When is it enough...? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Oct 27, 2004
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I'm in a quandry.

I've been staring at LandCruisers for two years without pulling the trigger and buying one. I know exactly what to look for and exactly what I want.

Two hours to go on an Ebay auction for THE one I want, and I still can't do it...

Wife is pregnant with twins. I have a car I commute with. Why should I get one?

Why shouldn't I?

Agony. Enough self-loathing.

ih8mudders are cool







uberhahn
 
If there is an unknown about excess funds due to the twins coming then wait. If you have the excess funds, then do what you want. The kids come first tho..
 
I'm all too familiar with the ebay feeling. Lost on out a couple there that I thought "was the one."

In the end, I picked up my 60 right here on mud. Course I had to wrestle a few guys for it.

Sounds like your priorities are in order. The lust for an LC won't go away.

Have the kids. Commute in the daily driver and when the time is right, pull the trigger hard.

Good luck. :beer:
 
Time & money are interchangeable. Find someone in your area that has had one for at least a couple years (post up here) & has gone completely through it himself mechanically. Develop a relationship. Ask to drive it.

The best thing you could find out is that you hate it.

Assuming you don't, save your money, watch the classifieds, & put the word out here & at your local 4x4 & Toyota stores. When the right one comes along, you'll know. Just don't buy the 1st one you can afford. Lots of stuff on this board about the false economy of buying cheap.

Oh yeah! Find a good Cruiser shop that'll do a pre-sale inspection & use it.
 
if there is a slight twinge in the back of your head saying i better not do it than dont do it!!!!!!!!!!!! have the twins, let everything shake down then pull the trigger. i have learned 2 things in just the 2 years i have earned a cruiser
1 - they take up more money and time than planned - always
2 - just when you think you missed the best truck ever, another one pops up

if you don't have that twinge - go for it and never look back!

by the way, for the sake of conversation - what is it exactly that you want?
 
Man, I got the bug last spring myself. I had a Z and a Maxima, kept trying to use the Max as a hauler for yard stuff and had no way to cart my daughter's motorcycle around. I was looking at Xterras, Pathfinders, 4Runners, Passports, and then saw an ad for a "classic" cruiser. Went to check it out and was HOOKED. Wasn't the one I wanted, but after getting on ih8mud, browsing through the 60/62 registry, I narrowed it down and started my search.

I knew it had to be within 4-5 hrs driving distance to make it a one-day trip, RUST-FREE, minor mods good, minor dings/scratches OK within reason, good paint & interior, good maintenance on drivetrain, clean engine, etc, etc. I knew I didn't have time (even if I have the skills/tools) to do a lot of work on a beater, so any "project" cruiser was out of the question for me.

Drove my wife crazy chasing the perfect match, printing pictures, organizing in folders, scrolling through pics sent by owners, prioritizing, figuring out which one was "the one".

To finance, the plan was the sell the Z, which would be MORE than enough for a good cruiser, buy a better motorcycle for my daughter, and money left over. Put the Z up for sale, narrowed my search, which included one aborted 10 hr round trip for a cruiser that didn't match the description. :mad: Second trip was also 10 hrs, but the cruiser was perfect in my eyes, both from the pics and in person. Still is, if you ask me!

Hitch in the plan... Couldn't sell the Z. Closest offer was still $1000 off of my lowest price. So..... sold the Maxima instead for less than the cruiser cost. Wifey was understanding, really didn't want me to sell the Z in the first place, so in the end I got the Z and the cruiser. Sweet!

To put in perspective, my youngest is 12, no one in college (yet), been in our present house about 9 years and probably another 8-10, 24 years at a major corp, so cash flow not a big issue. If I had twins on the way and still trying to build equity in my home, could be a different story, but... Is buying a cruiser going to make you a better/worse father or husband? Make you "waste" money on your cruiser instead of investing in college fund for the kiddies? Or will it give you something to do as a family -- camping, maybe wrenching with the twins (boys or girls, doesn't matter), finding things to build your family experiences on rather than a wedge.

It's all in what you want to do with it......
 
