Talk me Down - FJ60

My first vehicle was an ‘86 FJ60. I found this one close to my home, i’m in Atlanta. Talked with the Owner and he’s still using it as his daily driver.

Outside it’s in ok shape, about what i expected. Inside is pretty rough: really dirty, cracked dash (to be expected), it’s sorta a mess inside.

Anyway, i’ve been wanting another 60 Series ever since i sold mine. It would take SO MUCH money to turn this back to its former glory but it can be done.

Owner told me to ‘make offer’ but i don’t want to offend. Trying to figure out where to start. My gut tells me no more than $3,500 - $5,000 on the high end but these days its so hard to find any FJ60, i’m not sure what the Owner has in-mind.

Where do you think i should start with an offer? How do you handle the ‘make offer’ situation?

I should not even be thinking about this much less trying to make an offer but more and more thinking that life is short...

 

from what i can see in the pic above, that is a very clean 60. All visible panels appear to be straight and rust free. If he trusts it as his daily and is in that clean of shape, i would say 5k will certainly offend the owner.

Around here you are not going to find a 60 in that condition (barring i have only seen one picture) that is a daily for less than $8-10k. If it is something you really want, I would recommend searching for some 60's across the country in some big cities to see what they are going for (Dallas, Denver, etc) to get a better idea of the market.

Without seeing more pictures and knowing miles/if there is rust, etc. I would recommend feeling the guy out a bit more, im sure he has a number in his head.

 

Other than being able to afford it, I don’t know why I would try to talk you out of buying that. That thing is awesome!

 

Just a quick search online for comp vehicles. Looks like your range is OK based on the interior description. But somewhere in between might work. There are a ton online but prices vary greatly as some have tons of $$ invested in em and are selling as "classics" Good luck.

 

yep, that's what i've been doing. i'm only finding a few and they're all over the board. some high priced, some low. some ok shape, some horrible. i've been looking at 60's for a long time and what i'm most surprised is there are few that i'm seeing for sale. maybe it's just timing but inventory seems low or folks are keeping them and not selling. not sure.

i know, it's a really good looking 60. we have the cash, we can afford it. it's not buying the rig, it's getting it back to it's former glory 'one day'. that's the part that makes me cringe because the 60 series have become so hard to find, the parts, the labor etc etc. but OMG do i love the 60 series

 

exactly and thank you posting b/c i was just saying exactly what you had found. i also searched ebay motors as well, not much there.

i think i dig a little deeper with the guy and see what he's got in mind.


** Oh yea - i'm just remembering, i think he told me it had 300,000+ miles on it. i'll confirm that but that's what comes to mind

 

Just offer what you are willing to pay, most that could happen is he says no.

 

One of my best friends and wheeling buddy recently sold his '89 FJ-62 for $15K. The thing was unstoppable.

 

His 62 is/was awesome. But, why did he sell?? Was it all original inside or did he have a lot of work done?

 

He only sold it because he's moving out of the country. It was completely stock looking. It had some mods. He swapped in a 5-speed trans. OME lift, dual ARBs, 35" BFGs, custom bumpers and sliders.

 

Coming back here for an update: the FJ60 that i first posted did not get bought. I offered $5,000 and the owner laughed.

His counter offer - $25,000. Than i laughed.

Anyway, i’ll keep the search going.

 

Which brings me to this week. I saw this 1985 FJ60, also close to my home here in Alpharetta and called the Owner to inquire.

This time, $23,000. So, this is not going the direction i had hoped.

This FJ60 is now painted black, which of course is not original at all. The interior did look good and the whole truck seemed to be in good shape.

I’m not sure if this is a price bubble in my area at this point or if FJ60s are now going thru the roof all over. Neither one of these trucks have been sold so i’m not sure what they’re actually getting when/if they sale.

 

No... but i def want some of what they got!! This is absurd

 

OP - THis needs work but i think it would be worth working on it.
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/toyota/fj60/2235979.html

 

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/d/tyro-1987-land-cruiser/6876527508.html

Looks nice, in Lubbock

 

Might want to contact this guy... https://www.corsetticruisers.com/forsale

This guy is a huge 80's LC fan. He buys them, restores them and sells them. Saw him on an episode of Jay Leno's garage.

The ones he sells aren't cheap but may be cheaper then trying to find one and restore it yourself? If nothing else, he's probably be a good resource if you do find one in need of work?

 

Is this the young-ish guy that was on Leno? i think i saw that one. Actually, his prices are very reasonable for the condition of what i'm seeing. you're right, would be way better to pay $18K for something that's been gone over vs the crap i've seen around here for $24K. thanks for posting this. i'm going to give them a shout next week and i'll update on that convo as well

 

love it, but it's just so much cash. looks pretty clean overall. does the State of CO require older vehicles to still be smog'd no matter their age??

 

I'm guessing you all know about Jonathan Ward out in CA? ICON trucks and TLC 4x4? Absolute legend and these high prices are almost 100% his fault. This guy is the true OG of the Cruiser space.

His work is on another planet compared to all others. Expect to pay appx $300,000 for his work:

https://www.icon4x4.com/

http://tlc4x4.com/

 

1985 for $9K. 143K Miles, Manual Trans and Some Rust: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/750905799/overview/

 

Yup, that's him. Hope it works out for you!

 

Pricing on 80s and 100s haven't gone full retard yet, if those are an option

 

I’d consider an 80 .. i might have too at this point

 

I like the look of the 80s but that engine is a dog

 

Yup, true. The 2F in the fj60 was even worse so i’d be looking to engine swap with either model.

The FJ60 was my first rig so it holds a special place.

 

Just wait for another dip in the economy, and/or big spike in gas prices. Another 12-18 months at most. These current prices are only sustainable due to the current perfect storm for toys(same thing for boats or anything else). I’ve bought 3 land cruisers when gas was high and flipped them after a couple years of use for a significant profit. I do regret selling my last low mileage FJ62 a couple years ago though.