Timing belt Question...

[lafun2]

New to the board, so forgive me for any newbie questions. Located a 1985 Land Cruiser, 5 speed. 200K miles. All original clutch never had timing belt/water pump. Little bit of leak according to owner. Straight body. White ext/blue interior.

Asking $4400. Too good to be true? San Diego area.

Appreciate any help. Any local mechanic that can take a look at it prior to purchase?

 

[kevin g]

An FJ60 should have timing gears (no belt, no chain). Are you sure it is a 5-sp? They came stock with 4-speed transmissions. What is leaking? I would think it would at least think that a clutch job would be needed since there is 200k on the original.

 

[RredFJ40]

Has the interior been replaced? 60's came with either tan/brown or gray interior. 4400 seems a little high for a stock rig that hasn't had much maintenance.

 

[lafun2]

Owner has owned it for 16 years. Says interior is blue, no interior pics. Outside is white. Manual tranny (sorry about the 5 speed).


Original water pump and clutch, says no need to change them. Totally bone stock.

He says it leaks a bit of oil,and gave me his mechanics phone # (biased maybe?) to chat with him.

Car is in San Diego, owner promises no rust.

What should be the going market rate/reasonably? Said used the truck to go to the beach with family and boards.

 

[WagonsRule]

Owner has owned it for 16 years. Says interior is blue, no interior pics. Outside is white. Manual tranny (sorry about the 5 speed).


Original water pump and clutch, says no need to change them. Totally bone stock.

He says it leaks a bit of oil,and gave me his mechanics phone # (biased maybe?) to chat with him.

Car is in San Diego, owner promises no rust.

What should be the going market rate/reasonably? Said used the truck to go to the beach with family and boards.

I'd call the mechanic, if nothing else to find out just what this rig is. Some of the info you have posted does not make sense.

If it an '85 FJ60, it should have a manual tranny, not an auto.

Even if an auto was put in at some point, it would not have the original clutch. Wait, you said bone stock. I'm thinking it might be an FJ62. Is the current owner the original owner? If so, and he's had it 16 years, it would be a 62. They came stock with auto trannies.

The blue interior was probably gray at one point. They turn blue-ish as they fade.

If it was used as a surf wagon, I have a hard time believing there is no rust. I'd expect there to be some (possibly a lot) along the top of the windshield from salt water dripping off the boards. That is pretty common in SoCal.

 

[lafun2]

Wagon,

I think you misunderstood my post. The car has a standard transmission (manual, NOT auto). I said 5 speed by mistake, but as someone pointed out it is probably a 4 speed manual (I am new to FJ, thus forgive me).

It is a 1985 model, 4 door, chrome stock wheels. Totally stock inside and out. He says no rust at all. He just transported kids back and forth to beach.
He is the second owner, owned since 1990.

he said he had the boards inside the car, and has "normal wear and tear".

I am trying to figure out what the market rate is for the car, then making an appt to look at it.

Would be nice if there were someone around San Diego that could do a PPI (pre purchase inspection for me).

 

[lafun2]

just got another email from owner:

Interior is grey/blue
​

. One reason that I like Cruiser so much is that she is not perfect, and I don't have to baby her (like my other cars).​

​

Yes, passed smog. Tires in good condition. No tears in any seat, other than one rip in front side of passenger seat (not where you sit). No cracks in dash.​

​

Oil drips from around engine. Sorry not too specific. Joe looked at several years, tightened engine bolts which were loose, and much of leakaged stopped. I have not looked at since.​

 

[WagonsRule]

Wagon,

I think you misunderstood my post. The car has a standard transmission (manual, NOT auto). I said 5 speed by mistake, but as someone pointed out it is probably a 4 speed manual (I am new to FJ, thus forgive me).

It is a 1985 model, 4 door, chrome stock wheels. Totally stock inside and out. He says no rust at all. He just transported kids back and forth to beach.
He is the second owner, owned since 1990.

he said he had the boards inside the car, and has "normal wear and tear".

I am trying to figure out what the market rate is for the car, then making an appt to look at it.

Would be nice if there were someone around San Diego that could do a PPI (pre purchase inspection for me).

