Seriously Asking - Was this FJ62 a BAD BUY?
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- Опубликовано: 4 фев 2025
- We thought we bought my wife the perfect Landcruiser Fj62, freshly restored interior, amazing paint, almost zero rust. It was the first car she was actually interested in and proud of. But then we found out the hard way, don't let yourself get distracted when buying an older car. I missed something major which left us stranded Christmas day. Desiree's new beloved Landcruiser went from Brad Pitt to Money Pit real quick. #landcruiser
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Max, thanks for being out there making the high variance choices. Sometimes you win and get amazing vistas and family adventures. Other times you get Korean hot dogs for Christmas. If living life as an adventure was easy and always worked we'd all be doing it. Thanks for the ups and downs.
I like how an oil pump on the raptor is nbd but a transmission on an 33 year old car shits out and THAT'S THE LAST STRAW
For real!!!! The Raptor is the real turd in this situation!
Hahaha that's a good point
@@Maxx.Powell I've been trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty from 1989. Valley Hybrids has a transmission for you if you haven't seen my other 3 comments on various places lol.
@@TheShooter466 oh snap I didn't see the other comments. Sorry man, I got a plan. Dude for Canada is going to sell me a complete drivetrain.. engine, trans, transfercase and driveshafts for roughly $800 USD
@@Maxx.Powell yes but what engine ? 3F again ? What state good shape? Valley Hybrids have some gooood parts...
dont stress it. put a new trans in it, fresh brakes all around and let the wife drive it. aint no thing...
A few things here:
1 - As for the tow bill, I can understand none of your friends/family being able to help you get it home but (and I'm not certain about this but guessing) perhaps a request for some help on one of your social media outlets might've scored you a cheaper tow than that. Heck, I'd have done it and honestly only charged you the gas for my truck cause I've been in those situations before myself and at times had to rely on help from strangers who, like me, believed that helping others when we're able to is only a small portion of what we should do, part of what should be considered "being a good person/human being".
2 - About 3 years ago I got my hands on what I thought would be a great daily driver that I could also use for some of our trips to see and experience as much of the PNW as possible. Less than a month after getting it I found myself paying to completely rebuild the front end (diff, CVs, wheel bearings, brakes, literally the works from the transfer case forward). However, after sinking unplanned $$ into a vehicle that had originally presented itself as a good buy and a great find . . . and a few other minor/regular maintenance things (filters, transmission flush, rear diff fluid swap, etc.), I now have myself a paid-off daily driver that has time and again proven to me it just needed a little love . . . and a little more $$ than I originally planned. Overall though its been cheaper to have bought and owned my "good buy" than getting anything new (ESPECIALLY with vehicle prices currently, ESPECIALLY in our portion of the country if you want anything with 4-wheel drive).
3 - It might be an old Toyota . . . it might be an FJ62 (not what I would consider to be a powerhouse of any kind) . . . but it IS a Toyota Landcruiser, of which I've seen plenty of, not only in our neck of the country but in some pretty far-out places (actually came across one almost identical to yours in Coldfoot, Alaska 4-5 years ago while on a trip from southeast Washington to Prudhoe Bay and back). I would think that once you give it the attention it apparently is demanding right now you'll have a fairly reliable vehicle that your wife should at the very least be able to do what she needs and you guys could occasionally take on shorter trips (I wouldn't venture too far from home with an older vehicle that sourcing parts for is difficult).
The frustration and questioning of your decision is understandable. I just wouldn't give up on the old girl just yet. My guess is she's still got some good miles and great memories left to give.
I purchased a 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser, I have spent all types of money. She’s STILL NOT running well. Smh. But you know what, it’s apart of this journey.
Stay with it! Everyone gives up. Don’t be everyone.
Maxx I really hope you see this and take the advice of cutting your losses and selling it. Even if you sell it for 20k, you can still get something modern and slightly used and with warranty. Don’t go down the rabbit hole with this one too. You guys need a reliable family vehicle. DES needs a RELIABLE family vehicle
You got two trucks already costing you money by constantly being in the shop. And now the Raptor.. PLUS the toter home build.
I think we as an audience are fine with seeing you build your toys and have fun. But it’s definitely not a good idea putting your family in a vehicle that old no matter how much you fix it up and try to justify if.
Hi Max, new to your channel. We recently went through a similar situation with our FJ43 Land Cruiser. We bought it a little more than 2 years ago and only had it 8 months before the rings went and lost compression in 4 cylinders. The beast was still running on 2 cylinders. Ultimately, the original 2F engine could not be rebuilt b/c the gaps in the bearings were too great and really the cylinders had been rebored a few times already. So we sourced another very clean 2F engine from a 1986 FJ60 out your way in Spokane, shipped it east, fully rebuilt it and she’s finally up and running. It’s a labor of love that can be tough on the wallet for sure, but I have no regrets and would do it again. As others have stated, if you love it, then it’s worth the headaches and expense. I’m a firm believer of gauging wealth, success and happiness from the width of a smile. Hope it all works out for you man. Keep cranking and having fun!
