Thinking of buying an FJ60

[jherre1]

Hello all...

I am a newbie here, and this is my first post.

I grew up driving an '84 FJ60 in the 90's back home in Panama, and I loved that truck.

I have the opportunity to buy an '87 FJ60 in the carolinas. It looks immaculate (inside an out). No rust, all original (no too crazy about the vinyl seats though), however it has 250,000 miles on it. The owner says that the price is non-negotiable at $6,500.

One owner, from day one. He has all manuals and service records. It's very obvious that he has taken good care of her.

If I decide, I would fly down from NY and drive it back.

Here are a few pics.

What do you guys think on price? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[klinetime574]

I'm just gonna post some thoughts from the three pictures you posted.

-The locking hubs are not original color.

-It has no mudflaps.

-The front carpet looks like it has been replaced.

-The plastic around the gauges has faded. (Texas sun on my FJ60 since 1984 and it looks new)

-Engine bay is crazy clean. Almost looks detailed.

-Shifter is missing the shift pattern piece.

Your feelings towards it when you drive it and look at it in person are what counts. That is why you are asking our opinion I bet. Being far away from it is tricky. Hopefully posting here helps

And about the price. It seems reasonable. No way to know until you see it though.

Welcome to MUD <---- Official IH8MUD Welcome!

 

[Finnyfam60]

Some thoughts here as well:

- hard to tell from low res pic, but looks like it could have a full floating rear, or at least been repainted shiny black

- trim surrounding the a/c controls is cracked (to me that means its prob been removed for work)

All in all it looks very clean/nice. (engine bay definitely was cleaned for photos)

Ask the guy for about 100 more hi-res pics of everything, and even better, ask a local murder to go look/inspect on your behalf!

- cheers and welcome!!

 

[Ridge Runner]

I wouldn't, but only because I've seen several nice, modified Land Cruisers for $6500 or thereabouts. That's a lot of money for a 250,000 mile, 25-year-old truck. If I were planning on spending that much money on a Land Cruiser (and I did/am), I'd buy a relatively cheap but good truck and spend the remainder bringing it up to spec and modifying it to suit my needs. That, or buy an 80 or 100 series. I *love* my 60, but I would probably take a nice, newer model over it. At least stock vs. stock.

 

[klinetime574]

The miles are high but if it was driven well it won't matter.

Axle is not a full floater (although I could be wrong. Seems like that would be mentioned). On later FJ60's and FJ62's they have darker center caps in the rear than the early FJ60.

x2 on the trim being cracked. Show me one that isn't! Been threads about that haha

 

[gregnash]

Agree with Kline...
- The engine bay looks too clean. There is a chance that he was anal-retentive and pressure washed it on a regular basis but that makes me a bit wary.
- Interior is definitely not original. Carpets have been replaced as well as shifter boots
- All hoses in the engine bay are shiny. Almost looks as though they are brand new?
- Super high mileage for such a clean vehicle?!

But alas, the truck does look great. You obviously have a small lift on it already, tires look brand new, paint and body look to be in excellent condition (almost looks as though it was repainted within the last few years), glass is all intact with all chrome strips. See if you can find someone in one of the local clubhouses to pay the rig a visit for you before you make the trip.

 

[CruiserHappy]

For 250,000 miles, that clutch petal looks way to good, almost no wear. Could just be a bad pic.

 

[klinetime574]

Agree with Kline...
- The engine bay looks too clean. There is a chance that he was anal-retentive and pressure washed it on a regular basis but that makes me a bit wary.
- Interior is definitely not original. Carpets have been replaced as well as shifter boots

Could just be armor-all on those boots

- All hoses in the engine bay are shiny. Almost looks as though they are brand new?

Even new hoses aren't that shiny. I've replaced enough to know! It has been detailed or something. Only explanation.

But alas, the truck does look great. You obviously have a small lift on it already, tires look brand new, paint and body look to be in excellent condition (almost looks as though it was repainted within the last few years), glass is all intact with all chrome strips. See if you can find someone in one of the local clubhouses to pay the rig a visit for you before you make the trip.

Agree here too. Definitely some sort of lift.

For 250,000 miles, that clutch petal looks way to good, almost no wear. Could just be a bad pic.

New pedal covers are $10. If the owner replaced the carpet odds are $10 wouldn't be an issue.

 

[gregnash]

One owner, from day one. He has all manuals and service records. It's very obvious that he has taken good care of her.

So this is kinda a big deal here and could jump the price up too. One owner, and if he has a binder full of all the service records, parts replacements/purchase, recall items/work, etc. then this shows that he has taken VERY good care of the car. For the asking price of $6500, I don't know I would have to drive it a bit, crawl under and check everything and see if anything looks out of place.

I think we have all come to the conclusion that it was definitely "detailed" for the sale and looks way to clean to be anything other than garage kept and never wheeled or taken off-road.

New price on the, what looks like, 2" lift would run you about $1100 minimum for just the kit, probably another couple hundred AT LEAST for professional installation. Tires look almost brand new but are no longer made by Michelin so that makes me wonder how long they have been on the car?

