Should I sell my 2016 Tacoma to buy a HDJ80/81 (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Aug 4, 2021
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Location
Pensacola, FL
Howdy,

Been doing research for a few months on diesel RHD imports. Mostly HDJ81. I've read a bunch of threads and talked to guys who daily drive theirs. Just trying to talk to as many folks as possible to gauge how reasonable of a strategy this is. I've wanted a diesel 80 for years but it'd need to be my daily, I move around a lot for work and having two cars would be a PITA. I keep getting close to pulling the trigger, I'll probably go through LC Direct as they've been consistently recommended. But, one question persists:

Is it crazy to sell my 5 year old modern vehicle with 100,000 miles for an imported 25-year-old one? Are these things as rock solid as they say? How often am I going to find it won't run when I'm starting it up to get to work? How long am I going to wait to get it on the road again when it does break? Generally I suppose my main concern is reliability/dependability and if that concept and owning a decades old diesel 80 is mutually exclusive or not.

I appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

-Connor
 
Are you ready to dump a bunch of money into it getting up to speed? Or work on it constantly when every little worn out thing creates a headache? You should look through @jmlockwood 's build thread somewhere in the first page or two on here (the ENTIRE thing, just scroll through and look at the pics), it will give you an example of what turning an older (but in good condition) 80 takes to get it up to the point where it will be worry free driving for years (granted, it's a pretty extreme case of a "refresh" (using that term loosely..., but it will be eye opening!).

If that doesn't intimidate you, then YES, get one as soon as you can.

edit: for clarity
 
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Trying to keep old trucks new/reliable is a challenge...easier done as a secondary vehicle vs a primary
 
I see you're 23. Don't take this the wrong way, but DDing an imported 25-year old vehicle is something is something only a 23 year old would think is a good idea :flipoff2:

Yes these are super solid vehicles, yes they last a long time, yes they are incredibly cool...no, they are not immune to age or (likely) abuse. It will always need something, and it will always take long stretches of time to get the part. Most people cannot hang on for weeks at a time with their DD down waiting for parts to show up. Keep driving your Tacoma.
 
A 80 series can be overhauled and turned into a reliable long term vehicle “relatively” cheaply, but it’ll take a fair amount of time and effort to get it there.

the advantage to buying an 80 is it’ll appreciate in value over time, whereas the Tacoma will depreciate.

that said, it’s probably just worth sticking with what you’ve got, there are far better investments. One day you’ll have the option to buy one as a second vehicle/weekender...
 
There are several wise responses from 3 significant Mud members, LC Direct would be the go to place for JDM LC’s.

Since you live in the East and there seems to be better support in West I would probably keep a cheap run around car nearby for when you are waiting on a part etc.!
 
They are awesome vehicles IF well maintained. If not, you need a plan B if you're daily driving them.

They'll also run a long time when neglected, but that neglect will catch up at some point.

Your question is an extremely open ended one.

Condition, mileage and past maintenance is always gonna be a factor.
Low mileage, known maintenance history, and good condition is gonna cost ya a penny or two.

A cheaper car is gonna be cheap because it's lacking in one of the three above.

How reliable are they? I've owned a 91 hdj81, it had some minor hiccups through lack of maintenance in the past, and a couple of major failures. I blew up the turbo and had to rebuild the engine. Then the injector pump took a dump.

I owned a HZJ105 Diesel. Similar to above. It had some issues due to lack of maintenance.
Had a cracked head and was out of action for some months while I fixed it. Didn't have spare dollars at the time.

I now have a 93 fzj80. It's had a few failures too. Starter and alternator being big ones that made me late for work. Also had to deal with a blown head gasket.
It need a lot of neglected maintenance caught up on. Paid $5k to purchase, have now probably spent that again on repairs and maintenance.


They are expensive vehicles to maintain if you need to pay a mechanic. Probably more so with a diesel in USA because they are a rare beast.

At 23, what's your mechanical capability? Got mad skills, or Muppet?
 
If it will be your only car, don't do it. Importing a car, you have to assume it's going to come with it's fair share of problems, regardless of condition. So you'll have downtime right off the bat. Then later on as you address things as they come up, you may find yourself waiting a week or two for this part or that in order to do repairs. Not suitable for a one-vehicle approach, plain and simple.

Get an old corolla for a backup and follow your dreams!
 
No
 
Thanks for all the replies folks, really appreciate the feedback. Figured it would make sense to get some insight from people who know a lot more about these machines than I do.

I figured a one-vehicle approach would probably be unrealistic. I'd probably get a motorcycle or something.

To answer @mudgudgeon directly, I'd say mad skills would certainly be a stretch but I'd hope I'm more than Muppet level. I do all my own maintenance currently but it's a Tacoma so there isn't much to do. I'd say I feel confident doing any number of jobs short of rebuilding the engine but it's possible that having studied engineering in school gives me a little too much confidence.

I hoped that spending around 25k USD would get me something turn key with relatively low miles and well maintained (with history to show it, of course). Would it? Then again, I'm new to the community so I could be digging myself into a deep hole, lol.
 
I have both a Tacoma and an HDJ81. I'm not sure I would trust the HDJ 100% as my only vehicle, even after I am done baselining.

This has been brought up before, but these are kind of a pay to play toy... If you do end up with a major breakdown or unforeseen maintenance issue with the truck, it will be down at least a few days for parts to be shipped in from overseas. Also depending on your area, you will probably have to do most of the work yourself as lots of dealers and mechanics will be spooked of a 30 year old truck with limited history in the US, and no modern diagnostics. Not to bash most modern mechanics, but these diesel trucks are a little more old school and they wont be able to just plug it into the computer. They might actually have to do some work.... I have had a lot of fun working on mine, but haven't done anything more crazy than the BEB's and the Knuckles. The Tacoma is harder to work on in my opinion.

