Questions Buying 73 Cruiser

Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: Launceston

looking to buy new 4b and 73 cruisers caught my eye
any pros/cons, what to look out for, what they're like onroad/offroad anything would be appreciated.

not much around here (nth tas) and what is around is overpriced.
saw one locally but too many k's and too many $, e-mailing guy in melb selling one but hard to get over to check.

cheers

Lance

Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: Launceston

sorry, should have added this start with:

current 4b is 84 single cab lux, 86 bundy 22r (flat-top pistons, cam, port & polishing, dual weber) parabolics, 2" body lift, hi-mount, snorkel and 33" bfg muddies

want to get some more capable off road, 34 - 35, lockers, turbo etc ...
but need to have same passenger room, have one rug rat and 2 more on the way (not going to be family car, but would like to take them some times!)

anyone with mwb on this forum, is it possible to squeeze 3 rug rats in?

Cheers

Lance

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 11:09 pm

gday mate.... i gott a bj73 middy prolly what you want be lookin for ive got to much to say and not enough typin skills to type armsup

give me a call on 0414 611 182 and we can have a chat call sometime tomorrow evening after 7 pm... cheers armsup

Joined: 02 Jun 2003

I recently bought a sweet middy. 1986 and immaculate except the engine needs a rebuild.

My advice is don't get the 3F petrol engine unless you have a lot of spare time (i.e. don't want to get anywhere in a hurry!!!)

There are a few out there with V8 conversions (I'll get mine done soon)

A mate of mine has the 3.5L turbo diesel and swears by it. I've never been in it so I can't say.

Below is a thread with some good advice from when I was looking:

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modules/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4605&highlight=

Be prepared to travel to get a good one. I followed adds for 4 years and didn't see too many that really impressed me.

Good luck!!!

Joined: 02 Jun 2003

I recently bought a sweet middy. 1986 and immaculate except the engine needs a rebuild.

My advice is don't get the 3F petrol engine unless you have a lot of spare time (i.e. don't want to get anywhere in a hurry!!!)

There are a few out there with V8 conversions (I'll get mine done soon)

A mate of mine has the 3.5L turbo diesel and swears by it. I've never been in it so I can't say.

Below is a thread with some good advice from when I was looking:

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modules/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4605&highlight=

Be prepared to travel to get a good one. I followed adds for 4 years and didn't see too many that really impressed me.

Good luck!!!

Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: Launceston

thanks for the info guys

yeah, i thought the petrol would be slug
so if i manage to get a diesel (3b?), how much to turbo?
does anyone know the differences between 73 and 74? just the motor?

jake, will give you a call tonight. thanks

Cheers

Lance

Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Location: Geelong Vic

get 4wd monthly theres a write up in about buying 73/74 crusiers

Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Location: Perth, WA

Import one from Japan!!!!!!!

You'll get a smick example for $7000 upwards with less than 100,000kms, and most are 3B-T's, there are heaps of these things over in Japan. I took a gamble and imported a LJ71 and im damn glad I did due to the rubbish that was on offer over here in Perth. If your are interested i'll give you the contact details of the guy I imported my 71 series through.

Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Location: Perth, WA

Here are a couple of photos to wet your apetite Laughing

Winches and crazy bullbars were a factory option on these things.

Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: Launceston

thanks guys. spoke to Jake last night, he was very helpful and had heaps of advice. definately getting a 73 series now Twisted Evil

shit, mc dave it took 4 years for you to find a good one! i'm keen now, don't want to wait that long. oh well, rather wait than get a shitter though.
skip your idea sounds good, what to you do? specify model/year/k's/engine ? and then one gets delivered. how long? wouldn't mind the contact details so i can check it out

finally got 4wd monthly today, takes ages to get here. i've already read roothie's write-up couple of times. apart from the crap he gave them for being smaller that a troopy, sounds like can do heaps to them and are capable offroad. excellent

Lance

Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Location: Perth, WA

Bluey: You tell him what your looking for exactly, say BJ74 5 speed manual with 13BT, you can even specify colours if you want. He has guys that work for him in Japan, who go to the auctions during the week in Japan, there are auctions from Tuesday-Saturday, in which tens of thousands of cars are sold. They will look for cars that meet your criteria, the guys will then give you photos and an auction sheet of the cars. At this point if you like any of them you tell him you want to bid on it and give him your bidding limit. If all goes well you will then purchase the car. After you have bought the car it will take about 5 weeks for shipping and quarantine. I would expect you would find an excellent BJ73 or 74 within a couple of weeks, when i was importing my car I was getting sent a shitload of these things.

Ill PM you the details.

Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2003 8:28 pm

lads thats sounds like an awesome idea armsup

to ya both #Rofl

skip the only problem bluey might face is gettin insurance for an imported 4x4 as it bloody hard to get for grey imports...... hes gonna need it as he plans to travel with the wife and billy lids (kids) keep this thred up dated as i might be interested in importing a middy for a comp rig armsup

skip how much wood the average middy cost to get from japan to my door?????

Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Location: Perth, WA

Good point about the insurance, i havent tried insuring mine yet cause it is still in bits, see Bundera Conversion thread. I would find it highly unlikely that I will be able to when finished the conversion anyway. The cars are bought in under the 15 year rule, they dont need compliance or anything, all i did was take it over the pitts for roadworthy inspection then got it registered, you dont even need to change anything on them. I was thinking that cause 70 series SWB 2LT was brought out in aussie they wouldnt know the difference. I think you should definitely make an inquiry bluey.

