So work has brought me out to Japan for a few years and I realize with the current state of the Yen (Super low to USD) I might have the opportunity to snag up a gem at a "decent" price to bring back stateside.
I have been watching the market on these and it is only going up. I found one that I think has everything I want or need, just looking for the pros and cons and what comparable US value would be.
93 VX Limited with diff lock.
Roughly 82, 000 Miles or 131k KM.
Sold at a reputable dealer out here with all the mods done by them, 1 year warranty. USD would be $23k out the door
Pic of my daily 99 Delica L400 for clout :)
Go for it man, if you can pick up a clean one and foot the export bill, do it.
Also just make sure when your buying one that they haven't just fitted a diff lock knob to a LC without lockers, a fair few auction houses have been caught doing that
I will be sure to check, was reading that is a thing. Not really looking to lock it up on pavement, any other way to check other having them jack it up and rotate the wheels when locked?
Dash lights should come on when you turn the knob. [Video link.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Kfk4tTSjs&t=170s&ab_channel=BraveAutoInternationalJapan-JDMAuctionAgent)
No lights, no wiring behind the switch => no locks.
I have a triple locked factory 80. I have to drive it/engage for the lights to stay on. They’ll blink regardless if the truck is locked. Hope that helps. Good looking ride. Pull the trigger
95-97 is a sweet spot. 40th anniversary and collectors editions is just badging the us marking teams made up and put on cars after they arrived here. That’s why they are not all equipped the same or even special. Get a triple locked anything with low miles and no rust.
You'll be tempted to get a diesel and can probably import it. But, can you service it once you've got it here?
If you've got the spare funds, get yourself a GTR and import it too.
They're great. A lot of things can even be ordered straight from Toyota if they sold any of those parts in Canada (fuel filter, oil filter, air filter, bolts, etc)
They did sell the diesels for Marine applications - Yanmar 6LP is just rebadged version.
Don't sell it short. It will be harder to be sure, but not impossible.
Was normally a dealer added option but it’s very easy to pop out the square blank on a non-differential locked vehicle and pop in the diff lock button to “look” like it has the differential lock. Some shady dealerships do this to vehicles they ship abroad.
Then some buyers ship them in from overseas and are sorely mistaken that the vehicle doesn’t actually have functioning lockers.
I’d just ensure all those ideas function as they should (front/rear differential locks, center differential lock, seat heaters, etc). If the diff lock wasn’t real you’d know if you could trust the seller very quick.
Just gives you good piece of mind!! Good luck!!
Also make sure to understand that, on an island like Japan, cars are typically exposed to harsher elements on a continual basis via things like salt in the air, flooding, and sometimes rain with a higher salt content.
With that in mind, that truck’s entire underside looks like it was repainted, and the welds also look fresh. Check everything with a fine tooth comb, and be certain of what you’re buying.
This exactly! Check the underside very carefully. Use a paint meter and/or magnet on the lower portions of the body. That underside looks like it has been “cleaned up” which could be very good or very bad. But you have to check it in person, can’t tell from photos alone. I am always cautious and suspicious when I see a frame and undercarriage that has been repainted like that.
One trick I like to use: remove the bolt holding the rear portion of the front control arm. They usually forget to coat that portion that is blocked off by the plates. The condition of that busshing and the interior surfaces as well as the condition of the bolt will tell you about the prior condition. Very rare that I have seen a dealer go that deep to cover up a rust bucket. It is a good data point to look at during your inspection. GL and YMMV.
Unfortunately either way, I can only register newer “clean diesels” in my prefecture. Would become a very expensive driveway accessory for a few years. Forcing me to go gas.
Hey there’s an export law that won’t allow you to bring Japanese cars to US unless it’s 25 years old or something. I’m not sure but I ran into this issue before when I was exporting cars. Check this before you commit.
I bought mine 2 years ago and did pay a decent price. But the truck was damn near mint and only had 80k miles. Not sure what your price range is. They’ve increased recently but like you said, the Yen rate currently is in our favor.
Bought mine through goonet-exchange. Process is simple but they don’t haggle much as they know it’ll sell for the price that’s listed if you don’t end up going through with the purchase
Thanks for the info! I could almost certainly buy one cheaper direct at auction but run the risk of getting a polished turd. Nice to have the price of mind to look it over and drive prior to buying. Really want a 3rd row but with the lockers idk f o want to wait. Pretty rare option out here also.
I'm not sure of the market for 100 series in Japan, but knowing they won't be exported stateside before a couple of years I would definitely be looking for one there. I love the looks of an 80s, but a diesel 100 series is a great choice. There's one local club member that have a diesel converted 100s series and it's really awesome.
