There was a time where one could barely give away an old import SUV, but that day is rapidly passing. Land Cruisers like this 1986 FJ60, which just happens to be for sale here on craigslist in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, may be on a huge upswing in value. They’re asking $6500 for this one, so let’s look at it a little closer…
This style of Land Cruiser, for those unfamiliar, was Toyota’s foray into the family-size and/or Overlander/Safari SUV market, aimed more or less squarely at the big, established names in trucks and sport-utilities. Toyota began production in 1951, and as of 2018, has sold more than 6 million of them, in various forms. I don’t want to bore you to death with fine details and figures, so let’s just say that Land Cruisers are some of the most popular, versatile SUVs on earth. So good are they that the United Nations has for years used an up-armored version for some of its missions.
Now then, this one, in particular, is not 100% pristine, but from the pictures and description, it is seemingly in decent overall condition. We’re told that it doesn’t stay running, because there’s a carburetor issue, and it has some rust, both of which are apparently pretty common on this generation. it has 156,000 miles on its 6-cylinder engine and manual transmission, but you from the looks of it, one wouldn’t know that unless you looked at the odometer. The paint shines, the interior looks nice, the bumpers are okay if a bit dented.
Overall, I’d have this in my garage. I personally really like them. They’ve shot up in value recently, as Doug DeMuro recently noted in a YouTube video on his More Doug DeMuro channel, and Jay Leno recently featured a trio of them from Corsetti Cruisers on his channel Jay Leno’s Garage. While they’ll never reach muscle-car or rare-exotic levels, older SUVs may be poised to be rather collectible in the near future. All that said, do you have one? Do you want one? How about a memory of one? I can tell you that one of my childhood friend’s parents had one just like this, and they probably still have it today.
IMO, this was the Cruiser’s second-to-last good year.
Not too rusty, not butchered, not beat-out, “reasonable” miles, and a stick thrown-in… Asking $6,500? Where’d he drive it in from? Another planet? Doesn’t he know the sky is the limit on these?
I have a 1984 FJ60 and it is nice to see others out there. The gaps between the doors and body are just like mine. The price seems low to me.
I had a BJ40, and the thing was fantastic. My only complaint was the rust.
Bob
Or you could buy this for $50…….
humboldt.craigslist.org/cto/d/garberville-fj60-toyota-land-cruiser/6885167628.html
Does it have a carburetor? Or EFI?
If original, it will have a carb., No EFI in US spec Land Cuisers until ’88.
Had a white ‘88 with grey interior. Best suv ever! Never got stuck in anything. Rust was the biggest issue and went thru several mufflers.
I had an ‘86 in 1998, never thought I’d have anything to ‘replace’ my beloved ‘78 Scout2, but it was great. I’d love to have it now. I miss the ‘trucky’ handling and driving experience. Modern SUV’s are too civilized. Mine had an overheating problem until some research led me to inspect the entire radiator closely. Turns out that previous year’s mouse nests and other ‘invasions’ deteriorated and clogged the airflow in areas not readily viewable from outside. Got that all fixed and that problem was gone permanently.
After owning many many cars and driving even more, I recently drove a FJ80, a one owner, with side opening rear doors.
It had a turbo diesel.
Living in Africa, it has its advantages, but I would prefer it as a daily driver. It was spacious, economical, versatile, safer. towed well and easily capable of highway speeds.
To me it was perfection and I now really really want one…..
Also had an 86. Best vehicle ever. In Canada the diesels were more prominent. Made 600,000 Km. with no problem. Why do we have so many regrets?
Sold. I bought it on Saturday morning. Less rust than I thought, and the owner has a treasure trove of parts. Thanks BarnFinds.com. I’ve been looking for an FJ60 at a reasonable price for a few years now….
Congratulations! FJ 60’s are absolutely amazing vehicles.
Be prepared to be smiling a lot. I know I do every time I drive mine.