Should I buy this 62?

[JohnnyBighead]

I am trying to decide between getting a 40 and a 60/62.

This popped up on Craigslist and I thought it looked interesting.

1990 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ62

Thoughts?

I am brand new to the cruiser game and need all the help I can get!

 

[klinetime574]

Looks fairly stock with over-sized tires. Factory roof rack. How many miles/ any rust in the photos? (Assuming there are more pics.)

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Very good looking FJ62!

If the details are good-ie runs well, shifts well, stops well, I'd give it very strong consideration. The real problem is rust, and that one looks good.

Someone will snap that up.

 

[JohnnyBighead]

Looks fairly stock with over-sized tires. Factory roof rack. How many miles/ any rust in the photos? (Assuming there are more pics.)

Just realized I didn't include the link. It is in the main post now. It has 189,000 miles. I didn't see any obvious rust, but I am new at this and could be missing some obvious stuff.

 

[NCFJ]

@JohnnyBighead

I am constantly searching for local 60/62 and 80 series in this area, I am just up the road from you. The truck you pictured is on the high side of pricing in this area. There are quite a few 60/62 series priced over $10K that have been for sale for a while. Several have been listed, removed and returned a month or two later with a new add. One guy did this and raised his price.

Personally, I think that the 60/62 market is over inflated currently. Land Cruisers have become the "cool" truck to have and a lot of people are jumping on the band wagon.

I suggest that you take a look at it and see if you can take along someone that knows what to look for in these trucks. As mentioned above, clean body is the most important as everything else is easier to deal with than cancer type rust.

Hope it all works out for you, welcome to the club

 

[NCFJ]

Keep in mind as well that any truck you buy will need base lining to one degree or another. Always a good idea to keep that in mind with your budget.

 

[JohnnyBighead]

@JohnnyBighead

I am constantly searching for local 60/62 and 80 series in this area, I am just up the road from you. The truck you pictured is on the high side of pricing in this area. There are quite a few 60/62 series priced over $10K that have been for sale for a while. Several have been listed, removed and returned a month or two later with a new add. One guy did this and raised his price.

Personally, I think that the 60/62 market is over inflated currently. Land Cruisers have become the "cool" truck to have and a lot of people are jumping on the band wagon.

I suggest that you take a look at it and see if you can take along someone that knows what to look for in these trucks. As mentioned above, clean body is the most important as everything else is easier to deal with than cancer type rust.

Hope it all works out for you, welcome to the club

This makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

I also have my eyes on another one that is around $9500.

 

[SteveH]

To me, that's a nice 10K truck. Very nice - but 15.5 is more than it's worth. You might take a careful look at it to develop a good understanding of the price and condition point. It will help you in your search and help you understand the next truck you see.

 

[JohnnyBighead]

To me, that's a nice 10K truck. Very nice - but 15.5 is more than it's worth. You might take a careful look at it to develop a good understanding of the price and condition point. It will help you in your search and help you understand the next truck you see.

Great advice! I really need to do some research to help educate my decisions. Right now I am trying to this blindly and I have no idea...

 

[CaptClose]

Nice truck... However, at that price, I would expect some extras that I don't see. New carpet and upholstery, custom bumpers, engine work, etc... I agree with the others and would offer closer to $10k

 

[klinetime574]

NADA Used Car Guide only puts a 1990 FJ62 at $12,050 Average Retail Price. I know we can't exactly trust these to evaluate our cruisers, but the tool is there, why not get a ballpark? Where is he drawing this $15,500 number from? The new BFG MTs? As a buyer I would leverage the seller with these numbers.

And I've really got a peeve for people that post vehicles for a high price and state "garage kept" and the interior is covered in dust. My 1984 that has been sitting outside for a few days is cleaner on the inside than that one.

I'm down in the 8-9k range unless the frame looks really good. 10k would be feasible if it had an OME lift.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

My take is that it doesn't really matter. Sure, it's maybe a bit overpriced, but that's the nature of it, and after owning it a few years, the extra $3000 paid for it won't seem like much, especially if you can avoid body work and paint. Face it, the days of the screaming deals are gone, unless until fuel spikes in price again and makes people think the sky is falling.