Maxx, Sorry to hear about your problems with the LC.......I too purchased what I thought to be a great deal 1984 FJ60 LC which turned out to be nothing more than an underpowered money pit. Also, my wife never lets me forget about that situation, and I've learned my lesson about buying used 4wd vehicles. Hope it all works out for you and keep up the great videos ! Joe
I'll give you my best advice. At this busy time in your life, you need one vehicle that has the following characteristics: Late model, with good parts availability, and a local mechanic or dealership that is familiar with servicing it. Your wife needs to be comfortable driving it. It needs to fit your whole family. I'd recommend something that is not extremely fast, or extremely capable off road, so that it does not get used hard like your other toy vehicles. It needs to be ready to go to your mom's or the store at any time. It's a family vehicle, not a toy. Juggle your fleet however you need to in order to obtain this family vehicle. After you have one vehicle in the fleet that is always ready for this family duty, you can decide what to do with the rest of them. As for the Land Cruiser specifically, it's not worth much broken, so I'd suggest fixing it. After that, you need to recognize that parts availability will be more of a hurdle than with some other options. You will need to be able to carry on without difficulty if the LC goes out of service for a few weeks here and there.
Personally, my wife's current car is a 10 year old Mini Countryman (BMW product). We bought it around 6 years ago because she liked it. I never thought we would keep it over 5 years, but we still have it, and though it has not been trouble free, it has been more reliable than expected. We have not always had good experiences with independent mechanics fixing the car though. Several times, we have had to go to the BMW dealership and pay their high rates, after independent mechanics were unable to repair. Now that we are 45 minutes from a dealer, that's a bigger inconvenience than before, when we lived in a city. At this exact moment in time, the car is out of commission due to a coolant leak. I called a local mechanic, and he replied with "what the **** is a Mini Countryman?" We still have one other reliable vehicle in the garage, so at this time it has not been of much consequence that the Mini has been out of commission. However, if our needs change, we may look to replace the Mini with something that is more easily serviced by our local options.
I have the same fj62 the af440 is a great transmission if serviced from new. as most older vehicles have changed hands few times and folks get use to driving and doing very little to these trucks. once you get transmission fixed and transfer case fixed all the other stuff is very straight forward. these trucks 5-6 years ago were 9-15 k depending on condition, now they are fetching 15k for bottom to 45k for super clean examples so i would take care of it and i promise you will get all you money out of it. Keep it and enjoy.
Lol, the smile on your face after you pull up in the Subi with the blowoff valve doing its thing was priceless.
Once you get it fixed, it’ll be solid. It looks like it’s in really good shape besides the mechanics. It’s also an investment. I’d sell the Raptor to pay for all the work.
Agreed. Its all still easy stuff. Replacing a transmission and tcase is pretty easy. You're not rebuilding internals or anything crazy.
I 3rd this! Sell the raptor and turn the FJ62 into a beast.
Concur. Sell the Raptor and use the funds to have TorFab go through it and fix it up. Hang in there.
Drop the Raptor and full Restore that Classif AF FJ62, true 4x4 ICON right there, and it will out last the rest of your fleet, give her some credit, she’s pushing 40, what year is your Raptor? And it frappes an oil pump? That’s poor engineering…. Keep the cruiser!
LS swop it with a 6L80. You will have all the fun and the parts at hand 👍
Man I can tell the wifey gets so pissed at max 😆 I don't see how you manage it brother my wife would kick me to the curb! Be careful making purchases in the future love the content! Best wishes!
Comments going hard, guys just keep in mind Des could have just as easily of said I want a new 4 runner or Rav4 because Toyotas. From the sounds of it she wanted the FJ. It might have been restored but most restoration projects skip drive train and just fix up the body. People also assume it was an impulse buy even though you had been wanting/ looking for one for a while. Even New cars shit the bed but warranty’s are nice until said warranty claim get rejected because modded vehicle lol.
Once repaired this thing will run for many years. I got mine in 2008 for $4800 and I still love it. A car like this needs TLC and it helps if you can diagnose problems and do most fixes yourself. Mine will never look as good as yours but I bought it for its 4WD capabilities as I live at the top of a gnarly 4WD road.
As someone who’s been on your exact shoes buying a $20k lemon, it definitely isn’t a good feeling or a good buy, but learn from your mistakes and grow. Personally if I saw some of the cheap tasteless upgrades that thing had (cheap-o LED driving lights, blue corner marker LEDs, screen in the dash), combined with transmission issues, that would have been a major red flag as a true enthusiast of the older Land Cruisers would never have done that. I think you’re also learning the valuable lesson of domestic vs Japanese quality with the Ford having such major issues at what would be considered low mileage in a Toyota. One thing I think you seem to have yet to learn, heavily customized vehicles that you beat the crap out of are cool and a lot of fun, but keep something nice and damn near stock so you have dependable transportation in an emergency. A rock crawler is cool, a 600hp WRX is cool, a lifted oversized tire overlander truck is cool, but at the end of the day it’s the bone stock pickup truck that will always get you home when all the others fail.
