need help Buying LANDCRUISER

misaelmelchor

New member
hey guys i found a 91 landcruiser guy is not going any lower than 3k it has about 140k miles. he said lifters need to be adjusted. body wise it looks good. no dings or dents few scratches. interior is cloth. i read about SLEEOFFroad's newbie guide and im not sold that it has a rear drum brakes on the rear. and preder the newer 94. but i like these model cause it has the TOYOTA symbol on the front bumper. im from NY. car is in staten island.. not much rust. although i hear some water trap in the door passenger side when im reversing. is this car worth 3k?
 

1911

Expedition Leader
First lesson: Land Cruiser is two words. :ylsmoke:

Second lesson: You can't adjust the lifters, they're solid. You can adjust the tappets on the valve rockers however, which does need doing every now and then as a maintenance item.

The '91 has the venerable 3FE engine, the penultimate development of the original F-series engines. They make a lot of torque at low rpm's so they are a great wheeling/off-road engine but they are underpowered for a truck the size of an FJ80 (originally designed for the 40-series) on modern highways. It will do freeway speeds, though not necessarily uphill. Properly maintained they are good for 2-3X the current mileage of that one easily. The A440F automatic transmission these all came with (in the U.S.) is also legendary for it's over-built strength (and weight!). Like all F-series engine Land Cruisers, the fuel economy is less than stellar - 11-13 mpg.

The short story is, '91-92 FJ80's are great off-road trucks, but if you need this one for a daily driver/commuter/family car, you'd be way better of with the '93 and up FZJ80 which is more tuned for the road and makes much more power at highway speed.

Water in the door is a common occurrence with these trucks. The drain slots in the bottoms of the doors become clogged easily and the fill up with rain water. The fix is easy - open the door(s) and poke a thin screwdriver up through the several drain slots and get a stream of old water all over your hand (and face if you're not careful :) ).

the price sounds not bad to me for that low of miles and no rust. One of my sons recently sold my old '91 FJ80 with no rust and almost 300,000 miles for about $2,000. It was still running great, had never had any major work (new alternator and new radiator in all that time), and the head has never been off. I would drive that truck across the country tomorrow without a second thought. One of my favorite Cruisers ever; I was sad to see it go.
 
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hoser

Explorer
Land Cruiser is only one word in Australia... but yeah, we're not in Australia.

To the OP, you'd be hard pressed to find a better off-road vehicle for $3k but if you can swing another couple grand or more, I'd go with the 93-97. I've never driven a 3FE but the I did own a 97 and the 1FZ-FE was just "acceptable" on mountain roads.
 
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misaelmelchor

New member
thanks guys. sorry im really a newbie... ive been doing a lot of reading and i should really start on the newer models... then maybe play with the 91-92 later on.
 

justbecause

perpetually lost
i own a 94, i cant imagine a slower vehicle.... i have stock gears 2.5" lift 285 bfg ats

I know there are people who LOVE the fj80, imho unless you WANT an fj80 then an fzj80 is better in every way.



most importantly go ahead and join ih8mud.com
 

Flagster

Expedition Leader
i own a 94, i cant imagine a slower vehicle.... i have stock gears 2.5" lift 285 bfg ats

I know there are people who LOVE the fj80, imho unless you WANT an fj80 then an fzj80 is better in every way.



most importantly go ahead and join ih8mud.com

x2 they are all slow...I really don't notice that much difference from the 2F in my 60 and the IFZFE in my 80...I think "acceptable" is a good word for the 1FZFE
 

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