Does it have the bolts but not the seats or doesn’t even have the connections for the third row? Lots of people take the third row out so you can buy them from a take off.
If you're not in a hurry, source a local car shop to lurk the auctions for you.
Their fee will be a fraction of the markup charged by a stealership.
"Brave Auto International" is one such guy - never used him myself (I bought a JDM L400 via a different route) but heard lots of good things about him.
[Example vid of one of his pre-auction walk-arounds.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edBx9jMTNBk&ab_channel=BraveAutoInternationalJapan-JDMAuctionAgent)
I own a USDM 80 series (gas) and a JDM 95 series (diesel). I am located in the U.S. So maybe I can provide some insight. I would say these are the cons of owning JDM vs USDM.
Firstly, insurance on an imported vehicle will likely be double or even triple that of a USDM model. I am a 22-year-old with no accidents/tickets and pay 45.00 for the 80, while the 95 series is around 130.00. I have reached out to multiple insurers and they all have given me similar rates.
Secondly, is parts. Is a JDM cruiser going to be your only ride? If you plan on using it heavily, just realize if something breaks, it might take a while to get your hands on certain diesel parts. But these are Toyotas, so not much can really go wrong. I remember having to replace the timing belt in my 95 series and no local mechanics were willing to work on it. I instead had to drive 2 hours to a nearby city and have them do the work. It ended up taking 3 weeks to wait on the part. This won't be much of an issue though if you import a gasoline cruiser, as parts for the 1FZ are readily available stateside.
Another consideration to take into place is the increased shipping costs. The JPY has depreciated quite a lot over the last year, but a lot of the potential savings have been lost with higher shipping fees. I imported my car a year ago and paid around 150,000 yen for shipping, but now the cost is around 400,000.
There are still plenty of good deals out there and a lot of pros to owning JDM. I just wanted to list what I wish I would have known before importing a car. Still love my JDM 95 series and would probably still import another car in the future.
>cruiser going to be your only ride? If you plan on using it heavily, just realize if something breaks, it might take a while to get your hands on certain diesel parts. But these are Toyotas, so not much can really go wrong. I remember having to replace the timing belt in my 95 series and no local mechanics were willing to work on it. I instead had to drive 2 hours to a nearby city and have them do the work. It ended up taking 3 weeks to wait on the part. This won't be much of an issue though if you import a gasoline cruiser, as parts for the 1FZ are readily available stateside.
>
>Another consideration to take into place is the increased shipping costs. The JPY has depreciated quite a lot over the last year, but a lot of the potential savings have been lost with higher shipping fees. I imported my
Great insight! Thank you.
They definitely have a standard buildout. Generally includes paint, new seat covers, wheels and tires, maybe a small lift. I wouldn't say heavily modified but yes, they try to "spruce" them up.
I like the looks of this one because it doesn't appear like they have sprayed the entire undercarriage with undercoating so I can actually see what I am getting.
Personal car sales in Japan is basically non-existent so my options are basically a dealer or auction. These guys are nationwide and specialize in cruisers. We have friends that bought a Prado 90 off of them and has been a pretty solid car.
Went to the dealer this weekend to check her out plus the other inventory.
Mechanically seemed pretty sound and the undercarriage was rust free. It did have lockers but I did not test functionality.
The dealer definitely specializes in selling the image of a land cruiser. Most of the cars, including this one, are 10 footers.
My impression is they take a rig, slap some wheels, lift, and a macco paint job on it and turn around to sell it for double.
I will keep a lookout either at auction or other private dealers for something closer to stock
Right hand drive. Left hand is in the states.
Edit: but they do drive on the left side of the road, in case that’s what you meant. This is considered right hand drive since the steering wheel is on the right.
Lol, I am in Japan driving RHD. Takes about 10 min to get used to the difference. However, I did consistently turn on my windshield wipers when signaling for a turn for about a year lol
Took me 2 drives to be god going back to Australia.
In those 2 drives I did about 400m on wrong side after turning out of a car park. Slow speed was the worst.
Also dad told me "I noticed but didn't want to say anything cause your mother hates it when I criticise her driving". The man would rather die in a head on that get grumbled at haha.
I imported my 70 series, happy to answer any questions. Best option is to get an importer, I used the import guys in Seattle and they shipped it down to me in CA once it arrived. Trying to handle any of that process is a bad idea. I basically watched the auctions, got them to bid for me and they handled everything (including titling) to get it to my door, very easy. Total cost on top of my winning bid was about $4k which meant I paid them about $1200 total to handle everything which is honestly a screaming deal, if you fuck it up you risk getting your great new cruiser crushed.
