Douglas S.
Adventurer
It looks beat based on the information available. Bent up bumperettes and damage to the hatch.
All the clean 80's you posted are $15k at a minimum to get home, many are $15k+ just to buy. No deals there.
Import from Australia???
- Thread starter Exploring Elements
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It looks beat based on the information available. Bent up bumperettes and damage to the hatch.
All the clean 80's you posted are $15k at a minimum to get home, many are $15k+ just to buy. No deals there.
Douglas S.
Adventurer
For reference, my HDJ81 with 115,000km (that's 70k miles) was $10,000...
RMP&O
Expedition Leader
No worries.
I have seen a lot of trucks from a lot of countries. JDM can be very good, but myself I just don't want RHD. And yes I have had a few. I would rather take a JDM truck and convert it to LHD using a US spec Cruiser. I am not up and up on Canada and what they got for Cruisers so maybe they got diesel 80s? I think a lot of people are wary to Canadian trucks simply due to the rust factor. Not to say many are not taken care up north, I seen many that are. Just saying...
I myself wouldn't buy any of those trucks sight unseen. But having been all through Latin America, Panama seemed like one of the best places to buy a non-US spec Cruiser or similar truck. I have contacts in Latin America and Australia, not so much up north or in Japan so myself I feel more comfortable importing from where I have contacts. For the OP, he was talking about an ATW drive in a Cruiser and importing a Aussie truck. I am just showing that you could easily buy a Latin Cruiser in CA and start your trip there. Or bring it up here, set it all up and go through it and then set off on the adventure. It is an easy 7 day drive from Panama City to the US border. And staying in hotels, will run ya about $2k. Comparable I would think to say shipping from Panama City to Florida. Or you can easily register it in such and such country and keep it Panamanian, Colombian, Aussie, Canadian or whatever.
Cheers
Mrknowitall
Adventurer
If you're into the whole LR-D thing, largely unmolested 130 CC's can be had from Europe for about that much money/vintage. The tough part I'm seeing with Defenders and 70 series as opposed to 80s and such is that they're almost always work trucks- look on craigslist and see how beaten most 3/4 ton trucks are from that vintage. Expect the same there.
Douglas S.
Adventurer
The rust factor is typically the reason people import from Japan. The trucks are really really clean...almost new clean. We didn't get diesel 80's from new here, but we can import when a vehicle is 15yrs old. Many of the imported 70's and 80's that are here will be eligible to be brought into the U.S. in three or four years.
Rust isn't so bad is most areas of the country though, mostly Ontario and East where they use a lot of salt on the roads.
Guydudebro
New member
The diesel 80s are holding their value here (in Japan) though. You aren't going to find much under 130,000 kms for $10,000. Maybe a private sale or auction. Also, don't assume all trucks from Japan are clean and free of rust. If you know the origin of the truck it helps but there's a LOT of snow country here and they do indeed rust. Before I bought my 80 diesel I was hunting hard for a 70 series and most of them had rust in the usual weak spots. Ironically, the cleanest...most beautiful 70 I found was a 5 cyl PZJ....argh!