Vehicle Description
I purchased this 1990 Toyota Land Cruiser GX (HZJ80) with 318,000 KMs in August 2016 in Nicaragua, Central America. As I do with all of my imports, I drive, test and inspect all components and replace what is needed to make it safe for U.S. roads. This particular example was driven to 321,291 KMs (199,000 miles) and now I am pretty happy with its performance. The kilometers will go up slightly as I to tend to favor this import due to its comfort and on-road drive-ability. This Toyota Land Cruiser marks the first model year of the 80 Series. This is a base model, which means it came with the most basic creature comforts including, manual windows, manual locks, cloth/vinyl upholstery, however, a tastefully installed, double-din, touchscreen head-unit replaces the stock AM/FM cassette deck typical of this vintage Land Cruiser. It also has heat & A/C. This HZJ80 has the non-turbo, 1HZ 12 valve, single overhead cam, inline 6 cylinder diesel engine (4164cc) with just about 130hp. Behind the engine sits the H150F 5 speed manual transmission driving power to the solid front and rear axles. For suspension, this HZJ80 has rigid coil suspension, which overall, is comfortable compared to it’s predecessor, the 60/62 Series that had leaf-springs in the front and rear. In terms of recent work this 80 Series has new tie-rod ends (front and rear), new front rotors, repacked wheel bearings, new brake pads and new 265 70R 16” 10 ply “load range E” Mud Terrain tires on new 16x8” stock Toyota steel wheels. These tires have an estimated 2,000 miles on them from new. The tires/wheels have been balanced and the front end completely aligned after tie-rod installation. This Land Cruiser tracks straight and brakes very well with no steering wobble what-so-ever. I also just replaced the thermostat housing (water inlet), which includes a new thermostat, gasket/seal, new bolts and fresh coolant. A new OEM radiator cap was also installed as the rubber seal on the old one had some cracking. New universal joints have also been installed with OEM grade replacements on both the front and rear shafts (4 u-joints total). Both shafts were removed, degreased and re-greased, including the slip-joints. This smoothed the overall ride out even more. Since the above stated work, I have driven this HZJ80 over 200 miles without a single issue. Recent maintenance includes air-filter inspection/oil check, full oil change using Shell Rotella 15W40 heavy duty conventional motor oil with Toyota oil filter and coolant test/refresh. The differential, transmission/transfer case oil was also sampled and appeared to have been replaced not long ago. The timing belt needs to be replaced at 380,000 KMs, so there’s about 39,000 KMs left before that needs to be done. The current timing belt was inspected and has the correct tension and no oil residue around the cam. Last on the to-do list is a chassis lube and final inspection after driving it 3,000 + KMs. This HZJ80 fires right up, even on colder days. It did need a double glow cycle on a 29 degree morning - this could also be due to an older battery. Shifting is easy and comfortable and all gears engage smoothly. The manual 4WD engages smoothly in both 4H (Push button on dash) and 4L (Floor Shift). As stated, this is a great running/driving 80 Series. The interior is clean for its age, but does show some signs of wear on the seats and door panels. There are no rips or cracks in the dash and the carpets are free from stains. The rear cargo area has a custom vinyl insert that protects the nearly flawless carpeting underneath. The seats move forward, back and recline as they should and the headliner is clean and tight as well. All windows roll up and down without hesitation and are free from cracks. The exterior has seen a respray and I do not believe this particular model was originally two-tone, although, two-tone was offered. The paint is of a good quality with very little fading, but there are some rock-chips and light scratches. There are no signs of body work and not a speck of rust to be found. Also fitted are the original mud flaps, running boards and chrome roof-rack. The body is very clean overall and shows very well considering its age. The chassis is just as clean as the body with little sign of oxidation. The original black paint covers nearly every square inch of the frame to the axles. This 80 Series shows no signs of off-road use as all skid plates are still intact, clean and dent-free. This 1990 HZJ80 Toyota Land Cruiser GX comes with a clean, transferrable, State of Maine Antique/Warranty Title and all related documentation making registration easy in any state (exceptions may apply to California residents). It has undergone an inspection by a State of Maine Vehicle Detective to verify/inspect the VIN. Please contact me for more information.
