JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
I love history 
What did an early-mid 60's FJ40 cost new?
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Living in the Past
SILVER Star
according to the inf calculator...it would cost $19,037.89 today...thats a great deal IMO
Inflation Calculator: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Was this based on the 79 price? I wish John (Landpimp) would chime in. He had the info on what the price was in the last couple of years of the FJ40. As I remember it was just shy of the 60 series and about double what a CJ7 was selling for. That would be like Toyota trying to sell the FJCruiser in 06 for about the same price as the 100 series. Toyota USA was very concerned about corporate image as far a gas mileage in the later seventies and early eighties. Not sure what goverment agency it was but a car company had to report the average gas mileage based on total number of vehicles sold not the average base on model line. To look better Toyota started pushing the new 4X4 truck with four cylinder engine as raised the price on the FJ40 and started reducing the number imported to by 1983 only around two hundred were imported. I have a old newpaper type ad from SOR when they were just getting started in the eighties. The front cover show a split picture with one half the of the vehicle a FJ40 the other half a 70 series with the caption "WILL TOYOTA IMPORTED THE 70 SERIES?" Of course we all know the answer to that question.
I love Land Cruiser history. I would like to know Toyota's reason that after the 67 model the FJ45LV was a total model change to the FJ55 but the FJ45 pickup was dropped from the US market. Was this to push more Stout trucks that would change to Hilux soon after? We have seen a mid wheel base FJ4X series in Australia as earlier as 1962 but none here then after 1967 we only got the FJ40 in the US. Why did Toyota decide to import small diesel pickups but never a diesel Land Cruiser? Just gives you the felling as far as Land Cruisers go we got the short end of the stick here in the US.
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
all great questions...that we'd never know the answers to...
that 70's series thing was just bad planning...they should have bought it here
that 70's series thing was just bad planning...they should have bought it here
- Thread starter
- #24
I suppose it's the perennial gripe here in the US, but one wonders why Toyota wouldn't import 3B-powered TLC's if they were worried about how fuel economy related to their image. Does anyone know why they didn't bring diesel to the US because it was obviously intentional when the whole world got them except for us?
When people have asked me why we just got a bigger I-6 when the rest of the world got the 3B as an option, I have just answered from the assumption that we just didn't care about fuel economy in the mid-late 70's. Perhaps I'm off track on that one?
When people have asked me why we just got a bigger I-6 when the rest of the world got the 3B as an option, I have just answered from the assumption that we just didn't care about fuel economy in the mid-late 70's. Perhaps I'm off track on that one?
...but I do not think that most people drove around as much as we do today, so it might have balanced out...
Well in comparison you could have bought a mid 60's Corvette convertible for just over 4,000. Makes the fj40 look expensive. Especially since if you put both in a garage till now and looked at their value. I would want to own and drive the fj40 but would rather have the corvette to sell today.
March 1983 I was looking for new vehicle and briefly checked out a new red FJ40 at a Toyota dealer lot in Little Rock, AR. Sticker price was $12,xxx, I think it may have been close to $12,800. I passed it by and bought a more fuel efficient Subaru instead and for about $5k less. Had I known then what I know now I would have found a way to snag that FJ40.
thecrazygreek
A.K.A. TheCraftyGreek
/RANT
My father has given me a perpective on what a good economy is vs what we have today.
My Father worked at Val Stroh Chevrolet (bay area Calif) in the early 60's. He was the body shop forman in 1963. The wage of ALL of the body men that year was $9.00 pr hr. My dad was making $11.00 per hour due to being the "frame guy" +1 per hour and also the forman +1 pr hour. These were union wages for this type of work at this time in history. My dad bought a Brand New Chevy Super Sport in 1963 for the dealer price of $1800.00 ONE MONTHS SALARY!!!
This is when we were still on the gold standard and the dollar was strong. Imagine if you made the wages today in one month to afford a similar new car.
Just something to think about..
/RANT
My father has given me a perpective on what a good economy is vs what we have today.
