Should I sell my 95 FZJ80 for a 16 4Runner TRD Pro (1 Viewer)

[FJBen]

I've owned and sold 5 80 series, from stock to pretty modded. All but 1 I regret selling, especially now. The price on 80's is going to keep climbing. A Tacoma or 4 runner is just going to keep declining. If you love the 80, don't sell.


Now for something different...
That said, if you are thinking towing...why not a tundra? 2005-2006 A V8 2UZ, while not being a tow monster but easily fill your needs, will literally tow circles around an 80 series. You can get these cheap, the engines run forever. You need more space? A nice topper in the back gets you much more "inside" room than an 80 and space for dogs, gear anything. You can get a small lift, and go plenty of places off-road. More room than a Tacoma inside and out and more power to tow.
Still gives you a pickup for when you need to do pickup things. They aren't as big/bulky as the newer tundra's (or as nice) nor do they have the towing power of that, but they are a nice solid rig.

 

[BILT4ME]

I skipped most the other posts, full honesty.

A clean 3x Locked (white being esp popular for UV issues in the SW) - would command a premium.

Adding a @NLXTACY turbo / -would only add intrinsic value & use for you, but be a game-changer.

Esp if you sold that 80 down the road.

Any newer Toyota motor is built to minimums (love my 5.7 Tundra, but I’d never force the manifold w/o better con-rods).

A big chunk of why TRD quit doing the 5.7/3UR S/C kit.
A stock 3UR blttom end isn’t meant to take boost - not lie the 4.5/1FZ motor.

A forklift motor -1FZ- attached to a mini-bus trans - can take a lot of boost.

IDK what tou’re towing, but a boosted 1FZ -80 (FZJ80) - based on towing just needs brake upgrades.

Once you boost - then it’s just better brakes. Done deal.

_—————————————

So from a pure financial / ledger / depreciation aspect -
—— Keep the 80, add Joey’s turbo & work the brakes.


——Side tangent alot of people forget - you pay sales tax on a vehicle change.
—— That can be a little or a ton of scratch/$$$$$

——————————————

-A multi-millionaire taught me young - “ There’s no such thing as a good car deal “ - factor all the costs aside from a hulk/disabled - muscle-car body, this is 100% right.

Heck - he drives the same ~’72 GMC he bought new, had repainted twice now & new motor / fresh trans - he‘s easily over $10mm now, was some $7mm a decade back when we were talking daily.

Quit paying tax on newer vehicles - it add$ up, bigtime!!!!

The sales tax thing is very real.

One of the guys I have worked with for 25 years has spent almost $60,000 in sales tax alone over the years because of how he buys and cycles through cars. Most of those cars are Pontiac GTO's, Impala SS, Ford Lightning, and his one beater, a Ford POS car for winter and gas mileage. He drives 40 miles one way to work every day, so he wears out tires on performance cars in one year.

So don't forget about the change-over costs.

Insurance may or may not be more. My 96 LC is the most expensively insured car I own. But my newest car is still 11 years old.

 

[Tachycardic]

Just wondering...why does it cost so much to insure 80s?I was shocked to see that it costs nearly the same to insure my 94 compared to an 08 GTI. And I drive a lot more aggressively in the GTI!

 

[vegasfj40]

You should get what you think is best. I love my cruiser, but it fits in well with my uses. Your use case is different. You don't wheel yours, you tow with yours, you probably drive yours mostly on the pavement. I don't those are a great fit for an 80 series. I know nothing about they other rigs mentioned but have two FZJ80s and have owned cruisers for 30+ years. If it were me, I'd be getting something else.

Well actually I do use it off road. That's really the only time I do use it. I don't rock crawl but I do drive BLM and forest service roads. It's not my daily driver. But the type of off roading I do the runner would be fine. I tow with my 14 Tacoma. It tows our little trailer great and also is fine off road. Just a little cramped on interior space.

 

[vegasfj40]

I'll weigh in since I have both a T4R Pro and an 80, and I grew up on Taco's and an FJC.

