What's better than one 80 series? Looking to buy 1996 VXR while in Middle East. Advice requested.

[sehorntx]

Evening Gents I'm currently deployed with the Navy in Bahrain. Looking at a 96 VXR 80 series in excellent condition. 225K. Rear AC, Cool Box, Dual Extended Range fuel tanks, no obvious leaks, no rust. Pics included. I'm about to pull the trigger. will look good next to my 94

 

[DEADSALT]

pic of engine bay
is the undercarriage sprayed with gloss black
4K/14k/40k?

if the price is right and you know what you’re looking for/at.... add to cart

 

[sehorntx]

pic of engine bay
is the undercarriage sprayed with gloss black
4K/14k/40k?

if the price is right and you know what you’re looking for/at.... add to cart

Undercarriage expected dirt/grime, no gloss black paint. Engine bay dusty but good, Saudi Rig. Runs smooth. Needs some love and likely front knuckle rebuild, but drives great. I've done HG on mine, all hoses, radiator, water pump, dual battery install, fuel injector rebuild so I'm familiar with that engine bay. Asking 8K. I agree, add to cart...

 

[REKCUT]

I personally haven't seen your 94 but I inclined to agree that it will look good next to it.

 

[DEADSALT]

familiarize yourself with export/transport fees and associated headaches prior to handing over cash.

your 94 will be pissy (literally) once you park the 96 beside it; just a heads up.

 

[gnarlynick2072]

I've imported an 80 and a 100 from Saudi so I'll chime in on this one...

That 96 you're looking at looks to be in really good shape. Generally GCC trucks are in garbage condition, especially in Saudi Arabia.

Yes, no rust is great but the heat destroys literally everything else. And if the heat doesn't get it, sand contamination will. If you import it, you're very likely to need to replace almost anything that's made from rubber including all suspension bushings, window runs, seals, etc... Next, plastics will be fragile and trim easily breaks. Depending how much of its life it spent outside, the trim can seem to "sag" from the heat.

Also ask where the previous owner(s) had work done. 3rd world mechanics do miserable repair jobs on these vehicles (sorry but true, I've seen it first hand) and you'll probably run into some "interesting" repairs and need to redo previous work.

Lastly, if you're worried about finding parts Stateside, don't be. There's a plethora of resources available.

 

[lp2k]

buy another one to bring back if you can to sell to someone on mud and make a little beer money at it. heck, even bring back some non-usa specific parts would help.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Nice 80. Assume it's a carb 1FZ-F engine and not fuel injected? That wouldn't deter me at all; just curious.

 

[clx16]

Bring sets of the quad headlights and manual transmissions so that you can sell and get this rig for free!

 

[lp2k]

oh and THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

 

[Falcon King BH]

Local Bahraini here, unfortunately I can't help much due to lack of experience but i would say that this 80 series Cruiser looks to be in better exterior shape than most other FZJ80s that i have seen. Not to mention that 225K Kilometres is pretty "low" considering the age of this car, that if it's legit of course.

On the other hand, you will definitely need to check and make sure that it's mechanically solid. Like what @gnarlynick2072 said:

Yes, no rust is great but the heat destroys literally everything else. And if the heat doesn't get it, sand contamination will. If you import it, you're very likely to need to replace almost anything that's made from rubber including all suspension bushings, window runs, seals, etc... Next, plastics will be fragile and trim easily breaks. Depending how much of its life it spent outside, the trim can seem to "sag" from the heat.

Also ask where the previous owner(s) had work done. 3rd world mechanics do miserable repair jobs on these vehicles (sorry but true, I've seen it first hand) and you'll probably run into some "interesting" repairs and need to redo previous work.

With that being said, I'm not sure if it's the worth the hassle to pay $8K for a 25 year old Land Cruiser from some tiny middle eastern island and then ship it back to the states, especially if it's an automatic. Wouldn't it be more feasible to just buy a USDM J80? Or heck even import a J Spec one? Either way, good luck. I hope everything goes well.

Nice 80. Assume it's a carb 1FZ-F engine and not fuel injected? That wouldn't deter me at all; just curious.

It's a '96 VX-R so it should be the one with the 1FZ-FE i think.