Automotive enthusiasts in America have long been denied access to many of the world’s most coveted vehicles. Our various safety and environmental standards coupled to pessimistic sales projections conspire to keep our options limited. For years we just acquiesced and suffered our fate, but now there is relief in the form of the 25 year importation law. Although new vehicles have a host of positive benefits, finding a well kept 25 year old truck is not a bad way to go. What was a solid performer during the Reagan years is still a sound choice today. Seeing an opportunity to provide wanting drivers in America with the vehicles they desire, Land Cruisers Direct began seeking out and importing a sizable inventory of these pinnacle vehicles.
Vehicle importation is not necessarily a difficult thing to do, but finding a worthy specimen that justifies the trouble is the bigger challenge. Land Cruisers Direct has simplified the hunt for a good Cruiser and done all of the necessary importation legwork, making purchasing your own vintage Cruiser a simple transaction like any other. So, where do they find these vehicles, and why are they in such amazing condition with so few miles on the odometer?
Japan as you know, is not a terribly large country. Unlike Australia where a trip to the corner store could take days of travel, Japanese drivers typically don’t log extensive miles, particularly in 4×4 vehicles. There is also not a tremendous amount of rugged off-road terrain to damage or destroy the country’s inventory of trucks. Fold in strict and expensive government requirements to maintain vehicles and Japanese Land Cruisers simply age better than most.
All of this creates an amazing opportunity for American Cruiser enthusiasts to own one of the most capable overlanding platforms ever built. For the price of a base model Subaru Forester, owners can drive away from Land Cruiser Direct’s Missouri based office in a 1988 BJ74 Turbo Diesel with only 66,000 miles on the clock. Or, for the price of a Honda Fit, you could own an ’85 BJ70 3B Diesel with less than 30,000 miles. These are amazing opportunities made turn-key simple.
Below are just a few of their current offerings:
1988 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ74 LX #4757 $11,000 / 146,000 miles
1989 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ70 #1129 $15,000 / 63,000 miles
1987 Toyota Land Cruiser HJ61 VX #4407 $20,000 / 114,000 miles
1990 Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ81 VX #2491 $19,000 / 114,000 miles
