Thought on pricing for this Specimen? (1 Viewer)

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Agree with @ZackR - If you're down to spend that much and aren't rushed you should take a little time to think outside the box.

The classifieds here are a great start

forum.ih8mud.com

FJ80 | FZJ80 | LX450 | HDJ81

Classifieds : Toyota FJ80 / FZJ80 / HDJ80 Land Cruiser / Lexus LX-450
forum.ih8mud.com forum.ih8mud.com

You can find lots of well maintained cruisers on here. At that price point I'd personally go for:
a) a well documented, maintained rig here, even if it isn't the lowest mileage

$23K: For Sale - CA - 1997 FZJ80 40th Anniversary - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ca-1997-fzj80-40th-anniversary.1321939/
$18.5K: For Sale - 1997 LX450 FJ80 Llano TX - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/1997-lx450-fj80-llano-tx.1326016/

b) a Bring a Trailer cruiser - there's enough of an active crew of commenters over there that can help you decide if the truck is a good deal, or rusty, or sketchy whatever. There are some ultra clean ones that come through there for 25-30K. Just be wary of fees

bringatrailer.com

No Reserve: 1997 Lexus LX450

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1997 Lexus LX450 at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #127,507.
bringatrailer.com bringatrailer.com
bringatrailer.com

No Reserve: 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser FZJ80

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser FZJ80 at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #127,771.
bringatrailer.com bringatrailer.com
- in the comments on this one, people are warning about the radiator

c) imported Japanese diesel cruisers with the understanding that in exchange for lower miles and a legendary engine you might have to do a lot of baselining. This one is cool, with a 5 speed.

forum.ih8mud.com

For Sale - 5spd 1992 HDJ81

Im posting my 1992 HDJ81 for sale. It currently sits around 203,000km and runs great with no blowby. In my ownership the maintenance items/mods below have been done Front knuckle rebuild New CCT Stage 1 turbo New OEM hoses Timing Belt BEBs Valve cover gasket Water pump Glow plugs Fire...
forum.ih8mud.com forum.ih8mud.com

*EDIT I just noticed you're in CA, you probably can't buy a diesel, my bad

d) spend about 15K on a decent cruiser (with no rust of course) and plan on dumping another 10-15K in from valve cover gaskets to coolant hoses to bushings to tires to suspension etc etc even if it's low mileage. That stuff just wears out

Here's one local to me - probably rusty if it's a UT car unfortunately
cars.ksl.com

Lexus LX | $16,995 | Ogden, UT | KSL Cars

1996 Lexus LX for sale in Ogden, UT on KSL cars. View Lexus LX and other new and used cars, trucks, and SUV’s for sale.
cars.ksl.com
 
As already mentioned, excessive orange peal on rear hatch, rims and center caps have been repainted, no undercarriage photos, no lockers, bad radiator (I was thinking aftermarket given the color), no roof rack which is a plus unless it originally had one and was poorly removed, patched, and repainted, etc.

I think it's about 2x high but in person it could be more or less.
 
$15 maybe.

Hell no to $28.
 
Did the newer models have pleated fabric (above the door handle) door cards from factory? Mine from 91 and 95 models aren't pleated.
Pictures from the OP ad are pleated
 
Its a ONE OWNER, stock and original 1996 80 series with 122k miles and basically no rust. (The hitches always rust before the rest of the undercarriage and that was a Washington state truck, so I can almost picture exactly what the underside of that truck looks like without even seeing it.)

What any of US would pay for that truck is irrelevant. What the market will bear is the question. I guarantee that truck will bring low 20s at the very least. I personally hate the color, so I wouldn't want it to begin with, and no lockers, but everyone loves the mileage, plus no roof rack and originality. 96-97 are the best years.

Assuming the head gasket isn't blown and its not burning oil, maintenance history doesn't even matter in my opinion. Radiators are a few hundred bucks. Ive seen brown ones like that go for 100k miles.
 
ZackR said:
The used car scene from 82nd ave in Portland is definitely not a place I'd be shopping for a cruiser (or any vehicle for that matter). It's a row of buy here pay here shady dealers. I bet there's an area just like it in LA somewhere.
Click to expand...

This philosophy makes no sense. Its all about the car. You do your due diligence and you check it out and a good car is a good car no matter who is selling it, or where it is, or if the guy selling it is a nazi or an alien or whatever. You never know where you will find a good car. You are just as likely to find an even better deal on a cream puff from one of these shady places because they dont even know what they have.
 
Irish Reiver said:
For that sort of money I would to see receipts for replacement OEM suspension components (bushings, shocks etc), cooling system components (hoses, radiator etc) Ignition system components (HT leads, plugs, vacuum lines, intake tube, egr etc.). I would also want a full service history showing every oil change and it better not leak or burn a drop.
Click to expand...
Id be willing to bet none of that's been done, I guarantee it leaks oil, and its still worth $20k+
 
Kernal said:
The low resolution video doesn't help. One of the photos (rear hatch) appears to show paint with more "orange peel" than the original factory paint, so you'll want to check the paint closely for signs of previous damage/repairs, respray, etc. It might be worthwhile to invest in a digital paint thickness gauge (cheapos cost ~$50).

Steering wheel looks like it's been been recovered.

Best way to determine value is to check it out in person with someone who knows these vehicles. Used car lots don't have a clue what to look for in this model, they're mostly interested in making it look shiny. Head gasket would be my number one mechanical concern (has it been replaced, has anyone dumped sealer into the cooling system)??
Click to expand...
Hatch paint appears original to me, as does the steering wheel
 
YMT said:
Did the newer models have pleated fabric (above the door handle) door cards from factory? Mine from 91 and 95 models aren't pleated.
Pictures from the OP ad are pleated
Click to expand...
Yes they were pleated
 
Someone has been inside the motor, no idea to what extent, but the valve cover FIPG is not factory.
 
I think that is one of the most desirable color combos, so I'd be willing to pay a premium for that. It also depends on your intended use. Many (most?) people on Mud off-road their 80 Series. If that's your plan, I recommend not buying this truck. With this rig, you would be paying a premium for low miles and nice exterior condition, neither of which are priorities for off-roading. If you're looking for a clean, lower miles rig to keep stock and hold onto, this looks like a good one to me (assuming no rust issues underneath - and that's a big if). Yes, no locking diffs is a ding, but again the utility in those is for off-roading only. Probably they're more valuable with lockers, but if you don't need them you don't need them. Having said all that, I think the truck is worth about what they're asking in this crazy 80 Series market. Just don't buy it to off-road it, that would be a waste of money IMHO. You can get a good runner for $15K if that's your goal and kit it out as you choose with the money you will have left over.
 
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