FJ 60 as a daily driver?

[Grim Reaper]

Owner maintained can be a double edge sword. My owner maintained 88 Suburban nickles and dimed me for a year. Stuff like all original hoses. original belts, water pumps etc. My 86 4Runner was the same way. If this is a vehicle that is not driven a lot I would plan for some initial expense as you press it back in to daily driver duty.

Stuff I would replace if receipts cant be provide to show a recent replacement:

Hoses...all of them
Water pump. Its drained for the hoses put a pump on it. Old coolant tends to do a number on the seal of a truck that sits a lot. They go after getting more regular miles.

All fluids changed and pan on the auto tranny dropped to see what sort of debris is in the pan. Some is normal. Auto trannys age and heat are their nemesis. They do in the seals and make them hard. That old of truck with those miles....tranny could give it up at any time. A LOT of clutch material in the pan it is probably sooner then later.

Complete flush of brake system and new rubber lines. This is a really big one that DYI mechanics overlook. Brake fluid should be changed every 2 years. It absorbs moisture and that lowers its boiling point. That moisture also makes the fluid acidic and that deteriorates the seals and hoses in the system.

Complete tune up with new wires.

The front axle can be quite expensive. To completely go through one including replacing the knuckle bearings, Tie rod ends, seals and fluid....$500 in parts before you know it. The knuckle seal kit with wheel bearings is $165 from Marlin. http://www.marlincrawler.com/htm/axles.htm

That's the sort of thing you can expect with any older 4wd vehicle.

You might look at older Suburbans as well. They are in that price range and may actually get better fuel economy. Drive sane in a 87 up Burb and you can get 17mpg out of them. Just try to find one with Barn doors. The power window gates are a pain in the butt. I still think the Fj60 would have the better cool factor then the burb though.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Sounds like the perfect truck to me. Just make sure she knows it will get 12 mpg but they are great and if its in good shape she might grow to love it!

PS also looks great in the pictures. Might be a score actually if you ask me!

 

[zimm]

id encourage her to scrape another 2 g together and snag an 80. light years ahed of a 60. especially in snow (awd). with gas the way it is, some higher (150k) mileage decently maintained 80's are on the market cheap. maint on a 92-94 will be the same a 62. rust isnt as big of an issue either.

 

[Martinjmpr]

My biggest concern for a vehicle like that would be the mileage. Hey, we all love Toyotas, but nothing lasts forever. At 225k, I would worry that a lot of little items are getting ready to fail, which could put her in a world of hurt financially. I think a 225k FJ62 would probably make a great rebuild or 2nd rig or a dedicated expo rig for someone who has another DD but I'd be very leery about relying on something with that many miles on it for daily transportation, especially in Colorado.

For about the same $3k you could probably find a much newer, lower mileage SUV from another manufacturer. Has she considered a Mitsubishi Montero or Montero Sport? I had a 1990 Montero and it was the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned: No major problems in 7 years and 129,000 miles. I did finally have to have the top end rebuilt because of a valve guide problem (very well known problem with the Mitsu 3.0l V-6) but that issue was cured by the time the "newer" (i.e. 1992-1998) body style Monteros came out. The 92-up also were available with an E-locking rear diff.

Anyway, as I said, I know we all love those old bulletproof Toyotas, and this one seems pretty nice, but I think the age and the mileage would make me pass on it for someone who is not a gearhead.

 

[IZZYDUSIT]

The 62s are great trucks!
I have had mine for 15 years now and will not part with it!
Granted, I own a outo shop, so maintanace and repair cost are not a factor,however, if I had to add the cost as though I had to pay for it , it still would have been the truck of choice!
yes, the truck is slow, gets a bad gas mileage, and old but I still have the original engine without any major repaire i.e head gaskets,valve job etc-nada!
it is well maintained and yes, I can take off for a long trip without worries.
I recentley designated it as my outdoor fun only vehicle since gas is so expensive, but so is every other older suv!!
I told my kids I wanted to be buried in the truck, I love it so much!..lol
my .02 cents

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

A 60 series is one of the few trucks that IMO you can often safelely rely on with over well over 200K miles.. My first 60 had 213K that I drove to 222K. The head gasket blew but this was my fault. My second one had 288K when I sold it and ran better than the first, and years later I saw the new owner and he said he was still driving it will well over 300K. My HJ60 had 175K and this one felt "new" or just broken in... We also just took apart a perfectly running FJ62 with about 235K miles on it, original everything, no rust Oregon truck, also literally in perfect running shape... Only to do a diesel swap, the theory on it is we are basically rebuilding it even with 235K on it, nothing wrong with this at all.

If it is in good shape body wise with some decent mechanical maintenance, they are extremely well built and reliable trucks, and they can last a long time. That said any vehicle can have mechanical issues but 60s and 62s are built like tanks... 62s in particular also really seem to hold their resale value if they don't get rusty, unlike early 80 series. They also have a lot of character that 80 series don't have if you ask me...

But that said too I drove a diesel converted HDJ-80 once with 420K miles. You would have never known that it had that mileage on it. The diesel swap was done at 230K miles and the guy drove enough (he was a metal building rep for the entire western US) that it actually did pay for itself.

