To buy or not to buy? (2 Viewers)

[REKCUT]

AND, if its sage green, I would argue its one of the most desirable colors.

My choice on color

1. Sage
1.5 Moonglow
2.White
3. Blue.
4.Green
5. Black
6. Maroon

 

[LandLocked93]

AND, if its sage green, I would argue its one of the most desirable colors.

My choice on color

1. Sage
2.White
3. Blue.
4.Green
5. Black
6. Maroon

So I know you left tan off the list as it's practically unobtanium. lol

To OP, IMO the word 'desirable' really only counts to collectors.
If you intend to use it, (again my opinion) the most desirable 80 would be the least naggy (OBD1) w/locks (93-94) and cloth, no sunroof or luggage rack, preferably with factory rear swing out and sub tank.

 

[SaturnAscends]

Does anyone actually get one of these $15k paint jobs on a J80? I don't see how you'd every make your money back on that unless it was a barn find with 30k miles or something.

 

[Dirt Ferguson]

Money is all relative. It's not even real. Love for something, even a dumb hunk of metal and plastic, trumps things like "making your money back".

 

[SaturnAscends]

Yea fair enough, I'm just not sure I could stomach, much less afford, spending that much on cosmetic stuff. Then again it's still less than a new 300 series.

 

[Dirt Ferguson]

@Ozark80 the paint on my 97 LX is pretty shot on the hood and fender flares and maybe one day I'll consider bringing it in for a cheapo spray job, but I'm still working on all the mechanical aspects, getting it completely bulletproof baselined, so that takes priority. I did do some things out of order, like getting a nice head unit in there, because music and podcasts are important to me on long drives.

It's a camping and trail truck, so I'd never pay for the full showroom paint works, ceramic coating, etc.

But one day I would like to see the LX in all it's glory with some decent paint. My pockets are not bottomless though, but some folks on this board definitely have no limit.

 

[REKCUT]

Updated color choice and kind forget about the colors that weren't offered in 95-97 models or overseas colors like Beige Metallic. Don't believe i have ever even seen a desert dune pearl

 

[White Stripe]

Yea fair enough, I'm just not sure I could stomach, much less afford, spending that much on cosmetic stuff. Then again it's still less than a new 300 series.

Even though you it might be more than it's worth to paint it, you are putting money into a asset that is rising in value compared to most vehicles that lose value. So say a truck is worth 15k, you paint it and redo the interior. Yes it's expensive to do that. And maybe after the restore its worth less than what you put in. At least its slowly appreciating as well as being a valuable tool to daily life as reliable transportation. Maybe not a good idea to fix up and flip, but perhaps a good idea to fix up and use as intended. But if you buy a 300 series for 105k, that 300 series in 5 years will be worth 70k. 5 years after that it will be worth 35k. Similar to most vehicles that depreciate. Not only do they cost you to purchase and use. They lose value all the while. The unfortunate part is a 300 series or other new vehicle has better crash protection and avoidance typically.

 

[KYLXFJ]

Fwiw I've restored many vehicles and unless there was body work or rust repair, all paint jobs were top notch and under 8k. This from a restoration shop that works on up to half million dollar cars. I've taken many vehicles there so I'm sure there is some discount, but 10-15k for a good paint job without color change does sound like a very very strong number.

 

[SaturnAscends]

Even though you it might be more than it's worth to paint it, you are putting money into a asset that is rising in value compared to most vehicles that lose value. So say a truck is worth 15k, you paint it and redo the interior. Yes it's expensive to do that. And maybe after the restore its worth less than what you put in. At least its slowly appreciating as well as being a valuable tool to daily life as reliable transportation. Maybe not a good idea to fix up and flip, but perhaps a good idea to fix up and use as intended. But if you buy a 300 series for 105k, that 300 series in 5 years will be worth 70k. 5 years after that it will be worth 35k. Similar to most vehicles that depreciate. Not only do they cost you to purchase and use. They lose value all the while. The unfortunate part is a 300 series or other new vehicle has better crash protection and avoidance typically.

Yea I get that logic, but I'm not sure if its true for all older LCs. Mine is a 97 K292 with 230k. If I put 30 grand into restoring it, would it ever appreciate enough to offset those costs? Hard to say.

If I had deep pockets and just wanted it to be shiny and pretty and wanted to be buried in the vehicle, that'd be another matter. In any case I'd want to do a full mechanical baseline before doing paint.

