La Aduana: Yet Another 1979 Toyota Land Cruiser

A beige vintage Toyota Land Cruiser Overlander SUV is parked on a driveway near a house, surrounded by trees and greenery. The vehicle features a boxy design and classic round headlights, perfect for any overlanding adventure.

If I didn’t know better, I would think somewhere in the world there is a barn where low-mileage, 1970s era Land Cruisers are multiplying like rabbits. Curiously enough, with each additional “for sale” posting they keep getting more expensive. The laws of supply and demand are vexed by the Toyota Land Cruiser.

What we have here is nonetheless a very special find. With only 68,901 miles and in seemingly pristine condition, this Land Cruiser, like so many as of late, will not last long before being swooped up by some doe-eyed Cruiser swooner. It’ll cost him though––twenty big ones. That may seem like a lot of cheese, and in truth it really is for a Carter era Toyota, but it has seen a lot of improvements, preservations, and necessary repairs. I’d love to own it myself, or at least find out where this barn is churning out so many Land Cruisers.

 

Interior view of a vintage Overlander vehicle, showing the driver’s seat, steering wheel, dashboard with analog controls, and simple door panel. The floor has textured rubber mats and sunlight streams through the open door.

Interior view of a vintage Overlander vehicle showing gray fabric and vinyl seats, a black center console, manual gear shift, steering wheel, and door panel, with sunlight streaming in from open windows.

A close-up of an overland car speedometer showing speeds in both mph (outer scale) and km/h (inner scale), with an odometer reading 68,901.2 kilometers. The speedometer needle points to about 0 mph.

Below is a listing of rare and great cruiser for sale. I have owned the ‘Cruiser for a little over 16 years. It had about 56 or 58,000 miles on it when I got it. Since I’ve had it I’ve done the following.v

 – All five new tires – Bridgestone HT

 – Aftermarket power steering using all GM parts

 – All new seals on the doors

 – Old Man EMU full suspension – 2.5 inch lift

 – New brake booster

 – New Starter

 – All new hoses

 – New radiator

 – New gas tank

 – Custom bikini top

 – Full soft-side – includes the top -sides and doors (never installed)

 – Had the center of the seats redone in gray tweed – front and back

 – Kenwood stereo hidden in center console with speakers in the doors and Yamaha speakers mounted to the roll bar. (8-track still installed)

 – Headers

 – Weber 38mm carburetor

 – New transfer case (about six miles ago).

 – Electronic ignition

 – All new front end and steering stabilizer

  Contact 615-830-0746 for more information, thanks.

Christophe Noel is a journalist from Prescott, Arizona. Born into a family of backcountry enthusiasts, Christophe grew up backpacking the mountains and deserts of the American West. An avid cyclist and bikepacker, he also has a passion for motorcycles, travel, food and overlanding.