What to pay for 1989 FJ62? (1 Viewer)

[cfstewie]

Hi, new to the forum and looking for my first FJ62. This one popped up in my neighborhood that I'm interested in. Any advice on what to pay/what it's worth?

Autotrader - page unavailable

I work from home so I dont have a lenghty commute but I do plan on this being a daily driver and need a reliable truck.

Thanks for any insight!

 

[Paul DiNapoli]

hard to say - pics look OK - but none of those pics are of the areas you should be really concerned with.

compare this truck @ $16K to what other specimens have sold for on bring a trailer -

Land Cruiser 60-Series

Browse and bid online for the chance to own a Toyota Land Cruiser 60-Series at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online.

bringatrailer.com

use the search - people post "what is this worth" every week and long discussions follow shortly thereafter...read through a few of those and you'll get a sense of what low/medium/high priced specimens look like - and then be very honest and objective in your assessment of this truck for sale.

no matter how bad you might want one right now - this truck is not the only one you'll ever come across.

 

[LCnAZ]

The mileage is not terrible. I would be surprised if the tranny has not been rebuilt with that mileage. 195K to 205K is about where they start to slip if left OEM for tranny cooling. The engine compartment looks pretty well kept. Rims look pretty good. Rust free? Original paint? Paint condition viewed up close? A test drive with an experienced LC owner or mechanic would tell you a lot. If all the stars aligned, this could be a good find.

As a daily driver you will find this vehicle, even if very well maintained, expensive to maintain. There will be frequent surprises. They will add up. When ours hit about 210K, it started kind of snowballing when used as a daily driver...and we're original owners who've kept it up very well. It's just their nature at that age/mileage.

I could be wrong, but it seems that 60-series fall into three catagories: Daily driver/fun driver that is kept running and spent on because the owner enjoys doing so and is willing to spend on it; retired to collector status for low mileage non-daily use; and major restoration with major engine/drivetrain swap. For over two decades I was the former, am now the middle one, and would love to be the latter if money was no object.

 

[leucadiacruiser]

First thing I look at - now having two of these in the stable - is rain gutter rust. As it's a coastal rig, that would be a concern. If there's any rain gutter rust, there will soon be a lot of rain gutter rust without getting it repaired properly and that's not a cheap proposition when you already starting at $15K. Clean looking rig from the pictures though - I've got one the same color currently in the shop getting painted.

 

[NCFJ]

The harsh reality is, this is a 30 year old vehicle with a couple hundred thousand miles on it. Even with good service records, 99.9% of them are going to need to be base lined. It will then require more maintenance than you may expect if not accustomed to driving older vehicles.

The only way to avoid the maintenance is to rebuild the entire truck at once, rather than one or two items at a time. This essentially gives you a "new" truck. This will last a few years or so and then return to a lighter maintenance schedule. Just like any vehicle you purchase, new or old.

Fun with old vehicles costs money $$$$, how much fun do you want to have?

 

[LCnAZ]

The only way to avoid the maintenance is to rebuild the entire truck at once, rather than one or two items at a time. This essentially gives you a "new" truck. This will last a few years or so and then return to a lighter maintenance schedule. Just like any vehicle you purchase, new or old.

This concept is very good. This sets the "base line" that he refers to. As a daily driver, this "all at once" approach is not easy because a major restoration that will achieve that base line takes a lot of time and investment. I've kind of reached that point, but only since it is no longer a daily driver. But what NCFJ describes was the synergy in my restoration goals; get a lot done at once (over a few months in my case) to gain the peace of mind that I can be reasonably worry free operating in my vehicle's expected utility for the foreseeable future. There are always surprises, though. My AC compressor finally failed. Got all that done, then the blower motor fried. That's life with these.

But I must say that I enjoy the comments/compliments/admiration when I'm out in it.

Evaluating return on investment in these is a complicated equation...different for each of us.

 

[NearJetties]

The truck looks like it’s in good condition and assuming all checks out reasonably well (good guidance from what others have mentioned) it is in the right price range.

Regardless of the 1.5” of records expect to spend a few thousand to properly baseline.

It’s a blessing and a curse that these trucks will run down the road with a lot of things out of spec and worn out. What that means is, non-Cruiser enthusiasts overlook a lot of things that add up. Not a deal breaker. Just something to be aware of and factor into your offer. That was certainly the case with mine. It was well maintained, owned from
almost new, by a knowledgeable car loving dentist. It still needed a lot to get it to my standards based on what I learned here.

Also, assume the tires need to be replaced—if they weren’t being DD’d they’re probably old despite having tread.

 

[lcwizard]

I love Land Cruisers because I need to go 4 wheeling, camping etc. I spent over 100 nights in a tent last year and, no, I'm not homeless.
That being said, I would not own a Cruiser if my lifestyle did not involve the outdoors. There are cheaper alternatives for those who want to camp one weekend a year. . Troopers, Xterras, Rodeos, Monteros, Subarus all have lower retail values and probably better mileage.
The Land Cruiser is probably the best platform to build the best truck to get to and from the worst places. If price is a concern then
it may be best to consider options. There's no way anymore to build and maintain an economical Land Cruiser unless economical by your definition is somewhere in the 20 to 40K range. I've driven many makes of 4x4 for a short period here and there. I took a 1500.00 Rodeo on a Colorado trip over 7 passes. I took a 2100.00 Trooper on a 14 day jaunt through the backroads of Death Valley on through Canyonlands and in to Colorado staying on dirt as much as possible. Took a Samurai to Hole in the rock and a Pathfider to the Dollhouse.
I kept the $1500 rodeo for 50,000 miles . It serves as a backup or a lender to friends that visit or employees that find themselves broke down. So far just brakes and tires for repair.
My Land Cruisers are still king but will never be cheap. I still will drive the Trooper on trips that I deem too easy for the Cruiser.
I don't want to wear out the 250.00 ea tire on a Costco trip or a overnight camp the doesn't engage my hubs. The Trooper is like
a mini 80 but cheaper to maintain as the running gear is mostly US. It has GM/Isuzu V-6, GM TH4L30 and a Borg Warner Transfer
case. Thew rears are either a disc brake Dana 44 or an Isuzu disc 9". If the truck came with a factory LSD it is the Isuzu rear.
Used trucks are always a risk. The 60 is simpler than the 62. The 40 is simpler than the 60. The simpler the fewer risks.
Figure what you can stand to lose as a worse scenario. If you invest 20,000 you're probably in it for the long haul unless you're
secretly a fortune 500 CEO

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

Now, I'm biased, but that thing looks worth every bit of $47,392 bucks...