FZJ80 shopping- am I crazy?

[zimm17]

I'm stationed in Japan and heading back to the US next summer. I'm "toying" with the idea of getting a '93-98 Land Cruiser to bring back with me. I already have a fully built Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited in storage stateside. So this would be the family's second rig and knock around truck. Plus my first kid is only 4 years from driving, so it might be something for him to learn on. And I can use it here for the next 8 months... but only if it's a gas motor. I can't register a diesel in my prefecture, it would have to be shipped or parked until I leave if I did that route.

The problem is the auctions are a little tricky. I'm working with a dealer and the auctions grade the trucks etc- but with a handful of low resolution photos in poor light, there's no telling what will show up. I let a nice one go yesterday with only 85,000KM on it (1996) when it went past $20,000. Plus I have to pay to ship it home (another $3000). There's some rattier ones that need cosmetics and tires and such for roughly $15,000.

Then there's the issue of it being RHD when I'm back in the US. Yes it's fun and quirky, but I think constantly getting my wipers and signals confused and going through a drive through can get annoying. Or I can save a lot of hassle and just wait until I get home and see what second vehicle we could use.

Any thoughts to bring me back into reality?

 

[Rallyroo]

RHD will also make passing vehicles on 2 lane highways difficult unless you have a co-driver to spot for you. But then again, how likely are you going to pass a vehicle while driving an 80? ?

 

[Superduty]

RHD in the US is fun for about 5 minutes and then the novelty wears off. It would be a hard pass for me.

 

[Tex68w]

Pass.

 

[alanymarce]

The idea is good – they are great vehicles. If you can find one with reasonable mileage (not too hard in Japan) it’ll last a long time. You obviously know that you need to go through the import hoops, however as you are a returning citizen I think this will help.

Auctions: always a risk.

Shipping: have you checked rates recently? They went through the roof and have now started coming down, however I believe that they are still high on many routes.

RHD: I think that this is not a concern. We’ve driven LHD vehicles in RHD countries (Australia, UK) and RHD vehicles in LHD countries (Rwanda, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy). Overtaking on a straight road needs either a co-driver or some planning (you can usually see ahead from the driver’s side if the verge is wide). Overtaking on roads with long curves is easy. The biggest concern is the possibility of forgetting that you are “on the wrong side” and setting off into oncoming traffic – obvious when there is traffic but easy to forget if the road is deserted and you stop on the other side of the road for a break, or pull out from a narrow track. Once you have accustomed yourself this risk goes away, but in the first week or two it exists. We put a card on the steering wheel whenever we stop to remind us, when we’re first travelling in an “other side of the road” country. The biggest inconvenience is toll booths, if you are alone in the vehicle, and you have to get out and walk around to pay a toll. As electronic tags and number plate recognition increase this concern disappears, however drive-in coffee shops and fast food restaurants remain an inconvenience.

Wipers and signals? This is a pain simply changing vehicles – not all brands have the same layout, you’ll be used to these within days.

One good aspect of having a “wrong side” vehicle is the pleasure of watching mechanics get in to take the car into the workshop for a service and seeing them discover “What? There’s no steering wheel!”.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

I love cruisers- but every time you drive the 80 I suspect you’ll question why, when you have a new rubicon, it’s just 10x refined and gives up nothing to the 80, it’ll be more reliable than an old 80, require a ton less maintenance, economy, power, ride, on and on.

 

[Arktikos]

Neither RHD or an 80 strike me as good choices for a young driver to learn on.
If your heart is set on this model, I'd wait until back in the states.

 

[NatersXJ6]

That is a good point, teaching a first time driver to use the “wrong” side of the car in their home country is a recipe for disaster.

I would pass.

 

[BritKLR]

RHD = Keep for 2-3 years stateside and then it bounces around on the "For Sale" ads with new owners every 2-3 years.

Sorry.

 

[MOAK]

I love cruisers- but every time you drive the 80 I suspect you’ll question why, when you have a new rubicon, it’s just 10x refined and gives up nothing to the 80, it’ll be more reliable than an old 80, require a ton less maintenance, economy, power, ride, on and on.

True? Maybe. Once any domestic vehicle gets up over 75,000 miles the maintenance required to keep ‘em dependable surpasses the maintenance needs of an 80, in general.

 

[T-Willy]

I love cruisers- but every time you drive the 80 I suspect you’ll question why, when you have a new rubicon, it’s just 10x refined and gives up nothing to the 80, it’ll be more reliable than an old 80, require a ton less maintenance, economy, power, ride, on and on.

Payload.

 

[MOAK]

Payload.

sorry to preach here, but
I’ll second that and add a bit more in order to help the OP. Refinements of new vehicles don’t do a bit of good when you start loading them down. It really is a Jeep thing and once I fully understood that statement it was time to move on. Our 80, with the help of 2850Js and 2864s has a payload of over 1 ton. It is comfortable beyond belief. The ride is smooth not choppy and the comfort of our refurbished leather seats is beyond compare. Refined? Maintenance? If one has actually owned both vehicles for a length of time then it would be appropriate to contrast & compare. I had Jeeps for over 20 years and went on a trip in a new JKU years ago. There is no comparison. Get the 80

 

[concretejungle]

I was behind a RHD Nissan skyline yesterday in a fast food drive-thru... kind of comical seeing him try to park and climb across the car to pay and get his order.

 

[vintageracer]

Simple solution.

Go thru the drive thru the other direction!

 

[lucilius]

I love cruisers- but every time you drive the 80 I suspect you’ll question why, when you have a new rubicon, it’s just 10x refined and gives up nothing to the 80, it’ll be more reliable than an old 80, require a ton less maintenance, economy, power, ride, on and on.

This makes sense particularly and perhaps only if you are swapping the vehicle after a couple of years before the uniquely American melange of cheap/complex electronics and "smart-clean-green" engine design kicks in.