Opinions on this 93 please (1 Viewer)

[Sando Serious]

Hey all,

I’ve had a few FJ40s and a 100 series. Never owned an 80 and have never driven one until today.

I was driving around my neighborhood and saw this 93. Knocked on the door and asked if they’d be interested in selling it and they are.

Would love to get your guys’ honest opinion on what it’s worth taking into account how the market is currently, as well as its worth prior to prices getting a bit out of control. Here’s some details:

Approximately 330k miles
AZ vehicle and I didn’t see any rust
Looks to have a small OME lift
New tires
Needed a jump start but seemed to run fine when driving.
4 wheel drive works
All electronics seemed to work minus one rear window
Seats are in okay condition. Have some cracking.
Dash is cracked
Paint is sun faded, and a handful of other cosmetic issues like missing side bumper piece, fender flare beginning to come off, etc.
Power steering was a bit difficult to turn and it whined a bit, but was also low on fluid.

Owner says it’s been maintained for the past 15 years by his son, who is a mechanic. Owner prior to them was bringing it into the son for service at the shop and that’s how it ended coming into their possession.

I don’t have much else as far as history goes, but the owner seems to think it’s been well taken care of and maintained.

Any thoughts you have or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[LandLocked93]

What's your intended use? Looks good from here ... rad has been replaced.
Unclear what that box is zip tied to the spark plug wires. Is that an 'alarm speaker/siren'?
Console armrest pad is a +.
The lift is a +.
The leather is not.
Presumably not locked?
It'll prob need all the standard base line r&r. Good times.

 

[Sando Serious]

What's your intended use? Looks good from here ... rad has been replaced.
Unclear what that box is zip tied to the spark plug wires. Is that an 'alarm speaker/siren'?
Console armrest pad is a +.
The lift is a +.
The leather is not.
Presumably not locked?
It'll prob need all the standard base line r&r. Good times.

Thanks. It’ll only be used a couple of times a week. Random errands, some minor off road trails, maybe a weekend getaway here and there.

That zip tied box is a mouse/rat deterrent. They’re a common nuisance out where we are in the desert. Not sure if it just makes noise or flashes a light. Apparently it’s not supposed to drain the battery but it is, which is the reason it needed a jump start. It’s barely getting driven at the moment.

Correct, not locked. Just a center diff lock which I guess is just standard on these right? Thanks again.

 

[FMC80]

My guesstimate: Pre-Covid ~$3-5k. Current ~$7-9k.

I paid $7500 for mine which was in worse condition. I bought sight unseen in Dec 20/Jan 21. It had 193k on it.

Then dropped about $5k in baselining parts.

Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t go above $5k for the one you showed us…but that also means I probably wouldn’t be in a cruiser.

 

[LandLocked93]

Correct, not locked. Just a center diff lock which I guess is just standard on these right? Thanks again.

Correct.
Pre-craziness - $2500 to $4k
Now - unless proof of significant amount base lining can be provided - parts, receipts, and visual confirmation - I wouldn't go above $5k for what it is. It does not have those items that make an 80 super significant, so unless you simply must have an 80 in the stable...or plan to bring it up to K294 standard...your intended use could be served more efficiently by several other rigs.
Just one guy's opinion.

 

[Sando Serious]

My guesstimate: Pre-Covid ~$3-5k. Current ~$7-9k.

I paid $7500 for mine which was in worse condition. I bought sight unseen in Dec 20/Jan 21. It had 193k on it.

Then dropped about $5k in baselining parts.

Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t go above $5k for the one you showed us…but that also means I probably wouldn’t be in a cruiser.

That’s good to know. Thanks. The seller is asking $6,000.

 

[Sando Serious]

Correct.
Pre-craziness - $2500 to $4k
Now - unless proof of significant amount base lining can be provided - parts, receipts, and visual confirmation - I wouldn't go above $5k for what it is. It does not have those items that make an 80 super significant, so unless you simply must have an 80 in the stable...or plan to bring it up to K294 standard...your intended use could be served more efficiently by several other rigs.
Just one guy's opinion.

Awesome, thanks. Definitely don’t need an 80, but I’ve always liked them. I don’t mind throwing some money at it to make it a bit more reliable, but I wouldn’t want to go crazy.

 

[FMC80]

Awesome, thanks. Definitely don’t need an 80, but I’ve always liked them. I don’t mind throwing some money at it to make it a bit more reliable, but I wouldn’t want to go crazy.

Does anyone in NA really need an 80? I didn't and still don't need an 80. 9 months ago, I had zero 80s. As of 2 Oct, I have two. You should buy and enjoy it.