My Father worked at Val Stroh Chevrolet (bay area Calif) in the early 60's. He was the body shop forman in 1963. The wage of ALL of the body men that year was $9.00 pr hr. My dad was making $11.00 per hour due to being the "frame guy" +1 per hour and also the forman +1 pr hour. These were union wages for this type of work at this time in history. My dad bought a Brand New Chevy Super Sport in 1963 for the dealer price of $1800.00 ONE MONTHS SALARY!!!
This is when we were still on the gold standard and the dollar was strong. Imagine if you made the wages today in one month to afford a similar new car.
Just something to think about..
/RANT
...greed...
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Looked at a few AZ titles which have the base price listed on the title.
In the early sixties prices were all over. Maybe price was listed as what the vehicle sold for
1960 FJ25s (4) $1680,$1900,$2390,$3050 all soft top models. Two have a first reg dates. 5/1960 was $2390 AND 12/60 was $3050 All but the $1900 one which was originally from California had PTO winches from the Factory.
1962 FJ40LV first reg ? $2000 This was from Colorado and I question how they came up with $2000 on the title.
1965 FJ45LP-B first reg 4/1965 $2750
1968 FJ40LV first reg 11/67 $3050
1970 FJ40LV first reg 4/70 $3050
1971 FJ40LV first reg 5/71 $3245
1973 FJ40L first reg 8/73 $3342 soft top model
1979 FJ40LV first reg 11/79 $6101 no power steering or A/C
By 1983 I believe the list price had at least doubled what the price was in 79.
I remember quite specifically that when my Dad bought his 1979 FJ40 (used in 1980 with 10,000 miles) the cost was $6500. The FJ40 in the showroom had a sticker of $8500 which was the same as he just paid for a fully optioned 1 ton Ford pickup truck.
Doc
- Thread starter
- #33
Iteresting Article
This is a really interesting article that I stumbled across last night. I think it's relevant to this discussion as it talks a little bit about the original visions of the different companies as they produced the FJ40, the Scout 80, the Bronco, the Land Rover, and the CJ5. Unfortunately for me they test a late model Scout 800 equipped with a 304 V8 and an automatic transmission (though they talk more about the 80), but it's a fun read anyway:
Four-Wheel Drives - Comparison - Motor Trend Classic
This is a really interesting article that I stumbled across last night. I think it's relevant to this discussion as it talks a little bit about the original visions of the different companies as they produced the FJ40, the Scout 80, the Bronco, the Land Rover, and the CJ5. Unfortunately for me they test a late model Scout 800 equipped with a 304 V8 and an automatic transmission (though they talk more about the 80), but it's a fun read anyway:
Four-Wheel Drives - Comparison - Motor Trend Classic
may 19 1964 $3416.70 delivered
accessories added into the price were seatbelts, radio, heater,defrost,warn hubs,undercoat,conferr rear bumper,floor mat, which i think were $591.70 I can't make out some handwriting on it. That would have made the 40 $2825
he added a ramsey pto Aug 23, 1967 for $288.75 from Jacobs Equiptment Co. in Denver, CO.
accessories added into the price were seatbelts, radio, heater,defrost,warn hubs,undercoat,conferr rear bumper,floor mat, which i think were $591.70 I can't make out some handwriting on it. That would have made the 40 $2825
he added a ramsey pto Aug 23, 1967 for $288.75 from Jacobs Equiptment Co. in Denver, CO.
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That article says that is an 83 model FJ40. The dash sure doesn't look like an 83 model. It always bothers me when journalists miss the details.
Cool article though...
Cool article though...
For what it is worth, I used to live in Idaho and was told by an old timer who worked for the BLM , that in the mid 60's they purchased a group of FJ-45s' for price and durability which in turn peed off the public and the big three for doing that. After that the pickup was under the glass since that market was dominated by Ford,Gm etc.. Remember, we were only 15-20 years from WW2 and a bunch of bad thoughts were still around.