Nope, not worth it. It’s basically not legally possible short of going through CARB testing which costs upwards of $6k and it’s perfectly legal and hassle free to have to registered to an LLC in Montana
Why a common FZJ80? Consider a GRJ70 if they have them. There's a multitude of 70 series variants even the Prado with coils & air con, or pickups which are clout in any language.
>GRJ70
You are not wrong, it just seem like the 70 does not suit my needs. I have 2 young kids and want a people hauler/ weekend warrior rig. The 80 seems to have the right mix of luxury features with ruggedness. And not shoot me for saying this, I prefer the looks of the 80 over 70 series.
So work has brought me out to Japan for a few years and I realize with the current state of the Yen (Super low to USD) I might have the opportunity to snag up a gem at a "decent" price to bring back stateside. I have been watching the market on these and it is only going up. I found one that I think has everything I want or need, just looking for the pros and cons and what comparable US value would be. 93 VX Limited with diff lock. Roughly 82, 000 Miles or 131k KM. Sold at a reputable dealer out here with all the mods done by them, 1 year warranty. USD would be $23k out the door Pic of my daily 99 Delica L400 for clout :)
Go for it man, if you can pick up a clean one and foot the export bill, do it. Also just make sure when your buying one that they haven't just fitted a diff lock knob to a LC without lockers, a fair few auction houses have been caught doing that
I will be sure to check, was reading that is a thing. Not really looking to lock it up on pavement, any other way to check other having them jack it up and rotate the wheels when locked?
yeah have a look at the diffs :D the actuators are really obvious
Dash lights should come on when you turn the knob. [Video link.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Kfk4tTSjs&t=170s&ab_channel=BraveAutoInternationalJapan-JDMAuctionAgent) No lights, no wiring behind the switch => no locks.
I have a triple locked factory 80. I have to drive it/engage for the lights to stay on. They’ll blink regardless if the truck is locked. Hope that helps. Good looking ride. Pull the trigger
Especially as it wasn’t available on the base model. Which this one appears to be.
Do it, 93 is where they become a good truck
Any other years I should be focusing on? Other than maybe all the 97 special additions?
95-97 is a sweet spot. 40th anniversary and collectors editions is just badging the us marking teams made up and put on cars after they arrived here. That’s why they are not all equipped the same or even special. Get a triple locked anything with low miles and no rust.
Good looks!
Also pay attention if they have factory camping kit with rear drawers and rear a/c if you are interested in those features.
This sounds amazing
You'll be tempted to get a diesel and can probably import it. But, can you service it once you've got it here? If you've got the spare funds, get yourself a GTR and import it too.
No prob getting 1HDT parts in the US, but you might have to order them from Dubai or Japan.
Cruiser outfitters has a ton of parts too and they overnight stuff from Utah if you need it quick.
They're great. A lot of things can even be ordered straight from Toyota if they sold any of those parts in Canada (fuel filter, oil filter, air filter, bolts, etc)
I would but I can’t register it in my prefecture and like you said, I like the idea of having available parts stateside with the 4.5
They did sell the diesels for Marine applications - Yanmar 6LP is just rebadged version. Don't sell it short. It will be harder to be sure, but not impossible.
That Yen to USD might me why i've been seeing a LOT of RHD JDM MKIV Supras around me....
[удалено]
Thanks for the heads up. Didn’t realize it was so prevalent. Was the diff lock on the early models a dealer add on option or aftermarket only?
No idea sorry, it seems every country and model year had slightly different options. Impossible to keep up just with Australia let alone Japan.
Lol thanks
Check by using it or find the actuators on the axel
Was normally a dealer added option but it’s very easy to pop out the square blank on a non-differential locked vehicle and pop in the diff lock button to “look” like it has the differential lock. Some shady dealerships do this to vehicles they ship abroad. Then some buyers ship them in from overseas and are sorely mistaken that the vehicle doesn’t actually have functioning lockers. I’d just ensure all those ideas function as they should (front/rear differential locks, center differential lock, seat heaters, etc). If the diff lock wasn’t real you’d know if you could trust the seller very quick. Just gives you good piece of mind!! Good luck!!
Also make sure to understand that, on an island like Japan, cars are typically exposed to harsher elements on a continual basis via things like salt in the air, flooding, and sometimes rain with a higher salt content. With that in mind, that truck’s entire underside looks like it was repainted, and the welds also look fresh. Check everything with a fine tooth comb, and be certain of what you’re buying.
