Sell 03 Sequoia for FJ60? (1 Viewer)

[Ducks]

Get the '60. Have fun with it. You should drive one before you buy of course, but buy it, it'll be fun. Once these are baselined, they are very dependable rigs. Of course if you want a V8 or diesel, it is cheaper to buy one already that way. It does cost a pretty penny to do a swap unless you are very mechanically inclined and have a nack for finding cheap parts. I love my diesel and I drive my family all over the place in it. We went to Alaska last summer. Had a blast. These are great rigs that will take you anywhere. Good luck on your decision.

Chad

 

[ylexot]

here-here for the wives joining the club!!!

Definitely test drive. I always liked the look of these things but wasn't sold until I drove one. Even with crumby brakes and a few other hiccups, I knew the 60 series was for me. I didn't give up a Sequoia, but I happily gave up my posh Montero for these old Land Cruisers.

I've had 3 60s and one 62. If you're planning on doing a swap for a 5-speed right out of the gate, just start with the 62. The swap will cost a bit more, but the manual in a 62 is ideal. It's a lot quieter and has more comfort. My 62 now has a manual tranny. I'm getting mileage in the high teens, maybe even 20, and have all the power I need.

 

[Ducks]

If you're planning on doing a swap for a 5-speed right out of the gate, just start with the 62. The swap will cost a bit more, but the manual in a 62 is ideal. It's a lot quieter and has more comfort. My 62 now has a manual tranny. I'm getting mileage in the high teens, maybe even 20, and have all the power I need.

That's a great idea. The 3FE in the fj62 has some nice power (relatively) with a manual transmission behind it instead of that soul-sucking auto. You also get fuel injection and don't have to mess with a carb. You can also swap on some cool round headlights if you want to.

Chad

 

[hbunting]

I must admit, i'm still a little torn. I plan to use it as my every day car, but I don't do much highway driving. Don't have to worry about toting kids around, just dogs. I do like to camp and hike though, so I'd need to count on it to make some long trips...definitely don't want to end up stranded in the woods! Going to check one out tomorrow....

Heather
Hermosa Beach

 

[CliffClaven]

I'll throw my $.02 into the pot for fun...

If you like your Sequoia I would tell you to keep it. I love my 2003 BMW so I bought the 60 as a weekend warrior. The 60 series can be a daily driver if it's necessary. For the last two and half weeks I've driven my 60 every day. 2 full tanks of gas, 480 miles later and about 150 bucks down the drain I'll drive my BMW for a while. Sure you can swap in a V8 or a diesel and improve mileage a bit, but as a daily driver the 60 series will destroy you pockets. If you don't turn a wrench make sure you have some disposable income.

If the main concern is, "could I drive my FJ60 100 miles away to a camp ground," then the answer is simply yes. I would have no issues with jumping in my 60 and driving to Portland, OR...I'm near Seattle, WA. If you stay on time of some of the items that look old or you don't have receipts in the folder you receive from the seller than you'll be OK. I have had some issues with my 60 series, but I've NEVER been stuck anywhere.

There are many creature comforts you're going to have to give up. The commitment to the engine/trans noise on the freeway is something most people can't do. There are ways to quiet the insides down, but again it's time and money. Older Land Cruisers are very simplistic and that's part of the charm.

It comes down to what you want out of your FJ60. Toyota Land Cruisers are amazing vehicles capable of getting you through any terrain you're most likely to see. As a daily driver it can be a bit cumbersome, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility. My wife and I have a joke about driving the cruiser....when you're driving the 60 you're on "cruiser time". You'll get there when you get there, it won't be fast but you'll arrive.

Honestly you're going to have to live with whichever vehicle you choose, but make some friends if you're not in a hurry and see if you can drive a few 60 series' to get the "feel" for driving one. I love my 60 series and I doubt I could ever put it up for sale. No matter how expensive parts become I think we'll keep this vehicle in the family for a long long time. We've done the measurements...we can fit three car seats and two dogs in the cruiser. With a rack on top we can go camping with the kids (they don't exist yet) and dogs.

LASTLY....Welcome to MUD.

