To justify its asking price, the seller of today’s Nice Price or No Dice FJ references several other, higher-priced sales from Bring a Trailer. Let’s see how much we might be swayed by such a tactic.
Like spotting the lion in the underbrush for savannah grazers, being aware of the latest style trends and avoiding fashion faux pas is essential for surviving high school. Fashion, like the moon, waxes and wanes, which is why owning a car with design-house detailing might be a poor choice if the looks fall out of favor.
That was the conundrum we faced with the 2012 Fiat 500 Gucci edition we examined with a critical eye yesterday. Was it still in fashion? How should I know? I’m wearing my standard jeans and flannel. More importantly to our designs was the Fiat’s $8,995 asking price. With the car’s relatively high miles, that seemed too dear to many of you, even with the added flair provided by the Gucci adornments. Ultimately, that concern resulted in an overwhelming 90% ‘No Dice’ loss.
Cruiser cachet
Do you want to guess what has never gone out of style? That’s right, spending ridiculous amounts of cash on old Land Cruisers. For whatever reason, old 4X4 SUVs like today’s 1984 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60 reside in a market where supply never quite meets demand, keeping prices at a premium.
Our red over tan and root beer brown edition isn’t as pricy as some (more on that later), and it offers a mixed bag of old and worn, along with new and improved, to keep us on our adjudicating toes.
Introduced in the U.S. in 1980, the 60-series FJ was the first to be offered exclusively as a five-door wagon; the two-door FJ40 carried on relatively unchanged into the 1980s. The FJ60’s added comfort and convenience did not come at the cost of its capabilities, as it still featured live axles on leaf springs and Toyota’s stout six-cylinder engine under the hood.
Earning its stripes
Our candidate appears to be in great shape based on the pictures in the ad. Despite its advanced age and 149,000 miles, the red paint still pops, and there’s no evidence of fading in the fabulous decals on the doors. Newish-looking, massive GoodYear Wrangler tires underpin and are fitted to chrome steelies that add bling to an already chrome-forward look. The bumpers, which make up a good bit of that brightwork, are said to have been removed and realigned upon replacement. They look on the level.
Underneath all that is a solid chassis (these trucks are stout body-on-frame) that the seller claims has been thoroughly cleaned and treated with a rust-preventative. The same task was carried out on the rear brake drums, and new shocks have been fitted at all four corners.
More work was undertaken in the engine compartment, leaving the FJ’s 4.0-liter straight six looking clean and shiny. In this model, the engine made a claimed 135 horsepower and a more impressive 210 pound-feet of torque. Here, that’s backed up by a four-speed manual and part-time 4WD.
It’s what’s inside that counts
While its exterior, underpants, and engine bay all look as spiffy as one could want, this FJ’s interior shows a modest amount of wear and tear. That’s constrained chiefly to some fading plastics, but there is a good bit of tearing and abrading evident on the driver’s seat. All of the rest of the upholstery—passenger seat, rear bench, and the door cards—all look to be in serviceable condition, which makes the driver’s seat even more of an outlier.
Other things to consider with this particular truck: while Toyota did attempt to make this version of the Land Cruiser less crude than its predecessors, this is still a pretty basic vehicle. The windows and locks are all manual, as are the seat adjustments and climate control. There is A/C, but that’s likely still R12, and the seller doesn’t say whether it’s working or not. The original radio has been removed as well, leaving just a hole in the dash. On the plus side, the truck comes with a clean title, an uneventful CarFax report, and a recently passed emissions test.
Bring a checkbook?
The asking price for this FJ is a cool $26,000. As an incentive for that being a great deal, the seller lists a number of Bring a Trailer sales at significantly higher prices. That, of course, is Bring a Trailer, which, like Erehwon, is where typically people with more money than sense shop. This FJ is offered on Craigslist, and, apparently, also on eBay. We tend to expect those venues to be more bargain basement than BaT, so it makes sense that this one would be cheaper.
But is it a good deal? As we discussed, Land Cruisers have a cachet about them, meaning they tend to command pretty serious cash. What do you think? Is this one worth that $26,000 asking? Or is that too high even with those cool ’80s stripes that we all know we want?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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