Why are there so many FJ40's still for sale?

[Chungas Revenge]

At the time…he got $40.00 plus parts

Them was the salad years…

 

[ICD FJ40]

Bad economy. Vintage cars become more expensive when they are harder to obtain. When the economy turns sour, people have less money for nonessentials. Try telling the guy with the '57 Corvette his car is worth less every year because it is getting older.

 

[charliemeyer007]

In this economy anything paid for will be good. Make sure you have good tires and a plug kit. A new battery is a good investment. Everything was rationed during WWII, you couldn't get tires, batteries, hoses.

 

[kenjera]

In this economy anything paid for will be good. Make sure you have good tires and a plug kit. A new battery is a good investment. Everything was rationed during WWII, you couldn't get tires, batteries, hoses.

Very true, thats why if you're in a position to do so you do what you can before the economy hits rock bottom as many suppliers might go bust or decide to retire. l had this experience with a Wood Stove supplier l've used for years recently, so l bought out suitable grates & fixings for my log burner discounted 50%...l've enough parts to last me a few years. Same logic applies to the truck whilst l have the means l'll do whatever work needs done now as l don't know what's around the corner tomorrow. Tbh from what l see things are going to get worse before they get better, so it makes sense to stock up on essentials...

 

[kenjera]

One word explanation... Bidenomics. I can't even buy steaks or groceries like I used to.

Same in the UK Bud.. Govt policies (the elites greed) is pushing everything up n up... l stock my freezers, buy from local farmers markets & l'm developing a small homestead...

 

[Mike Shull]

There are 2 FJ45’s for sale in Wyoming, 1 for $3k.

1964 1965 FJ45 LV 1973 FJ40 1970 FJ55 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER - auto parts - by owner - vehicle automotive sale - craigslist - https://billings.craigslist.org/pts/d/ralston-fj45-lv-1973-fj-fj55-toyota/7743309295.html

 

[Firemedic831]

Man, what a great thread. I’m 41 and kind of slot in with some of your who are around the same age. My opinions aren’t too far off. To be clear I daily a 60, and my first 40 is inbound from out of state, arriving in a month. Both are things that took some hunting to find the right deal that fit my blue collar budget, both will be dirtbag budget builds, and both will never see a shop because I can not afford to not do the labor myself. I also have two kids who are in middle & high school, but the younger generation is a whole other ball of wax.

Ok, with that out of the way … the market. I collect vintage guitars like a few of you, the bug bit me at 14 when a friend dragged a battered bottom of the barrel Teisco out of her grandparents closet and gifted it to me. I now have some modest but cool pieces all acquired through a small initial amount of cash and lots of horse trading upwards. I’ve also seemed to always date (and get married to, and divorced from, and married again) girls who are into thrift store clothes - finding really nice vintage stuff. Both markets mirror Land Cruisers almost exactly.

I think going back 20-30 years there was a generation that was dying out. Maybe early boomers, or the tail end of the sock hop generation before them. As they passed away, all these old things they owned came up for sale stupid cheap or was donated to thrift stores. Their kids didn’t want to deal with mom & dad’s old junk. And it really was old junk - technologically inferior, out of fashion, generally undesirable by 99% of society. And none of it was worth much. With guitars, the 1965 Fender Duo Sonic I now own was a student model guitar. Nobody wanted that, it was embarrassing to own. In the 90s they wanted the latest and greatest. Nevermind that it has essentially the same pickups as a 60s Strat that was still somewhat desirable to tone snobs and people chasing SRV’s sound. Off to the thrift store it went. Same went for “dad’s old truck”, that rusting piece of liability parked out behind the garage that he was going to get back on the road “some day”.

Fast forward to maybe 2005-2015. The younger generations - myself included - are facing an entirely different economic reality than the older generations. And another generation was aging into the afterlife, their junk being hocked to thrift stores and estate sales. Well, folks of my age are looking at living expenses that have risen at a much faster rate than wages, going back to about the early 80s. We’re hungry to make ends meet. We see people with niche hobbies and realized they wanted that old junk. We saw gold. It didn’t take long for folks older than us to catch on too. Everybody thought they had gold all of a sudden. eBay hit at exactly the right time to foster a boom in prices on literally anything that was old.