Hate to say it: let the dust settle once the kids are born. There will be expenses, not to mention any medical unknowns, god forbid. Wait and see. Another will come along. Unless you HAVE to have it... How understanding is the wife? She'll need to be. The cost of sanity, though...
 
wait until the twins are born. Keep your eyes peeled but remember the kids are first. #2 is due any min for us and I woudl love another project, but the wife would kill me. And its not the time. I am mainly trying to knock out the items that need to be done one the 62.

Let us know what you are lookign for. is getting a beater OK to tide you over? If you go this route. Make sure it is worth your time, and not a money pit to keep it going.


$ Ideas etc for us would be great. $ is always the issue especially when kids and family are involved. They can take more than you realize esp kids!
 
uberhahn said:
I'm in a quandry.

uberhahn

There are plenty of cruisers. Only one set of YOUR twins. They are most important. Let the dust settle, pick a cruiser that you can use with them...buy it, fix it, enjoy it with them...life will be good.

Contrats on kids - don't look back, only look forward.
 
Kids, family, responsibilities have to come first. Be proud of yourself that you took a step back.

A Cruiser is just a hunk of metal when cast in this light.


Mark...
 
I appreciate the understanding from everyone. The twinge of doubt was too strong. Another will come my way.

Naturally, family will come first. The cruiser is to be a part of our family activities. I have a sedan that I drive 80 miles/day for work (commute). The wifey has a Chevy Equinox that will be the kid hauler. The LC would be a multi-purpose vehicle. Take the dogs to the park/beach with the kids =>take the LC. Bring home bulky stuff without too much regard for scratching up a leased SUV => take the LC.

In addition to that, I'm yearning for a project. I can honestly say that my house projects are complete. I sold my race car ('72 240Z) two years ago. Since then I've been driving myself absolutely nuts. Reorganized the garage numerous times, built a shed to clear the garage, finished the basement (with a section for a nice workshop) etc.

This really is a philosophical discussion. Cashflow isn't a horrible concern. The time is. My search for a LC will continue after the kids are born. The LC will be rust free, a post-85 FJ-60 (would like a 5-speed swap eventually), with the option of a few tacktfull and functional modifications to the suspension. Given that time to spend on the cruiser will be limited, it will need to be "almost" perfect when it rolls into the garage.

Last night was eye opening for me. I will put my active search on "hold" until August. Kids will just be learning to sleep through the night. By winter, I will have one.

Until then, I will continue to ghost around here and archive all sorts of uber-useful information that you are full of.

uberhahn
 
You really should read more of the gun posts on Chit-Chat. Then you would know that you dont pull the trigger, you let out your breath, then gently squeeze the trigger.

Good luck on the Cruiser hunt. The fever will not go away, it will just turn into the flu. Ask me about the symptoms, the guy with a 40, a 55, and a 60.

Hodag
 
uberhahn said:
This really is a philosophical discussion. Cashflow isn't a horrible concern. The time is. My search for a LC will continue after the kids are born. The LC will be rust free, a post-85 FJ-60 (would like a 5-speed swap eventually), with the option of a few tacktfull and functional modifications to the suspension. Given that time to spend on the cruiser will be limited, it will need to be "almost" perfect when it rolls into the garage.

uberhahn

As a father of two small children (17 months & 7 weeks respectively), let me share a perspective on older Cruiser ownership:

1) glad to hear that $$$ flow is not too much of an issue because irregardless of how ""almost" perferct" that Cruiser to be is when it comes home, it WILL need parts and/or repair. If not immediately, then anytime down the road thereafter. Many of the parts are not cheap and with labor rates what they are, you will most likely decide to wrench on it yourself. Which leads me to point #2....

2) Time.....(especially with twins - ours are close enough ;) ) It will be non-existent. Especially for the first 2 years at least. Whatever time you had to wrench prior to little babies will be something else entirely. Unless you have an unbelievably understanding wife, have many helpful relatives in the immediate area who enjoy childcare, and you happen to be the Flash when it comes to mechanical repairs, you will not have really much if any time to tackle big jobs on your truck. Enter the reputable Cruiser repair shop and boom, you're back to point #1....