 

[76lcmike]

A friend of mine has a 97' 40th anniversary, 3x locked, green with 200k miles, no mods. Besides the green color, its the most desirable 80 series made. I told him a long time ago that I would buy it if he wanted to sell it. A few months ago I picked it up to check it out for a few days and made a massive list of items to fix or upgrade. Strangely, its pretty decent mechanically, although it would still need a lot of baseline items and Im sure other issues will pop up. But cosmetics are bad, dings and paint issues on every body panel, and the interior is a mess too (seats, door panels, everything..) I have owned many LC's and I have been wanting to get an 80 series again since I sold my last one a decade ago. But the reality is, this truck will need a full mechanical rundown, full new interior, body/paint, new stereo, suspension, 35's, armor, ext. I figure it will cost me 20K and a ton of time to get it this rig the way I want it. Buddy is asking 8k for it. Funny thing is my wife says I should buy it. She said, "you talk about 80 land cruisers so much that it seems like you should just own one."

Part of me thinks that I should never pass up on a locked 97 80 series for 8k, but the other side of me thinks if Im going to sink ~25-30K into an 80, it would probably be easier just to buy one already fixed up. Also, I really do not need another vehicle, I have a very nice, heavily modified 16' LX that is so damn nice that I don't imagine I will drive the 80 much. I also fixed up a 100 that my brother is driving. Its simply my love for the 80 series that has me even thinking about it.

So what is the Mud's opinion? Buy this money pit, or pass on it and buy one that's much nicer at a later date?

Thanks

buy two

 

[PNWTreeOctopus]

So the debates is over. It’s a good truck given this moment in history. You actually have knowledge about this one’s history. It’s not perfect, and none are. Something about a bird in the hand…sounds like you could sell it in a few months if you have remorse, the current market is “favorable”.

It sounds like the dilemma is if you want an 80 at all, and what you want it to be/do for you.

• Is the 40th CE important to your 80 lust?
• Is a unicorn “pristine-one owner-barn find-low-miles-grocery getter-one-of-a-kind-no sunroof-cloth-seats-no factory-rack” what you are after?
• Trail rig that will defy all reason at KOH?
• Overland Journal feature rig with transformer inspired kitchen, custom snorkel lighting and book matched bird’s eye maple cutting boards for trail sous vide steaks.
• Mid-life crisis wrenching project…

I’m just giving you a hard time @DenverLX, spending 8K on a third rig is totally worthy of consideration, but you asked the world’s largest group of Land Cruiser enablers if you should buy a land cruiser…

Send it for this 80, or release the dude’s contact info .

 

[White Stripe]

Yea I get that logic, but I'm not sure if its true for all older LCs. Mine is a 97 K292 with 230k. If I put 30 grand into restoring it, would it ever appreciate enough to offset those costs? Hard to say.

If I had deep pockets and just wanted it to be shiny and pretty and wanted to be buried in the vehicle, that'd be another matter. In any case I'd want to do a full mechanical baseline before doing paint.

Well I assume your cruiser is payed off. Most people spend at least 45k for a new 4x4 suv off the lot not including costs of insurance on a new vehicle and interest. 30k would instead be spent freshening up the 80 to keep it comfortable good condition and reliable instead of driving it until its in such disrepair its unsafe or unreliable to drive and then sell it for 1500 and buy another to repeat driving it into the ground. However drving a vehicle into the ground is a bit unsafe as a worn truck can break down at any time. But if its just yourself riding and driving it might not matter as much.

As far as paint, it's important because it keeps rust away. When I painted my cruiser the body looked to be in reasonable shape. Once I removed all the glass and looked into the body crevasses and channels I was able to see cancerous rust was starting to form. I was able to easily address it because I caught it early. So it was kind of necessary but I suppose I could have put the glass back in after removing the rust and driven around in faded paint which would work fine. I did some of the prep myself which reduced overall cost a lot.

 

[ajax1]

@DenverLX there is a triple lock 40th over here, interior is trashed, paint is peeling, sage, has all the parts and badges. New head gasket and engine items, think it has 280k buddy is getting 12k for it, no rust clean frame
Buy the one you found

 

[SaturnAscends]

Well I assume your cruiser is payed off. Most people spend at least 45k for a new 4x4 suv off the lot not including costs of insurance on a new vehicle and interest. 30k would instead be spent freshening up the 80 to keep it comfortable good condition and reliable instead of driving it until its in such disrepair its unsafe or unreliable to drive and then sell it for 1500 and buy another to repeat driving it into the ground. However drving a vehicle into the ground is a bit unsafe as a worn truck can break down at any time. But if its just yourself riding and driving it might not matter as much.

As far as paint, it's important because it keeps rust away. When I painted my cruiser the body looked to be in reasonable shape. Once I removed all the glass and looked into the body crevasses and channels I was able to see cancerous rust was starting to form. I was able to easily address it because I caught it early. So it was kind of necessary but I suppose I could have put the glass back in after removing the rust and driven around in faded paint which would work fine. I did some of the prep myself which reduced overall cost a lot.

