FJ40's

Are FJ40's really as reliable as people say they are? Also do you think it'd make a good enough daily driver if you wanted to off road but couldn't have two vehicles.

Other urls found in this thread:

hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/toyota/fj40/1821925.html
twitter.com/SFWRedditVideos

>Are FJ40's really as reliable as people say they are?
They were before they've been invariably thrashed.

What about ones you can find today with low mileage or ones that have been restored?

>low mileage
Be careful about this, odos are 5 digits so if one had say 40k on the dial, it could be 140k or 240k for 340k etc.
Double check with the title. Look for "exceeds mechanical limits" which means it rolled over at least once in its life.

>restored?
Probably good, the odo wouldn't be accurate in this case but don't overpay.

What would you say is a reasonable price?

Not sure.
Someone else will have to answer that.

Yeah I found one the guy assures me only has 60k original miles because it was just some ranchers hunting vehicle basically. Then was left to sorta sit in a barn for a while. The current guy has had it for 10 years and has restored it. Converted it to power steering. Put a winch on it as well as a sound system.

Even then, so long as upkeep has been performed, they hold up. They're built a lot tougher than the Jeeps and LRs of the era.

You'd be better with something a bit newer.

No they are not.

Reliability back then was very different from what people today think is reliable.
They are not reliable like civics or corollas

They would be as reliable as the civics and corollas of that era though.

Can you elaborate a bit more?
I hate being pushed between going classic (with all the risks and impracticality) and driving an eyesore from the 90's.

the l6 is a tank. be prepared to work on it yourself. FJ40 the goat if you can get a great price.

What about FJ43's isn't it basically a FJ40 with Air con and some other amenities

i can only speak for what i've owned. 70' FJ40 with god knows how many owners. toyota the greatest. Hard top turns to no top if you're willing to deal with taking it off, and its basically the hottest utility classic in terms of $

Yeah the seller i'm looking at is throwing in a soft top and hard top with it.

It is indeed an improved J40, the same way a J47 is successor to the J45 for the long wheel base versions.

FJ40s aren't even remotely known for being reliable. They are known for being unreliable.

[citation needed]

Also "reliability" is a fucking meme for normies who don't know shit about cars, how to maintain them, or how to fix them.

>Are FJ40's really as reliable as people say they are?
[citation needed]

Do you realize how stupid it is to ask for a citation on "people say"

Do you realise how stupid it is saying things that didn't happen?

I'm open to your input, but i'm gonna need you to explain why you think that. Not just call me and the other people in the thread stupid.

>inb4 innocuous claims with no substance

>They are known for being unreliable in this story I made up

OP, listen to me. I have driven several of these. You do not want to daily one of them. You are projecting a fantasy. The FJ40 is a great second vehicle for recreation. They are cramped, unwieldy, unsafe, and they don't even have air conditioning. While they are reliable in a general sense, you are still going to be working with a 40 year old vehicle which brings with it a ton of potential issues. If you don't have the time and expertise to do work yourself and scavenge for make-do parts, you will pay out the asshole for mechanic work.

What would you suggest as a more reasonable alternative?

Finding non-clapped out reliable old trucks and SUVs is a job in of itself.

3rd Gen 4runner

Not even close. The Civic and Corolla although still require maintenance were a lot more refined.
The Land Cruiser is a lot like the Series LandRover. They were both designed when their country of origin had lots of post war material and manufacturing shortages.

The result is they are rough machines built with loose tolerances and as a result they require constant maintenance.

But if maintained they are reliable. Mostly because you will spot when something is going wrong.

Riding in one for more than 30minutes will shake your bones loose because leaf springs. You will be constantly fighting with the steering wheel.
The steering has half a turn of play.
The top speed is 80km/hr because of its unbearably low gearing and low powered engine.
The seats are 3" of thin foam.


You will have to carry gallons of gear and engine oils, and a kg tub of grease, and lots of gasket sealer everywhere you go.
You will have to top up oils in half a dozen places every single week.

>What would you say is a reasonable price?
Frame and mechanical OK, needs body work. Maybe $3-5K.

Top end of market: hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/toyota/fj40/1821925.html

>The Land Cruiser is a lot like the Series LandRover.

In Africa, they say if you want to go into the wilderness, drive a Land Rover. If you want to come back, drive a Land Cruiser.

> they require constant maintenance.

'79 FJ40, owned since new. First new clutch at 195,000 miles. Over time, new radiator, water pump and alternator. Uses a quart of oil in 2000 miles.

It's more or less a daily driver. Not comfortable on the freeway. Mine doesn't have power steering, which I wouldn't recommend unles you spend a lot of time in the gym.

This (FJ80) is the last good Land Cruiser. The FJ100 went to IFS*. Because of this and the resulting weaker front drive components, they had to drop the front diff locker option.

*Rumor has it that the Australian FJ100s still have solid front axles (and available locking diffs). Dealers told Toyota to keep their mall cruisers unless they actually worked off road. Best Toyota for off road is the Mega Cruiser. But not available in the USA.

hold your tongue, wastrel. that eye sore is one of the most legendary SUV's ever built

Can't have two vehicles? Why not a reasonable truck for hauling your dirt bike?

Blatant Hummer rip off.

>In Africa, they say if you want to go into the wilderness, drive a Land Rover. If you want to come back, drive a Land Cruiser.
top meme, friend. i really really like it
may i save it?

>Blatant Hummer rip off.
The original was a blatant Willys Jeep and LandRover rip off.
Doesn't mean its not any good.

But its not so simple this time round. Because Hummer ripped off the MegaCruiser when they built the H2

>Blatant Hummer rip off.
Better suspension than a HMMWV. Lower link arms are higher for better clearance. Four wheel steering.

The reason it resembles a HMMWV is that it was built to the same spec, figuring that many military organizations would base their acquisitions on it. And not be locked in to 'buy American'.

Australia got both the IFS J100 (1HD turbo diesel and 2UZ V8 petrol) and solid axle J105 (1HZ diesel and 1FZ petrol sixes).
For the most part, stock for stock they perform just as well as each other. It's when serious suspension customization is the goal is when the solid axle version comes into it's own. Considering front ends being based on the smaller 8" centre, the IFS does seem to see more reports of crown wheel failure when receiving a big shock load in reverse than the solid axle version [citation needed] though.
You've described a period Land Rover in great detail, but Landcruisers didn't suffer such manufacturing quality issues.
Generalizing the two because of their similar target objectives is unfair on the Japanese truck, which made the Rover redundant globally apart from within Rover's own domestic market for the very reason of achieving a consistent quality control. Something the British marque has only achieved in resent decades.

>reliable as people say
Who in the hell is saying that?

Anyone who's lived with them.

my grandpa bought the flatbed version new and despite using it almost always off road like crossing rivers and shit, it is still in near mint condition apart from the wooden bed. The whole extended family has their eyes on it it for when he passes.