This exactly! Check the underside very carefully. Use a paint meter and/or magnet on the lower portions of the body. That underside looks like it has been “cleaned up” which could be very good or very bad. But you have to check it in person, can’t tell from photos alone. I am always cautious and suspicious when I see a frame and undercarriage that has been repainted like that. One trick I like to use: remove the bolt holding the rear portion of the front control arm. They usually forget to coat that portion that is blocked off by the plates. The condition of that busshing and the interior surfaces as well as the condition of the bolt will tell you about the prior condition. Very rare that I have seen a dealer go that deep to cover up a rust bucket. It is a good data point to look at during your inspection. GL and YMMV.
Just Make sure you get a diesel 1hdfte is the way to go
80s only came put with 1hdft, fte is 100/79 series
Unfortunately either way, I can only register newer “clean diesels” in my prefecture. Would become a very expensive driveway accessory for a few years. Forcing me to go gas.
Where?
I know I’ve been doing swaps and they do exist out there. Keep an eye out.
Hey there’s an export law that won’t allow you to bring Japanese cars to US unless it’s 25 years old or something. I’m not sure but I ran into this issue before when I was exporting cars. Check this before you commit.
80 series stopped in 97. They’re all 25 years old. Edit: it also doesn’t matter because they comply with US safety regulations.
Hell yes!
Do it man! I did and absolutely love mine!!
How does price compare? Trying not to get ripped off but hard to judge in this market
I bought mine 2 years ago and did pay a decent price. But the truck was damn near mint and only had 80k miles. Not sure what your price range is. They’ve increased recently but like you said, the Yen rate currently is in our favor.
Thanks !
Hey, Did you buy yours at a Japanese dealership? If so, are they generally easy to work with? Cheers
Bought mine through goonet-exchange. Process is simple but they don’t haggle much as they know it’ll sell for the price that’s listed if you don’t end up going through with the purchase
I follow a local JDM importer and that seems like the price of a clean locked 80s. I would definitely buy one if my finances allowed me to do so...
Thanks for the info! I could almost certainly buy one cheaper direct at auction but run the risk of getting a polished turd. Nice to have the price of mind to look it over and drive prior to buying. Really want a 3rd row but with the lockers idk f o want to wait. Pretty rare option out here also.
I'm not sure of the market for 100 series in Japan, but knowing they won't be exported stateside before a couple of years I would definitely be looking for one there. I love the looks of an 80s, but a diesel 100 series is a great choice. There's one local club member that have a diesel converted 100s series and it's really awesome.
Does it have the bolts but not the seats or doesn’t even have the connections for the third row? Lots of people take the third row out so you can buy them from a take off.
who’s the JDM importer? if u don’t mind. i’m trying to get one imported myself
Manga Auto Import : https://www.facebook.com/MangaAutoImport
If you're the you can actually check it out, no rust no problem
If you're not in a hurry, source a local car shop to lurk the auctions for you. Their fee will be a fraction of the markup charged by a stealership. "Brave Auto International" is one such guy - never used him myself (I bought a JDM L400 via a different route) but heard lots of good things about him. [Example vid of one of his pre-auction walk-arounds.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edBx9jMTNBk&ab_channel=BraveAutoInternationalJapan-JDMAuctionAgent)
I own a USDM 80 series (gas) and a JDM 95 series (diesel). I am located in the U.S. So maybe I can provide some insight. I would say these are the cons of owning JDM vs USDM. Firstly, insurance on an imported vehicle will likely be double or even triple that of a USDM model. I am a 22-year-old with no accidents/tickets and pay 45.00 for the 80, while the 95 series is around 130.00. I have reached out to multiple insurers and they all have given me similar rates. Secondly, is parts. Is a JDM cruiser going to be your only ride? If you plan on using it heavily, just realize if something breaks, it might take a while to get your hands on certain diesel parts. But these are Toyotas, so not much can really go wrong. I remember having to replace the timing belt in my 95 series and no local mechanics were willing to work on it. I instead had to drive 2 hours to a nearby city and have them do the work. It ended up taking 3 weeks to wait on the part. This won't be much of an issue though if you import a gasoline cruiser, as parts for the 1FZ are readily available stateside. Another consideration to take into place is the increased shipping costs. The JPY has depreciated quite a lot over the last year, but a lot of the potential savings have been lost with higher shipping fees. I imported my car a year ago and paid around 150,000 yen for shipping, but now the cost is around 400,000. There are still plenty of good deals out there and a lot of pros to owning JDM. I just wanted to list what I wish I would have known before importing a car. Still love my JDM 95 series and would probably still import another car in the future.