 

[RAYJON]

That one looks about average, If you are watching Facebook marketplace, there are a lot of cruisers for sale now. Nothing seems to be moving have seen 2 locker rigs in nor cal for sale under 8k and they are not moving. The free money from the government has stopped and free rent is over. I would give it a month or two and watch the market prices will go back to normal. PM costs money and parts have gotten more expensive, any 80 is at least 23 years old and unless it has been gone thru all the rubber, seals, gaskets are 23 years old.

If you are going to take on an 80 my advice is find the nicest garaged cruiser you can, they are out there and they don’t bring that much of a premium compared to he cost of paint, seals and interior trim. lockers are nice but can be added, a real clean 93-95 with cloth interior would be my choice….

For example the trim for the base of the windows outside is 800$ if you get a deal…even if you find a nice garaged cruiser I would budget 2k in parts to bring it up to 100% reliable….80 series cruiser parts are not cheep…

 

[FMC80]

Some good points but I think you’re oversimplifying the acquisition of an 80 in this market: even in two months.

Yes there are plenty on FB marketplace. Those are usually the roached out examples that aren’t good enough for BaT and are looking for the sucker to come in and make them rich quick.

When a solid cruiser in decent shape pops up, it’s gone instantly. Lots of flippers out there competing with true enthusiasts. So if a cruiser comes available and it checks the boxes, maybe not all boxes but it’s in your price range, I’d say grab it. Waiting for a pristine example is going to be tough and probably cost prohibitive, even two months from now.

 

[RAYJON]

We can agree to disagree, but on the west coast I have seen a lot of rigs built and money spent in the last year, a lot more than normal due to the “stimulus”.. So many of the buyers that were in the 80 market are now out of free government money and that will ripple to the business owners and employees of those businesses.. in 2008 the cruiser market totally tanked, throw in 4$ a gallon gas and for most people cruisers are a second vehicle/toy. When the money gets tight the toys go away.. most of the people who were driving the prices were not cruiserheads and were paying others to fix and maintain there rigs..$$$$$,

for most of us on here it’s a hobby, I daily an 80 and have for over 20 years have owned 4 different ones. They are great rigs but are not cheep to drive or maintain, but the current prices are not reality (given the age of the vehicles and maintenance cost) they are driven by surplus money and them becoming trendy.. that will cycle.

in that cycle I want another really clean 3x locked with cloth interior for a diesel swap…

 

[zapatius]

$6000 is not unreasonable but $5000 would be better.

 

[Sando Serious]

Thanks for all of the comments and feedback. When I knocked on the neighbor’s door I was really hoping for a surprisingly fair price that made the decision on whether to buy it pretty easy, but $6k is tough not knowing the full history and how much it might need.

I don’t think the seller is willing to go any lower. He said he’s pretty much into it for that much.

 

[RAYJON]

Alot of people think they should get what they have in it,. The inflated prices for custom built rigs have pushed that.

I just picked up a clean 91 (pavement pounder with 240k) with a j lift and braided brake lines, 4.88's with a locked up motor for 1000$,. Guy had sold the tires and wheels and let it sit...

Another club member did the same,. His was cleaner but no lift or gears..

Putting a good used motor in it now with tires and everything I should be in it about 3k plus my labor. To wheel and keep my other 80 nice .

Keep you eyes open with cash and wait.. you will find something that fits what you want.. 3fe trucks make a nice LS swap..

 

[SaturnAscends]

I just paid $8,000 for a solid runner like that one. Although mine is a 97 with 226k and the clear coat isn't faded. Mine also had a decent maintenance history, but forums like this have a different standard of "well-maintained." In the real world, most people don't flush coolant every 60k miles and replace all rubber hoses and seals as soon as they fail, diff fluids are seldom changed, etc.

If you're not going to be using it for remote expeditions and/or taking it to the Concours D'elegance, you probably don't have to do the thousands of dollars in baselining, but that doesn't mean it would be a bad idea for peace of mind etc. I'm on a strict budget so my approach is to spare no expense on the cooling system to prevent HG issues, then move on to the brakes/EGR issues, then after that, fix things as they break.

Did they say the head gasket had been changed and/or the top end rebuilt? If so, I'd say 5-6k would be decent. Maybe not a screamer deal, but hey it's right in your neighborhood.

 

[SaturnAscends]

That one looks about average, If you are watching Facebook marketplace, there are a lot of cruisers for sale now. Nothing seems to be moving have seen 2 locker rigs in nor cal for sale under 8k and they are not moving. The free money from the government has stopped and free rent is over. I would give it a month or two and watch the market prices will go back to normal. PM costs money and parts have gotten more expensive, any 80 is at least 23 years old and unless it has been gone thru all the rubber, seals, gaskets are 23 years old.

If you are going to take on an 80 my advice is find the nicest garaged cruiser you can, they are out there and they don’t bring that much of a premium compared to he cost of paint, seals and interior trim. lockers are nice but can be added, a real clean 93-95 with cloth interior would be my choice….