My guess is again if it is in good shape mechanically and again rust it will probably do fine...

 

[Hltoppr]

Hmmm...$3K huh....

I pride myself on finding "deals" and the FJ62 doesn't seem like a bad one. I'd kinda be concerned about the "Georgia to Colorado" trip in a $3k rig that you haven't gone over carefully....or just want an adventure and be pretty good with repairing stuff in the field...

She needs to be prepared to put $1000 into any rig...just to bring it up to spec. I've found that to be a good figure for any "cheaper" vehicle I've bought...

Given the contraints...I'd look for a 4Runner with the 22R or 22RE motor...price is about right, and they'll give better economy....

But for a daily driver, in town, I'd buy that 62 in a heartbeat!

-H-

 

[Schattenjager]

The truck really does seem to be in good order. Since she is on such a tight budget I have offered to have it checked out and serviced for her trip - should she actually make the purchase.

Rather than make the suggestion, I showed her this thread and she seemed a little giddy. I have underscored the importance of having a mechanic or even the stealership (gasp - i know...) give it a twice over. But this rig is so clean I would be surprised if it needed much more than hoses, belts and maybe a rotation and balance.

Thanks for the ideas! if there are anymore, they are certainly welcome.
:chowtime:

 

[bigreen505]

If you decide to jump on consider sending it to Slee to check out or ask for some mechanic recommendations from the Rising Sun 4x4 club. They know Cruisers. If you just want a decent wrench, Astro Automotive are good guys (Tell them you heard about them on Colorado4x4.org at they'll give you a discount), but they are not Cruiser experts if that is important to you.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

That's great.. It almost sounds nice enough that I would snap it up myself if I had the opportunity! Even with the high mileage if it is in good running shape, considering the shape of the body and the condition of the undercarriage, it actually looks like it might be a total score. It is a little bit of the fisherman's tale but when I was in college a friend paid $9500 for a clean FJ62 with 190K out of college, shipped from Texas (when FJ62s were at probably their highest value), and you can read a story in the NY Times from a guy who paid $15G for his with just over 200K.

Again they are great running trucks, they have become quite popular in certain circles and are definetely a collector's item. Here in my town, which is sort of like a little Aspen to an extent, incredibly clean and very expensive FJ62s are all over the place and are almost like a collector's item... Land Cruisers are actually the highest reselling vehicle of all time. But also largely driven by what people pay for FJ40s and clean 60s and 62's despite higher mileage... If it is as clean as it looks and stays that way, it will also probably be an investment for the most part rather than a depreciation...

I was in the market for a FJ62 two years ago and I couldn't touch anything with a clean body for less than $3G. So again I think that is a score...

And secondly, I crossed the country with a 60 series. It never once crossed my mind that "this truck is old school" in fact I was continually impressed with its performance. They are slightly old school, but late 80's / early 90's old school, really not that old at all in my opinion...

Cheers,
Andre

 

[Hltoppr]

It's hard to find good FJ60/62s here in Flagstaff for under $8K....regardless of mileage...

-H-

 

[Martinjmpr]

and you can read a story in the NY Times from a guy who paid $15G for his with just over 200K.

Ummm, no disrespect intended to the LC owners here, but I'm sorry, that's ridiculous. It's a vehicle. It's mechanical. It's not a magical mystery machine that will transport you into the nether realms of wonderland.

To me this says that the myth of the indestructible LC has met people with both too much money in their pockets and too many fuzzy dreams in their heads.

You know, during the Beanie Baby craze of the last decade people were paying hundreds - or even thousands - of dollars for a silly little stuffed doll. But pretty soon the bubble burst, and I'll bet the person who bought those beanie babies for top dollar thinking he could resell them at a profit, sure felt like an ass. Although this is obviously a bit different (a vehicle still has some usefulness, even if the owner paid too much for it) I can't help but think that the same thing is happening here. So many people are waxing nostalgiac for the awesome FJ40 or FJ60 that other people with more money than common sense are thinking that they'll make some kind of great investment. Hey, I won't begrudge the owner of a '60 all the money he can get (though FWIW I've seen a few for sale around here for $2000-$2500, just sayin'...) but I think it's important to separate the cult-worship from the facts.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

I am not saying that I would ever pay anything close to that, just pointing out that some people do pay it which I think is testament to the vehicle. $3G is closers to my ideal But that said about two years ago I almost paid $6G for a late FJ60 of the same color and about the same condition as that 62 in Nebraska, not including flying out and driving it back. I would probably take this 62 over that particular 60 as well and they seem to be in similar shape body-wise.

 

[Hltoppr]

It's not a magical mystery machine that will transport you into the nether realms of wonderland.


Dude...speak for yourself...mine is exactly that!! :shakin:

-H-

 

[theMec]

I really liked my FJ60 until it started giving me electrical problems about 200k. Always happened in the backcountry. Couldn't trace it. Then w/ a new child, it was too unreliable. Traded it in at 276k for a better family backcountry vehicle w/ much better fuel mileage and better clearance and a working A/C

I'd wouldn't recommend a FJ60 for a daily driver ...