A lot of owners are upgrading to LED lights. It's brighter and easier on the electrical system.
@@militarygradegear4004 yeah but those are some auto zone type garbage that were probably picked up for $34.99 which doesn’t illustrate much in the way of “pride in ownership”.
24K is a good deal even with the work you are having to put into it. Fix it and Dez will love you for it.
Keep your heads up you will get through it and believe it or not if you get the land cruiser up and it’s a plus for the wifey and family and great content for the channel. It will pay off 👍🏽
I have the exact same 89 Landcruiser (also in mint condition). I just now came across your video because it won't shift past 2nd gear. At least the truck is at home and I can start troubleshooting it. I hadn't thought about the supply chain issues for getting parts. Thats gonna put a kink in my plans!
I will actually have a really nice spare automatic transmission after I get this all done. I bought one and then got a really good package deal on some stuff but it's all or nothing so I'll have a spare if you need it let me know! @maxxpowell.media@gmail.com
I still dont get why you dont have more subs, I literally look out for your videos every week and think they are done very well. Crazy the youtube algorithm doesnt spread it more.
That is such a tough position to be in. I've definitely been there before. I bought a diesel truck that ended up being a money pit, but had I had enough money to finish it, it would have been a great vehicle. Fj's are awesome vehicles, and if you can afford to fix it and get it reliable, it could be an amazing vehicle for your wife and family. It's just that initial cost that you have to get past. Plus, I believe it will most certainly gain value over the years. Any type of cool vintage toyota 4x4 will only increase in value over time....in my opinion. Good luck Max!
I’ve had my truck for 12 years. The first three were rough - too many repairs to list here. Very few issues over the next nine years. Sometimes perseverance does pay in sticking with a vehicle despite its issues.
This video is so relatable on so many levels. Hope all is well!
Congratulations on your beautiful Land Cruiser. Likely you're already enjoying it up and running. Transmission and transfer case rebuild on an older vehicle is no surprise. With your rebuilt transmission and transfer case, you have a reliable SUV that you will enjoy for years to come. I'm still enjoying my 1983 FJ60 with over 296,000 miles. It's my most reliable vehicle that hasn't let me down. Mine has a Cummins 4BT, NV4500 5-speed and spring-over-axle lift. It's simple, inspiring confidence with its lack of electronics, and 22 MPG too.
Been there bro! Imo, just fix it! It's worth it.
I second hand vote the LS with the 6l80E swap, reliable and parts are everywhere
I daily drive my 1996 FZJ80 with 255K on its clock. It is the newest of the three cars that I own at this time (the other 2 are 1970 and 1989). I always have had old cars as my daily driver. To make them reliable transportation, never ignore a problem that may affect its drivability. I can do without an AC or power window for sometime; when it comes to powertrain, drivetrain and safety related items, always get to the root cause as soon as you observed the first indication that there maybe a problem. I wheel my 80 hard, including taking it to difficult trails like Rubicon. To make my FZJ80 reliable on the trails, I daily drive it so I am always aware of its condition; I do maintenance and/or repair as soon as the first indication of problem shows up. It is always better to do preventive maintenance at home than doing trail fixes. Hope you keep the FJ62 and make it reliable for your family to enjoy.
Great insights. Sounds like a solid strategy. I am looking forward to fixing the Land Cruiser up. I believe we can make it reliable with just a few new parts and some regular maintenance
Such a badass FJ with a lot of potential.
If you can handle it financially & make it a series, keep us updated & we'll come through with the views/likes and letting the ads play through🤙🏼
Twenty years ago, when I was stationed at Fort Benning, GA with the 3ID, I snuck home to Muncie, Indiana while on RF1. While home, I bought a 1976 J series two door Cherokee that kinda ran. I did a quick tune up and headed back south with an inoperable fuel gauge and a pinhole leak in the radiator. About an hour south of Muncie, the radiator started pissing coolant like an open faucet. Had to have it towed back to Muncie. Headed back to post where I ordered a new radiator.
Two weeks later, snuck home again. Swapped radiators and headed south, stopping every hour during the 960 mile drive to top off fuel. Got to quarters three hours before Monday PT. Slept. Started the Cherokee to head to formation and it wouldn’t move in any gear.
Changed trans oil and filter and it operated fine for about two months. Ended up just changing oil every two months for two years until I sold it when I ETS’d. Always had a great time in that truck and never got stuck with the Quadratrack and 33’s. Wish I could post a picture here.
