Land Cruiser FJ 40 gut check and a few questions

[redthies]

Besides one being manual and the other automatic is there any difference between the 60 and 62? For some reason I thought the 62 was a little more rugged?

The 60 is more basic, and in my opinion, way cooler. The 62 has the auto, and power windows etc. They are more refined if you want to drive long distances, but the newest of them is well more than 25 years old now. It may take a bit of patience, but you'll eventually find a good fit. I think with 2 kids a 60 or 62 is a better choice than a 40. You'll appreciate the space.

Don't let people talk you into a &@#% Xterra or 4Runner if you want something old school. They have their place, but if you have a reliable family car too, then get what you always wanted. If you wait and settle, you will always regret it, and what you really want will only get more expensive.

A 40 is going to be very pricey if you find one in turn key condition. 60s are very simple to work on and if you have basic tools, a shop manual, and youtube, there are very few things you won't be able to do to it. I grew up driving 40s and 60s, and since have owned 80s and now have a 100. I wish I'd kept the best of my 40 and 60 fleet, but hindsight is 20/20.

 

[ChuckB]

Having just owned a BJ73, essentially a modern 40, and previously owning a 60 as well, I would suggest a 60 over a 40. I have 3 kids and while I could get all of them in the 73 in car seats, it became a chore after a while. 4-doors are a must have in my opinion with kids that need help being strapped in.

If you are going look at 4runners, I would also highly suggest looking at 100-Series Land Cruisers (instead of a minivan). It will double as your overland vehicle.

 

[redthies]

You live in Land Cruiser heaven. The largest parts provider in the industry is in Chatsworth, one of the best restoration companies in the biz is as well. There are numerous shops that can work on a Cruiser including one in Canoga Park that specializes in them

Southern California is probably the best place in the country to own a vintage Cruiser.

You said you won't really be using the vehicle as intended for a couple years, start hitting Craigslist and the other websites, find a rust free FJ60 or 62 now, take the intervening time to build it out and learn how to work on it.

Enjoy the coolness that comes from owning a classic 4wd and be prepared to get asked about it a lot.

I agree 100%. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the only thing that really matters is what you think. As long as you are able to feed, shelter and clothe your family, drive whatever gives you pleasure. The suggestion of a 100 series instead of a mini van is a good one in my mind. The 100 is built to ridiculously high standards so you can drive a well maintained older100 with confidence. It would be safer by far than any mini van on the market.

I'm a firm believer in getting what you want if it is attainable. You only go around once. Enjoy it!

 

[nastav]

Get a minivan.
Minivans are awesome.

 

[ducktapeguy]

I have an FJ40 that I use for camping trips with my son. I'd love to tell you to buy one and fulfill your dreams, but you should also be aware of the tradeoffs you'll be making when buying one. It's not all smiles and adventures, there's a lot of hard work (or what feels like it) and suffering that goes along with the cool factor. They aren't very practical family camping vehicles, so forget about taking a third person along because 2 people is about the max you can fit and still have room for camping equipment. In stock form they're slow, underpowered, unsafe, and generally not much fun to drive on the highway for more than a couple hours a stretch. So if every camping trip starts out with hours of highway driving, that's something you'll have to suffer through every single time you want to go out. For <$10K you're not going to find one that's restored, so expect to do a lot of work, either you learn to do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you. Even though Land Cruisers have a reputation for being reliable, the newer ones are almost 40 years, old, they will require a lot of maintenance. And they are not cheap to maintain, most items will require ordering from a specialty vendor online instead of running to the nearest auto zone.

I wouldn't worry too much about prices going up either. Yes right now the prices seem to be at a peak, but you never know what the market will be like in a few years. If gas prices skyrocket again, the prices of these gas guzzlers start dropping like a rock unless you're looking at high end restorations. A practical person would tell you that in your price range, a newer Jeep Wrangler would be a much better choice. It would still give you the same feeling of adventure as an FJ40 (i.e. cramped space and somewhat uncomfortable ride), but you could get one that's 20 years newer, is more comfortable to drive for much longer distances, safer for kids, cheaper to maintain, and generally a more practical choice. But it won't be the car of your dreams, so you just have to decide whether you're willing to make all the tradeoffs just to have a cool ride (and yes I do think it's much cooler than a jeep, even though I own both).

So to answer your questions:

- I want a vehicle that won't cost an arm and a leg. -Don't buy a Land Cruiser. If the purchase price doesn't get you, the maintenance cost probably will. In my experience, the Land Cruiser name commands a premium to any jeep parts.
- Has to be reliable want to spend more time on the trail than in the garage. - Don't buy an older vehicle. They will almost always require more maintenance than a newer vehicle, if you're comparing apples to apples.
- Will I regret not buying the vehicle that I have always wanted. - Maybe. This is where you have to decide how much value you place on the first two priorities. Sometimes you just have to throw reasoning out the window and go with your gut feeling

 

[CHeath]

I am attending Mount San Antonio College.
- Currently the wife drives a used Town and Country it is old and not reliable for road trips to see family in Montana.

- Right now she is the bread winner while I go to school so I think she deserves the first car for all of the hard work she does.

- I don't mind driving the Corolla and can wait for the vehicle of my choice.

- I have notice FJ 60/62 being featured in commercials when did this start happening?

 

[Arktikos]

- Prices keep on climbing is one still able to get one (FJ40) with minimum rust for less that $10,000?

Define minimal. Short answer, almost certainly not in good mechanical condition.

