This may be FOOLISH!

[j-dub]

so i'm a rookie here and a rookie in the world of owning a LC. in fact, i don't even own one yet, but in 72 short hours i am getting on a plane to tornado alley to pick up an 87 fj60 that i am purchasing site unseen. the photos are sweet. the guy seems honest enough. i mean heck this site is where he was advertising the thing. he says it's got 15K on rebuilt. i suppose i could always suck it up, lose my $500 earnest payment and fly home with my tail between my legs if it doesn't turn out to be what i thought. damn i hope i'm not making a mistake! how do i know if this thing is right? how do i know if it'll even get me home? there must be a wise sage reading this that can give me some sound advice. please?

 

[bad_religion_au]

if it has the right fluids in the right places, and it starts... it should get you home.

site unseen is a risk, but life is full of risks.

 

[lovetoski]

I'm not a wise sage, but I have two cruisers. Bought my 60 first. Was looking for one, saw it at a used car lot, drove it and bought it. Figured out later that it was kinda worn, but have mostly fixed it after 4 years. Used as a DD, only failed me once.

Best advice from me is this:
No rust.
Good price.
Do the best you can to determine if any major issues.
Don't look back.
Be happy.

 

[j-dub]

thanks for the advice guys. i'm usually super anal with my purchases. after seeing the photos of this 60 i kinda tossed my reservations out the window and just went for it. what should i look for under the hood/truck to warn me of a raw deal?

 

[Cookiemonsterette]

I wouldn't worry to much about the "unseen". I've seen guys turn absolute HEAPS into the most awesome rigs. Just a suggestion though...if the price negotiation hasn't happened yet, let the OTHER GUY be the first to name a price. You're more likely to get a good price if you haggle down from his price rather than yours.

 

[azaussie]

thanks for the advice guys. i'm usually super anal with my purchases. after seeing the photos of this 60 i kinda tossed my reservations out the window and just went for it. what should i look for under the hood/truck to warn me of a raw deal?

J-dub, I am doing the same thing in 72 hrs. Flying to Texas to purchase a 1988 FJ62 sight unseen. Lets hope we both chose wisely.

 

[j-dub]

yeah, i guess we're both going to own LC's. thats a good start. hope it goes well for you azaussie.

 

[DocB]

Bought an 82 V8J60 on Ebay several months ago; flew from Texas to Northern Cal and drove that baby home (an adventure in itself; driving an unknown vehicle down through LA, to Specter, picking up parts, driving all night through the desert, alone). It was actually better than advertised; since has been mildly built and I daily drive it. I have four cruisers, and the one bought sight unseen has been the best as far as a trouble free turn key just enjoy it rig. 87 should be a great year; ealily upgradable later to a 5 speed if you wish. You will probably feel like it is slow; the wagons just feel that way and it is normal.

 

[j-dub]

well DocB i hope my luck is as good as yours on this purchase. visited with the local 60 guru today and he told me the same thing you're saying: "don't push it to hard on the hi-way". gonna taker easy. don't have too many miles in the pilot seat of a 60.

 

[gulp3000]

It's a Cruiser! It will get you home.



If not....well, broke down in a Cruiser is way funner than broke down in about anything else. Throw in some metric wrenches, fluids, and a cell phone and hit the road. Don't worry about going from 65 to 50 on that long hill, it's normal

 

[j-dub]

my cruiser faith hasn't fully developed yet. i'm working on it.

 

[patride71]

bought mine sight unseen via ebay. not the best choice, there have been some bumps along the way, but its not a bad rig. i don't know if i yet have the faith in mine yet, and its been over a year. good luck with it. post up pics once you pick her up.

 

[gulp3000]

I bought mine locally for $2100, and when I test drove it I was surprised at how crappy it rode and the lack of power. Having only FJ40 experience, I just figured it was just a rough suspension like a 40 and the 206,000 mile 2F wasn't meant to pull the heavier rig around.

I bought it anyway. After a new set of plugs, wires, belts, vacuum lines, tires, and shocks, it was a completely different vehicle. Smooth, plenty of power for everything but towing or taking hwy hills at 70.

Since then I've added a lift, repainted her and done a hundred little fixes or upgrades. They respond great to a little care and maintenence. Took it to Nebraska (10 hours roundtrip), Trinidad, CO (8 hours roundtrip) and commuted to Denver (2 hrs rt) several times all in the last month without any worries.

Have a fun trip!

 

[j-dub]

thanks gulp. it's gonna be an adventure! i'm taking the digi cam with so i can photo journalize the trip. i'll post some stuff when i get back.

 

[Doc]

Here's an act of faith for you:

One year ago I drove 8 hrs to Chicago to purchase (sight unseen) TWO cruisers I found on e-bay. I was planning to tow one home on a flatbed using the other to pull it. The wifey drove the car home that took us to Chicago.

When I got there I found that the tires on the pull rig were nearly bald. THAT was a fun 12 hour drive back home. But you know what? It handled the job just fine, and got me home safely, these are good rigs, even a poorly maintained one is better than a lot of what is on the road today.

 

[Mike S]

No guts, no glory.

I've had my 60 for almost two years now. I've owned a 40, and a bunch of other trucks and cars. Rather drive the 60. It has taken me to a lot of remote and wonderful places, never failed to proceed.

M

PS: These 60s have a very high cool factor.

 

[cruzerfetish]

We got ours on ebay(1600.00), flew to NY from FL and drove it the 2000 miles back. It ean like sh&t the whole way. Sometimes would stall out (but always start back up), the suspension was shot as we were catching air over the bridge seams. I think the faster I drove the better it did. Made it all the way home.

You should have seen the plugs I pulled out of that thing, all rusted. THe air filter, completely cloggd and black. The cat converter falling off.

Plus a load of other crap that you wouldn't expect to find on a vehicle that just made a 200 mile nonstop journey.

After that, and a lot of fixes, I would be up for driving this thing anywhere. As has been said on this board before, how many vehicles do you know with 200,000+ miles on them that their owners will drive from South America to the US without blinking an eye. These rigs want to be immortal.

Just my .02

 

[lovetoski]

thanks for the advice guys. i'm usually super anal with my purchases. after seeing the photos of this 60 i kinda tossed my reservations out the window and just went for it. what should i look for under the hood/truck to warn me of a raw deal?

oil dirty oil in the engine
lots of blue/black oily smoke coming out of the tailpipe
rust on the frame

 

[VTCruiser]

Always expect the vehicle to be in worse shape than the pictures project. Negociate a price after you have inspected the truck have him name a price first.

 

[Pluton]

Take it for a looooong test drive, at least 2 hours...make sure it doesn't overheat on highway or in traffic, test the 4wd ON DIRT, etc. Any bad behavior, funny noises, or poor performance[keeping in mind that it's not a 'fast car'] can become negotiating points if necessary. Good luck!