What's your opinon

[SOON2BLCOWNER]

What's your opinion

Ladies and gentlemen... first timer here. I've been looking to get into the world of cruiserdom and am needing your help. A local dealership has a 1985 FJ60 that I'm looking to make an offer on.

The good:
Great body... very little rust around the rear fenders
Clean interior... everything works except cd player
OME lift
Mechanically sound from what I've seen/driven
Best of all... 5 speed!

The bad:
240,000 mi and the dealership has no clue about the prior history.

I've got two questions:
1. How much would you offer? Their current price is $5995 (don't mind the window price).
2. Aside from what is covered under the FAQ section, what should I look for/test out during my next test drive.

*EDIT* Here's a little more info... Truck is pretty much all stock other than what was mentioned above, 33in BFGs, and fresh paint. Engine is the 2F and appears to be in good running condition. I'm not sure if they did the 4.11 swap... I'll get her into 5th and see how she does. Thanks for the comments so far.

See posts 10 & 20 for more info.

Thanks A ton!

Here's a pic:

 

[REKCUT]

No where near enough info to make a price guess. I can give you a few fact in that a 5 spd is going to cost you close to 2k and an OME lift is around 1000-1400 depending on which one. Start with a perfect truck and you will spend over 3 k just getting those options added.

 

[zuluzeugma]

Thats probably a $4k-5K truck in today's market.

Does it have 33" tires? If so, you're only ever gana hit 5th gear going downhill unless the motor has been seriously hoped up. A 2F with 200K+ miles is not gana turn a .83 OD, 3.73 diffs, and 33" tires very well. It will do it, It just wont like it. Now, if it had 4.11's swapped in at the same time, thats a great setup...

 

[krookedpandas]

When I bought my cruiser with 230k miles the 2f would push the truck to 90 with 33"s on it. I'd advise finding a cruiser head in your area and having them check it out. Now this may not be the case, but if someone took the time to put an OME on it, a 5 speed, and actually found some of those aussie mirrors then it may be in good running order.

Oh and I agree not worth almost 7k. Id say more like $5000.00 if its in good mechanical order because of the mileage.

 

[cruiser88]

Looks like ome shocks....I bet it has a ome lift?

 

[chicago]

Its BEAUTIFUL!
Was it painted?
How long has it been on the lot for?
The only concern would be the high mileage for that price. Granted, these rigs are not uncommon to have that high of mileage, but...
I bought mine with 220K, but it was also 2500 bucks. Its still fires like a champ and has never left me stranded (the motor anyway).
Depending how it runs and drives, look for leaks, look for smoke out the tail pipe and try to get the speed and RPMs up to see how she runs. The 5 speed is a nice feature, as well as the lift.
Id try to get em down as LOW AS POSSIBLE and hammer on the mileage aspect for leverage. Looks at the other rigs on the lot. See what the price is as compared to the mileage. It is a Toyota, yes, but the parts are not nearly as easy to come by, nor as cheap as the 4 runners or pick ups.
See what you can do!
Id do it for a lesser price...again, its a beautiful looking rig.


Good luck!

Chicago

 

[jessewmcgregor]

price seems high to me but with the lift and 5 speed its not to far off. i would go maybe $5250.00 assuming everything checked out. take it to your mech. have him test and look for anything that stands out. also i have found with these rigs a little rust on the surface often means a good bit more that you cant see. it is a sweet looking truck, good luck in your purchasing and welcome to mud.

 

[Randy88FJ62]

Go into the TLCA/Forum Clubhouse section and find your local club. There should be someone close to help go over the vehicle and do an inspection.

Where are you located?

 

[Matt60]

hell buy it tinted windows, sat radio, yakima rack + some HI beams...

other concern would be the painted rain gutter chrome.. again need more info
location would be a good one...

 

[SOON2BLCOWNER]

Here's a little more information.

The 60 is located in Northwest Arkansas and I was told it has been in the area its whole life.

It was traded in at the local Subaru dealership and found it's way to the lot via auction. It's been there for few months and they've been pushing it quite heavily.

The paint is new and did cover up some rust, but the rust appears to be few and far between... rear drivers fender and dime sized spot on rear tailgate. I am very picky about paint jobs and this one is pretty good... I'm not too concerned about the body. Its shoes are brand new with no hardening or cracking.

The engine starts with no effort and doesn't leak or smoke. The drivetrain performs well, though it does appear to have a leak around the front diff/knuckle/brake area... haven't pinned it down yet.

I do agree that the price is high. It's a great looking vehicle, but the fact that I'm getting blank stares every time I ask the dealer a question about it lowers my offer price more and more. I'm thinking of a price in the $4k range. Whatcha think?