Really it comes down to your personal preference. For me, I have been looking for close to two years, with really HARD looking since Nov of last year. I was able to find a great cruiser 10hrs away from me for a steal ($1500) but needs some work and has lived in the salt belt its entire life. Check my thread to see what I am talking about, they are out there, you just have to make a few compromises and/or patience for the right one. I almost bit the bullet on a cruiser that was an hour away but had 256k+ on it, body damage and the owner would not let me get it to a mechanic to test the compression and leakdown. Oh and did I mention he wouldn't go any lower than $2k for it?!

Time is your best friend if you are really wanting one.

 

[MBcruiser]

Clean looking truck but it would be hard to buy without driving it. I just bought one last week, was posted here on the classified's, very clean with a few rust issues and several modifications. The most important decision to me is how the truck drove. The rest can be fixed as and when needed. Good luck!

 

[jherre1]

Guys. Thanks a lot for all the help. I do have like 10 more pics, but can't post them all for some reason. I'm new to the forum, so have to figure a few things out.

When I figure out how to post more pics, I will.

A buddy of mine suggested the compression test also, and I'm looking for a local mechanic to take a look at it.

He did say that he kept it garage stored, so meaning towards the suggestion that he is a bit anal about this truck.

However some of you posted some good points like mud flaps and the interior.

You obviously have more experience than me on this and I appreciate the feedback.

I will keep the group updated.

 

[gregnash]

Guys. Thanks a lot for all the help. I do have like 10 more pics, but can't post them all for some reason. I'm new to the forum, so have to figure a few things out.

When I figure out how to post more pics, I will.

A buddy of mine suggested the compression test also, and I'm looking for a local mechanic to take a look at it.

He did say that he kept it garage stored, so meaning towards the suggestion that he is a bit anal about this truck.

However some of you posted some good points like mud flaps and the interior.

You obviously have more experience than me on this and I appreciate the feedback.

I will keep the group updated.

Post them on something like Imgur or Flickr (stay away from photobucket - hate that site and very virus filled).

Then post the link here! We all love pictures!

 

[djawahir]

Where's it at? If it's in San Diego, I'd go take a look for you. But, for that price? I'd buy it. If a guy takes the time to have the entire truck detailed, he's probably pretty particular about maintenance...That's my $.02.

 

[gregnash]

Where's it at? If it's in San Diego, I'd go take a look for you. But, for that price? I'd buy it. If a guy takes the time to have the entire truck detailed, he's probably pretty particular about maintenance...That's my $.02.

Not in California, in the Carolina's (opposite coast)!

 

[jherre1]

Good call on the photo sharing sites.

I posted them on google docs. The link is here.

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B_W74PPTAjEHS0lWZnk3Zi1NNkk/edit

Take a look and tell me what you think.

 

[stocksail]

personally, if it really was kept in good shape and not just lipsticked for the sale, I would buy it.

there is no substitute for constant care of a vehicle over its life, and is worth more money to me in a sale than gears or a lift or rims etc. I can buy those anywhere, I can't go back and take care of the truck.

 

[klinetime574]

Definitely a very clean truck. If it is in good shape mechanically it is probably worth the money IMHO

Ask about the front axle though. Don't know why that whole locking hub assembly would be spray painted like that. Either it had work done to it or the owner painted it

gregnash said those tires aren't made anymore. Figure out how old those are, miles, etc. just to be safe.

Best option would be to have a IH8MUD person check it out. Just to be safe. That isn't always possible though so we understand your concerns about it.

 

[jherre1]

Best option would be to have a IH8MUD person check it out. Just to be safe. That isn't always possible though so we understand your concerns about it.

Thanks for the help. The truck is in Myrtle Beach SC. How can I find someone in IH8MUD to go check it out?

 

[klinetime574]

Thanks for the help. The truck is in Myrtle Beach SC. How can I find someone in IH8MUD to go check it out?

Go to the top of the page. Click "Clubhouse" Find the east region. Find the club closest to you. Post a thread and ask. I don't know SC at all otherwise I would link you to something! HTH

 

[gregnash]

Good call on the photo sharing sites.

I posted them on google docs. The link is here.

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B_W74PPTAjEHS0lWZnk3Zi1NNkk/edit

Take a look and tell me what you think.

Ok so it DEFINITELY has been "spruced up" for the sale. You can tell by the HUGE amounts of Armour All and Vinyl polish/cleaner that has been put over everything. While that is not necessarily a bad thing it was seriously over detailed for my liking which makes me thing that they are covering something up.

Wonder what is with the HUGE pad in the cargo area? Also, vinyl throughout? Why was that done? Truly, the truck looks to be in great condition for the age and if he does have a meticulous binder of records then that would lend to what stocksail said. I would definitely get in contact and have a "Mud" check done on it before you do anything else. At that price and with those items giving the "hmmm" factor I would proceed cautiously. Chances are there is nothing wrong with it but then again you could get her home only to find out that she has bad rings, multiple vacuum leaks, or needs a full engine rebuild.