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MH_Stevens
Junior Nomad
Posts: 59
Registered: 5-17-2005
Location: Aguanga, Alta California
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Land Cruisers and peea Insurance in Baja.
I've decided to buy a Toyota Land Cruiser for my Baja trips. Anyone have any comments about the suitability of this vehicle? I'm not sure what age to
get. Must be '91 to handle the washboards, but I'm wondering at what age does the wagon become peea insured - unlikely to attract the eye of a Narco?
I'm thinking '95 - '97
Mike Stevens
Cheers,
Mike Stevens
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eetdrt88
Senior Nomad
Posts: 986
Registered: 2-20-2005
Location: Az/Ca/Baja
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go pre '90
why do you say it must be a '91 to handle the washboard??? i had an 84 4-runner that i took down to gonzaga bay a bunch of times and handled just
fine....actually from what i've heard the older toyota's are more off road worthy than alot of their new stuff
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mrchuck
Junior Nomad
Posts: 82
Registered: 11-6-2002
Location: Gun Barrel City, TX
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Lots of the older 85,86 models seen here. Heavy and sturdy. Not real good on gas milage, and also not very peppy, and all that vacuum hoses and smog
lines scare me.
But the Mexican mechanics can "de-horn" the smog stuff for the rigs that stay here.
But brute strength with weldable chassis and frames makes it nice for a big winch on the front, or one of those 9000# Warn 2" receiver plug-in winches
you can move about from the front to the rear if needed there.
Due to this weight, an onboard air compresser for airing back up the 4 tires when necessary is also a must!
Overall, a great, sturdy rig here for pulling out stuck HUMVEE'S.
Saludos,,,,mc
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eetdrt88
Senior Nomad
Posts: 986
Registered: 2-20-2005
Location: Az/Ca/Baja
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fo- runna
cruising down past felipe during tropical storm "marty"....they said the road to gonzaga bay was washed out...we went anyway and made it,that was a
trip to remember
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MH_Stevens
Junior Nomad
Posts: 59
Registered: 5-17-2005
Location: Aguanga, Alta California
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| Quote: | Originally posted by eetdrt88
why do you say it must be a '91 to handle the washboard??? i had an 84 4-runner that i took down to gonzaga bay a bunch of times and handled just
fine....actually from what i've heard the older toyota's are more off road worthy than alot of their new stuff |
That's what they said over on the TLC forum. I agree about the basic reliability of the FJ60's but finding one affordable with miles left on it has
prooved all but impossible for me.
Cheers,
Mike Stevens
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LaTijereta
Super Nomad
Posts: 1192
Registered: 8-27-2003
Location: Loreto
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Toyotas are Awesome
We have a 01', and get us all over Baja..
I also have a 90' Fourrunner, that stays in Loreto..
Retired with 230k miles on her, and running strong
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Geothermal-Shane
Junior Nomad
Posts: 83
Registered: 5-14-2005
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If you can find an FJ60, don't pass it up, regardless of miles...even an FJ62 would suffice...
as opposed to the pick-ups and 4-runners, these trucks are designed to carry weight through the worst of terrain, and is so equipped with a much
bigger engine(4.2 liter/straight 6) and heavier suspension than the afore mentioned Toyota trucks, which are still very good trucks, depneding on your
needs. Thus the Land Cruiser's need for poor fuel economy. It's been recommened that if you are looking at several thousand miles of overlanding, a
deisel Cruiser(HJ60,HJ61,HJ62)is much better for fuel consumption. Unfortunatley these are virtually non-existamt in the states, but EVERYWHERE in the
Sahara Desert. Nonetheless, if you need to get through the worst of grit and have a big load along, FJ60s are ideal. If the load is not as
substantial, the early pickups and 4 runners will do, with much better gas mileage. All the FJ60s and FJ62s have the same old Willy's Jeep body style,
good for pizza insurance. These things are NOT SUVs! The FJ90s and later models are however, along with the 4runners, etc.- better fuel economy but
horrible for pizza insurance.
