What do you think of this one?

[Torch Engineering]

Hey everyone it was great meeting you all last night. Thanks for showing me your rigs and giving me advice on what I should look for.

Several of you said to be patient and wait for the perfect cruiser to come along. That is great advice and I am planning on doing that, although.... I have been talking to a mud member who has his rig up for sale in the classifieds section. I am ready to pull the trigger and fly up to get it on Friday. It looks really clean and its mildly built up already, and importantly it has factory lockers.

For Sale: - 96 FZJ80 160K Factory Locked Oregon PNW

What do you guys think? I have already asked a bunch of questions but what questions would you guys ask?

Thanks
Bryant

 

[leucadiacruiser]

Looks clean from the pix - I'd just look real close around the stock roof racks and spoiler for signs of rust popping through. Looks like lots of goodies that you'd be adding anyway and price seems fair - great color and lockers to boot!

 

[SoCalDesertCruiser]

I'd just look real close around the stock roof racks and spoiler for signs of rust popping through.

I second that! Overall it looks really clean and I agree with @leucadiacruiser that the price is definitely fair, especially given the year and the fact that it's factory locked. If you're seriously looking at it, it might be worth while to have the local Toyota dealership, or a local mechanic recommended by someone on the forum, to give it a once over. The miles on the truck are pretty low and these tend to run a long time if taken care of. That said, if something is seriously wrong with the truck, it could be pricey to fix.

 

[SoCalDesertCruiser]

And one other thing about the OEM roof racks... if I recall they were dealer equipped options, not factory options. With that in mind, sadly there are quite a few out there that weren't installed with the typical Toyota quality that you'll find throughout the rest of the truck. While most are okay, especially in dryer climates, if you find a truck in a wet environment with a poor install job, the roof could be a mess.

 

[Torch Engineering]

Interesting. There is one picture of the roof rack , it doesn't show the corners but it does look free of bubbling or rust.

 

[barneymc]

Be sure the smog sticker in the engine compartment says CA or 50-state legal. Getting an out-of-state vehicle registered in CA can be a real issue. I know that the out-of-state 2003 Tacomas I have looked at have that on the tag, but I don't know about earlier vehicles. What I found is that the hardware is the same on all vehicles, but sometimes the mfg did not pay the CA license fee for vehicles not sold in CA.

 

[Torch Engineering]

@barneymc Thats a good point. I believe I should be good on that front. The truck used to be a California truck until 5 years ago. The seller sent me a copy of the smog report from when he bought it, everything passed without any issues and he has only driven it 15k since he bought it.

 

[barneymc]

That should make it easy to re-register in CA. The smog police have become a real issue here in CA. Otherwise the truck looks great and if it looks as good in person, I think you found yourself a great new toy.

 

[Torch Engineering]

Sweet! Thanks for the encouragement. I have my ticket and I flying up tomorrow morning. I am pretty stoked.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[Scat Adams]

Nice find! Congrats!

 

[Torch Engineering]

Well I did it. I am now officially a cruiser head. Everything wen my really smoothly with the transaction and I am very happy with it. I pretty much drove all night and got home this morning in time for my boys soccer game.

Sent from my iPhone

 

[SoCalDesertCruiser]

Congratulations!

 

[leucadiacruiser]

Nice!

 

[jwbc84]

Very nice! Congrats.

 

[elripster]

Can't wait to see it!

Frank

 

[Torch Engineering]

Thanks! I am definitely planning on being there at the next meeting.

 

[landcruising]

Congratulations, rig looks great.

 

[landcruising]

Forgot to mention, I would do the PHH or have John at SD truxs do it soon( John used to do it for $100). I would also look at the fan clutch and radiator and consider getting new ones before summer, they look original in the picture. Overheating is what you need to keep on eye on especially if it has green coolant in it. Might also be time for a group birf rebuild party since the prior owner mentioned this.

 

[Torch Engineering]

Thanks @landcruising! Thanks for the tip on the fan clutch and the radiator, I will look into that. I have the hose for the PHH. Now I just need to find time to make it happen. I think a group birf rebuild party would be awesome! I need to replace my brakes and rotors as well, that would be a perfect time to do it.