1988 Land Cruiser

FJ_Marine · 12-24-2007, 01:38 PM

I found a 1988 Land Cruiser for sale. Has 97,000 miles on it. What would be a reasonable price to pay? KBB quotes retail at around $4800.00 for it. In great condition inside and out and a clean carfax report. From what I can tell it has original paint. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, anything to look out for on this model?

Dave

**1911** · 12-24-2007, 01:56 PM

That is low miles for an FJ62; if it is in excellent shape it is probably worth $4800. I have a friend who sold a really built one in perfect condition last year for $12,000. The 62-series are what many claim to be the last of the "real" land cruisers, i.e. with leaf-sprung solid axles. The 3FE motor is a bulletproof torque monster on the trail, good for 200-300,000 miles easily but lacks top-end power on the interstate. There is an excellent mailing list on Yahoo Groups dedicated to 3FE-powered FJ62's and FJ80's.

The A440F auto tranny with the 3FE is one of the best and most heavy-duty ever made by Toyota IMO; mine has been absolutely bulletproof and still shifts like buttah (with full-synthetic ATF) after more than 200,000 miles.

Things to look out for: The 3FE has few known issues, but they tend to leak oil in a few places after a certain number of miles: through a plug in a gallery in the head near the intake manifold, from the flat plate covering the push-rod gallery on the passenger side of the engine, and from the oil pan gasket.

If it hasn't been done already, count on replacing the fuel pump "sock" in the gas tank and the fuel pressure regulator. The FPR is relatively easy to get to, the sock filter less so (have to drop the tank).

If there is a "clunk" when engaging reverse to back up (and the u-joints are not sloppy), the splines on the tranny output shaft are worn. There is a company in Australia which makes a kit to fix this.

The 3FE is easy to work on and parts are still readily available from Toyota (most will be special order though). Several dealers I know of will give you a good discount for being a member of the 3FE mailing list or the TLCA. Recommend you score a factory service manual on Ebay or from Toyota Materials Distribution. Like any truck that old, it will need more maintenance than a new one.

PM me or post here if you have any specific questions or concerns.

FJ_Marine · 12-24-2007, 02:36 PM

Thanks for the reply. I figured a little bit more than KBB would be fair considering the popularity and availability of the vehicle. However, the dealer that has it is asking close to 9 grand, lol. I just wanted to make sure there was no strange aftermarket when I go back and tell them that they are stupid and offer em 5 grand.

billwms01 · 12-24-2007, 08:40 PM

First, let me say, by no means am I an FJ62 expert.

1911 gave a good summary. The only thing I didn't see mentioned was to watch out for rust and rust repairs.

We picked up our '88 FJ62 a couple of years ago for a song, mainly as a trail toy. I must say, my son & I have easily gotten our money's worth. Mechanically, it's pretty good. Ours spent some of its life up north, and has serious body rust. The frame appears to be solid.

Ours came with a lift and 35" BFG MT's, so it doesn't drive like a sports car. However, it's very capable on the trail.

Like 1911 said, that's low miles for an '88 model. If there's no rust, and it's in excellent shape, it's probably worth a good bit to the right person.