I don't think you can find a Land Cruiser owner who hasn't overpayed for one of them. But it evens out in the end. I paid too much for my 40 back in the day, and got my (far more useful) FJ62 for almost nothing. There's a ying and a yang here.

Anyway, if you, the OP, really like this vehicle, and you have the means, negotiate in good faith and buy it. You will undoubtedly have someone tell you you paid too much. Screw the naysayers. That's a low mile, non-rusty FJ62. There aren't many left in pristine shape, so you're going to have to pay more than you want to. Offer what you think it's worth, but if you really want it, you may need to give more.

 

[JohnnyBighead]

Thanks guys. This has been helpful.

I think I do probably want to go with a 62.

Help me out with this.

The two that I like are the one posted up top and then this one... Cars.com

Is there something about one of them that would make either a better choice? Is there a reason the lighter one could demand that much more $$$?

The grey one is $6,000 less and has 70,000 more miles.

 

[klinetime574]

Tough call. That Grey one is high on miles, but cleaned up well. The frame of the vehicle and usual rust spots are the things to investigate though. None of which can been seen from the photos. Usual rust spots being the rear wheel arches, rain gutters, tailgate, c-channel on rear frame on either side of spare tire.

And @Cruiserdrew I didn't overpay for mine. Daddy gave it to me LOL. Totally understand your reasoning though

 

[JohnnyBighead]

Tough call. That Grey one is high on miles, but cleaned up well. The frame of the vehicle and usual rust spots are the things to investigate though. None of which can been seen from the photos. Usual rust spots being the rear wheel arches, rain gutters, tailgate, c-channel on rear frame on either side of spare tire.

And @Cruiserdrew I didn't overpay for mine. Daddy gave it to me LOL. Totally understand your reasoning though

Thanks for that. I reached out to the TN chapter to see if anybody has been over to see it yet.

 

[onemanarmy]

I'd spend a month or so reading as much as you can about these trucks, browse the for sale section religiously , and read all the 100 other 'how much is this Land Cruiser worth' threads.

but it really comes down to your budget, so so one really knows. Plus the market is inflated (due to the mob mentality) with lots of people jumping in, buyers and sellers.

 

[TMW]

That is a nice rig, but even assuming it checks out fine after a detailed inspection by a mechanic who knows LC's, $15.5k is up there. Nice that it has new brakes and tires, but it will need a new suspension and likely a few grand (at least) of near term deferred maintenance items depending on whether or not the owner has been on top of things. If you just started your search, I would definitely not be in a rush to buy the first thing that comes along, and also keep FJ60's on your radar too (IMHO, I strongly prefer 60's for the 4 speed manual, but I do next to no highway driving). The market is kind of weird right now, with a disconnect between what many sellers think their rigs are worth and what they are actually selling for…..lots of mid to high teens trucks out there that you see listed for months on end. If you are really interested and don't think anything better is likely to come along in the next little while, it doesn't hurt to offer him $11k or $12k and see if he gets back to you..... that is by no means a low ball offer and I doubt he will have any takers at $15.5k and he probably isn't expecting to get that for it.

 

[onemanarmy]

a year ago, a buddy bought a PRISTINE 62, no problems/leaks/anything what so ever. 3 inch Old Man emu lift, 33 inch BFG MTs, front ARB with winch, full length ARB roofrack, 4x4 labs rear bumper with dual swingout , genuine Toyota sliding rear windows, 5 speed H55 swap, full dynomat, fresh full factory color paint job, and numerous other goodies. Tuffy center console, all 3 rear cargo organizers, and the list goes on.

paid 12k. He got a steal. Had cash in hand.

Keep watching, and have the money ready.

No way would I pay 15k for a 99% stock 62.

 

[MOCO62]

why not make an offer while factoring in that you might invest another $3-4K to baseline it. difficult to imagine a CL ad w/ this description where the price is not negotiable. negotiation is expected!

 

[Bravefriend]

I will have this one available shortly.