Possible purchase/ need opinions (1 Viewer)

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Kypt

Kypt

Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Threads
3
Messages
19
Location
Oxford, PA
Hey everyone. I'm looking for an FJ40 and found a possible. It is out west so I sent someone to look it over and the results are below.

I'm concerned about the rust at the bottom corners of the rear door/behind tire carrier and the condition of the roof. See pictures below. I included some all around pictures for reference.

What would be a fair price (ballpark) for this vehicle, or should I steer clear due to the above mentioned issues? Thanks.

truck

truck


inside

inside


rust

rust


top

top


side top

side top


engine

engine


roof

roof


mo rust

mo rust


underneath

underneath


rear floor

rear floor


floorboard

floorboard


rusty

rusty

 
Forgot to add the comments by the inspector:

This Toyota runs and drives well but has issues of note. There are some minor misc scratches around the vehicle. Normal for mileage and too small to see in pics. The paint is poor quality, but it looks of from a distance. The body gaps on the doors is large, maybe normal. There is some body filler, minimal. The paint on the hood has runs. There is a small spot under the spare, coming through from the inside. The is some body filler cracking from putting on too heavy. The plastic mirror housing is rotting, does not affect performance.

The side moldings are missing between the top and body. There are some holes filled and the paint is cracking on the top. The carpet is dirty. There is the smell of smoke, slight. The interior trim shows normal wear consistent with age and mileage. There is a smell of exhaust inside the cabin, but the exhaust system looks good. The coolant is old in the over flow tank. The air cleaner is missing the fresh air hose. There is an oil leak that drips off the transfer case. I found no issues on the test drive.

The engine had plenty of power and there were no misfires or excessive smoking. The transmission shifted as designed with no harsh engagement or slipping. The steering was responsive and the suspension was firm and the vehicle handled well. There were no abnormal vibrations or odd noises. The brakes were firm with no pulsation felt. There were no leaks found to the underside of the vehicle. All accessories inside and outside of the vehicle functionerud as designed. Overall a decent running vehicle, with some issues noted. See below and pictures for more info.
 
It has the wrong rear amby doors.
They should have a radius on them to match that of the tub.
Not sure what the deal is with the gear shift lever is pretty sure that second upper bend isn't oem.
 
The roof looks fine. That cracked bondo could stay like that forever in the right environment. If you live near the ocean or drive it in the winter it will get worse.

It doesn't look too bad at all. Prices are a little high righ now so I'd say under $18K and you did okay.
 
Looks like a whole bunch of spackle on the floor board under the pedals.
Lots of ugly could be hiding under the sloppy paint job.
Did the inspector check the under body/frame rails?
Personally I would not even consider paying close to that asking price.:meh:
 
On one hand if you steered clear of all 40s because of some cosmetic defects, some visible rust or evidence of previous rust repairs then you would probably never purchase a 40.

On the other hand it's your money to spend as you wish.

I believe this: If you have to ask others for advice on what you are looking at then you are not prepared enough to make a fully educated purchase. Buying from a distance is fraught with enough risk even when you do know what you are looking at.

I understand the desire to have "it" now. I really do. But if you can't get on a plane to inspect and evaluate the vehicle for yourself---and ultimately feel comfortable with what you are getting relative to the price---then pass. Unless, of course, you like to gamble and $20K ain't nothing to you!

That is one clean, orginal-looking undercarriage, though.
 
Overall it looks decent for a 38-year-old truck. It wouldn't be worth $20K to me though, with the bondo, funky shifter, and the wrong rear doors. It's missing the intake hose for the air cleaner, but that is now easily replaced. I'd say it's worth maybe $15-16K, depending on what else I can't see.
 
Rust..what rust?

In all seriousness that undercarriage looks very clean, and thankfully it doesn't look like anyone applied the usual handful of spray cans of Auto Zone undercoating to cover up the nasty. If it did I would be a lot more worried about the cracking bondo around the door openings and tire carrier hinge.

Inspection report seems honest and well intentioned, even if they did mention a transfer case leak then say there were no leaks.

Looks like a very nice truck and it will likely bring a pretty penny, but will make someone a happy new owner.
 
That is not the factory location for the side mirrors. Could be the amby doors and front doors were from an earlier donor rig. The early version of the late model doors did not have the mirrors mounted to them. The correct location is further in and down.

My 79 is also from Feb.
 
The fact that the original ambi doors are gone (or the rotted bottoms were replaced) tells you this thing may have had some serious rot in other area's at one time. The popping bondo and poor paint job are also a hints as to the level of quality possibly hidden beneath. The roof restoration looks like poo-poo quality as well.

Does the owner have pictures taken during the restoration process? Have they told you what all has been done to fix the tub?

Post up some more pictures if you can. There will no doubt be some keen eyes to help point out any stuff your inspector missed.

Is there something funky with the rear sill?
IMG_3954.PNG
 
That's not bad at all....offer him 15k.
 
Last edited:
Top is fixable as are other issues, I personally like the older 40's will lower geared axles. $13-15K is all I would spend....
 
The current owner was not the guy that did the "restoration". I'm not sure how long the truck has been listed for.

Thanks to everyone for the support. I'll probably end up passing on the truck unless I can get a significant deal on it. It was also advertised as "rust and rot free". I guess some peoples idea of "free" are a little looser than mine.

Some more pics:

eng

eng


pass floor

pass floor


back

back


top fit

top fit


front

front


door

door


ambu

ambu


wheel

wheel

 
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