I bought my wife her 18 TRD Pro because she fell in love with it's color, and a T4R was always what she wanted as a Mom car. If it weren't for the Cavalry Blue, I would have just snagged a CPO Off-road, but their colors are so...meh. We see one like ours once in a blue moon. Aside from that, having a T4R is a worry free off-road vehicle experience. The 1GR-FE is old, it isn't terribly fuel efficient, it doesn't make amazing power. But it just works. Always. Like everything else on the thing...same story for my 09 and 14 Taco's. I drove the piss out of my FJ through the Sierra's and up and down the west coast trails, all I did was change the fluids as prescribed and replace a blown A/C fuse.

But like everyone has said, it will not have the character of your 80. I enjoy my 80 more than my T4R, and I think the 80 is a striking, iconic vehicle. But it is a pain in my ass and I often wonder if I have the time to fix/maintain it, as it is a 30 year old, not amazingly kept, slightly falling apart, truck. Yours may be different.

TLDR, the T4R Pro is an amazing, worry free, rig, and very capable even in stock form. You won't regret buying it, you might regret selling your 80. Don't convince yourself to buy a 200 because it seems to fit the wickets better, the most important wicket is if you turn around and oogle at it every time you walk away because you like it from every angle.

Thanks for your insight! I would have a really hard time selling the 80. For all the reasons you stated.

 

[BILT4ME]

Just wondering...why does it cost so much to insure 80s?I was shocked to see that it costs nearly the same to insure my 94 compared to an 08 GTI. And I drive a lot more aggressively in the GTI!

Because of the limited parts availability. They are based on Toyota NEW parts and those are not nearly as available. Take headlights as an example. There are no more new glass headlights for the 80. So with only 10,000 units/year (roughly) imported during each year of the production, total number of available units is diminishing each year with accidents, rollovers, etc.

This is why it's important to "rescue" the dead ones from the fields and back woods and soccer moms so we can all feed from the dead to stay alive.

Yes, my 96 LC is almost twice as mush to insure as my 09 Chrysler T&C. My LC gets WAY more miles per year so my exposure is higher and it has a lots less available factory parts.

Contrary to that, my Studebaker insurance is the least of all my vehicles because nobody wants them and their value is low. There is no such thing as new parts, just new paint.

 

[vegasfj40]

Hey everyone. So we just got back from the dealer to have another look at the 4Runner and decided to pass! We are going to keep the 80 and our Tacoma. Our 80 is not a daily driver. Its a pleasure/offroad rig. The Tacoma is short on interior space but is OK for our needs and tows our Casita trailer great. It doesn't wheel as good as the 80 but its sufficient for our camping/off road trips. Thanks again for all of the comments and suggestions! A 16 and up 200 might be in our future but for now our Taco is fine.

 

[vegasfj40]

The idea of condensing 2 trucks for 1 sounds good from a practical standpoint but who wants to be practical! I just cant bring myself to sell our 80. Its been a great off road exploring rig for us and its in such good condition that I know I would never be able to replace it. I've done a lot of maintenance and upgrades the last few years as well.

 

[Azca]

Good for you, you would hate yourself for selling the 80.

 

[crx7]

So, I have a 97 FZJ80, now triple locked, and I tow a loaded Casita trailer, two kids, canoe on top, loaded with all the kid and outdoor stuff, all over western Colorado. It's not a speed demon, but it gets the job done. On the really long steep sections like Red Mountain pass between Silverton and Ouray it got hot and I had to pull it over. However, I've recently put in an Aluminum radiator, blue fan clutch, and all new hoses in.

Thus, I'm in the exact same boat and would never trade for an IFS. I actually had an IFS 1GR-FE Second Gen Tacoma before I traded it for the FZJ80. The newer Tacoma got better mileage, had more power, and I don't want it back. It was uninspiring and not even in the same class off road.

Don't get me wrong, I'm going to V8 swap this when I have the money, or the tranny or the head gasket pops, but I would never trade it for a 4runner.

Oh, and I almost forgot, I towed a hair over 5000 lbs between Eagle and Grand Junction on the Interstate. Uhaul double axle trailer with a BMW M3 loaded on top. It did great, no issues. Oh, and I do have airbags in the rear springs.

 

[Brc4ever]

Glad you’re keeping it! Just thought I’d add some thoughts...I used to tow all the time with my 07 Tundra, which was a beast with airbag helpers. when I sold it and got the 80 (has 33s), even towing light trailers was painful.