You should at least find one to test drive in order to satisfy your curiosity, and my recommendation would be a stock condition example.

Few years back a young guy I know was forced into driving his dad's recently acquired 40 to school (poor kid) when his pickup truck broke down. Dad had spent close to 20K for a rust free rig from down south. It had a 4 inch lift, 35 inch tires and a v8 with headers. The ride was brutal, steering sketchy, braking weak and decibel level inside truck roughly equivalent to a revving chainsaw. After one outing his girl friend was outright frightened to ride in it again. Guy was mostly dismayed by how often he had to fill the gas tank for his commute.

I owned a no lift, 2F 40 for a couple years. No regrets about parting ways. The 40 is way cool looking but, like an old Bronco or Scout, no longer worth the price of admission, IMHO.

Good luck man!

 

[hairy_apple]

Don't let anyone discourage you from a 40. They are loud, slow, hot... but you will smile the entire time you're driving. Which is good, because they are slow. My wife and I take lots of longer trips in mine. It's a bit cramped, but a little trailer helped a lot. Do know what you are getting in to, they will require constant attention, because they are 30-50 years old. But you will make a ton of new friends, meet a lot of cool people, and need to plan an extra 20 minutes into each trip into town, to account for people stopping you at gas stations and parking lots to talk to you about the cruiser. I love my 40. I would rather take it 90% of the time then our LX450. Summer in the desert is about the only time the LX sounds better to me, and only because of the AC.

Like I said... I can't help but be happy driving my cruiser.

 

[redthies]

Very well said señor Apple!

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

My FJ62 has been in 3 commercials, primarily because I was working on the commercials at the time...

And because the various directors who put it in the background thought it would be cool to have a classic 4wd in their commercial.

If you settle you'll regret it...trust me...

Hey John.

Which commercials?

 

[redthies]

I work as a Medic on film sets.

You ever run into another set medic named Peter Rathje? I used to surf with him in Mexico many moons ago, and he drove down to Michoacan with me in my 1984 BJ60 one year. Last time I saw him he was living in El Segundo.

 

[justbecause]

- Is it better to buy something that one has always wanted or to settle for something newer and practical? Did you regret not buying your dream vehicle?

I have bought my dream vehicle at least 3 times now. Dreams die, and dream change. (Thats not as doom and gloom as it sounds)

- Are there alternative vehicles that I should look at?

Yes, absolutely any other vehicle that already has a forward facing back seat.

I have wanted another 40 since realizing the 80 series isn't that much more practical. Yea, you can carry a lot more stuff, but you are still in a slow, noisy, machine that drinks gas like it is going out of style.

It has been years since I saw a sub 10k 40 that was ready to hit the road. Over 10 years ago I was talking to Woody from Ih8mud and he gave me some really good advice "they are all projects even the expensive ones."

If you have limited time, mechanical skills, experience, etc. I would suggest something with OBDII. I want a 40, but I hate tracking down vacuum leaks, and playing "guess that sound". The few times my Frontier has given me trouble (which I can count on 3 fingers over the last 4 years) I popped in a code reader and immediately knew what needed to be replaced.
You will pay a premium for a 4runner, and all the way through 3rd gens you will still have drum brakes out back.

Sequoias do not hold their value as well and bridge the gap between cruiser and 4runner.

An xterra will have a small back seat (and as a Frontier owner I can tell you) cramming a car seat back there isnt fun. Check out the 06-12 path finder. Bigger back seat, same front end and motor as frontier/xterra. IRS which is fine for most of us. You can get a lift, ARB, roof rack, drawers, sliders, snorkel, any cool adventure stuff you want. Plus ample room for baby gear (let me tell you, thats important) and they get 18-22 MPG depending on how you drive them and what tires you choose. Get the one with a 3rd row (and v8 if thats what you're into) and there is your "family mini van" for the next few years until its time to upgrade. "family van" becomes your uber capable off-road weekend toy and you buy the family something new. (If I sold you on the advantages of this often over looked platform make sure if its an 06-10 model that the radiator was replaced under recall before 100k miles to avoid transmission issues)

 

[Rezarf <><]

Get a 40, learn to wrench on it, strap your kid into the front seat (no airbags) yank the doors, go anywhere you desire, enjoy your family, make a life not a living.

I've had my 40 for 18 years and it was my DD for 15. My kids love it! We will buy them each a rust bucket 40 when the time comes and fix them up together.

Don't be so practical, you only get one chance on the ride of life, love well, lead well, die happy.

 

[CHeath]

Update:

- Last June I graduated from respiratory therapy school
- Over the summer I have been working registry which has been slow but last week I got a full time job
- Bought the wife a minivan so she is happy and we can do long road trips up to Montana
- As of right now I am still driving the Corolla it is reaching 200,000 miles but with a tune up it should be fine
- I deciding if I should have one vehicle or a daily drive and a "GOOD" (get out of dodge) vehicle
- Still haven't decided on the FJ40 keep on going back and forth.

 

[Rezarf <><]

Keep the Corolla, buy a 40 and take your time learning how to maintain it and enjoy it. I bought a 40 as my first real car after college and there was too much pressure to keep it on the road every single day while getting it up to speed. After a year it was ready and I drove it as my daily for the next 15 years. I had a Honda Civic after a few stress filled months trying to get ALL the brake work done, or suspension fitting in a single weekend. The 8am monday deadline took some of the fun out of it.

Keep the daily as your corolla. Find a clean 40 and enjoy the ride.