It basically costs around $4000 minimum to get the car to australia. So expect around $5000-$5500 for an absolute dunger landed, $7500-$8500 landed for a good clean <100,000km car and $9500 upwards for a mickey mouse one with big tyres, super low km's, winch, bull bar, spotties, gps etc. Shipping would definitely be cheaper for you JAKE, bluey will probably be about the same that I was. Buy Now good exchange rates!!!!

Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: Launceston

thanks skip. Razz

i'm going to look into this some more, looks like they sell heaps of cars thru that site.

on the insurance side, there was a couple of campanies mentioned in readers letters of 4wd monthly, will call around these and others first b4 i decide to buy.

i'll pm you the link Jake (mite need to wait though, this is all new to me still)

Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2003 8:55 pm

lads im not sure so dont quote me on this but TCIS INSURANCE mihgt be the first place i wood look they a on the net um cant remeber the link... just do a gooogle search Wink

Joined: 26 Jun 2003

How are these things just stiing there in Japan still after 15 years?! I thought they got rid of their cars every 4 years!

What's the diffrence between a 71 ,72, 73, 74 series?

Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2003 11:32 am

the 71 and 72 series are both shorties with no frp tops and a usually petrols but you can get them in diesels plus they are based on a hilux runnin gear and diffs you can either get these in leaf or coil.... the 73 and 74 series are mid wheel bases longer and slightly wider then the little cousins plus they run on a 75series runnin gear and diffs, but these models only come in leafs spring suspension.... you can get these in either a 3.4ltr naturaly aspirated or turboed motor or a 2h? or 3f? petrol motor (not sure both are around the 4ltr mark) these tend to seriously dink the juice when the right foot is planted armsup

Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Location: Perth, WA

MQ080: I think you have got Singapore confused with Japan. AFAIK in Singapore they replace cars every 4 or 5 years, and it's ridiculously expensive to rego a car there. Japanese replace cars resonably often, but there are no ristrictions on the age of the car.

Not many people realise just how big the auctions are. Just about every single secondhand car is sold by auction in Japan, the bigger ones will auction off around 7000 cars a week. And there are alot of these auction places, in the main cities aswell as the main centres on some of the bigger islands.

71 series in japan came with 2LT, 3B, and 13BT. The latter ones even have 1HZ's and other motors, im not clued up on the newer toyota petrol and diesel motors, only the performance ones. Like australia Bunderas the LJ71 had coil springs, the BJ71 leaf.

Joined: 05 Aug 2003 Location: Castle Hill

mq080 the deal with japan is that each year rego on a car gets more expensive by a lot and it ends up being pretty much cheaper to buy a new car over there. If you go down parramatta road there are 60 series in immaculante condition with less than 100000kms on them. The import market has now caught on to not only imprting surfs and low silvias now or goyen mobiles but old crusiers which is good. U would import it through a company that charges a 1000 for everything forgotten what it is called down in melbourne and take out the 500 bucks insurance rather than a dealer though cause they wack so much on them.

Joined: 26 Jun 2003

Skip wrote:

MQ080: I think you have got Singapore confused with Japan. AFAIK in Singapore they replace cars every 4 or 5 years, and it's ridiculously expensive to rego a car there. Japanese replace cars resonably often, but there are no ristrictions on the age of the car.

Not many people realise just how big the auctions are. Just about every single secondhand car is sold by auction in Japan, the bigger ones will auction off around 7000 cars a week. And there are alot of these auction places, in the main cities aswell as the main centres on some of the bigger islands.

71 series in japan came with 2LT, 3B, and 13BT. The latter ones even have 1HZ's and other motors, im not clued up on the newer toyota petrol and diesel motors, only the performance ones. Like australia Bunderas the LJ71 had coil springs, the BJ71 leaf.

Ahhh incorrect country

What year where the 74's made up untill?

Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2003 10:03 pm

dont quote me but i think the early 90s

Joined: 26 Jun 2003

and the diffrences between a 73 and 74 are...?

Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2003 11:33 pm

73s came out 1985 to 1989 and 74s came out end of 89 to 92 i think armsup

Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Location: Perth, WA

The dealers over here wack heaps on. You can import one of those immaculate turbo diesel 60 series for just over $10000, the dealers have got these things in the yards for $16000 upwards.

Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: Launceston

for those interested i found these sites that talk about different land cruisers.

http://www.brian894x4.com/LC70mainpage.html

http://www.off-road.com/tlc/body_styles/

Joined: 26 Jun 2003

I like the look of the 74 with the 1HZ and all of the chrome off the 79 series... hmmmm

Did any of them make it here with the 4.2?

Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2003 11:58 pm

I know of a couple of middys' in qld that have got the 1HZ in em and both are turboed Twisted Evil

also know of one middy that is here in townsville with the 4.5ltr fuel injected donk Shocked

same donk as an 80 sereis....... goes hard too armsup

Joined: 06 Jul 2003 Location: perth west australia

There is a 91 HZJ 70 for sale in Perth at the moment for $14000.They were sold here in very low numbers because at the time prospective buyers looked at swb pajeros and rockys and thought they were getting the same type of vehicle but at $10000 cheaper.How wrong they were!Thats what killed them off and why we only get PCs and cab chassis

Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2003 5:37 pm

rosco i heard that the main reason they didnt take off was because of the price tag at new ...they were fetching up to 30 35 grand for the two door toyotas (middys and bunderas) but made for exellent second hand buys as they were not very family friendy armsup

or spacious....

Joined: 06 Jul 2003 Location: perth west australia

Yeah jake thats what I meant .For 35k you got a vehicle with approx the same room as a rocky or pajero.Obviously the toyota would outlast the others by double but they all look good on the showroom floor when new.Fot a few more grand you could get a cab chasis or troopie