zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
At $7,200, Is This 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser A Bruiser You Might Land?
At $7,200, Is This 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser A Bruiser You Might Land?-November 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:36

Image for article titled At $7,200, Is This 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser A Bruiser You Might Land?

Today’s Land Cruiser comes with folders full of maintenance records. The truck has amassed those along with nearly 300K on the clock. Let’s see if those big numbers fully add up to this J80’s asking price.

What better way is there to enjoy the arrival of spring weather than rolling-up the garage door and doing some wrenching on that project car? What’s that? You don’t have a project car? Well, we’ve got you, fam.

Yesterday’s was just such a project—a clean-titled garage find that will require some work before it can rejoin the road-going community. That work didn’t look all that onerous, and the Falcon being simple enough that you could use Fisher-Price tools on it made it all the more appealing. That made its $2,000 asking price feel like a deal and in the end then Falcon flew off with a 70 percent Nice Price win.

Do you remember that ? It had its issues, but one thing that really stands out about that SRT-8 edition of the Grand Cherokee is its snub of the traditional Jeep virtue of ultimate off-road-ability.

Image for article titled At $7,200, Is This 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser A Bruiser You Might Land?

Should you need something that—in Tolkien parlance—will get you there and back again, you might want a truck that’s more like this . Hell, you might want this Toyota even if your biggest worry is a light drizzle and some potholes on the way to the COVID test drive-thru.

As evidenced by its odometer, driving this truck seems to be a popular pastime. That’s because between its claimed two owners it has racked up an impressive 293,400 miles. This being a Toyota of a certain age, those miles don’t really show either.

Image for article titled At $7,200, Is This 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser A Bruiser You Might Land?

Oh sure, there is some evidence of the distance traveled and calendar pages flipped into irrelevance. The seller says that the hood suffers some dents—from foul balls at baseball games no less. There’s also a bent radio antenna and some brake dust etching on the alloy wheels that could be addressed.

Other than that, the cream white paint looks to be in solid shape and there’s only minor oxidization at the joints and under the hood.

That hood also covers the 1FZ 4.5-litre straight-six and related accessories. The big six offers 212 horsepower and is backed up by the standard four-speed automatic gearbox and full-time AWD.

The ad says that the truck has seen proper maintenance over the course of its life, and in fact, comes with the aforementioned stack of paperwork apparently documenting it all. Most recently, it has seen brake components, front suspension bits, the A/C compressor, and window motors replaced.

Still on the to-do list: recovering the leather front seats due to some splitting and that knackered radio antenna.

Image for article titled At $7,200, Is This 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser A Bruiser You Might Land?

The rest of the interior looks to be a fine place to add to the truck’s already substantial miles. The only major aesthetic issues in here, aside from the seats, are the center armrest and steering wheel cover, both of which have seen better days. I also take issue with people who hang their air-freshener tree from a steering column stalk rather than the rear-view mirror. Who do you think you’re fooling?

These trucks are big, heavy, and somewhat lugubrious when you need to do anything other than just go straight. They also tend to get really poor fuel economy, although with gas being pretty much given away at the moment maybe it’s the thirsty vehicles’ time to shine?

Image for article titled At $7,200, Is This 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser A Bruiser You Might Land?

With most cars, having so many miles would be a red flag. Even with the stack of maintenance records balancing them out, that’s a lot of use that you’ll never get back. Let me reiterate—that’s most cars.

This isn’t most cars, it’s a J80 Land Cruiser, and these seemingly never say die. Sure, this one has a few minor issues here and there, but the seller describes it as a solid rocker and it does look pretty nice for having gone all those miles. How much might that be worth?

Image for article titled At $7,200, Is This 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser A Bruiser You Might Land?

The asking is $7,200 and that, of course, is pandemic pricing. Expect to spend a little extra to sanitize the truck before you let the family cruise around in it.

What do you think, is this Land Cruiser worth that $7,200 asking despite the miles? Or, do those add up to a much lower value?

You decide!

Washington DC , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to S.R. Gooch for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Hit me up at and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
Cadillac Makes a Track Edition of its Second Most Trackworthy Sedan
Cadillac Makes a Track Edition of its Second Most Trackworthy Sedan
Have you heard, Cadillac is making a big bet on the new GTP Hypercar class in endurance racing next year. will bring Cadillac back to Le Mans in 2023, and will also see the firm chase further success in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship. Now, to celebrate its past and...
Nov 9, 2025
Ford's F-150 Heritage Edition Is Going to Cost You Over $6,000
Ford's F-150 Heritage Edition Is Going to Cost You Over $6,000
If you want to celebrate over 75 years of the best-selling vehicle in North America, you’re going to have to dig deeper than advertised in your pocket for it. reports that the Heritage Edition package for the F-150 will cost you $1,975. At first. First, let’s recap. The is...
Nov 9, 2025
Ford Will Punish Dealers That Broker or Resell Hot Models
Ford Will Punish Dealers That Broker or Resell Hot Models
Ford has some of the hottest cars on the market right now, from sought-after EVs like the and to stuff everyone wants like the and . People are clamoring to get their hands on these vehicles. The downside is that this seller’s market is rife with greed. Ford knows...
Nov 9, 2025
I Need an Affordable Convertible With Back Seats! What Car Should I Buy?
I Need an Affordable Convertible With Back Seats! What Car Should I Buy?
Paul lives in New York state and has dreamed of owning a convertible for a long time. Now that he’s reached 40 years old, it’s time to make a move. The droptop needs seats for two small kids in the back, and only two pedals on the floor. With...
Nov 9, 2025
At $6,750, Will This 1993 Jeep Wrangler Renegade Wrangle Up a New Owner?
At $6,750, Will This 1993 Jeep Wrangler Renegade Wrangle Up a New Owner?
If you’ve ever contemplated the traditional Jeep and decided that what the old-school off-roader needs is an aero-smoothing body kit, then today’s Renegade is right up your alley. Let’s see if its price bowls us over. It’s been said, paradoxically, that the only constant in life is change. Seemingly...
Nov 9, 2025
At $8,995, Is This 1989 Chevy Corvette a Black & White Deal?
At $8,995, Is This 1989 Chevy Corvette a Black & White Deal?
Checking the right option boxes can mean the difference between a good car and a great car. When it was built, today’s Corvette had a number of those “right boxes” checked. Let’s see if its price checks out as well. We don’t really see all that many factory body...
Nov 9, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved