates and even though I never met him based on the ad and the history I could tell it would be a solid rig.

Yeah, I've already told the seller I'm passing on it. My budget is about $15k, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be happy to pay $8k for the right Cruiser. I'm planning on doing a 6BT swap, so ideally I would find a high-mileage truck that has awesome paint and interior, but the seller is discounting the price because of the miles.

I've also decided to stop looking for exclusively 3x locked trucks because @gummycarbs has convinced me that the Harrop lockers are better anyway.

Maroon is the worst color for an 80. Followed closely by green (I have one). Then black.

If I could pick any color I’d pick beige metallic first, then white. White (and black) are single stage (without clear coat) so you don’t have to worry about crappy clear coat peeling.

How are you deciding "worst" for the color rankings? Resilience? Aesthetics? Medium Red Pearl is my favorite, then Nightshadow Pearl, then Desert Dune Pearl (Is this more of a matte gray color? It's hard for me to tell. Maybe I should start a FJ80 color code thread with a few excellent examples of each color???).

This beige metallic '92 for sale on LA Craigslist is really pretty though!

MINT 92 FJ80 LAND CRUISER

 

[Red Merle]

Yeah, I've already told the seller I'm passing on it. My budget is about $15k, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be happy to pay $8k for the right Cruiser. I'm planning on doing a 6BT swap, so ideally I would find a high-mileage truck that has awesome paint and interior, but the seller is discounting the price because of the miles.

I've also decided to stop looking for exclusively 3x locked trucks because @gummycarbs has convinced me that the Harrop lockers are better anyway.



How are you deciding "worst" for the color rankings? Resilience? Aesthetics? Medium Red Pearl is my favorite, then Nightshadow Pearl, then Desert Dune Pearl (Is this more of a matte gray color? It's hard for me to tell. Maybe I should start a FJ80 color code thread with a few excellent examples of each color???).

This beige metallic '92 for sale on LA Craigslist is really pretty though!

MINT 92 FJ80 LAND CRUISER

I feel like the paint color debate is totally subjective. I have the beige metallic and I honestly don't love it. I would love to have the Nightshadow Pearl, Antique Sage or Moonglow Pearl. I don't really think any of the colors are barf, but it does seem like the maroon and green trucks have more paint problems than the other colors.

My wheels are currently painted with the Rustoleum graphite wheel paint and I have the stupid gold package so my T O Y O T A on the grill and the other emblems are gold(24K, baby!). I am thinking about painting the wheels and everything that is gold a nice dark brown metallic color that would look good with the beige and the dark brown interior. I think that would look cool.

 

[ZackR]

If you are going to do a 6BT swap I'd test drive a swapped one first to make sure its truly what you are looking for. You will also probably be able to find a swapped one already for sale (they do come up fairly often) and save yourself a bunch of time and money.

If i were searching for a cruiser with the intent to swap I'd look for a clean one that had a blown headgasket, rod knock or other significant failure so that the owner would unload it for cheap.

 

[LS1FJ40]

How are you deciding "worst" for the color rankings? Resilience? Aesthetics? Medium Red Pearl is my favorite, then Nightshadow Pearl, then Desert Dune Pearl (Is this more of a matte gray color? It's hard for me to tell. Maybe I should start a FJ80 color code thread with a few excellent examples of each color???).

This beige metallic '92 for sale on LA Craigslist is really pretty though!

MINT 92 FJ80 LAND CRUISER

Maroon, green, black. Worst colors. Fact. Not debatable!

The real reasoning for this is that I bought my 92 new. In 1993 I was working for Eddie Bauer. They gave me an EB edition explorer. When I went to pick it up it was maroon with tan. Total poser off road rig. The other option I had was green with tan.

They were horrible then. Horrible now.

Black is just a PITA to look nice. It looks nice 6 days a year.

 

[Red Merle]

Maroon, green, black. Worst colors. Fact. Not debatable!

The real reasoning for this is that I bought my 92 new. In 1993 I was working for Eddie Bauer. They gave me an EB edition explorer. When I went to pick it up it was maroon with tan. Total poser off road rig. The other option I had was green with tan.

They were horrible then. Horrible now.

Black is just a PITA to look nice. It looks nice 6 days a year.

I will say that my old man is about as "Dad" as it gets when it comes to his tastes in cars. His favorite minivans have been his maroon and dark green ones. Not sure what that tells ya'.

 

[IndecentExposur]

So just more food for thought. These rigs are appreciating. After having watched the Denver Market for a while, it seems that the locked versions can command an extra 2k-5k on top of the normal cost of the truck. Anything that has a salvage, rebuilt, or accident based history or title, will be a lot harder to sell. The unmolested, locked, and poverty pack versions seem to go for the most. Having a thorough set of documentation helps a lot. I have spent 8k baselining my truck, but would have loved to have found one that already had.
So I'd pay up to 20k for the right rig. The way I see it, if I got a base truck for 5k, or even 8-10k I'd have all the brakes, axle service and diff services done anyway. That's closer to 6k right there. Add on the lift, front and rear bumpers, along with new tires? You're at another 6k.
But what kills it for me is when the interior has been too modified, or electrical crap I don't know about. And rust.

 

[amgraham]

Well, I like my maroon 80...

My 2 cents in the context of this thread:

Definitely don't pass on clean unlocked trucks. I would rather have a new updated tech locker (Harrop, ARB, TJM, whatever) than something I constantly have to wrench on to make work.

I literally paid 10% of what they are asking for the SLC one for mine ($1800). It is a no rust, unlocked 95 with 140K that needs all the baselining and maintenance. So far I've spent about $1500 on parts including baselining, replacing the y pipe and cat, CDL, fixing odds and ends, and new OME stock height springs and factory shocks. I expect to be around $2000 into parts when I'm running and driving. That's $3800 in total so if I drop another $2K in lockers and $800 or so in tires I'm still well ahead of the game and know exactly what I have and that it's all fresh. It is a lot of work though and I can see how someone would be willing to pay up for something already done. The way I saw it was I could maybe seek out a "clean" truck for $7-8K and still need to do a sizable amount of this work.

Good luck on the search. I'll definitely let you know if I see anything. Also, a major +1 on driving a 6bt truck before you decide on the swap.. They are some loud, rattly bastards.

 

[IndecentExposur]

Well, I like my maroon 80...

My 2 cents in the context of this thread:

Definitely don't pass on clean unlocked trucks. I would rather have a new updated tech locker (Harrop, ARB, TJM, whatever) than something I constantly have to wrench on to make work.

I literally paid 10% of what they are asking for the SLC one for mine ($1800). It is a no rust, unlocked 95 with 140K that needs all the baselining and maintenance.

When did you buy it?

 

[amgraham]

Oh, and I almost forgot the original reason I was going to post... For searching craigslist and such use Autotempest. Use the advanced search and it will allow you to put in the model and year, price, etc. in a certain mileage radius. It'll pull ebay ads too.