Keep the Toyota. Sell the sitting projects.
I’d keep it and fix it up. It’s worth it in my opinion and will be worth a lot in the future if you ever choose to sell. You’re doing a great job Maxx keep it up!
I grew up in this exact same spec'd car... I might argue this is one of the coolest cars in existence. Its got a flippin' throttle lever for crawling... So great...
Maxx, I have a 1989 FJ62 that I bought 18 years ago. 265,000 miles and still factory compression specs. The motor has never been opened but it's on it's second transmission. I drive it every day and smile every time I look at it. Best car I've ever owned in 54 years of driving. I have a 20 year old Q45 for when I want to drive fast. Hang in there, the Cruiser will become your best ride.
i feel you knew the truck needed work but had wishful thinking and put yourself in a bad position. I feel if you would have put the truck in a shop to get it looked over and fixed it you wouldn't have had these extra expenses like paying for a tow truck and pissing off your wife. in addition stop putting off maintenance on your vehicals you put yourself in the current situation no reason you should have all your cars broken.
My sister had an 83 or maybe 84. Standard transmission. Loved that truck. Most solid vehicle I've every driven. In my opinion, it's not my choice for long road trips. Road very rough and low geared, max about 70mph. Having said that I had a surveyor that worked for me that drove one for work, large roof rack on the roof for his equipment. Drove it back and forth from Montana to South Texas several times.
I say it's a good purchase especially if it's a vehicle that the wife likes! Any used vehicle will have its issues and bugs to work out as you know!
Oh hey I have a like new factory shop manual for that rig if you're interested.
Please for the love of god listen to this. BUY A RELIABLE STOCK TRUCK/SUV AND LEAVE IT THE HELL ALONE.
Why would anyone do that lol
@@floydjohnson7926 at least that way the family can get around safely, other than that mod the hell outta everything else lol
I know your pain. About a month ago I bought an 87 Toyota Pickup with 75,000 miles, super clean inside and out. When I checked it out, only thing that I questioned was a very subtle idle surge.
But I assumed it would be the spark plugs, and would be ready to go.
So I bought it, got new spark plugs the day after I bought it. Thought it did the trick until the next morning, white smoke blowing from the exhaust.
Drove it to work, for a couple weeks praying that it was the valve stem seals, but my praying didn’t work, because unbeknownst to me, the truck sat for a long time, hence the low mileage. So it happened to have a blown head gasket, leaking freeze plugs. The whole engine had to be pulled, and apparently it was all gunked up with old coolant and oil and coolant mix.
So now, I’m waiting for the bill, which will probably be $3500. Sick to my stomach, and bummed because I thought I bought an awesome truck, that’ll last for 25 more years.
But now I’m left with an awesome truck that’ll last forever but not without heartache and a fortune of a mechanic bill.
But like others have said, even with all the heartache, that old Landcruiser is a gem. And even if it may result in some more fine tune repairs down the line, it will run forever, and be a great family car, and an epic head turner.
keep it, finish what it needs..... like all trials in life, you will get through this.... And you will have an amazing and rare vehicle!
1800 dollars for a Tow? you have more money than sense! the FJ62 is a good un! get the niggles sorted and you'll have a nice car.
I’ve been in your position Max. Here’s the good news. You can fix this LC with the help of a good mechanic and keep all the records and sell it repaired and get most of your money back if not all of it. List it everywhere including here in Colorado. No rust and rare vehicle. I just sold out 2006 LC that had 230k on it for $22k. Your vehicle is more rare and if everything is fixed you’ll get upper 20’s. My wife now drives a 2011 LX570 and it’s bulletproof.
Buying a old Land Cruiser is better than winning a lottery. A thing of beauty
Biggest thing to note on FJ62's that are higher milage. TRANS WILL ALWAYS GO BEFORE ENGINE. Though I absolutely love everything about my FJ62, being the second owner I was stuck with the inevitable trans failure, as the stock auto was trash. Replacing the trans was a hefty price at my local shop, and looking back at it I should've bitten the bullet and swapped the 4 speed from the 60.
I feel you. Bought an 88 Toyota pickup last year and have spent more fixing it than I paid for the damn thing. I love it but feel I could love something else more
The table was set on this one bud! I love my toys, but I love having a reliable vehicle even more. That comes with regular maintenance and not beating on them. I was cringing while you were thrashing in the Subaru. Almost like I knew it was your last vehicle and you didn’t. Go on and keep a vehicle or two you can hammer on, but stop jacking with your daily drivers man!
I own a 1992 fj80 converted with a 12HT diesel engine. I bought it 8 years ago thinking it would be super reliable. But every time we went on vacation with the familly, something happened. So I had a perforated fuel filter, blocked fuel filter in the tank, lost of a wheel at highway speed, broken spring on the clutch while 1000km from home, cracked rear sub-body (tailgate area) over the years. It took long hours and quite a lot of $$$ to repair the hole thing. Even after all the misadventures, I would not let the LC go away.
