Looking for a good FJ-80 91-93

[Schattenjager]

I have read some things about what to look for in buying a cruiser. But I have also seen the term 'baselining' tossed around. I get the concept, but is there a definitive hit list to do this by? Seems to be the best first mod to do to a car.

 

[adventureduo]

Yep, first thing. You don't know whats been neglected and for how long. You need a good base platform before you can build on it and consider it reliable. Not to mention you'll learn the ins and outs of the rig faster that way for when poop hits the fan out in the field.

 

[CA-RJ]

That steering column cover has me worried as well. It's just not one of those things that falls off. We see high mileage LX-450's at the dealership often and they all have their covers and I have never had to replace one.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

If it is fine that piece is super easy to replace...

 

[a.mus.ed]

Would a thief need to brake that with the ignition off to the side? Wouldn't the ignition key cylinder also unlock the steering?

Not sure a thief would need to break it, but it would definitely be damaged which would leave no question about what happened. If I was an owner looking to sell, I might think it'd be better not to have it at all. EDIT: Missed a point here - I don't know if a potential thief could hot-wire the truck with out going into the steering column. Either way, a thief isn't always an expert and isn't concerned too much about screwing things up.

In any case that alone wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, and as Andre pointed out it's a cheap fix. Will you get a chance to see it in person before buying?

 

[Schattenjager]

Thanks for the replies!

I go to see it Sunday afternoon in the flesh, as it were...

Not sure a thief would need to break it, but it would definitely be damaged which would leave no question about what happened. If I was an owner looking to sell, I might think it'd be better not to have it at all. EDIT: Missed a point here - I don't know if a potential thief could hot-wire the truck with out going into the steering column. Either way, a thief isn't always an expert and isn't concerned too much about screwing things up.

In any case that alone wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, and as Andre pointed out it's a cheap fix. Will you get a chance to see it in person before buying?

 

[fowldarr]

On the thief issue. He would have to break into the steering column to unlock the steering wheel, as he would be bypassing the ignition (which typically unlocks the wheel). If it had been stolen....it would show up on the carfax. My guess, there was an attempt at some point. Or somebody did something really stupid to break it. Or it is a casualty of a past repair that never got replaced.

 

[stclair]

Every stolen car I've ever seen(lots, my '01 Wrangler included), has had damage in this area. It is possible, that someone tried to steal it, but didn't get far. I caught a kid in my friends truck once. There was broken plastic, and a brick along with a screwdriver on the floor board. That would only show on a CarFax if it was reported. If it were me, I would just ask. You can "what if" something 100 different ways. You'll never be sure unless you ask the seller.

 

[Schattenjager]

Spending some time over IH8MUD I have a profound fear of these 80's now - the head gasket. I cannot imagine it costing North of $1K to replace a gasket on an I-6 motor. The time to do this job seems to be unbelievable to this German air cooled flat six vet.

'They' say to look for dried coolant on the exhaust manifold on #5 & 6 cylinders. Also something about a 'bubble test' I assume that means checking the overflow bucket for exhaust gas.

This and the birfields costs have me seriously spooked. I have had a Toyota for almost 4 years and 86K miles with NO issues. Hard to swallow the fact that a Land Cruiser is synonymous with Land Rover (of which I have owned four - and no more ever)... or am I over anticipating problems?

Guide me here ExPo!

 

[a.mus.ed]

In my opinion the discussions regarding the head gasket issue are misleading. Do your homework on it yourself to be sure, but I think the collective estimates of the forum members over there put the number of head gasket failures at about 10% of vehicles. If it does fail, it seems to occur in the range north of 150k miles. If you fix it, you're good for at least that many more.

As for the birfs - they do wear and will need rotation (you can swap sides left to right once) or new ones at some point. However, so long as you're not attempting to power up an obstacle at full steering lock with a heavy right foot you'll not likely break one. You can do a birf job in your driveway in a weekend.

This is only my opinion, of course, and there are many on this board who have more miles and time with their 80s than I who will hopefully chime in with their opinions. 'Mud is definitely required reading when you buy an 80, but if you spend too much time there you're going to develop vehicular hypochondria at some point.

 

[corbinwelter]

my 96 80 i just bought still has OG headgasket, 160k miles. But practically everything has been maintained.

When i was looking for an 80, i was looking for someone who was as meticulous as i am. I found an 80 owned by a certified toyota tech.

it was well worth the wait to find the right one

oh yah and if i was to do it all over again, i wouldnt buy anything but a 96-97

 

[Schattenjager]

That is truly impressive luck. THe odds of anyone ever replicating that are quite slim. I am just doing the best I can at the moment.

my 96 80 i just bought still has OG headgasket, 160k miles. But practically everything has been maintained.

When i was looking for an 80, i was looking for someone who was as meticulous as i am. I found an 80 owned by a certified toyota tech.

it was well worth the wait to find the right one

oh yah and if i was to do it all over again, i wouldnt buy anything but a 96-97

 

[Box Rocket]

uh.....I've got 235K miles on my 80 still with the orig. HG. I wonder about it from time to time but there's no reason to get all freaked out by a bunch of doomsayers on the internet. I've found that most forums, have a moderate percentage of people that are completely paranoid about any little thing that isn't brand new on the truck. If it's not new, then it's going to break and strand them somewhere and they'll die a horrible death. So they spend lots of time and money replacing everything for peace of mind. If you have the resources to do that, great. More power to ya, and enjoy your peace of mind. But it doesn't make it a fact that older parts are just going to fail and that the vehicles with older parts can't be trusted.

Just my $.02

 

[tacollie]

I heard once that less than 10% of 80s have head gasket issues. I wouldn't let that stop you from getting one. You are buying a 16 year old car, so be sure to take that into consideration. 10 years and 100K miles from now your Tacoma would probably need some love to.

 

[MarcFJ60]

I agree on the previous comments on the headgaskets. I would bet it is even lower than 10%. It also seems like when there is a failure, it is not abrupt/leave you stranded type failures.

I also think there's a bit of birf paranoia as well. Yes - they need to be maintained. Bearings/seals/lube weaqrs and breaks down. I rebuilt mine on my 60 at 180K and was shocked at how good they look. When I bought my 80 with almost 130K I thought I might be doing them soon. But they don't leak and the grease inside looks good. So maybe I'll do them next summer . . . or the year after that.

These are very durable and overbuilt vehicles. But they are all over 12+ years old now and any older vehicle will need things. But I challenge you to find another 12+ year old vehicle that will be as dependable.

By the way - I bought my 95 FZJ 80 with 130K to replace my 02 Ford Explorer with 80K. Besides the fact the 80 is simply a better vehicle, I have more faith in the 80 - even though it is 7 years older and has 50K more miles.