I'm thinking of buying an '87 Land Cruiser, with ~417,000km, which seems high, but I've heard these trucks will go a long way, and I was wondering how much more mileage can I expect from one of these? Thanks to all who can help. spun snipped-for-privacy@REMOVETHISyahoo.com
I would not roll the dice with my money. Just too many miles - even for a toy.....
They'll go for a whole lotta miles, but the rule for buying /any/ used car (for any more than the base "running beater" value of roughly $300 - $500) is this:
When you have checked it over yourself and you are pretty sure you want to buy a particular used vehicle, the last step BEFORE you sign the papers and hand over the money is to take the vehicle to a Dealer shop or an independent mechanic (not a friend of the seller who might have a reason to lie about what he finds) who is intimately familiar with that type vehicle (in this case, Diesel Land Cruisers) and have it thoroughly checked out.
This might cost you $50 to $100 (if he spots something suspicious and needs to dig deep), but it is often money /very/ well spent.
They can check the compression of the engine, check the cooling system for signs of head gasket failure, look for signs of severe wear, rust or body rot, accident damage (minor or major, and whether it was properly or sloppily repaired), flood damage ("ring around the trunk") etc., and give you a pretty good idea whether that car is a keeper and you're buying a car that will run another 10 years plus, or if it has major problems and you should "Run Away, Fast!"
If you get really lucky, you pull into the driveway, your mechanic takes one look at the car, he says "Someone else had me check over that same pile of junk a week ago!" and you can save some money. ;-)
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Get a compression test for sure..........check all fluids for obvious signs of wear.......oil in the rad for instance. I'd buy it as diesels go to a million miles when looked after and Toyota's are good vehicles. Howz the body??
HEY , I HAVE AN 88 LANDCRUISER WITH 180+THOUSAND MILES, AND I CAN HONESTLY SAY, AND ANYONE WHO WOULD ARGUE I AM WRONG IS MISINFORMED AT BEST, LANDCRUISERS ARE THE MOST BULLET PROOF, NEVER LET YOU DOWN . ALL TIME BEST 4 WHEEL DRIVE OUT THERE. pERIOD. EVEN IF THE ONE YOU ARE CONSIDERING IS BEAT TO HELL I WOULD STILL TAKE IT OVER ANY OTHER 4 X 4 OUT THERE. THE WORST LANDCRUISER WILL GO MORE PLACES AND TAKE MORE OF A BEATING THAN THE BEST JEEP. MLM
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