I had an 89, same issue. A bad u-joint can't be ignored. It will definitely wreck a transfer case. After that the head gasket went, a real lemon that I traded in on a new jeep. Loved the jeep, but in hindsight, I regret trading in the LC. Every time I see a FJ62, I wish I could find another, spend the money on a V8 drive train, all disc brakes, and OME suspension. Once you have this, everything falls into place. They are classics and that being said, they require costly restoration to bring satisfaction, as with all other classics. The 6cyl should have a modern head gasket that can handle the aluminum on steel issue. I hope you kept it, and I hope you have the money to do what's required, it's worth it. Good luck! My best advice to anyone that can score a nice FJ62 is to understand it may look like a long range traveler, but it's not. That requires the v8 mod with a well matched drive train. Check out LCRestore out of Kansas. if they have a V8 conversion they've completed, they might take yours in on trade.
I love lemonade…!
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I bought a 03’ 100 series last year with 330k miles… paid $26,000….
Already lifted and a most capable and comfortable family battle wagon / bug out rig.
I’m happy with my purchase and you will be too once it’s sorted.
It should be appreciating in value and I hope you get time to enjoy it.
No Regrets..!
Peace out
Hang in there Max! I feel it was a good purchase and a great gesture. Everything will work out in the end,and you and Dez will look back one day and laugh about it. Plus it makes for a great story!
Don’t spread yourself to thin bro, it may be awesome to own multiple vehicles and toys but maintaining them or upgrades can consume all your money. In my book a thin wallet is just as bad as having erectidial disfunction
You don't see many people daily driving old Land Cruisers like this and while I applaud you for purchasing one, I would definitely recommend baselining it first. Bringing it to a shop and having it checked out most likely would have revealed these issues. Anyways, I wish you the best of luck and if this one doesn't work out I hope to see you in another Land Cruiser at some point.
After fixing the transfer case refresh there will be no vibration anymore!! I bet
Now you know why he sold it !! I can tell the trans need a refresh but not the transfer case.
Unfortunately, this was a really good 14,000 project but with this market, it tacked on 10k. Don't get frustrated by the setbacks. It could be an awesome family ride.
Its a super sweet vehicle, tons of personality. IF... she really does love it, then it's worth it. BUT I'm guessing you are going to uncover a lot more expensive issues with it. Worth if if ya'll love it, but if not cut your losses.
I had a 1984 Fj60 that I sold years ago and still regret not keeping it. Keep it.
Better maintenance and up keep! You go hard on your vehicles, so treat em right! I remember a old video of your white Tacoma where you didn’t think changing the oil every time it said it needed to be changed and you let it go another cycle, no good bra!
Well dude that sucks. I also live here in western WA, recently bought a 60 series. Broke down on the way home motor seized, me and the pregnant wife had to push it down a off ramp on I-5. Just got a new motor and had the tranny and transfer rebuilt. I feel your pain. Talk to George at valley hybrids in California, that dude had all the parts I needed and gave step by step instructions. Good luck man.
Keep it! That's my dream car. You were lucky enough to get one. Stick it out man. Once it's in tip top shape it will be reliable.
I bought a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 hemi back in September of 2020. All was well with the car, ticking hemi noise was minimal and I was excited to finally have a car that can tow. 700 miles later in October the engine blew up…. Lifters, cams and the whole bottom end blew up. My wife and I spent most of our savings on this car, because we got rid of a 2018 Tiguan monthly payment so we could apply for a house loan. It blew and we ended up spending 12,500 dollars on a brand new jeggs engine with 100,000 mile warranty. Now I’m in debt to my father and my wife’s parents who bailed us out thankfully but that one hurt. I kept it because it’s still one of my favourite vehicles and it’s more then proved it’s self towing a 87 bronco II from vegas to central Washington and also towing my recent purchase, a 1984 Porsche 944 resto project from Spokane. Hope it goes well for you Max.
I also pulled the trigger on a really nice fj62. Half way home from Santa Cruz to Reno after picking it up the tranny puked at Colfax in the sierras. Luckily my wife was behind me, so we got home and went back the next day to trailer it home. After a rebuild, 4.88 gears, tires and a bunch of other stuff, I could not get it so stop leaking around the windshield a-pillar. Went back and forth between glass shops and body shops, but no one could stop the leak. Cut my loss and sold it before it just rusted away from the leak. Love the look, but would never buy another.
Get in touch with cruiser outfitters they'll get you set up with what ever you need
I’m sure he’s been in contact with them too, they are such a good resource. But I’d toss Wit’s End’s name out there too. Not that he can get things others can’t but another good resource, possibly not too far away from you.
I have bought two lemons so far in my life and I’ve only had two cars and they’re currently both falling apart at the same time so I definitely know how it feel though you’ll get through it, shit’ll buff!