For example the trim for the base of the windows outside is 800$ if you get a deal…even if you find a nice garaged cruiser I would budget 2k in parts to bring it up to 100% reliable….80 series cruiser parts are not cheep…

I could be wrong but I doubt prices will go down significantly for the 80 series.. they're not making any more of them. Sure you can buy a new Bronco or Rubicon.. only to watch all the electronics sh@t the bed the minute you take it on the trail. Then there's just the classic Cruiser cool factor: look at the 60s prices over the last 15 years, recessions and gas prices notwithstanding.

Also, I'm not sure the stimulus is such a big factor for the Cruiser market.. that was like $3200 total? That's a drop in the bucket, especially for collectors and would-be overlanders who are driving a lot of the demand. Gas prices are not that relevant either for the same reason. Your argument would make sense if people were buying these to be DDs or grocery getters, but the J80 is pretty squarely in the enthusiast market at this point.

No I'm not an economist or Cruiser guru, but I just think they days are gone where these 80s like the one posted by OP were given away for $2500.. maybe others have a different take?

 

[LandLocked93]

Nothing puts into perspective a built $30k 80 series like the new $100k electric playstation Hummer truck and SUV.
You don't even get a spare tire for that money, much less the freedom to roam like you have with petrol/diesel.

 

[fj80pb]

I could be wrong but I doubt prices will go down significantly for the 80 series.. they're not making any more of them. Sure you can buy a new Bronco or Rubicon.. only to watch all the electronics sh@t the bed the minute you take it on the trail. Then there's just the classic Cruiser cool factor: look at the 60s prices over the last 15 years, recessions and gas prices notwithstanding.

Also, I'm not sure the stimulus is such a big factor for the Cruiser market.. that was like $3200 total? That's a drop in the bucket, especially for collectors and would-be overlanders who are driving a lot of the demand. Gas prices are not that relevant either for the same reason. Your argument would make sense if people were buying these to be DDs or grocery getters, but the J80 is pretty squarely in the enthusiast market at this point.

No I'm not an economist or Cruiser guru, but I just think they days are gone where these 80s like the one posted by OP were given away for $2500.. maybe others have a different take?

Totally agreed with you @Ozark80. And...all these electronic gizmos (in a Ford...no less..) would give me shivers...

FWIW. A friend in Canada (you know...up there…) whom is quite invested in the “classic” stuff, told me quite some time back the 80 series will be, on time, like hot pancakes in a cold morning.

We are already there. And there’s no coming back. IMO.

I’m really, really, curious how the Ineos Grenadier will do when launched next year. I’ll hold to my 80 until death. But this thing looks good.

The Grenadier | INEOS Grenadier - https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/the-grenadier

Cheers!

 

[LandLocked93]

I’m really, really, curious how the Ineos Grenadier will do when launched next year. I’ll hold to my 80 until death. But this thing looks good.

The Grenadier | INEOS Grenadier - https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/the-grenadier

Cheers!

I've followed this truck for a while and it seems like a great response from the industry for the old-school side.

But it's $$$$ too

 

[Sando Serious]

I could be wrong but I doubt prices will go down significantly for the 80 series.. they're not making any more of them. Sure you can buy a new Bronco or Rubicon.. only to watch all the electronics sh@t the bed the minute you take it on the trail. Then there's just the classic Cruiser cool factor: look at the 60s prices over the last 15 years, recessions and gas prices notwithstanding.

Also, I'm not sure the stimulus is such a big factor for the Cruiser market.. that was like $3200 total? That's a drop in the bucket, especially for collectors and would-be overlanders who are driving a lot of the demand. Gas prices are not that relevant either for the same reason. Your argument would make sense if people were buying these to be DDs or grocery getters, but the J80 is pretty squarely in the enthusiast market at this point.

No I'm not an economist or Cruiser guru, but I just think they days are gone where these 80s like the one posted by OP were given away for $2500.. maybe others have a different take?

Yeah everything has gone up in price. 40s, 60s, 80s, etc. The whole pandemic might have contributed to a lot of it, but now that folks have realized what they can sell their rigs for, it’ll likely be difficult to move away from that and the higher prices might be sticking around for awhile. I think they could drop a little bit, but I doubt they’ll decrease by 30% to 50% where they probably should be.

I’m constantly scouring Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Offer Up and looking at various locations and there’s rarely a decent deal out there for any land cruiser it seems like. If there is, you usually have to jump on it within a couple of hours after posting.

Although the 80 I’m looking at definitely needs some work, I’m leaning towards going for it. I sold my truck last year and we’re down to one vehicle. It’s been working out fine since I work from home, but it would be nice to have a second vehicle to get around from time to time.