Yep I paid 8k cash for it last summer, maybe too much but oh well.

Don’t have much to put into it nowbeing in grad school, but luckily they’ll go for a while as long as you keep decently fresh fluids in them.

I guess it might be an option to borrow 30k to restore it instead of financing a new Camry, but who knows if a bank would approve that loan.

 

[BILT4ME]

$40,000.00

 

[Kernal]

When I figure up what a "paint job" costs I add in the cost of all new moldings, rubber seals/weatherstrips, and emblems. Those extras alone can add a few thousand to the price. Then add the cost of removing virtually everything attached to the body, including the hood, all rubber and moldings, door handles, fender flares, emblems, lights, roof rack, rear wing and all the glass (windshield, rear hatch, quarter windows) to properly check/correct any rust and paint those hidden areas. And you can go another step further and remove the doors, rear hatch and liftgate. There was a nice thread with photos about 10 years ago when a Mud member repainted his own 80 and removed those components for a complete color change paint job.

Also the cost depends on where you live and what the local market will bear. In my area almost no shop wants to do a complete correct repaint as it ties up their shop for too long, they prefer to take in Insurance claims for later model vehicles for a quick turn around.

And those that will take in a complete repaint mostly do the quickie cheapo repaints where they tape off components instead of removing them. That leaves literally only a couple of paint shops within an hours drive (of my location) that will take the job and do it well.

Those few shops, at least in my area, look at a complete repaint on a classic vehicle as a blank check, literally. One recent estimate said he'd start at $10k then he'll work up from there depending on what we find under the flares, roof rack, rear wing, glass, etc, etc. That was using PPG paint. I got the definite impression that the job was going to be done by his 16 year old son who the owner said was learning the business. The shop owner himself was busy handling insurance claims.

So IME it's a bit of luck of the draw on where you live and if you can find a shop that will do a good job at a fair price.

 

[FMC80]

Yep I paid 8k cash for it last summer, maybe too much but oh well.

Don’t have much to put into it nowbeing in grad school, but luckily they’ll go for a while as long as you keep decently fresh fluids in them.

I guess it might be an option to borrow 30k to restore it instead of financing a new Camry, but who knows if a bank would approve that loan.

Based on your previous interactions, you might have a case of buyers remorse. We can “what if” something all day long and still not arrive at a satisfactory resolution. My recommendation is make the bitch safe and reliable to stop and drive. Forget about what you paid and just go with the flow of things. I bought mine for probably too much and dropped another $20k into it for “baselining”. If I ruminate on those numbers I’ll probably regret some of my purchases, mistakes, actions etc. but I don’t and I won’t.

This dude should scoop up this 40th LC without hesitation and use it or flip it or whatever OR give us the details to compete for it. I don’t need a third 80 buttfuckit, I’ll just rotate them out between $20k baselines.

 

[SaturnAscends]

Based on your previous interactions, you might have a case of buyers remorse. We can “what if” something all day long and still not arrive at a satisfactory resolution. My recommendation is make the bitch safe and reliable to stop and drive. Forget about what you paid and just go with the flow of things. I bought mine for probably too much and dropped another $20k into it for “baselining”. If I ruminate on those numbers I’ll probably regret some of my purchases, mistakes, actions etc. but I don’t and I won’t.

This dude should scoop up this 40th LC without hesitation and use it or flip it or whatever OR give us the details to compete for it. I don’t need a third 80 buttfuckit, I’ll just rotate them out between $20k baselines.

I agree it’d be a good buy for OP. The difference is I don’t have a spare 20k lying around to put into it.

 

[Kernal]

IME you still have to do a good inspection or you can get burned, happened to me a couple years ago.

Long story short, bought a triple locked 80 after maybe 30 minute inspection (in my sleep), found all the usual leaks, but missed a couple of important clues, including the sellers reaction to one question. I had very little sleep the night before, was out of town, in a hurry to get on the road (in that vehicle) to drive it home, etc,etc. So I missed a couple of clues that later turned out to be not just a leaking head gasket, but a four inch crack in a cylinder wall.

Once I got the head off I found block sealer in everything, looked like the PO had dumped eight bottles of that sheit into the cooling system to plug up the crack in the cylinder wall just long enough to show the vehicle. He likely flushed the radiator and refilled with plain water just before I showed up to look at it.

Soon after heading out on the drive home it started to blow coolant into the overflow tank, then eventually overheated, you know the rest of the story.

So no one should rush into buying anything, it may seem like a bargain at first glance but you might get stuck with a boat anchor.