Don’t get rid of the vibes bro!! Landcruiser all day! Get it to where you can take it to a Landcruiser specialist shop. Landcruiser NW in Portland is spot on man, super cool guys
Hoping the new transmission, transfer case, and rotors solve all the problems and the truck makes Des proud and happy about it again
Bro im a poor asf college student making 17hr as a phelbotomist and just purchased a 88 civic for 3k with a 5speed and was super excited! and it was running perfect when I bought it and you gotta remember im poor asf so im out 3k and now my civic thats supposed to be super realiable probably needs a new engine so im feeling ya man but keep up the vids and remember you got a raptor, tacoma, sti and a amazing house awesome family! I would die for your life man keep up the vids brother your friken awesome! 🔥
As a rule of thumb when you buy a used vehicle (especially one that has a potential for being used hard) always be ready to pay at least $3,000 for any kind of repairs and factor it into the price mentally and I to your budget. If your budget is 10k look for cars in the 5-8k range. It’s a used car and regardless of what anyone says you don’t know what’s been done to it. The only time you can really have any peace of mind buying a vehicle is buying new, because you also get the warranty that comes with it, and all the latest safety perks. I get you want your wife to be the hot baddy that drives a sweet rig but you have to remember you want a vehicle that will keep her and your kids as safe as possible in the worst collision you can imagine. I wanted to get my girl a new 4Runner but we settled for the new AWD Highlander because A) the 4Runner 10k markup is stupid af and B) that highlander has safety features up the ass crack. And is the smoothest ride I’ve driven in a while. The 4Runner didn’t even have back up sensors.
Depends how you use the car. There's a reason to everything. If you are using the car for groceries and soccer activities or travel comfort the highlander is best. But if you like to go off-road, the 4runner will do a better job.
@@genxiong2695 don’t sleep on the Highlander, you’d be surprised. Toyota’s AWD system is one of the best on the market. And I’ve got it into some hairy things and it’s impressive. Sure it’s no 4Runner, but I really doubt Maxx was going to rock bounce his wife’s car. Reliability should top anything else, he said it himself for weeks it was a 20k paper weight and he had to pay 2k to get it back home. And he can’t even find parts to fix it. Nobody HAS to go off-roading it’s an option if you have the means to do it and he has like 7 means not including what would be his wife’s car. It comes down to if it’s worth the hassle of dealing with constant repairs and thousands of dollars to suit likes and desires.
@@gablamo013 I was referring to your choice of the 4runner vs. Highlander (both are built different). I think my comments is every bit true. There's nothing wrong with the highlander. It's spacious and runs like butter. The 4runner runs like a truck. But each is designed for different purposes.
Sometimes the coolest buys are the emotional ones but there's a price you pay for that. We've all been through this. So here what's your going to do. Keep dumping money in it until the headaches get old then sell it or have fun with it and make some more happy memories. Beautiful ride. Hope for the best.
Don’t be to hard on yourself. I happens to everyone. On the bright side you have a beautiful wife and kids.
Maxx, I'm sorry to hear about the LC 62 series, and the issues you have had. I would start by rebuilding the transfer case too. I know it's very expensive but I think since they don"t make them anymore, it would be worth keeping. Sorry to hear about the troubles but honestly I"m jealous of your 62 series.
I had an 89 FJ62 in highschool. It was a great rig. I had mine built out with 4.88s and 37s. Transmission went out as well. Honestly the transmission is the weak point on the 62s.The engine is bullet proof though. I had to change out the water pump at 300k miles and just did regular maintenance on it until I decided to sell it. The EFI system is sick and if you pair that with an H55F transmission it really makes the rig soo much more reliable. The H55F swap would be my go to to get rid of the auto. There is just something with the early Toyota automatics that had some issues. The good news is you bought a vehicle that will continue to appreciate in value if you keep it stock. We have bought and sold many Land Cruisers and ones we were picking up for $3k 10 years ago would easily be $20k rigs now in good shape. Don't build it and you have a good investment. Keep the purist mind set and know there is a buyer out there that will pay top dollar and arrange shipping for the right rig. We used to import and sell old Cruisers and we were amazed at how much some of these guys were willing to pay.
Keep it. Fix it, love it. Once you get it lined out and enjoy it. You had the warning signs when you bought it and hoped for the best but it didn’t work out. Its as clean as pin.
