What would you pay?

[SteveO]

it isn't advertised at all, i met the lady when she stopped by a couple years back and we corresponded about it...
i can give you directions but i suck at that, best would be for youto stop by and i will draw a map or beter yet see if i can dig up her number...
cheers

Hey Wayne, if you want to send me an address or phone number we can set up something. I'm interested in seeing it for sure. Thanks. ......Steve

 

[crushers]

Wayne, (and others),

What specific things should I look for on the BJ40 for Steve?
I am going to give everything a check.

But I am wondering if there is anything on the BJ40 that would need extra attention.

Cheers,
Nick

for me, i take it for a test drive. i can tell lots about a cruiser just by doing that. i highly doubt they will allow you to do a compression test unless you set it up before hand and pay to have it done. chances are they won't let you in the back to watch but they might.
put the front tires up against a curb and try and take off slowly in 3rd. it should stall, if it doesn't then the clutch is on it's way out.
hold your finger over the vacumm pipe to see if there is vacumm, it might take a couple seconds at idle to build up
it is alright to burn a bit of smoke when first starting but it should clear up fairly quick.
the 40s are bad for rust in the rear frame both just at the fixed spring end as well as the "triangle" where the shackel bolts on. (esp. the rust zones of Canada)
the tub should be straight and the joint between the tub and the firewall should be smooth. check for rust bottom of the windsheild frame and just below the kick panels, bottom of the bib is bad as well, any bubbling in these areas and you should walk away at this point.
the engine should be strong but a slug.
the H42 should shift with 2 fingers and slip into the gears smoothly, not catchy at all.
check for an coolant stains on the rad, sign of thining of the tanks or core, esp inside bottom just inside the rad shroud.
before you start the engine feel the tappet cover and side of the block for being warm to the touch, a sign it has been warmed up. when staqrting cold see how long it takes to idle smooth.
recommend a hot coolant pressure test to see if the head has any cracks.

this is all i can think of right now.
cheers

 

[SteveO]

Vernon Toyota huh.
Okay I will try and stop by.
Have you talked to them? I.E Should I say that I am looking behalf of a friend from Calgary named Steve?

Cheers,
Nick

Hey Nick, I just got off the phone with them and they don't seem to know a lot about it but are going to take a bunch of pictures and send them my way. He was also going to try and get it in the shop and do a compression test. I talked to Bryan and he said if you stop by to ask for him and he'd be happy to go through it with you. Maybe let him know they're asking too much for it as well. Thanks a lot. ....Steve

 

[Diescipel]

I can't add anything to the awesome prepurchase advice here but FWIW here are a couple of sales comparables:

My 83 BJ42 with 5 spd., PS, Aqualu tub, ugly fenders, bib that's a little small, etc. with ~400k kms, a supposed engine rebuild (no receipt) but high compression etc. etc. cost me $10k CAD in Vanc. BC Nov. of 2004.

A fellow cruiserhead in Cali here just found out of northern Alberta an unrestored 1 owner, minor rust, 200 something K kms, little old lady, factory 24v winch etc. etc. 83 BJ42 for $7000 USD (goddamm him!).

That I guess is a way of saying that $11k CAD is too much.

Look in Alberta--seems to be better for rust. And maybe little old ladies?

B

 

[Greg_B]

I think it all depends on what has been done to the vehicle, if it has had a restore, and to what quality level was it done. It's easy to take, patch and make look good. It's also nice finding those really reasonable ones that have few owners, and regular maintenance. While those stories are nice, they are not a datum imo. If one has been taken apart and done reasonably well, it is very easy to hit way way way over $20,000. Ask me how I know...

Hire a shop that does it right, and it is easy to hit over the $30,000 to $40,000 mark.

If you are planing on doing a renovation yourself you can very easily end up paying more then you would for one already done. Sometimes that works out better, as it is not all at once (consider it your payment plan), and you get to do or manage it yourself. There is value in that.

gb

 

[nickw]

Hello Steve,

I did not get a chance to take a look at the cruiser for you. I am sorry I must apologize. By the time I drove through Vernon it was 7:30pm and it was dark out.

I am really sorry, I wanted to take it out too. I have never driven a BJ40, but unforchanatly it did not work out time wise.

Cheers,
Nick

 

[SteveO]

Hey Nick, no problem. I appreciate the thought.

Let me know if you find out anything about your friends cruiser. That's a little closer to my price range anyways. .....Steve