 

[hank14]

LASTLY....Welcome to MUD.

Well said and worth more than $0.02, IMO.

And to clarify my previous post- I've daily driven my FJ60 for 3 1/2 years about 6000 miles a year, including 2- 1500 interstate trips. I recently bought a car to drive while I work on the cruiser. I can't wait to get back in the cruiser. It's what I like.

 

[CliffClaven]

Well said and worth more than $0.02, IMO.

And to clarify my previous post- I've daily driven my FJ60 for 3 1/2 years about 6000 miles a year, including 2- 1500 interstate trips. I recently bought a car to drive while I work on the cruiser. I can't wait to get back in the cruiser. It's what I like.

Thanks Hank. I'm not out to bash on those of you who drive your 60's daily. I would love to drive mine daily and if I had an H55 I probably would. I have a 30-40 mile commute almost completely free way. If I could stay under 45mph instead of 60+ I would drive the 60 almost any day.

Getting passed doesn't bother me one bit when I'm on "cruiser time"!

 

[T-bones 60]

I daily drove my 60 for 2 years then got my V8 Lexus coupe. Needless to say the Lexus feels like the space shuttle after driving the 60. However there is never a time I don't look forward to driving my Cruiser. I have worked in the automotive indusrty for 25 years. I have driven thousands of vehicles and I can tell you nothing ever made drives like an old Cruiser.

My $.02 is get your cruiser (if that's what you really want), drive it around town daily, but stick close to home for a bit. Anything that is on the verge of failing most likely will with in the first year or two, and you'll get a chance to wear off the 'newness' and work out the bugs. By then you most likely will miss driving a car on the roads. At that point pick up a little 4cyl something that gets good MPG. Then you'll look forward to driving your Cruiser on the weekends.

This is what I did and have no regrets. After I worked out all the bugs on my rig, I felt comfortable driving her hundreds of miles for camnping trips or whatever and have done so.

 

[Methusalem]

I must admit, i'm still a little torn. I plan to use it as my every day car, but I don't do much highway driving. Don't have to worry about toting kids around, just dogs. I do like to camp and hike though, so I'd need to count on it to make some long trips...definitely don't want to end up stranded in the woods! Going to check one out tomorrow....

Heather
Hermosa Beach

Heather, if you don't do much highway driving, you're good anyway. Like I said, we use ours as a DD, and we even don't have highways in this country. I have a diesel with a 5 speed manual, so I have to work in my rig while driving, but I wouldn't trade it for something else. Before this Cruiser I had a Chevrolet Silverado 2500, with a 5.7 liter V8 and automatic. I loved the engine, the gearbox, and the power, but I 10x prefer the cruiser, although less comfortable. And last year we did a vacation to Venezuela with it (we drove 2500 kms, half unpaved), and that was okay too.
Yes, it's a good idea to try one out before you buy, but these kind of rigs you have to drive for two weeks or more to really fall in love with them.
Just for fun. Watch the happy face of my wife after driving through a savanna.

 

[Callahan Offroad]

I don't suppose Sequoia owners give each other "the wave".

Join the club of guys who get passed by everyone, but have the capability to pull everyone out of the ditch.

Your mileage will suck but your manliness factor will increase by at least 58%.

^^^THIS^^^

I get 15 mpg I don't know if that sucks, 5 better than a jeep cherokee!

I didn't get the love thing at first with the cruisers, but after driving it for a little bit, I fell in love with it, named it, wanted to let in sleep in the bed with me (my wife said no, not enough room). I hate that I might have to sell mine, but its one of those things that if you don't sell it, its okay. The whole rig is so dang simple, I have made every repair with basic hand tools, and sometimes i've just had to switch around things that weren't working right. The best part about a 60, is that it just works. Even if everything in the rig is falling apart, as long as you have gas, spark, air and wheels to put the power to, it will, go (not fast). If these cruisers were like other cars especially modern cars, I wouldn't have been able to drive mine at all ever, the whole vacuum system was completely back-wards. You have one bad sensor in a civic and the whole thing doesn't work, and if it does you think the thing is about to explode. I'm pretty sure i've become a special kind of a man, a cruiser-man.