The truck is straight and well kept. Unfortunately those kind of things happen and unexpected. I have bought lemons in the past, but I end up fixing it myself. You will never know the history of any car unless you come across a book of recites from Toyota or Local mechanic shop. No matter what I buy, either from the dealer or private sellers, I go through the truck/car from front to back. That’s just the mechanic in me. Honestly I would bit the bullet and keep the truck after all this because, 1: it’s your wife’s truck 2: it will be reliable for your wife and family. It will be the most reliable truck that you guys have out of all your vehicles. It’s job is to go from point A to B. Providing you leave it stock! 🤙🏾
I got my FJ62 last summer. i fixed the steering vibration by replacing the OME steering stabilizer bar
I bought a 1991 extended cab 4x4 Toyota a few years back. It was pretty rough and it had a hard life. Terrible body lift, clutch was toast, tranny leaked, motor had a rod knock and check engine light… sure I’m forgetting some stuff.
Anyhow, that was THE truck I wanted so I bought it. I put a lot of money into it and fixed everything wrong and had a great truck.
I think you should keep it. I got rid of that truck and every time I see one on the road, I wish I still had it. Once you get it sorted, it should be good to go. Plus it’s old enough you can work on it yourself.
Just my opinion, rock on bud! 🤘🏻
I just bought a 4th gen 4Runner 4wd and not even a month in a bunch issues starting rising. I fix one thing then something else starts acting up. I regret buying it sometimes, but i like it and just gotta work the bugs out
Might take time to get back up and running. It will be worth it. Cruisers are for keeps man. It looks great and once you button it up you’ll be glad you did. Do it for Des.
You ever thought about buying a stock suv and then not doing anything with it? Like just drive it normally, get regular maintenance done, resist the impulse to mod it and thrash it like you do with everything else?
Not complaining, love the content. Your pain is my entertainment unfortunately. I feel like given the choice everyone would prefer to watch someone else break their things as opposed to doing the breaking on their own stuff.
In any case, I forsee that thing being a money pit unless you do a complete engine and transmission swap, and even then...
1. Hindsight is 20/20
2. Happy Wife/Happy Life
3. Shit Happens
4. Don't you have the Pro4 still? (if so) Technically, you could have made it to the Tow Truck.
Max, I think you're pot committed to the new addition at this point. I'd fix her up and keep the wife happy.
PS. I know you're mantra is "Don't for get to live" but for your sake I hope you "Don't forget to Breath". Hopefully you take your mental health just as serious and get some down time sir. You appear to be burning the candle at both ends this past year or two!
GL love the content and thx.
Hey Max. I feel you on this situation. I just bought a 96 12v cummins. Its leaking like crazy from everywhere and I'm real scared I bought a mistake. Fingers crossed for us both
You did buy a mistake lol.
@@gablamo013 dont do me dirty like that man. Positivity
@@Bward216 it’s a hard pill to swallow ask me how I know 😂
Depends on what you are wanting with your FJ (toy or daily diver). I think they are an awesome vehicle however speaking from past experiences older cars will cost money to fix and will be less reliable. I would not keep it as a daily driver for your wife though. You want her and the kids in a safe reliable car that won’t break down at any time and potentially put them in harms way. Tough decision, good luck!
Beautiful truck, Not a mistake! That thing can be something that stays in the family for a long time.. It is a different animal than you’re probably use to but just need to get the shake down work done. Any old vehicle needs to be run through its paces before its reliable. I’ve got an Isuzu vehicross and and old 85’ Audi that I’ve been working on and it takes some time to work through the issues and get to a point to trust them. Parts are available. And join fj Facebook groups to find support from the community!
Definitely bought a lemon, 87 BMW 325. I LOVED driving it when it worked, but it had constant problems and it was hard to source parts. LSD, injectors, o2 sensor, ECU, other ECU, etc. Finally had enough of it and sold it to a DIY mechanic who I hope enjoyed having something to constantly work on. I bet you LC will be great once you work through the issues. Hopefully when you get the outstanding issues sorted out you'll be done and can enjoy it for a long time!
Oh, the warped rotor issue is due to low buck pads/rotors - common issue with the Toyota SUV's. I went with EBC on the front and a full stop tech HD kit for the rear, stops as smooth as any new vehicle now.
I think it would be worth the investment because of you replace the parts with good or original replacement parts the truck will then be back to almost like new shoot you repaired correctly and then you can really enjoy the vehicle for the next 20 years
Those things are definitely valuable. The problem with any vehicle of any age right now is obviously parts...if you can find the right mechanic someone that knows those vehicles really well and go thru it mechanically is your best bet
I would say get the stuff rebuilt and enjoy it. There is a land cruiser of the same gen down here in Salem at a shop that does emergency vehicle equipment installs that is near me that is for sale for 12k I have seen it driven around even so there is hope out there. Also sounds like the issues with the transfer case is what probably did the transmission in as well because of everything going on with the t-case vibrating and sending it back through the transmission. So you might be lucky and have a good running rig after they fix it.
Definitely not a bad buy. Fix things up as it breaks. Restore it. And love it for many more years to come.
