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Mine has been a commuter since I bought it new in 1993. I only recently (march 10) "retired" it in favor of a Dodge Challenger SRT8. When the winter comes back around the 80 will resume those duties.
Should I buy an 80, costs of ownership?
- Thread starter cruiserdan
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My 80 is my dd and I wouldn't have it any other way. Gas mileage is poor but I bought it knowing that.
Grench
SILVER Star
My wife drivers her '96 FZJ80 (Red) daily year around. If her's is broken she's driving mine. I don't let her's stay down long.
I drive my '96 FZJ80 (Grey) daily through the winter. It is my long-distance camping trip vehicle in the spring, summer and fall. During the sunny months I dd my 2001 Z28 most of the time. Today I'm driving my 80 though simply because it was closer to the curb this morning.
Any vehicle can let you down. An FZJ80 has big maintenance requirements - but the flip side is that the odds of getting stranded are reduced. So... pay now or pay later.
My 80 is pretty much stock and I use it daily, it is my only vehicle -- however, I live very close to work and often ride a bike. If I had to commute a great distance, I'd probably get a second, more fuel efficient vehicle.
I could ride to work as I live relatively close to work but have no place to clean up once there so Im forced to drive but its really not a long distance at all (less than 10 miles). Im weighing a 62, for the mechanical simplicity versus an 80, far more comfortable.
Ive read through the 'newbie' guide on Slees site but what are the typical things that go wrong with these trucks? Every vehicle has things that are guaranteed to fail by a certain time. What are the 80's weak spots?
Ive read through the 'newbie' guide on Slees site but what are the typical things that go wrong with these trucks? Every vehicle has things that are guaranteed to fail by a certain time. What are the 80's weak spots?
Proper maintenance from the PO. My 80 is solid, with regular wear/age/maint items, and the care taken by the PO is the reason.
FJ809496TLC
80 series addict
Cost of ownership? Depends on the individual. Bottom line, it's worth every penny of it.
Every vehicle has weaknesses.
You are talking about a vehicle that is 15+ years old with 100k+ miles on it.
If something major were to fail on my 80 I would fix it and keep driving it.
I would not even think about another vehicle.
I love to work on my rig so it is a no brainerr for me on ownership.
Maybe sometime down the line the 80 will be a trail rig only but then I will just have to by another one for daily use.
I really want a 60 as a trail rig and keep the 80 as a daily driver forever.
I told my wife she is going to have to bury me in that truck.
You are talking about a vehicle that is 15+ years old with 100k+ miles on it.
If something major were to fail on my 80 I would fix it and keep driving it.
I would not even think about another vehicle.
I love to work on my rig so it is a no brainerr for me on ownership.
Maybe sometime down the line the 80 will be a trail rig only but then I will just have to by another one for daily use.
I really want a 60 as a trail rig and keep the 80 as a daily driver forever.
I told my wife she is going to have to bury me in that truck.
Hey Kid-
"I told my wife she is going to have to bury me in that truck"
Hope she didn't pull out a .357 when you said that.
Ned.
"I told my wife she is going to have to bury me in that truck"
Hope she didn't pull out a .357 when you said that.
Ned.
Other than marrying my first wife, my greatest regret is not buying that "fully-optioned" 1997 80 when I was in Abu Dhabi-leather (unusual for the Gulf, and not necessarily a good thing), factory winch, rear a/c, rear mounted spare, lockers, extra tank, etc. etc. asking $15,000. What was I thinking? At least I should have taken a picture!!!
Ned
Ned
She didn't pull out the 357.
But I am pretty sure she has thought about it really hard more times than I care to count.
It is a good clean hobby.
And it ain't cheap.
But worth every penny.
I just say to her, "hey would you rather have me pissing our money away on booze and drugs"
that usually backs her off until the next encounter.
She is a good sport, god bless her she married me.
But I am pretty sure she has thought about it really hard more times than I care to count.
It is a good clean hobby.
And it ain't cheap.
But worth every penny.
I just say to her, "hey would you rather have me pissing our money away on booze and drugs"
that usually backs her off until the next encounter.
She is a good sport, god bless her she married me.
i just returned my 80 to DD duties...
well i am hoping to buy an 80 today or tomorrow. i have read through this entire thread and looked at other threads so that i can walk in to this "eyes wide open". i found a 96, loaded, lockers, 174K for $7500. it looks very well maintained but i wont know for sure until i look at in person today. i own an 81pickup and an 87 SAS 4runner. the 4runner is becoming less and less fun to pull my kid in and out of...not to mention the trail is taking its toll. i want a family vehicle that will last for the next 10 yrs or more. i dont plan on ever reselling the 80 and i want to do as much maintenance myself as i can. my only reservation is the HG issue, but seems i can tackle it for around $500. im also considering a 97 4runner. the runner would also have to have an SAS in the near future. i have wanted an 80 for a few years now and i have a feeling i will regret it if i dont buy it. hopefully i will have some pics to show off by the weekend.
*edit* just talked with the current owner. he is the third owner bought it with 99,700 on it. had the headgasket done at 100,000. so roughtly 77k on the new headgasket. brakes were replaced front and rear within last 5000 miles.
*edit* just talked with the current owner. he is the third owner bought it with 99,700 on it. had the headgasket done at 100,000. so roughtly 77k on the new headgasket. brakes were replaced front and rear within last 5000 miles.
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yo- Check any receipts for the HG job, if he has them. Should be good to go for unlimited miles. These are great vehicles, but do need maintenance, like any other. Drove mine cross country at 230,xxx miles w/U-Haul trailer, and it did fine. But, it's maintained, which means $$$. Good luck, Ned
You do not want the 4 runner.
Get the 80 way more family friendly even when highly modified.
Get the 80 way more family friendly even when highly modified.
The 1fz motor in 93-97's can have head gasket issues.
Some folks replaced the HG as baseline maintenance.
I knew that the 1fz motor could have head gasket issues somewhere down the line.
I did not replace mine and I would not unless there are signs of it going. Plus if it went I would do the work myself and keep on driving her.
Without knowing the service history of rig it is hard to determine what should and should not be done.
You will get alot of different opinions from the folks here because this can be an OCD crowd when it comes to their cruisers
It also depends on whether or not you want to do the work yourself as well.
Some folks replaced the HG as baseline maintenance.
I knew that the 1fz motor could have head gasket issues somewhere down the line.
I did not replace mine and I would not unless there are signs of it going. Plus if it went I would do the work myself and keep on driving her.
Without knowing the service history of rig it is hard to determine what should and should not be done.
You will get alot of different opinions from the folks here because this can be an OCD crowd when it comes to their cruisers
It also depends on whether or not you want to do the work yourself as well.
I have done all maintenance on my 80 since I got it in Feb from fluids to birfs, bearing repacks, PHH, soon to do crank and oil pump seal, tune up, O2 sensors.
Probably saved a few thousand easy in shop costs. Current use is as a vacation / off the beaten path vehicle probably will never be a "Daily Driver" that is what i have my 230,000+ mile Volvo wagon for
Probably saved a few thousand easy in shop costs. Current use is as a vacation / off the beaten path vehicle probably will never be a "Daily Driver" that is what i have my 230,000+ mile Volvo wagon for
I'm still new to the whole 80 series thing but one thing I've noticed about our's is that it has a character or "personality" if you want to call it that. I have owned many vehicles over 4 decades of driving, but only a small few have it. Those are the vehicles I remember and miss.
There is just something about toyota Land Cruisers whether it is a pig, 40, 60 or 80 etc.
The name says it all it's a Land Cruiser!
The name says it all it's a Land Cruiser!