And MAtt, it even has trailer brakes... that sold me! Did it often tow something heavy enough to require brakes ... I'm not too sure about that one.

 

[Randy88FJ62]

Search on here about the oil galley plug. That is one of the most important fixes you can ever do to your truck / engine.

 

[NocalFJ60]

The 5 speed definitely makes it worth more but still seems a little high based on the mileage. If you really like it, come up with a list to get the price down and then pay what you think it is worth. I would want a compression test done with that mileage. You could get a rust free from CA for a lot less but adding a 5 speed would raise the cost.

 

[Randy88FJ62]

here's what I came up with in 5 minutes of thinking:

Cons:
4.11 Gearing in the differentials
High Mileage = parts will need replacing eventually

Pros:
Rims, bumper and trim look new (a sign of good care.)
H55 Manual Trans
Stock Vehicle, never abused offroad.

Things to Check:
Oil Pan: Crawl under the truck and check for leaks after driving it around. Be careful of the hot exhaust pipes. The oil pan gasket has a tendency to leak due to it’s design. If you see oil coming from the back of the oil pan gasket near the bell housing this could indicate a rear main seal and that is expensive to replace (all labor, trany has to be dropped.)
Radiator: Check for corrosion at inlet / outlet pipes or general hairline leaks. A new one will run you in the $300 range w/o labor.
Compression Test: Make sure the engine is tip top. A used engine w/O labor is $500+
Steering Knuckles: Check for leaking grease or gobs around the knuckles. This would indicate bad seals and require a knuckle rebuild ($700+ if you don’t do it yourself.) You can tell if they need rebuilding by how much slop is in the wheel when turning. (from factory I think it was allowed 2” of movement max.)


Now, if you plan on doing all your own work then most fixes will be pretty easy and relatively cheap.

Good luck.

 

[chicago]

Compression test is a REALLY GOOD suggestion.
Any noise coming from the valves too?
The mileage doesnt scare me...everything on these rigs are relatively easy to replace including the engine, but if youre not all that mechanically inclined out of the gate, it may be a deterrent.
Id low ball the hell out of em if theyre willing to play with the numbers. 4K sounds like a good range IMO for what it looks like and what it has already, and if you can get LOWER, I would. That way youre, theoretically, coming out ahead for any unforseen expenses.
When I bought mine, I had limited mech. knowlegde, but after working on it for the past 3 years and spending countless hours web wheelin Mud...there isnt too much that scares me other than cost...Im a cheap bastard.

Chicago

 

[Texx]

Make that INDEPENDENT compression test....take it elsewhere, to someone you trust. Hell, that many miles plus the 5 speed probably means it had alot of love. Plan on some paint/rust repair. Sourcing, installing, a 5 speed is near 3 grand...the price isn't unreasonable. Knock off a grand and buy.

 

[Matt60]

take it for an extended test drive:

head over to harrison down to ponca to jasper and back...

see how she climbs the good roads

 

[REKCUT]

At less than 6k the price is good if this is the truck you want. If you found a nice clean stock truck in CA with no rust for 2 k you would be well over that price by the time you got it home and slapped in a 5spd and a OME lift.

On the other hand, if you dont want a 5 spd then you can find one cheaper than 5 k but remember you will still have to get it here and that is going to cost you something. If its a truck you like dont let it get away trying to save $500.

 

[REKCUT]

If its in Fayetteville, I can probaly get one of the Green Country Cruiser guys to look at it with you.

 

[alaska60]

I would offer him $42500. if this truck was sold at auction..... he only paid $2500 - $3000 for it!!!!! at the most. Go in there with stressing the high milage and limited availability on parts and the cost of parts in comparison to 4 runners and pick ups. Also stress the fact that new paint may be hiding unforeseen future problems...even if it isn't. stress your concern for the leaks and knuckles. keep the price of the 5 speed to yourself too. Start at $4250 and work up from there.
Compression test is a must - prior to any offer!!!!!!
Nice rig!

 

[SOON2BLCOWNER]

Here's an update. My brother (he's a jeep guy.. uggh) and I went by and took a harder look and longer test drive. It starts right up with no major engine problems... the only thing is a wobble in the power steering pully. There's a repair order in the truck for a rear main seal replacement and clutch replacement... looks to have been done in May of this year ($1000 in repairs). She runs awesome, but the front end knuckles might pose a problem... the steering seems to catch. It cycles between being easy to steer and hard to steer... I'm not sure if it's a power steering or knuckle problem. She didn't want to get out of 4hi but we eventually got her back into 2 ... I think she was wanting to do some wheeling. As far as the diff gearing, it ran about 2000 rpm @ 55mph in 5th with enough power to pull it up a few decent hills in nwa.

I'll try to get the compression checked and get a cruiser guy to check it out asap.

Thanks for all your help.