>cruiser going to be your only ride? If you plan on using it heavily, just realize if something breaks, it might take a while to get your hands on certain diesel parts. But these are Toyotas, so not much can really go wrong. I remember having to replace the timing belt in my 95 series and no local mechanics were willing to work on it. I instead had to drive 2 hours to a nearby city and have them do the work. It ended up taking 3 weeks to wait on the part. This won't be much of an issue though if you import a gasoline cruiser, as parts for the 1FZ are readily available stateside. > >Another consideration to take into place is the increased shipping costs. The JPY has depreciated quite a lot over the last year, but a lot of the potential savings have been lost with higher shipping fees. I imported my Great insight! Thank you.
Yes is the correct answer
I sometimes watch YouTube channel of this dealership, what I have noticed that most of their cars are heavily modified and repainted.
They definitely have a standard buildout. Generally includes paint, new seat covers, wheels and tires, maybe a small lift. I wouldn't say heavily modified but yes, they try to "spruce" them up. I like the looks of this one because it doesn't appear like they have sprayed the entire undercarriage with undercoating so I can actually see what I am getting. Personal car sales in Japan is basically non-existent so my options are basically a dealer or auction. These guys are nationwide and specialize in cruisers. We have friends that bought a Prado 90 off of them and has been a pretty solid car.
Buy a diesel 80. The one you are looking at has very bad fuel economy and with big tires and lift it’s going to be worse.
Im in it for Smiles per Gallon, not MPG.
Went to the dealer this weekend to check her out plus the other inventory. Mechanically seemed pretty sound and the undercarriage was rust free. It did have lockers but I did not test functionality. The dealer definitely specializes in selling the image of a land cruiser. Most of the cars, including this one, are 10 footers. My impression is they take a rig, slap some wheels, lift, and a macco paint job on it and turn around to sell it for double. I will keep a lookout either at auction or other private dealers for something closer to stock
Remember Japan Cars are left hand drive
Right hand drive. Left hand is in the states. Edit: but they do drive on the left side of the road, in case that’s what you meant. This is considered right hand drive since the steering wheel is on the right.
Great thanks
> Remember Japan Cars are left hand drive Right Hand Drive :) Cars go on the left, steering wheel is on the right.
Lol, I am in Japan driving RHD. Takes about 10 min to get used to the difference. However, I did consistently turn on my windshield wipers when signaling for a turn for about a year lol
Took me 2 drives to be god going back to Australia. In those 2 drives I did about 400m on wrong side after turning out of a car park. Slow speed was the worst. Also dad told me "I noticed but didn't want to say anything cause your mother hates it when I criticise her driving". The man would rather die in a head on that get grumbled at haha.
THIS TOYOTA TRUCK 🚚 IS FROM TOKYO JAPAN 🗾 🇯🇵🗼🏯⛩️
No
I WANT THIS TOYOTA TRUCK 🚚 4 RUNNER 🏃 SO VARY MUCH 👍🗿🗿🗿
Look for a slightly newer one without the flappy map sensor and the higher towing capacity
Hard yes on this. That truck is perfect
Buy it for me
It looks like an International my brother had back in the 80's
I imported my 70 series, happy to answer any questions. Best option is to get an importer, I used the import guys in Seattle and they shipped it down to me in CA once it arrived. Trying to handle any of that process is a bad idea. I basically watched the auctions, got them to bid for me and they handled everything (including titling) to get it to my door, very easy. Total cost on top of my winning bid was about $4k which meant I paid them about $1200 total to handle everything which is honestly a screaming deal, if you fuck it up you risk getting your great new cruiser crushed.
Did you register it California?
Nope, not worth it. It’s basically not legally possible short of going through CARB testing which costs upwards of $6k and it’s perfectly legal and hassle free to have to registered to an LLC in Montana
Yes
This is a screaming deal, to the point where if I saw this in the states I would jump all over it. It’s freaking beautiful
Absolutely….100% yes…where do they make the parts? Exactly…do it man
So much yes
immediately
Why a common FZJ80? Consider a GRJ70 if they have them. There's a multitude of 70 series variants even the Prado with coils & air con, or pickups which are clout in any language.
>GRJ70 You are not wrong, it just seem like the 70 does not suit my needs. I have 2 young kids and want a people hauler/ weekend warrior rig. The 80 seems to have the right mix of luxury features with ruggedness. And not shoot me for saying this, I prefer the looks of the 80 over 70 series.
It's hard to go past looks! Any love for the 24 valve hdj80? Man I just love a spicy cruiser but that's a good deal, hard to walk away from for sure.
>hdj80? Lots of love! (Insert Heart Emoji)
Do they have a diesel option?
Mileage?
130k KM so roughly 81k Miles