Ohhhh man I Feel your pain!!!! I know this is an old video. But it speaks to me. About a year and half ago I had a hole burning in my pocket and I wanted a older vehicle and it was between a FJ62 1988 and a Land Rover defender 90 both super super clean anyway I had the defender checked out by a local defender expert in my province and he told me that she was perfect interior needed some work but engine drive train and frame exterior was mint and it has a newer galvanized chassis so bing. I bought it. Well however when I drove it I did notice that it sluggish and slower than normal I thought it was a the turbo was shot I replaced it it ran better but still not great I have the TD5 engine. I started restoring it new windows inside body panels ripped all the carpets out new suspension etc… then I decided to drive it on the highway and I thought might as well test it out again it felt like it had no balls at all. still and I could never get the heat going which again I thought was weird and I checked coolant, did a coolant flush and I always had my eye on the temp gauge never moved so hey I’ll drive it on the highway maybe I’ll get it warm see if anything moves. Well I took it up to 100km which is about 62miles and kept it there for a bit after about 25min the temp gauge finally started creeping up but still super low so I was like ohhh it works sweet and out of no we’re near red about 1/4 till TICK!!! Everything turns off and I have zero power nothing and coasting pull over get it towed to the shop and of course he says hey you cracked your cylinder head !! Oky no problem how much is a new one… 6 to 7k I almost spit my lunch out plus shipping from the uk plus shop time so around 10k. So now I am doing an engine swap once it’s done it will be good I was able to get a OM606 for 3,500 in good condition I am currently rebuilding that almost done and have all the parts to make it work But having to order parts from the UK sucks! But on the other hand they have Tons and tons of aftermarket support which is nice. I ended up having to buy a cheap commuter that has ended up being the best vehicle I have ever bought in my life.. 98 Toyota 4Runner I paid next to nothing for it everything works and interior is mint I now understand why people love there Toyota’s. If I could do it all over again I really don’t know what I would do it cost me a lot buying that defender but once I am done she will be worth a lot and I wouldn’t have bought that 4Runner or learned how to rebuild an engine. If I would have bought the cruiser I wouldn’t have ever had a problem the guy was driving it as a daily for the past 10years and had rebuilt the whole interior it was clean man and drive nice. Moral of the story everything happens for a reason good or bad I learned a lot and I am still learning so that’s nice but it wasn’t on my terms unfortunately sometimes that’s the way it go’s so I choose to look at the pro’s. BTW my old lady was pissed as well when it broke down lol 😂😂😂 ( could have gone on a couple vacations for that price) if I could give you any advice I would do the R2.8 in your cruiser if it was me. Axis makes good kits. Cheers !!
Call Cruiser Outfitters if you can’t get parts for the t-case. Moving forward if you need parts your first call should be to them.
Your FJ62 looks like someone put a lot of time and effort into everything but the mechanical. Freshen up the mechanical and you'll be in a solid position. If you tire of the abysmal fuel economy or lack of power there's a plethora of engine/trans swap options at your disposal.
I have a cherry FJ62 surf wagon with 333k miles. I’m ready for a new engine and trans. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
They aren’t going down in value! Keep it going. I also sell parts for these! I have a low miles trans and Tcase for it. Once it’s fixed she will run forever!!!
i owned a fj 62 here in Australia for 17 years ...abit different to the American fj 62s mine was the 3f engine 5 speed Manal trans ...for one thing with yours i get rid of the over size Tyres they will just chew your auto trans out go back to 31 inch the sixty series like this size and don't struggle .....also the 3fe engine has fuel drinking problems and are prone for blowing cylinder heads ...i wish u luck i have since upgraded to a manual 80 series 1hz diesel seems to be a good vehicle so far.....here in Australia....
I really needed to see this, heading down south from Ohio to look at a potential 80 series buy. It’s a 1990 JDM LC, right hand drive, turbo diesel. Long drive home too….8 hrs. 😂 Good Luck.
I own a 100 series and a 60 series. I felt how you felt with my 100 series when it was supposed to be reliable transportation, but it kept letting me down. I've replaced just about everything 5 years after owning it now. I also own a FJ60 and I think you should go through it, its an easy vehicle to work on, and I can guarantee when its all fixed up, it will put a big smile on you and your family's faces.
take your time with the fj60 and its repairs. No rush and don't overstrain your finance.
Max, that's a hard one man. If you are in it 24k and your wife loves it then it might be worth looking into all new engine, transmission, and a transfer case. That's a big investment but once it's done you will have a sweet ride. Best of luck with figuring out what to do man.
Sending good vibes. I think you should ultimately keep it.
it's going to work out fine. Put some love & care in, some optimism and perseverance... it will pay off.
Stay positive bro, went through that a little with a FJ80. Had all the things they say could go wrong go wrong and put thousands into it just to keep it going. In the end it turned out to be an amazing truck that did start to live up to the relatability that we all expect from Toyota.
You should invest into a standy generator for your property, a must have for living out in the country
Ah this is tough luck! Get it sorted wife will love it! Such a cool vehicle!