FJ80, a good buy in today's market?

With the center diff lock and solid axles I dunno.

 

Yeah I know but at least they offered a manual option in the Disco 1s.

It's also a shame they never offered a diesel option in the 80s, since that was back when emissions weren't so strict for oil-burners.

I think its funny to see how in Australia 1fz 80s are seen as more disposable playthings, and here they're more like collectors items.

 

@Speedytech7 You have the 1FZ or 3F in yours?

 

1FZ

 

I guess the big 3 might've been scared nobody would buy their diesel trucks if the 1HD motors were offered here in the 80.

 

The 1HD-T is the wanted factory diesel people wanted in the 80's. Some swap to Cummins 4 or sometimes 6.

 

Oh right, I meant the turbodiesel not the tractor engine lol.

 

@skidooman

 

I'll echo what these guys have said. Parts are spendy and they get terrible mileage. It of course can be done but I don't think I would daily one. I've owned mine 4 years and put 11k miles on it. Previous owners kept up on maintenance so that has made my life easier. Mine leaks oil from 3 different places and burns oil but I still love it. I bought it with 216k miles, open diffs, no rust, paid $6500.

 

Nice rig!

 

Thanks!

 

Yeah those are all sweet rigs. If I can't talk them down from their $8k bottom dollar I might just have to face the fact I'm late to the FJ80 party.. Maybe the shop will find faults with it but no guarantees they'll come down any more..

I'm not sure it's worth going into debt for but then again the whole US economy is built on spending money you don't have, and besides, we're here for a short time..

I appreciate you trying to talk me out of a potentially ruinous financial decision lol..

 

@bigbarlo hit us with some LC wisdom.

 

IH8MUD thread: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/fj80-a-good-buy-in-todays-market.1261433/#post-14012691

 

Just found out it has a 0401/0402 code. (They just said EGR). I gather this is pretty common on these: would this usually be a dealbreaker type thing?

It's been on since May; could that've caused engine damage? Seems like a PITA to replace EGR system also.

 

This could be something in the egr system or even an exhaust leak. The computer is very sensitive to exhaust issues bad Cats, O2 sensors, clogged egr port etc. I stopped fighting this a few years back and just don't get my truck inspected.

 

Yeah I’m just worried it could’ve caused overheating or something. It’s really giving me second thoughts, especially since I know I’d have at least one headache to look forward to

 

That won't cause overheating.

 

Ok so I just got back the inspection results. Indeed, there is a lot of "baselining" that has to be done.

All the fluids are in so-so condition and will need to be changed. Coolant especially, which is worrying because of the HG.

It also will need brakes and tires fairly soon.

Their notes on other drivetrain components:

"Cracked rubber on all control arm mount bushings, both front shock mount bushings, rear shocks are leaking, all stabilizer bar link ball joint and mount bushings are cracked"

"Both tie rod ends have leaking and torn ball joint boots"

"All 4 driveshaft U joints are leaking"

Then there's the EGR thing

Finally, the underside is really wet. So much so you couldn't even tell where the leak was coming from.

At least there's no real rust problems, but my 98 Tacoma looked way better underneath other than that issue.

A lot of this stuff I could try to tackle on my own and spread it out a bit. Changing fluids would be the first order of business.

They told me this would still be a good buy at the shop, but again it's really pushing it for me. I mean you could probably fix it up a bit then flip it out west if you wanted. I've got until midday tomorrow to decide, but I'm leaning towards walking on it, as its dawning on me the gravity of the task. It'd really have to be a labor of love I suppose, but I'm just not sure I'd be able to swing it.

 

Yeh, this is more of a project vehicle for someone that has another vehicle to get around in. But in my opinion I'd say skip it.