Valuation help! 1978 FJ 40 (1 Viewer)

[ToyotaMatt]

Your fire wall engine bay DATA ID Plate is Present above heater , check the door jamb and if they match ?

your radio hole has been cut out

lots of electrical Gremlins .............LOTZ

 

[gericurl]

Here is my dos centavos:
I don't think it's a STEAL, but to add perspective... I paid a bit more for a '74 in similar-ish condition 5 years ago. My wiring might be a tad more sorted, but I will end up redoing it all anyway so I know it is done right. I replaced my rear quarters, wheel wells along with the rear sill. Maybe didn't absolutely have to, but it's easier to do when things are already apart.

I watch all the Utah classifieds nearly daily for anything FJ40 related. I've only seen one in the last 5 years (that I've been paying attention) that I would consider a "steal". Sent the listing to a cruiser-head buddy that was in between functioning trucks (he had a project going). He left work and drove 2 hours to go look at it. The guy had gotten 20+ calls and wanted to jack up the price. They worked out a deal and he said it was the cleanest of the 7 FJ40's he'd owned (only needed a windshield hinge and some fluid in the master cylinder). Sold his project for more than the truck, and he's been driving it ever since.

Being at the very tail end of getting mine all sorted, and looking at the pics, I bet a lot of what makes it look cruddy will wash off. (People, clean your vehicles before selling them, you will make more money.)
There are some obvious concerns that have been mentioned, but that truck would sell in Utah for $5k all day long.

Roof can be patched (ask me how I know ). With the exception of the rear sill, anything rust colored looks pretty superficial. Take a good look at the wheel wells, under the gas tank and the side panels the side steps bolt to, and the bottoms of all doors.

The NADA average price for my truck was $7,200 when I bought it 5 years ago. Today average book price is $26,000. Unfortunately for the Land Cruiser enthusiast, the days of $5k trucks that aren't just parts trucks are ending, a lot of guys seem to still have their pricing brains set for a few years back, or think the crazy deal they got comes around all the time.

If you plan to redo everything anyway, I would buy something in rough shape (whatever that means to you). For most bits, redone is redone and the original condition only matters so much. If you aren't one to roll up your sleeves or pay someone else to, you might keep looking, but expect to pay more upfront. My truck and this one side-by-side, I would have probably bought this one (I'm not there to put my eyeball directly on it).

 

[gericurl]

Also it's missing one of the OEM wooden spacers on the battery tie down. Those are super hard to find.

 

[Drake2]

Run, Run far away..........then tell me where it is so I can show up with 5K

 

[RodrigzCrzr]

I would say try offering him $4k if he says no than go with $5k it is a pretty good truck. If the only rust is the sill plate in The rear.
That is a diamond in the rough.
Little cleaning and it would look twice as good as it does now.
Good luck!

 

[71FFJ40]

How long has it been for sale?

After a thorough inspection,including and based on a compression test,I would offer $3965.00.Looks like lots of time and money involved to resurrect that truck

 

[arizonabuild]

Thanks for the replies. We agreed to 5k. Seller agreed and was getting title notarized. Unfortunately the seller is not a man of integrity and upped the price to 8k after we agreed and about to complete the transaction. I passed. I probably dodged a bullet either way as I think it needed more work than it appeared. The hole in the roof and wiring is just wretched. It's been sitting for 5 years and was originally for sale, although not advertised anywhere, for 4k all those years. I was the first offer he's had.

If anyone wants to take a shot at it let me know. I'd be happy to pass his info along.