This fueled some tulip-style speculation and insanity in the markets. I saw it happen with Land Cruiser prices in the 20-teens, reaching an incredibly stupid fever pitch during Covid. Guitars too. “Grandpa’s old rusting hulk is worth $20,000, I know what I got, no offers accepted, cash on the barrel head only, I’ve seen the prices online!” Shoot I remember trying to buy a 4Runner as early as 2012 or so. For a decently priced one you had to be at the seller’s house within 30 minutes with cash in hand ready to buy without even a test drive, or it was already gone. Early 2nd gen basket cases were going for $3000-5000.

So where’s it going? Hopefully down. I think there’s something to be said for the thin slice of 25-45 year olds who could afford wildly priced toy trucks during the pandemic finding out they actually weren’t as into leaf springs and lack of a center console screen as they thought. People still want the “latest and greatest”. The size of the center console screen in a vehicle has become a sales point. On the other hand, here’s the crux of my theory I’ve been working on for 10+ years: I think 99% of the “cool old stuff” - be it trucks, guitars, or whatever - is into circulation with enthusiasts and collectors. The previous generations that had those things are pretty much gone and the days of finding a crazy deal from the old farmer down the road are gone. For all intents and purposes, none of that stuff is hiding anymore - it’s all into circulation. And so prices will stay relatively high, if there’s a cooling in the market it ain’t gonna cool too far.

And if y’all think Land Cruiser prices are high, you don’t know anything about the vintage clothes market, which my partner tracks religiously. JC Penney house brand jeans (cheap crap when new) from the 70s that are in tatters, just massive holes and stains everywhere - maybe $200. Most of the pieces can’t even be considered clothing anymore haha, they’re just a series of thinly connected rags!

I just want to go on Record and Say there is not 1 thing on my 40 that is even remotely close to reminding me of a thrift store .

 

[Chamba]

Are you really back in New Mexico or still back in the South East? Read your previous posted and it sounded familiar. Chances of two members from both NM and Australia seemed highly unlikely.

I'm still in Florida unfortunately. I came down when we opened the base thinking we'd be here 2-3 years. Here we are 8 years later. I retire in 10 years, then we will be back out west. I can't wait! I've been looking at land in Wyoming for a cabin. I'm starting to look for another 40 series to keep there.

How have you been?

 

[knuckle47]

During WWll, rationing affected many wartime productions. This 1942 Harley had plastic grips on the handlebars…and metal plates for the floorboards, rubber was rationed. Funny thing was in 1992 when I restored this, these parts were available in bundles of 20 in surplus houses. One such place, no longer was David Sarafan in Spring Valley NY. He must have purchased warehouses of government surplus. Those saddle bags and blackout lighting are all originals. Ammo box and gun scabbard all from 1940… The government ordered 88,000 bikes and enough extra parts for another 88,000.

Man I use to love this s#!t. I rode this all thru the woods around my house. This even had a decapitation rod up front that would catch and snap fine wires strung across the road by the enemy.

 

[archie73]

There are 2 FJ45’s for sale in Wyoming, 1 for $3k.

1964 1965 FJ45 LV 1973 FJ40 1970 FJ55 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER - auto parts - by owner - vehicle automotive sale - craigslist - https://billings.craigslist.org/pts/d/ralston-fj45-lv-1973-fj-fj55-toyota/7743309295.html

Much want, no money or room.

 

[kpz1234]

Also, based upon my experience, buy what you want in perfect running condition and have it inspected FIRST. Plan on $3-4000 in upgrades immediately after purchase (tires, brakes, and other minor things it needs). If you don't have the extra repair cash, don't do it.

I do repairs for a living. No one is prepared for their new classic needing repairs and they are expensive. The truck you see in my photo is a fixer upper from a rust bucket, and it has cost its owner a lot. Perhaps, he should have bought a perfect one. Don't ask..

Well... my dad has a '36 Hupmobile. They actually still have the spare parts factory, you just have to dig through it because it's jammed full of all the parts... including the wooden wheels of the older model.

 

[kenjera]

I just want to go on Record and Say there is not 1 thing on my 40 that is even remotely close to reminding me of a thrift store .