Yup, I did misunderstand. Sorry 'bout that.

An all original, rust free 60 Series with under 50K miles would be quite rare, and therefore quite expensive. I'd guess it would go for over 15K on Ebay, but that is just a guess. Normal wear and tear could mean a lot of different things. What is the asking price?

 

[lafun2]

Asking $4400. Car has 200K miles. 2 owner.

 

[WagonsRule]

Asking $4400. Car has 200K miles. 2 owner.

I'll just stop replying now. Obviously I cannot read.

 

[RredFJ40]

If it really is rust free I think 3500 to 4000 would be a decent price considering the lack of major maintenance done (or yet to do in your case), not a steal but a good price for the seller and buyer

 

[lafun2]

Thanks for the info R! What kind of $ am I looking at to get the major stuff done, i.e. clutch ?

 

[archie]

just make sure it didn't stay in New Orleans last year. I also thought white exteriors had brown interiors. I would ask if the paint is original or the interior original.
here's a photo link of a white exterior and brown interior https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=99467

 

[Texx]

I've had a white 60 with the blue/grey striped interior. Clutch if you have it done is between 600-grand. 200k is lots of miles. Miles are miles. Can't speak for Cali pricing, but around here it'd be 2500-3k.

 

[CSA]

The price is ok for the Southern California market, if the truck is rust free and basically mechanically sound.

If you decide to look at the truck, be sure to drive it on the highway and not just around the block. Driving the truck at highway speeds will give you a chance to get a feel for what a 60 is like at speed (usually loud) and might alert you to some potential problem areas. Vibrations, for example, are a fairly common nuisance that can be a pain to track down and correct the underlying causes.

Even better, if the seller will let you take it to an independent mechanic for an inspection, it would be a worthwhile thing to do. The fluid leaks could be relatively minor or they could be, um, more involved, e.g., leaking rear main seal.

With about 200k on the clock and what sounds like a non-cruiserhead owner, there will probably be lots of deferred maintenance issues to deal with. It pretty much comes with the territory, but it is something to be aware of.

For example, I'll bet the steering knuckles are leaking and that the truck has not had a knuckle job in a long, long time. If you can do the work yourself, the parts will set you back about $350.00, if you buy OEM parts. If you have the work done at a shop, figure about three to four times that amount for parts and labor.

Whatever you do, make sure the truck passes smog. The seller is required to provide a smog certificate based on an inspection within the last 90 days. Lots of older cruisers get put up for sale because they will no longer pass California smog.

Ok, I've blabbered on long enough about stuff you didn't ask about. I hope it helps.

 

[fjman]

I would also insist on lots of pics if you are not going to see it in person. When it comes to cruisers, pics are pretty important since rust is a huge factor in value. If the undercarriage is also very rust free, 4400 doesn't sound like that bad of a deal.

good luck w/ the cruiser purchase, this one whichever one you find and welcome to the best LC forum on earth!

 

[IH8Wood]

I live in SoCal. Last year I bought a bone stock 83 FJ60 from the original owner. Zero rust, 178miles, clean interior, daily driven by a soccer mom. It came with receipts for an new clutch, rebuilt tranny & TC, PS pump, smog pump, and cat. PO did not wrench. All the work was done by a mechanic who gets good recommendation on this board. I payed 6K and thought that was a little high but it was the one I wanted. I've since rebuilt the knuckles and installed an OME suspension. I think it still needs a carb rebuild. Hope that gives you some idea.

 

[CaliCruiser]

It is a good sign that it passed california smog. $4400 seems a tad bit on the high side, however i am not familiar with socal prices. I think up here in norcal it would bring at just below 4k.

Dylan

 

[POC-LC]

Never buy a cruiser sight unseen. No matter how many pics you get. The owner can take picture from such an angle that the truck appears great yet seems to ignore all the flaws. I am speaking from experience. My truck was listed as excellent mechanicly and body. When I picked it up to drive it home the shocks were blown, the radiator was f'd, the a/c didnt work, the interior was awful (looked good in pics) My last word...Go over any car you are going to buy with a fine tooth comb regardless of the price.