4.56 Nitros solved the problem for me. It’s not fast by any means, but it’s more than acceptable for light/medium duty towing and hilly driving. Re-gearing made the trans ratios make more sense.

(fair warning, though, I like slow cars...having owned a few old mercedes diesels, and currently also owning a 91 yota pickup)

 

[vegasfj40]

So, I have a 97 FZJ80, now triple locked, and I tow a loaded Casita trailer, two kids, canoe on top, loaded with all the kid and outdoor stuff, all over western Colorado. It's not a speed demon, but it gets the job done. On the really long steep sections like Red Mountain pass between Silverton and Ouray it got hot and I had to pull it over. However, I've recently put in an Aluminum radiator, blue fan clutch, and all new hoses in.

Thus, I'm in the exact same boat and would never trade for an IFS. I actually had an IFS 1GR-FE Second Gen Tacoma before I traded it for the FZJ80. The newer Tacoma got better mileage, had more power, and I don't want it back. It was uninspiring and not even in the same class off road.

Don't get me wrong, I'm going to V8 swap this when I have the money, or the tranny or the head gasket pops, but I would never trade it for a 4runner.

Oh, and I almost forgot, I towed a hair over 5000 lbs between Eagle and Grand Junction on the Interstate. Uhaul double axle trailer with a BMW M3 loaded on top. It did great, no issues. Oh, and I do have airbags in the rear springs.

Wow! That's sounds crazy to me! I think maybe I'll hook up the Casita to the 80 and see how she does. We really don't load the trailer heavy. I think it would be fine on the flats or slight inclines but geez climbing hills would be scary! It struggles without a trailer . Would also have to hook up a trailer brake controller. What type of controller do you have?

 

[vegasfj40]

Glad you’re keeping it! Just thought I’d add some thoughts...I used to tow all the time with my 07 Tundra, which was a beast with airbag helpers. when I sold it and got the 80 (has 33s), even towing light trailers was painful.

4.56 Nitros solved the problem for me. It’s not fast by any means, but it’s more than acceptable for light/medium duty towing and hilly driving. Re-gearing made the trans ratios make more sense.

(fair warning, though, I like slow cars...having owned a few old mercedes diesels, and currently also owning a 91 yota pickup)

I've been thinking about doing 4.56s actually. That's got to make a difference with drivability. Did you have to change the speedo gear to correct the speedometer?

 

[vegasfj40]

@crx7. What size tires are you running? I'm on 285 BFG AT and I definitely notice the power loss on the highway when climbing hills. I guess a regear is in my future.

 

[Brc4ever]

I've been thinking about doing 4.56s actually. That's got to make a difference with drivability. Did you have to change the speedo gear to correct the speedometer?

It made a huge difference everywhere. Around town, highway and towing. Yeah, it screws up the speedo, but I didn’t correct it.

Since I wanted to keep an eye on water temps” anyway, I just have a ScanGauge II mounted in the truck, with the % corrected MPH displayed alongside.

 

[Brc4ever]

It made a huge difference everywhere. Around town, highway and towing. Yeah, it screws up the speedo, but I didn’t correct it.

Since I wanted to keep an eye on water temps” anyway, I just have a ScanGauge II mounted in the truck, with the % corrected MPH displayed alongside.

btw, if you’re in san Diego anytime, you’re welcome to take my 80 for a spin.

 

[vegasfj40]

btw, if you’re in san Diego anytime, you’re welcome to take my 80 for a spin.

I might have to take you up on that! I'm in San Diego usually once a year or so. My mother's family is from there and where I was born. Still have family there. Used to live in Santee and El Cajon!

 

[Brc4ever]

I might have to take you up on that! I'm in San Diego usually once a year or so. My mother's family is from there and where I was born. Still have family there. Used to live in Santee and El Cajon!

Hit me up! I live in point loma

Arnold

 

[1911garand]

...good choice keeping the 80.

.....and besides, you'd look horrible in a man bun, beard oil smells, and most craft beer tastes like a$$.

Keep calm and carry on - Have an excellent Independence Day!

 

[GT3510]

Good choice....I have a 2016 4runner Trd Pro and a 1997 80. I don't think I've started the 4runner in 3 weeks.