Beschreibung
** DEPOSIT TAKEN 30/ 5**
Meet Fluffy the Landcruiser. 1996 UK FZJ80 4. 5 six cylinder petrol auto.
The 80 is the last of the solid-axled Landcruisers (for most of the world anyway). This is a genuine UK-supplied car with a full set of working diff locks - Japanese market cars didn't all get them. No LPG conversion has ever been fitted - a plus point in my opinion. Has a towbar and electrics, I haven't used it. 8 seats. Congestion zone exempt. Under 107, 000 miles from new. Electric heated leather seats, electric sunroof, cruise control etc.
Owned for 8000 miles and 4 years – during my ownership it's had plugs, engine oil and filter, air filter, gearbox ATF and filter, brake fluid change, new radiator and coolant and hoses, some brake lines, some bushes, a set of Monroe shocks, aircon pump, a full set of engine belts, bonnet and boot struts etc etc. Last serviced 9/ 21 at a local 4x4 garage who sold these new – they still have the same Toyota-trained mechanic who serviced these in the 90s. He loves this car.
A London car (or so I was told) so rust-wise it is very good – underneath it’s by far the best I saw when I was looking for one - see last combined pic of under the sills, both sides. It's had ACF50 to cover the chassis, floor pan etc before winters (better than waxoyl sealing in the moisture) and it’s been regularly cleaned off underneath so it’s still very solid underneath, slight surface rust to bolts and brackets as you’d expect after a quarter of a century but the chassis and bodywork are genuinely 99% rust free apart from one scab on the bonnet leading edge - see pics of door bottoms, arches etc - tailgates are solid too.
Tyres are a matching set of Yokohama Geolandar A/ Ts, quiet but good grip, 6, 000 miles old. Side trims, decals, bumpers, side steps are all as original. It must have had paint at some point, but I don't know when. Polishes up lovely. Wheels must have been refurbed - they're very clean, plus the original centre caps are present.
Drives well, six cylinder is smooth, great oil pressure, quite happy at 70-plus on the motorway, and in the snow we can get in the Peaks it is literally unstoppable on the Yokohamas and with two heaters it's very winter-capable inside too. All the diff locks work fine – it’ll drop them all in within a few metres. I regularly switch them in and out at walking pace to keep them free’d up. I have not used it for towing or offroaded it apart from taking it on cart tracks to parks and so on locally. Cruise works. Power/ heated seats work. Windows are slow, sunroof works fine, aerial’s stuck. It has a Cobra alarm with remote locking and a decent DAB radio/ CD with hands-free Bluetooth phone kit and a set of upgraded speakers (Alpine I think) behind the original grilles.
I have all paperwork since 2018, owners manual and book pack, workshop manuals and so on, but not much from before I owned it. DVLA MOT history goes back to 2006 and 65, 000 miles - it's failed on bushes, brake pipes, wheel bearings etc, nothing to do with corrosion as it's all very very solid. Front axle is quiet and doesn't leak. I also have some spares I bought because they were cheap - brake pads, driveshaft joint etc - all are included.
Faults –
1 - Aircon worked great after the new compressor was fitted then it lost it’s charge after a few months and stopped. I haven’t tried fault finding but don’t assume ‘it just needs a regas’ like every other advert – it could be more complex.
2 - Engine leaks a bit of oil – top end/ cam cover etc - not got any worse since I’ve owned it.
3 - No serious seat splits or tears but the leather is OLD!
4 - Carpets are mucky but I’ve never shampoo’d them, original loadbay carpet is missing.
5 - The door trim wood veneer is lifting at the top of both rear door cards as I stupidly left the back windows open in rain, and there’s a split in the centre console veneer.
6 - There are a few touched up scratches and a bumped rear bumper corner, plus one bonnet rust scab.
7 - Windows are slow. The regulators get better after some silicone spray but they're quite relaxed about things - fair enough at their age really.
It always passes it’s MOT with a few minor bits, it has never let me down, and the build quality of the 80 is ridiculous. It’s a luxury 4x4 not a Defender so it’s comfortable too. I haven’t even scratched the surface of it’s capabilities – I’ve just enjoyed moving people and boxes of things with a big solid-axled Tonka Toy for the last few years.
Yes it uses petrol but unless you're planning on doing tens of thousands of miles I wouldn't worry - it's infinitely preferable to the diesels, supersmooth, powerful, and just as bulletproof.
Parts are easily available as a huge number of 80s are still in everyday use, particularly in Australia. Also check out 80 prices overseas - $30, 000 isn’t unheard of for an 80 like this in the USA, or double that for a restored 80 or upwards of $200, 000 for an ICON/ TLC build. Japan is the same. These trucks are only going one way in value. Sadly there are very few left in the UK now, and even fewer that aren't rusty or abused. This one’s been looked after.
Ideally a good clean of the carpets, fix those rear door veneers, touch the scratches up and so on and it'd be pretty much perfect.
Selling as I have too many cars and we apparently need a house extension.
No canvassers, no groups of idiots, life's too short.
Private sale.
"To visit the Australian Outback you can take a Land Rover. If it’s a two way trip take a Land Cruiser."
