'91 Land Cruiser Diesel Automatic Japanese Import -> Good buy for ~1yr SA Trip?

[Fearan]

Hey Everyone,

I'm an overland newbie, but all the stories on here made me start looking for a truck to take a year off with my girlfriend to travel South America (we've backpacked through Europe and SEA).

Low and behold, I found this '91 Land Cruiser 4.3L diesel 20mins away from my house, he's asking $12k. Now, I'm wondering if this would be a good buy or not. It seems like that's a very reasonable price, but honestly have no idea.

It has 207k km (so 130k miles... unless they reversed the odo).

There is very little rust. It's been kept as a show-off vehicle with giant speakers by some rich Japanese until it was imported in 2007. He didn't drive it in winter here, so no salt damage.

Engine compartment looks awesome (I never owned a car, but for a 20yr old truck, looked pretty amazing). Oil looked OK, new batteries (there are 2) and all the electronics seemed to work. It also comes with 4 new Mud Terrain tires, an electric winch and a sunroof. Downside is that it's right hand drive, but that's not that big of a deal.

My 4 main questions:

1. Is this a good deal?
2. If so, do I gain anything from having it inspected before?
3. It's an automatic transmission, is this a bad idea for an overland trip?
4. Are there any specific things I should ask him about?

Thanks for any help.

There's another guy interested, so I want to know if I should call him and tell him to take my money ASAP before it's gone... I don't think I'll find many other opportunities like this, but don't want to do anything irrational.

 

[lostworldexpedition]

That is a nice 80 (except for the Chrome and the exhaust).

I can't tell you if it is a good deal, what I can tell you is that that engine alone can go for as much as 7 grand and sometimes more. If it has good compression numbers I would say it is not a horrible deal. 130k miles for a diesel is nothing.

I personally am not a fan of auto, but I am currently (and temporarily) driving an auto 94 diesel LandCruiser and love it. It is quite enjoyable off road as it makes it very easy to control the pedal and left foot brake. Would I take an automatic vehicle to SA, h#ll yes sir!

Keep in mind that a few countries in Central America don't allow RHD vehicles in... Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Fearan]

Thanks for the quick reply and info. Any idea what countries ban RHD? I can't find much info.

 

[Douglas S.]

I have pretty much the same truck minus the 'interesting' accessories. The automatic transmissions in these things are huge and it shouldn't cause you any issues if make sure the fluid's in good shape and don't overheat it.

 

[hieronymus]

The chassis looks good, so maybe he really didn't drive it in winter. The engine compartment doesn't look awesome, mine is a lot cleaner after 250.000km's and two trips to Africa! The gearbox will do fine wherever you go, the sunroof is standard but not that ugly and uncomfortable steering wheel!!!
Keep in mind that a 4.2 diesel (not 4.3) truck with around 200k on the clock will need a timing belt replacement and new BEB's (big end bearings I believe) this is really important. There's a thread on this subject on this forum, read it!
For the rest, it's ugly and a bit overpriced, but not too much...... (you may find cheaper ones in Australia and/or Europe edit: bad example.......is in fact more expensive)

 

[Fearan]

Well $12,000CDN is like E8,000 so this one is much cheaper in comparison. I'll take a look around again to see what kind of prices other ones are going for.

 

[bj70_guy]

Where are you located?

 

[1leglance]

I personally think it is a good price...
but more importantly what do YOU think of the vehicle?
This is something you will be LIVING with, day in & day out, you better like it or you will grow to hate it
Easy to get in & out of?
Enough room for your stuff?
Does the sound & smell of a diesel bother you?
How much "off roading" do you plan to do? there isn't really that much other than dirt roads & beaches unless you plan of jungle trekking and that isn't as easy as it sounds as the risk of breaking things will keep you from really going crazy.

If I was taking 2 people on a "road trip" through Central America I would go for a diesel Sprinter (used), good tires and a mild build out inside for comfort/hygiene. Fuel will be your largest expense and while the diesel 80 series isn't horrible it is less than the 20-22mpg of the Sprinter.

So much depends on what your interest are as you travel and HER interest also.
Sleep inside the rig vs hotels.
Cook for yourself or eat out as much as possible.
Beaches & wild places vs towns/night life
The more you tell us the more we can offer you advice.

 

[Douglas S.]

Fuel will be your largest expense and while the diesel 80 series isn't horrible it is less than the 20-22mpg of the Sprinter.

That's about what I get with my stock HDJ81. AFAIK, that's normal.

OP, check out the IH8MUD forum in the diesel tech and 80-series forums if you want to learn more about the specifics of the truck and what kind of maintenance you'll need to do it if you decide to buy it.

 

[turbolab]

these pop up all the time in alberta for 12k ish with lower kms, and you can go to jdm imports in bc and pick one form japan, they will bring it over, safety it and you will be on your way any were form 8k to 25k (25k is for pop top cruisers and such)

im editing my post because there was a very good company with web site that had inventory and all in bc now i can't find it

ok i found one company that seems good but they only have one cruiser it's the 4.2 diesel and in much better shape then this one, 100 000kms for 18 000cad and i'm sure you could talk em down if you want to take a look its silk road autos

 

[Fearan]

I personally think it is a good price...
but more importantly what do YOU think of the vehicle?
This is something you will be LIVING with, day in & day out, you better like it or you will grow to hate it
Easy to get in & out of?
Enough room for your stuff?
Does the sound & smell of a diesel bother you?
How much "off roading" do you plan to do? there isn't really that much other than dirt roads & beaches unless you plan of jungle trekking and that isn't as easy as it sounds as the risk of breaking things will keep you from really going crazy.