 

[rover67]

They are two different vehicles all together... a 60 is a classic that will require a kind of maintenance to keep it running well that the sequoia won't really need in a long long time.

But, the 60 has soul... it has the "old truck" feel and is still somewhat easy to get around in. If you are willing to switch from a modern car with all the creature comforts and safety features to a classic that you will have more of a bond with then go for it. In my opinion it will require more work as far as maintenance goes to keep it healthy.. that's just the nature of an old vehicle. They are reliable though, and typically easy to fix. They were designed well and to be strong which eliminates some of the issues found in other poorly designed old vehicles.

So, to sum it up..... It will be slower, will require more work, but it will be more fun.

 

[umpqua]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ylexot
If you're planning on doing a swap for a 5-speed right out of the gate, just start with the 62. The swap will cost a bit more, but the manual in a 62 is ideal. It's a lot quieter and has more comfort. My 62 now has a manual tranny. I'm getting mileage in the high teens, maybe even 20, and have all the power I need.

That's a great idea. The 3FE in the fj62 has some nice power (relatively) with a manual transmission behind it instead of that soul-sucking auto. You also get fuel injection and don't have to mess with a carb. You can also swap on some cool round headlights if you want to.


Every bit of all of this right here. A 62 with the 5 speed and fuel injected 3FE, round headlight conversion. I've got 250k on mine and with the 5 speed I am PASSING cars on an incline. Lot's and lot's of power. The thought of it.

 

[hbunting]

Drove one today and really liked it...even if you had to pump the brakes to get them to work Don't think I'll be buying that one, but was fun to drive anyway. I think I've reconsidered swaping to the H55 right out of the gate. My only reasoning behind that was I figured it made it more freeway friendly and quieter, but I think I'll end up driving it for a while and decide what it really needs before I jump into anything. Got a few more to check out this week....just need to sell the Sequoia...anyone interested??

Heather
Hermosa Beach

 

[hbunting]

Oh yeah, and as far as the gas mileage goes, I get pretty crappy mpg w the Sequoia, so it won't be much worse than I'm already used to!

 

[sl33py]

Heather - the sky's the limit. Your imagination and $ will be your only limitation with a 60.

More initial upkeep, but simple systems to troubleshoot and fix (typically). MPG won't be great but worth it IMO (i have a second car and motorcycle for gas savings).

I second the FJ62 for Fuel Injection - put round headlights and 5sp in and just about the perfect combo!

I like a manual tran so if you want to get one and drive it for a while the 60 is great. Slow but steady. The main pain for a 60 is the carb - it's the last generation of carb'd vehicle so it's a spaghetti mess of vacuum lines and vsv's, csv's, etc etc. high altitude compensator... bleh. When running right - it's great. When not 100% it can be a pain to figure out what the PO did. That's where i think the FI in a 62 is a great alternative, but i personally would immediately want a 5sp (and round headlights).

but i'm odd - don't even get me started on LED's... hehehe.

anyway - HTH and GL!

 

[Sethro60]

I own both an 05 f-150 and a 87 sixty. Even though its soo much slower, eats twice the gas, and the heat and ac don't work, I find myself putting more miles on the yota. Its just fun to drive, and if something in this world makes you slow down and enjoy the ride, so much the better.

 

[hbunting]

I've pretty much made my decision....just working now to sell the Sequoia. Have a few 60 prospects I'm going to check out the next few days, so we'll see how it goes. Anyone in Southern Cal looking for a clean Sequoia let me know!

 

[T-bones 60]

Drove one today and really liked it...even if you had to pump the brakes to get them to work Don't think I'll be buying that one, but was fun to drive anyway. I think I've reconsidered swaping to the H55 right out of the gate. My only reasoning behind that was I figured it made it more freeway friendly and quieter, but I think I'll end up driving it for a while and decide what it really needs before I jump into anything. Got a few more to check out this week....just need to sell the Sequoia...anyone interested??

Heather
Hermosa Beach

You will love your Cruiser even more with the H55! Super low 1st and overdrive. Your 2F (if you go with a 60) will thank you for the OD.