Talk to me about early '90s Toyota Land Cruisers

[adamred]

Still on the pursuit for reasonably priced off season transportation. As much as I liked this 1998 Land Rover Disco for sale locally it is just a bit more then I wanted to spend and I have been repeatedly scared off by many on this board from jumping into the SUV equivalent of my old P-car.

And the posts are usually accompanied by "get a toyota instead" so what about early 1990's Land Cruisers. 4.0L 6 cyl, 4wd, nice and big...

If you check out item # 170151013208 on ebay this seems to be typical example within 100 miles of me.

Thoughts? Know of any for sale in NY, NJ, CT?
Thanks.
Adam

[notfarnow]

Keep an eye on these classifieds:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/forumdisplay.php?f=14

I was trolling for a bj/hj60 for a friend of mine last year. Very active forum with lots of great info.

[MRM]

This is a very timely post for me, too. I'm looking for a cabin vehicle that's big enough to fit five adults plus a dog and lots of luggage and can tow a trailer or boat when neccesary. There's a 1990 Land Cruiser local to me with 296,000 available for $2,000. I'm tempted.

[holtjv]

I had a 91 or 92 and the most important thing I learned was that, in the following year, the truck underwent a sizable HP gain. Could have used it.

Other than the pitiful power and horrible gas mileage (11-15 iirc), it was a good mover--great off road, too, which I actually did.

Jack

[onewhippedpuppy]

Slow, horrible MPG, cannot be killed. Awesome trucks, I would love to own one.

MRM, I've done a little looking. $2k is a good buy for anything in a Land Cruiser that is in running condition, and not rusted out.

There was a Pelican in the last year that rolled their LC at highway speeds while avoiding a deer. Hopefully he'll chime in, because the truck took the accident very well.

[89911]

I think its an impractical car unless you own a 2000 acre cattle ranch. I had a 96 for 2 years. It road like the truck it is. It went through rotors the same time as pads. Horrible gas mileage. Somewhere along the lineage of the car, it fell into the yuppie want list (which I was guilty of) and got dressed up to be more then it was, I good utility SUV.

[craigster59]

I've got the 4.0 3FE engine in my FJ62, and it's s-l-o-w, I could just imagine what it's like in the heavier FJZ80. I personally would look for something '97 or later, preferably w/ a V8. Or like Jake (NFN) said BJ/HJ, which would be diesel but also might be tough to bring into your state. Another LandCruiser site (besides IH8Mud, which is great is pirate4x4.com and the LandCruiser trader at:
www.cruizers.com HTH.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Subscribed. I should be buying a 95 with 185K fir $800 later this week. Needs windshield, brakes and exhaust, and has some rust. New Michelins though and supposedly drives great, other than the no stopping part.

[JavaBrewer]

I know this is a Porsche BBS by why is S-L-O-W considered bad for a SUV? Nothing is slower than a LR Disco yet I love driving my wife's '03. I like the LC. Most have lots and lots of miles - which is a good show of their reliability. I would look for one with a leather interior as the cloth will get nasty quick if you're hauling around kids/pets. I have no idea on repairs/costs for an older LC but with high miles the FT 4x4 system can't be cheap to overhaul.

[notfarnow]

S-L-O-W is an older non-turbo BJ60. I drove one last year and it was just shocking. My 1.6turbodiesel Suzuki Samurai is a jackrabbit in comparison.

[fumanchu]

I have a '93. The first year with the 4.5 liter 1fze motor. I would not even think about a '91 or a '92 with the 3fe motor.

It rides like a truck and is very stiff ... but that what I like about it. It is so overbuilt it's ridiculous, especially the suspension. Has full floater rear axles, rear discs, optional front and rear electric lockers etc.

Worst parts are it gets horrible mileage, is really slow so I just cruise slowly in it. It is amazing what kind of gear the back swallows up. The jump seats are removable and it has a two part tailgate that rules when you haul fence boards or sprinkler pipe.



jump in the Porsche when you want to go fast.

[adamred]

Thanks guys, I thought there was a LC contigent here. It seems '93 and newer is the way to go and not to be too afraid of fairly high mileage. I'd like something under $5K, cruising auto trader, ebay, etc to see what's out there.
Slow and mileage are not an issue for me, I live within 5-6 miles of work, local roads. So for me it is a kid/dog hauler for the upcoming crummy weather.

[bigchillcar]

i always loved the 93-94 models. didn't they change in 95? anyway, when they dropped the land cruiser tag and went with the lexus tag, they lost me on principle..

[slakjaw]

I have an 83 FJ-60 rusty but its a great hunting / camping truck.

I am really tempted to buy a 94 (the best year) though. BUT... its the wrong time of year to buy one or they are just way over priced here.

[slakjaw]

Also,

Dont get hung up on the "diff lock" option. You will never use it and if you ever do use it dont plan on turning any sharp corners.

[slakjaw]

Originally Posted by MRM

This is a very timely post for me, too. I'm looking for a cabin vehicle that's big enough to fit five adults plus a dog and lots of luggage and can tow a trailer or boat when neccesary. There's a 1990 Land Cruiser local to me with 296,000 available for $2,000. I'm tempted.

2k is a good deal!

[adamred]

the prices for a vehicle with over 150K miles seem insane to me...when I was trying to sell a car a while back the best advice I got was if you want to sell to the average joe it better be sub $2/3K if you are private party selling, b/c most either come with cash or need a loan. If you are private you can't provide a loan. Otherwise you might as well trade it in or sell it to a used car lot

People with some money in the bank will come with $5 or $6K cash for an off season, or a (train) station car, as we call it here in NJ. But even above average joes don't want to spend a lot of cash on a used practical car (Porsches and collectibles excluded)...so I'm just wondering if anyone actually makes a private party sale on a $7 or 8K used SUV?

[craigster59]

Well adamred, Cruisers are a little different ballgame. Loved as much as 911's....
http://www.tlc4x4.com/TruckDetail.asp?TruckID=54

[adamred]

I can buy it for that example, I mean that's a classic, but an early '90s SUV for grocery getting?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by adamred

...so I'm just wondering if anyone actually makes a private party sale on a $7 or 8K used SUV?

I've sold a number of used vehicles (10 ish) in the last two years, all but one were between $5-10k, most were at least 5 years old. Some people paid cash, some took out a home equity line, some got a conventional bank loan. For a buyer with good credit, it is not difficult to buy a used car.