If I was taking 2 people on a "road trip" through Central America I would go for a diesel Sprinter (used), good tires and a mild build out inside for comfort/hygiene. Fuel will be your largest expense and while the diesel 80 series isn't horrible it is less than the 20-22mpg of the Sprinter.

So much depends on what your interest are as you travel and HER interest also.
Sleep inside the rig vs hotels.
Cook for yourself or eat out as much as possible.
Beaches & wild places vs towns/night life
The more you tell us the more we can offer you advice.

I fell in love with that LC the moment I saw it... but for irrational reasons. It just looked pretty impressive for some reason. Yeah, I know, chrome is tacky... but a man can have some vices, right? :elkgrin:

Also, I spent 6 years in the Army so the sound and smell of diesel feels like home to me. When we test drove it yesterday the nice low diesel grumble brought back a lot of memories.

Easy enough to get in/out and definitely enough room for all our stuff.
We're planning on sleeping on a roof tent, and it'll be 99% cooking for ourselves. We don't really like towns at all, so most of our trip will consist of being around smaller villages and wild areas.

We plan on doing a good amount on backroads, where something like a Sprinter really wouldn't hold up to the task. One of our plans is to go to a village we worked in, in Nicaragua a few years ago. The roads to get there were pretty much the equivalent of light off roading, and we hope to visit other areas like that.

That's about what I get with my stock HDJ81. AFAIK, that's normal.

OP, check out the IH8MUD forum in the diesel tech and 80-series forums if you want to learn more about the specifics of the truck and what kind of maintenance you'll need to do it if you decide to buy it.

Thanks for the heads up! Checking that out now.

The inspiration for our trip/vehicle is the couple on this board that posted their trip through the Congo. We've been dreaming of doing that (although through SA) since reading that last year.

Also sidenote, the Expedition Portal community seems really awesome. Very cool. :ylsmoke:

edit, for a bit more info:
Some of the mods we plan on doing:
-Extra fuel tank
-Water tank , maybe with a lil showering device.
-Better fridge (there's one in there that might do the trick, not sure)
-Roof tent
-Storage for food/clothes
-Laptop mount for a Macbook Pro (GPS & all)
-Change the suspension (felt really soft, won't be able to take the extra weight)
-More batteries (there's already 2, but not sure how they're setup).
-Second spare tire?
And some other things I'm not thinking about right now.

 

[Fearan]

these pop up all the time in alberta for 12k ish with lower kms, and you can go to jdm imports in bc and pick one form japan, they will bring it over, safety it and you will be on your way any were form 8k to 25k (25k is for pop top cruisers and such)

im editing my post because there was a very good company with web site that had inventory and all in bc now i can't find it

Yeah, I was looking at a few companies in BC... but my problem is getting to BC to pick it up, I'm in Montreal. Adding another $1000 of travel (airfare + fuel + time) would be tough to do.

 

[1leglance]

In Central and South America there is no need for a second spare. I have traveled plenty there and you are never very far from help (unlike Africa or the Simpson desert). On board air like the Extreme Outback setup along with their tire repair kit is all you need. But I would but the single spare on a swing out with storage box (not jerry can as those can be messed with).
Long range tank also isn't really "needed" in Latin America but is nice, Long Ranger makes a nice setup and you can talk to Paul at Equipt1.com
He also has a few water options including a really nice setup that goes in the back seat floor.
And he can cover you on the roof rack & tent...matter of fact search benedmonson (forum name) here on expo for a great 80 series setup by Equipt1.com

I would agree with a third battery instead of solar unless you know you will be camping in 1 spot for 3-5 days. Batteries are cheaper than solar and less hassle.

Most important is to not spend all your time & money on the rig but to just GO, just get GOING and figure it out as you travel across the USA on your way south. Equipt is in Salt Lake City and has a warehouse in Prescott Az (next to Overland Journal) so you can work it on your way and add kit as you learn what you really need.

Also I have to say that small hotels/Bed & Breakfast type places are all over in Latin America even in the smallest village, super cheap and a great way to take a break from camping. Matter of fact if you read through trip reports here by lostexpedition and unurban when they are in latin america it can be hard to find a place to camp.

I am a gear nut, but I also can't put together long trips right now so it gives me something to play with between the short trips. If I could put together a 6 month to 1 yr trip I would do min stuff to the truck and just hit the road.

 

[RMP&O]

Thanks for the quick reply and info. Any idea what countries ban RHD? I can't find much info.

I can't say for South America but for Central America you can not take a RHD vehicle into the country.

 

[1leglance]

There are a number of countries in Central America and I am pretty sure it is Salvador that does not allow RHD....but please do some research to make sure.
Drive the Americas is a resource as is searching trip reports on this forum