I just want to go on Record and Say there is not 1 thing on my 40 that is even remotely close to reminding me of a thrift store .

l've got 20+yrs on you, the gadgets & gizmo's phase l discovered in the 1980's after l moved to London making x5+ as a courier what l could up north l arrived on my Suzuki Katana GSX 1000E with a Rucksack on my back, over 10yrs l acquired the latest gizmos & gadgets Nicam stereo TV, Long play VCR, Sony dual cassette player (hip carried) & a Mobile phone (the chunky Motorola with the 'brick sized' battery) after 10yrs of hard work & a g/f who didn't work throughout but was a stay at home cat & dog sitter l realised these 'things' were a distraction & l within myself wasn't happy, so l quit came home (driving a 7.5 ton truck rammed with stuff) within 6mths the g/f realised the 'freeloading' was over & we split (if you know the movie When Harry met Sally..Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Billy Crystal were in it...Carrie Fisher's line to Meg Ryan about Billy Crystals new g/f ..'Young good looking, big tits, nice ass, your basic nightmare'.. best describes her).

jump to 2000..l'd a house flood which ruined everything, thankfully l was new for old insured , at that time l had a 1970's B&O separates Hi Fi system which l'd bought out of a pawn shop for £56 back in 93'..it too was wrecked, l loved it & tried finding a replacement even spoke with B&O themselves about it, they no longer made separates & tried to sell me a 'new' all in 1 set up (not my thing) l ended up buying a Yamaha separates set up which l still have today. That 'solid old 70's B&O unit' was valued at £3500 by the Ins comp. So old stuff does have a value if you look after it. The most valuable item l possess.. is my dad's original 1940s Royal Navy Artic jumper he was issued with & he wore on HMS Ark Royal on which he served in WW2 and its not for sale at any price.

l'm hopeful that kids today will one day realise the screen they're transfixed by.... is only a distraction....

 

[FloridaLife]

Same in the UK Bud.. Govt policies (the elites greed) is pushing everything up n up... l stock my freezers, buy from local farmers markets & l'm developing a small homestead...

Smart on your part!

 

[TEakins]

What does any of this story trap stuff have to do with the price of 40's? lol

 

[65swb45]

It's really a state of the union discussion, cleverly disguised to avoid the black hand.

 

[77mustard40]

One word explanation... Bidenomics. I can't even buy steaks or groceries like I used to.

Grow a brain, inflation is a function of money supply ( i.e. Federal Reserve) or in our case the over supply of money in the economy. We started down this road when the Fed inflated its balance sheet after the housing crisis in ‘08 -“10 and the Fed did little in the decade following to shrink that stimulus. No President has much influence over monetary policy other than selection of a Fed Chairman who in our case has been in the position since 2018. The Fed simply dropped the ball in addressing the issue in a timely manner, and post covid legislation didn’t help. Pure and simple we over-cooked the economy with an abundance of money at essentially free rates and are paying for the good times.

Prolly another reason for this thread’s existence.

 

[sogafarm]

It's really a state of the union discussion, cleverly disguised to avoid the black hand.

Grow a brain, inflation is a function of money supply ( i.e. Federal Reserve) or in our case the over supply of money in the economy. We started down this road when the Fed inflated its balance sheet after the housing crisis in ‘08 -“10 and the Fed did little in the decade following to shrink that stimulus. No President has much influence over monetary policy other than selection of a Fed Chairman who in our case has been in the position since 2018. The Fed simply dropped the ball in addressing the issue in a timely manner, and post covid legislation didn’t help. Pure and simple we over-cooked the economy with an abundance of money at essentially free rates and are paying for the good times.

Prolly another reason for this thread’s existence.

Before this goes in a political (black hand) discussion let’s keep it focused on overall market reasons for the economy of fj40’s specifically. It’s been a terrific thread with everyone’s input, let’s keep it going. I have been pleasantly surprised at the participation from everyone. Keep it up!

 

[sogafarm]

I’ll say this, the Fed is riding on the back of a tiger right now. Too far one way or another and we are all tiger food.

 

[cbmontgo]

I’ll say this, the Fed is riding on the back of a tiger right now. Too far one way or another and we are all tiger food.

They spent too much time asleep with what they called "transitory inflation" that they let the airplane get ahead of 'em.

 

[Sky King]

The fact that every major corporation has shown record profits during this inflationary period wouldn't have anything to do with the prices you are paying for things now would it? The pandemic was the springboard for them and they all went for the brass ring. Talk about the market , talk about the Fed all you want, it's corporate greed that is the underlying factor here the, rest is a ripple effect.