I also had a hard time getting insurance to cover the HDJ. I ended up with an agreed upon value policy after talking to the right person, but they asked some questions like: is this your only vehicle, will it be garaged, how many miles do you plan to drive it each year? Just another thing to think about.

Hopefully, this won't push you away from a diesel. There is hopefully a few more years of good cruisers out there that can be imported. I would recommend saving as much as you can. Avoid any kind of impulse buy, and don't blow all your cash on the truck, remember there is always maintenance and a never ending list of mods....
 
I see you're 23. Don't take this the wrong way, but DDing an imported 25-year old vehicle is something is something only a 23 year old would think is a good idea :flipoff2:

Yes these are super solid vehicles, yes they last a long time, yes they are incredibly cool...no, they are not immune to age or (likely) abuse. It will always need something, and it will always take long stretches of time to get the part. Most people cannot hang on for weeks at a time with their DD down waiting for parts to show up. Keep driving your Tacoma.
I bought my HDJ81 when I was 20 years old and the truck was 20 years old - it's been my DD for the last 10 years. It can get annoying if issues do pop up, but they have been few and far between.

That said, I don't see myself daily driving it for the next 10 years.
 
@Astott is 24yrs old and driving an 81 all over the west this summer. He is astott_overland on instagram if you want to see how he uses his 81. He has had a couple repairs, that he has done himself.

We have had very nice HDJ81’s in our shop. One customer, all his needed was BEB and a knuckle job. It is one of the nicest 81’s we have ever seen and he paid under $20k for it.

I sold my 04 Taco back in 2011 and got into a v8 FJ60. I do not regret going to a Cruiser from the Taco.

Cheers
 
Your being in Florida, I would stick with the Tacoma. Maintenance free working air conditioning is a necessity. Get an older vehicle to work on when you get a place that can have two vehicles. I drove FJ60's when I was your age, but they were plentiful and cheap back then. I loved the coolness and challenge of daily driving the best vehicle ever made, but I still would have preferred a low maintenance Tacoma that got good MPG's. I just couldn't afford one back then. Good luck!
 
I think there is excellent advice from everyone above. You need to consider a lot before jumping into the older cruiser pool:
  • Many here DD their 80s but, it is becoming more and more impractical. Parts are being discontinued and may no longer available, from anyone. Used will be your only outlet at that point and, how long will the used part last?
  • Any part failure will cause downtime. For a new vehicle, this is usually minimal outside of a catastrophic failure. For an 80 series and earlier vehicle, it could take several days to a a couple of weeks to get a replacement part.
  • These are expensive to buy, own and maintain. In other words, a poor investment. (just like all cars but, more so with these)
  • You can't treat these like an investment and hope they will increase in value unless, you buy a pristine one and park it.
  • If you do buy one, don't DD it. Buy an newer vehicle that is easier and less costly to operate and maintain. The cost savings from not having to poor money into the cruiser will help pay for the DD.
  • Finally, look to the future. Put the money to good use/investments that will allow you purchase and fund more toys in the future. Being young, you will have a lot of time to plan what you really will want to do in the future. Besides, if you get married and have kids, there is a good possibility of the cruiser being sold. That will hurt.
I love mine, I will not sell it. Both my kids are fighting over who will get it when I can not longer use it. I used to DD drive it but have since added a new horse to the stable as DD. Many advantages in doing so. Best of all, I give the beast a significant time off every year and not beat it up doing things it really wasn't meant to do. My recommendation is to pass on this until you can really appreciate the vehicle and do not have to use it as primary transportation. IMO, you will regret it you buy it now and DD it. But, that is just my opinion.
 
I say go for it!

I daily drive mine often, and love it every time.

You're young. This is exactly the kind of thing you should be doing. You'll have plenty of years ahead for practical (boring) decision making.

Having a motorcycle as a back up is perfect!

Here's a photo of mine in the mining ghost town of Frisco, Utah. I shipped if from Philadelphia area to Central California, drove it to Colorado, wheeled for ten days, and drove it home. Not a single hiccup.

DO IT!


HDJ.png
 
Nothing more to add and as previously mentioned by others there is good practical advice that has been dropped here. Similar to @Douglas S I've been DDing my HDJ81 for over 10 years. In that time, there has only been three times it had an issue where I couldn't drive it...Starter went, batteries were too old and alternator went. From that perspective, I have never been concerned that my truck won't get me where I need to go each day.

However, I have considered changing it out for something else more recently just because there are always small things that either need to be done or that I would like to do to my HDJ81. I like to work on my own vehicles, but I'd also like to do other things for fun, so having a continual "to do list" is getting a bit tiresome. All the worse if you don't have a proper work space to fix things.
 
I hoped that spending around 25k USD would get me something turn key with relatively low miles and well maintained (with history to show it, of course). Would it? Then again, I'm new to the community so I could be digging myself into a deep hole, lol.

Based upon your previous comment about frequently moving I assume that you will not always have a garage to park this in or have a suitable place to do maintenance. Parking a vehicle of this value is going to be a risky proposition as it will be a target for thieves. If your going to be living g in an apartment complex the management isn't going to tolerate you doing repairs in the parking lot. As an example the first time a noob services the front axle it's going to take two or more days if you have all the necessary parts. If not you could be waiting a week for parts.
 

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