Thinking about a land-cruiser again...

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

M

masteryota

10 Year 15 Year 20 Year
Joined
Feb 2, 2005
Threads
14
Messages
110
Hi all, I used to own a bj70 (canadian *70)(now own a 4runner 2.4) with the 3b engine. I really liked that truck, I liked the way it looked, the way it drove, and how slow it was. I really did. Now I sold the truck because I had money problems back then, now I'm back on my feet! On my old Canadian '85 *70 there was rust, of course, and the engine had some K's on it, around 300 000km. Now that's not too bad, but I want a truck that I can throw money at, something that will last me well over 5 years, something I can build to be a great, adventure/excursion vehicle.
I was thinking about importing a land-cruiser, I've seen some of various importer's website. I'm thinking about going with the 80 series cruiser.
As I might have kids one day, and I like the space they offer, and the coil suspension. I like the idea of a diesel truck, as I liked my old diesel engine very much for the pull up strenght it offered.
Now to the questions :
What are the engines available on the 80 series and what specs are they?
How hard are the parts to get in Canada? Can my local toyota dealer provide me with everything I need?
How safe are they for children?

Thank you very much.

Matt
 
Only 2 diesels in an early 80 series and thats a 1HZ and 1HD T

Well they are safe as houses for children but why worry when you dont have any.
Biggest factor in road safety is how you drive;)
 
Parts in Canada has been easy for me thus far.

Things I have gotten:
Oil/Fuel filters
Rear pads
Starter - new

Tubro - rebuilt

What importer are you looking at buying from?

Cheers,
Nick
 
I don't know yet with wich importer I'll be going with. I know some on this board have good recommendation. But I'd like to have a cheaper one, does'nt matter to me if there's only 30 000km on it. even 150 000km, as long as the body is clean and the engine is good. I mean, look at my old bj70 with around 300 000, no worries there for me.
Where did you get your parts? Toyota dealership?
What are the specs of the 1HZ and 1HD T ?
One is gas and the other diesel?

Thanks for your help!

Matt
 
masteryota said:
What are the specs of the 1HZ and 1HD T ?
One is gas and the other diesel?

Thanks for your help!

Matt
Click to expand...

Nope ,the 1HZ is a non turbo 134hp 6 cyl and the 1HD T is the turbo version of about 170hp?
Both are 4.2 ltr 6 cyl with ohc
The gasser is a 1FZFE
 
roscoFJ73 said:
Nope ,the 1HZ is a non turbo 134hp 6 cyl and the 1HD T is the turbo version of about 170hp?
Both are 4.2 ltr 6 cyl with ohc
The gasser is a 1FZFE
Click to expand...

in fact you are interested in gasser or diesel engine ..

You can found 80 series with 3F ( slooooooow ) or 1FZ ( carburated ) but Diesel are way to go .. :D
 
I wouldn't look at anything but a diesel with an 80 because of fuel consumption issues with the gas engine. As for importers, unless you are lucky, you will actually come out ahead dealing with a reputable importer because they take care of a whole bunch of expensive service BEFORE you buy. In fact on some of the trucks they sell, they are not making much if any money. I don't personally know any of these importers and I don't have some hidden connection, but my experience has been that servicing these trucks is not cheap and any work you have done after the fact is usually more expensive than you think it will be.

Therefore, I'd suggest taking a very close look at an outfit like Outback or Rising Sun (I think Sun may not be selling right now - has to get himself licenced as a dealer?). As I said, although you might be able to buy an 80 for a few grand less from a private importer, it will NOT (most of the time, if not all) be the same as one from a place like Outback. I ended up buying from Penticton Toyota. I have a really mint 81 but have done a LOT of after purchase work on it. Do I regret it? No, not at all, but be aware that once you get into these trucks, by the time you set up your suspension, stereo, have the driveline serviced, and take care off all the little things, you will be into it a whole lot more than you thought you'd be. There are some horror stories of people getting a "great deal" and finding out you have major engine or tranny problems, and possibly rust, though that's not a big deal with an 80. Also, if you buy higher mileage vehicles, you may be into a BEB problem that has not been addressed. This can constitute a VERY expensive repair. Caveat emptor.
 
I tend to orient myself towards the West Coast suppliers as I live there. But Luxury is an excellent outfit and I have yet to hear anything negative about them. Same with Outback. I'd be very, very cautious about importing on your own. There are many, many hidden costs. Apparently the Japanese end of things has changed considerably, with "your word is your bond" not necessarily applying like it used to. So, unless you fly there and see for yourself, or have someone there you trust, or are dealing with someone you specifically know is trustworthy, you take a huge risk going that route. And as I said you don't save all that much money, after taking everything into consideration. I know there are some reputable "curbers" but again, there is more to consider here. Like for example resale. If you buy from a big well known importer and decide to unload, I think you will get further going that route.
 
As a followup to my own note above, another friend of mine who purchased an HJ61, sold that and then picked up an HDJ81, has a cousin who actually lives in Japan. After the cousin attended a bunch of auctions and car sale businesses in Japan, they decided not to bother having him buy one for them in Japan, and just got one here. So from that one piece of anecdotal evidence, the resellers here provide a lot of value. They were sure they were going to import themselves until they looked into it at length.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom