Value of a pig. (1 Viewer)

[Trollhole]

Seems as if this subject has come up a lot on here lately. There are a couple pigs that are on e-bay that got me thinking. What is the average value of a 55 in a certain condition?


I have seen some really nice ones go over 10k-14k but that is about it.

From what I can tell rust is the biggest factor. Even a really nice 55 with rust bubbling up around the roof, rockers or fenders means almost certain death for the value. In fact I would say unless it was garaged all it's life and has less than 70k on the odometer and zero rust would it fetch anything over 10k.

The demand for the 55 is just not the same as the 40's. It is good though to see it going up. Heck you can get a nice 60 series for under 4k and I have seen 80s go for under 5k. So considering that it is good to see the value of the 55's go up. I guess the 55's are right on the bubble. 5 years from now we might be in a whole different ball game.

 

[5280Hawk]

IMO, it is the most unique of the LC family. (i know there's others that are way more rare.)

And therefore should be the most sought after -

I mean, most people know what a 40, 60/2, or 80 looks like, whether they drive toyotas or not, but when people see a 55 they say

"what the heck is that?"

I am in agreement, that they are going to become more valuable - If you look at the 60 forum, people are buying up 60's like hotcakes, but there are a ton to choose from.

Not so with the Pig.

 

[Eric Ellis]

IMO, it is the most unique of the LC family. (i know there's others that are way more rare.)
"what the heck is that?"

is not worth much but I'll be damned if I could sell it. I still have a lot more money to throw at it. I've only begun.

I get more and more folks wanting to trade or buy it. My wife continues to laugh and call it a "man magnet", claim it's hers (could that mean something?) and worse yet, accept my spending money on it (worse implications yet).

I seem to sense more interest in them all the time. I keep having people stop by to offer me $$$ for my parts carcass...I just walk them around and point to the real thing while laughing and shaking my head.

 

[nuclearlemon]

anywhere from $200 for non running rusted carcass to 1500-3k for rusted to crap daily driver, 4-8k for good running, built, minimal (if you could call it that) rust, to 10-15k for no rust beautiful.

 

[Eric Ellis]

anywhere from $200 for non running rusted carcass to 1500-3k for rusted to crap daily driver, 4-8k for good running, built, minimal (if you could call it that) rust, to 10-15k for no rust beautiful.

I like your figures...means I did good

Actually, I think your about dead on.

 

[Sporin]

anywhere from $200 for non running rusted carcass to 1500-3k for rusted to crap daily driver, 4-8k for good running, built, minimal (if you could call it that) rust, to 10-15k for no rust beautiful.

That sounds about right to me.

I paid $3500 for my rusty driver and was happy to do it. It was by far the nicest classic Cruiser in my area for that little money, 40's in similar condition were going for over $5000 easily with nice ones a minimum of $10k. Now if only I had a welder.

I think what a tried and true 'Mudder would pay us a bit different then the market at large. I see a lot of threads here where people are looking for a "what should I pay" number on a Pig that has some rust but is a good driver and not a cosmetic basket case and you see lots of people say... "I wouldn't' pay more then $1500 for it" I think 'Mudders are notoriously cheap. and I mean that in the nicest way. No one thinks a truck is worth much until it's theirs they are selling.

 

[nuclearlemon]

I think what a tried and true 'Mudder would pay us a bit different then the market at large. I see a lot of threads here where people are looking for a "what should I pay" number on a Pig that has some rust but is a good driver and not a cosmetic basket case and you see lots of people say... "I wouldn't' pay more then $1500 for it" I think 'Mudders are notoriously cheap. and I mean that in the nicest way. No one thinks a truck is worth much until it's theirs they are selling.

i don't know that that's the case. i think it's just that we know where we can get them for the prices we post. we also know how much it will cost to get that kind of stuff up and running and we've accepted that you won't get near what you put into it back.

i got the prices i posted by watching pigs for sale. i see them in the conditions i stated, for the prices i stated all the time. if i had the money and was going to buy another rig...those would be the ranges i would expect. problem is you get someone that's got a maaco paintjob and posts their rig as "restored" and wants 10k for it.

the big trick is not to buy right. if you're not anxious, you'll find the proper deal.

 

[Front Range 4x4]

anywhere from $200 for non running rusted carcass to 1500-3k for rusted to crap daily driver, 4-8k for good running, built, minimal (if you could call it that) rust, to 10-15k for no rust beautiful.

That seems right from what I've seen too Ige, mine falls into the "1500-3k for rusted to crap daily driver" category. Of course we all invest far more than we'll recover but that's not unique to cruisers. We've all seen the classifieds for muscle cars, classics, collector cars etc that read: $35,000 invested, asking $20,000."

Nature of the game...

 

[snailwagon]

It seems like pigs go for about 1/2 to 2/3 the selling price of a similar condition fj40. It also seems like pig parts go for 2-3x the selling price of similar condition fj40 parts. That sucks.

I've been lucky with my 2 pigs, with both of them being original desert trucks with minimal rust. My 69' was $1400 (but free to me somehow), with the only rust in the front fenders. I've officially beat the s*** out of the clean body panels. The other one was $500, is 99% rust free, has 51,000 original miles, lucky me. It was in the local newspaper as for about 1.5hrs before it ended up in my driveway.

 

[1973Guppie]

I agree with trollhole's comments, the pigs are just not worth even near what the 40's are, also agree they could eventually turn the corner, if there are enough of them left not rusted out, I have seen the market for the 40's change ALOT since I bought my 40 in 1990.

Noah

 

[MiniPigg]

"I was Piggin.... When Piggin wasnt Cool."

I can remember when we piggies were frowned upon by other cruiserheads. We are the bastard child of all cruiserdom. I cant really think of any other cruiser that the majority of cruiser people would rather not own then the 55. Things are of course changing with more and more people becoming interested in owning a pig. the market has changed as well. Ahhh yes... back in the day... I could sport an entire drive worthy pig for 500 bucks. A 40 in the same condition was four to five times that price in my location. As there were not to many 55's sold in the States to begin with it becomes more difficult through the years to find one. Including when in the past two years we have seen a few roll overs, pigs killed while towing, etc. Not to mention salvage yards crushing pigs or not selling a pig because of the lame excuse they gave the title to the State. Some states have tons of pigs and others have zero. Colorado, California, Washington State are just a few that have a number of pigs. I have only seen one in Oklahoma. Back in the day if you wanted a lift kit you were on your own. You could still find OEM lower front fenders and outer rockers from Toyota at the stealership. The yuppie crowd tended to stay away from 55's. That pretty much has changed.

So now you have more people looking at owning a pig. More then two decades of wrecks, decomposed lumps in a farmers field ( I even bought one that was used as a horse bed), salvage yards black hole of death, some folks collecting then with no intention of ever fixing them up or selling them to others that would love to fix them up, etc......

A pigs worth depends on the buyer and the location. You can find a few always for sale in Colorado. You may never seen one for sale in some states. So cancer, mechanics, etc.. do not always fall into play on the price. If it is all you can find and afford then you buy it if you are disparate enough. If you have a few to chose from you have a bartering chip and can talk the price down. If it is the only 55 for miles then you are stuck with the asking price.

I can say this... since I got into pigs years ago the price has gone up and will continue to increase with popularity even if just for its unique style and rareness. A Land Rover on one side of the driveway and a 55 on the other.

Speaking of pigs for sale....

FJ55 LCSW

I dont know this guy... but I can say this... if that PTO is complete it is worth more then what the guy is asking... also 1968 and 1969 had really low production numbers so they are something you really want to save and get back on the road.

 

[CandyPants]

Ige, I think your numbers look pretty good. I bought mine with very little knowledge and think I did OK, but not great. I paid $3500 and it was very pretty thanks to a Maaco paint job. All in all, it wasn't a bad deal at all because it was completely driveable, the engine compartment is CLEAN, and it was decently rust-free except for the usual parts (fenders, floorboards). I imagine that by the time I am done, I'll have 10-15K into it easily.

 

[ChuckB]

If it is the only 55 for miles then you are stuck with the asking price.

I fear after reading this thread that I paid WAY too much for my piggy. Of course I am in Hawaii and the only other one that I know of on this island is the one Laguna80 is working on.
It did come with a rebuilt motor, only about 12K miles on the rebuild and it still had the CA plates on it when I made the purchase.
I have no regrets, but I'm sure it would have been cheaper on the mainland...

 

[brider]

$500 for a rust-free Pig with 51K?? You SUCK!!!!!

 

[inkpot]

"I was Piggin.... When Piggin wasnt Cool."

I can remember when we piggies were frowned upon by other cruiserheads. We are the bastard child of all cruiserdom. I cant really think of any other cruiser that the majority of cruiser people would rather not own then the 55. Things are of course changing with more and more people becoming interested in owning a pig. the market has changed as well. Ahhh yes... back in the day... I could sport an entire drive worthy pig for 500 bucks. A 40 in the same condition was four to five times that price in my location. As there were not to many 55's sold in the States to begin with it becomes more difficult through the years to find one. Including when in the past two years we have seen a few roll overs, pigs killed while towing, etc. Not to mention salvage yards crushing pigs or not selling a pig because of the lame excuse they gave the title to the State. Some states have tons of pigs and others have zero. Colorado, California, Washington State are just a few that have a number of pigs. I have only seen one in Oklahoma. Back in the day if you wanted a lift kit you were on your own. You could still find OEM lower front fenders and outer rockers from Toyota at the stealership. The yuppie crowd tended to stay away from 55's. That pretty much has changed.

Howdy. Yup. BTDT for sure. When I bought my Piggy and did a spring over in 1987, I got more folks telling me I was crazy/stupid/nuts/etc for even buying it, let alone thinking it was anywhere close to being a REAL FOUR WHEELER. Nowdays, I get the opposite reaction from the same people. Like, DUH!! It's still me, and it's still my Piggy, and I don't really care what they think now, or then.

Value in our market is very subjective. As supply goes down, value will certainly go up. For some of us. If you want it bad enough, you'll pay the seller's price. If you want to sell it bad enough, you'll keep dropping the price till it sells. Not much else we can do. With the current crappy economy, prices are down. If/When this all gets better, I think we will see prices go up. I gotta go play with my junk now. I'm off for the rest of the week, and I'm going 4x4. It's sunny and 75+ today. With all the rain we had this winter, there should be lots of flowers out in the desert. John

 

[MiniPigg]

"I was Piggin.... When Piggin wasnt Cool."

I can remember when we piggies were frowned upon by other cruiserheads. We are the bastard child of all cruiserdom. I cant really think of any other cruiser that the majority of cruiser people would rather not own then the 55. Things are of course changing with more and more people becoming interested in owning a pig. the market has changed as well. Ahhh yes... back in the day... I could sport an entire drive worthy pig for 500 bucks. A 40 in the same condition was four to five times that price in my location. As there were not to many 55's sold in the States to begin with it becomes more difficult through the years to find one. Including when in the past two years we have seen a few roll overs, pigs killed while towing, etc. Not to mention salvage yards crushing pigs or not selling a pig because of the lame excuse they gave the title to the State. Some states have tons of pigs and others have zero. Colorado, California, Washington State are just a few that have a number of pigs. I have only seen one in Oklahoma. Back in the day if you wanted a lift kit you were on your own. You could still find OEM lower front fenders and outer rockers from Toyota at the stealership. The yuppie crowd tended to stay away from 55's. That pretty much has changed.

Howdy. Yup. BTDT for sure. When I bought my Piggy and did a spring over in 1987, I got more folks telling me I was crazy/stupid/nuts/etc for even buying it, let alone thinking it was anywhere close to being a REAL FOUR WHEELER. Nowdays, I get the opposite reaction from the same people. Like, DUH!! It's still me, and it's still my Piggy, and I don't really care what they think now, or then.

Value in our market is very subjective. As supply goes down, value will certainly go up. For some of us. If you want it bad enough, you'll pay the seller's price. If you want to sell it bad enough, you'll keep dropping the price till it sells. Not much else we can do. With the current crappy economy, prices are down. If/When this all gets better, I think we will see prices go up. I gotta go play with my junk now. I'm off for the rest of the week, and I'm going 4x4. It's sunny and 75+ today. With all the rain we had this winter, there should be lots of flowers out in the desert. John

And hey... lets not forget about that 1969 FJ55 with factory PTO listed above... man someone needs to snag that.

 

[laguna80]

I fear after reading this thread that I paid WAY too much for my piggy. Of course I am in Hawaii and the only other one that I know of on this island is the one Laguna80 is working on.
It did come with a rebuilt motor, only about 12K miles on the rebuild and it still had the CA plates on it when I made the purchase.
I have no regrets, but I'm sure it would have been cheaper on the mainland...

I know of one other one that is down by the Toyota parts store near sand island. It's sitting on jackstands, but it seems like the owner is doing some work on it. I had considering writing them a note asking about it before I found the one I have now.

 

[Front Range 4x4]

There's a real good looking white one in Maui too. Nearly drove off the road rubber necking when I passed it going the opposite way.

 

[ChuckB]

Wow, 3 on Oahu and 1 on Maui! That's way more than I would have imagined, especially with the way rust grows here. I'm looking forward to getting my pig back to SoCal later this summer. I guess that will be -1 on Oahu then, should make the value of the other 2 increase exponentially!

 

[laguna80]

Wow, 3 on Oahu and 1 on Maui! That's way more than I would have imagined, especially with the way rust grows here. I'm looking forward to getting my pig back to SoCal later this summer. I guess that will be -1 on Oahu then, should make the value of the other 2 increase exponentially!

lol I don't know about that. The one I mentioned on Oahu looks like its more held up with bondo than metal.