3) Kids, car seats, & old Cruisers....swapping car seats out of your "kid hauler" with the Latch system and into your old Cruiser with lap belts every time you want to get the whole family in the old beast for an outing, is less than a joyful picnic and can be a major PITA, especially if you are doing this on a regular basis, say every weekend...:eek: Best scenario is to have another set of kid seats dedicated to the Cruiser, which takes us right back to point #1...

4) And lastly, you will want to make sure the old Cruiser is dialed in mechanically before every outing because breaking down unexpectedly with a truck full of little ones, wife, and ?dog? can present it's own unique set of....shall we say, CHALLENGES :doh:

All that being said, they are kick arse rigs, practically unstopable when set up right, and are a great way to get the wee ones off of the beaten track for a weekend wilderness adventure.

They can take my Cruiser if they can pry my cold, dead fingers from the wheel ...:D :D :D

-dogboy- '87 FJ60
 
I got my first Cruiser in the early 70's - a new FJ40. Way before I could REALLY afford it. Drove it 15 years. The family grew up with that Cruiser. Camping trips, wheeling, picnics, canoe hauling, etc. I now have another. I can well afford it, and love the truck... but it isn't quite the same as my old, tan 40.

Pull the trigger when you can. Life is way too short to agonize over what could have been, or what might be. It is now.

M
 
uberhahn

i have a 3 year old. you'll be stunned how fast those munchkins will mess up the interior of your leased vehicle. i think you're on the right track though, postpone the search a few months and get a cruiser. work on it as time permits and it'll be ready to kick ass when the kids are getting really fun.

as to point #3 from dogboy2: i swap the carseat between 2 cars regurlarly, neither of which have the seat clips that have been mandatory since 2000, maybe it was 2001. i have to use the belt locking clips; however it's unlikely anyone else is in the back of my vehicles besides my son, so i just leave the belt clips on most of the time. swapping takes seconds. if that doesn't work, i hear good things about these

http://www.safebeginnings.com/WebComponents/Catalog/Public/showproduct.asp?id=417

haven't used one though
 
You would actually be amazed at how young they want to mess with cruiser stuff!!

My 16 mo. old will come outside with the wife while I am working. She will want to play with tools and stuff already. I just hope she stays somewhat interested. :)

Good luck with the search and the kids!!
 
WAIT, WAIT, WAIT......

Coming from my experience with two kids.....these cruisers take more time and money than expected. Most of the prior posts are saying the same damn thing.

And for what it is worth, I won't buy another vehicle off ebay again. Unless you can see the vehicle through and through.....it is just not worth it. I will only buy local now, or buy where I have close friends with brains to inspect the vehicle.

Good luck.
 
baldredhead said:
as to point #3 from dogboy2: i swap the carseat between 2 cars regurlarly...i have to use the belt locking clips...so i just leave the belt clips on most of the time. swapping takes seconds.

Belt locking clips??? Somebody educate me here on this one as I would LOVE to cut down on the seat swapping time...

Thanks,
-dogboy- '87 FJ60
 
they are required on newer vehicles and the new car seats have them as well. Its a place where you clip a belt too usually 3 places. top in the rear (on rear area where speakers are on a car) then 2 on each side of the seat. Its hard to explain but makes sense when you see them.

As far as the issue of swapping seats in and out. Its not something I want to do everyday, but its not that bad as long as you can leave the seatbelts the same length and just buckle back in. I end up swaping ours out about once a week.

I wouldnt consider this an issue at all. IMHO
 
dogboy2 said:
Belt locking clips??? Somebody educate me here on this one as I would LOVE to cut down on the seat swapping time...

Thanks,
-dogboy- '87 FJ60

i wasn't terribly clear was i?

the clips i'm speaking of are used where the LATCH (lower attachment somethign someting, what 89s rule is refering to) system isn't available AND the male part of the factory system doesn't stay in place by itself: fj62 landcruiser for instance. just get a bunch of those clips, and leave them till someone needs to use the seatbelt.

the belt locking clips might depend on the manufacturer, i have a graco seat for the kiddo

89s rule said:
as long as you can leave the seatbelts the same length and just buckle back in. IMHO

for some vehicles, the belt won't stay set even under tension, have to use the clip i linked above
 

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