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3370
Registered: 11-5-2002
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I owned a 94 Landcruiser when i lived in Cabo, it was the best damn car i ever owned for Baja, during the 95 hurricanes the roads where washed out,
and i along with military humvees where the only ones that made it across to La Paz.
Its a great car.
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Arthur
Nomad
Posts: 232
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: San Anselmo, CA
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Okay, I've got a Prerunner, but I've got to know: How do you tell what "FJ" series a Land Cruiser is, and what's the URL of the TL forum?
And what's "pizza insurance"?
Thanks --
Arthur
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LarryB
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 9-10-2003
Location: Gig Harbor,WA & Los Barilles,BCS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Arthur
And what's "pizza insurance"?
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Your driving a pizza crap and no one would want to steal it!
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MH_Stevens
Junior Nomad
Posts: 59
Registered: 5-17-2005
Location: Aguanga, Alta California
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But I asked by what year is a land Cruise a Pizza crap in the Bajacalafornios eyes?
Cheers,
Mike Stevens
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Arthur
Nomad
Posts: 232
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: San Anselmo, CA
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I don't know if they've been making Land Cruisers that long. 
Why don't you get the one you want, then create some nice big patches of bare metal with an electric sander, and hit the body a few times with a big
rubber mallet? And maybe spray some primer down below the doors and at the lower end of the fender wells. No one will want to go cruising in that, and
your six-CD changer and on-board compressor will be safe.
There was a guy I knew at work who tricked out his new, super -expensive mountain bike with a bunch of torn-off stickers and paint and stuff, and no
one stole it while I was there.
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MH_Stevens
Junior Nomad
Posts: 59
Registered: 5-17-2005
Location: Aguanga, Alta California
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So do you consider car theft/highjacking a problem in Baja?
Cheers,
Mike Stevens
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
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Absolutely
Car theft is a huge problem in Baja, unless they look like mine!
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Arthur
Nomad
Posts: 232
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: San Anselmo, CA
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If you're asking whether I (with about .001 of JR's experience in Baja) consider it a problem, no. But then I never lived in heavily populated and
gringified parts of the peninsula, and I don't hang around TJ or Ensenada or Mexicali any longer than I have to. At a hotel I park in a secure spot
if they have one, and we don't leave tempting items (like rare bamboo plants, say) showing. But out in the boonies where we like to go doesn't seem to
be a favored spot of bad guys, and we've never had any problems with either rental cars or my own truck, and that squares with what I've heard on this
forum. I was just riffing on how to make your Land Rover unattractive if that's what you wanted -- not saying that's what I'd do.
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Geothermal-Shane
Junior Nomad
Posts: 83
Registered: 5-14-2005
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The FJ series refers to those Land Cruisers which run on gasoline.
The LJ, BJ and HJ series refers to those Land Cruisers which run on diesel-
not sold in US.
The following number refers to the model. Both FJ & B-L-HJ's will have the same body and chasis- just a different engine.
The Land Cruiser was originally a Japanese military design from WW2- designed as a heavy duty all terrain troop carrier, with four wheel drive.
The design for the body was borrowed from the Willy's Jeep(so was the Land Rover), but greatly improved upon with a much bigger engine. The engine
size of Land Cruisers has always been a definitive trademark- along with its poor fuel economy.
The first Cruisers issued for commercial sale were the short wheel base jeeps- FJ40s, with front winch, big engines, and I think the older ones are
3-speeds. The only disadvantage is a lack of space to carry a lot of weight or bulk(or troops!). These were issued in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and early
early 80s.
According to information written by Chris Scott- the FJ55 was the earliest Land Cruiser sold in the US. They look like a combination of the 40 series
Land Cruisers, and a Land Rover. For whatever reason, their production was very limited, and in 1980, Toyota intoduced the 60 series, considered their
best vehicle ever.
Toward the end of the 1980s, the 60 became the 61 or 62, and by 1990 the production halted altogether. Then came the 80, 90 and 100 series', commonly
seen in modern SUV format all over the place,
note: the 70 series was a hybrid pickup-jeep-wagon produced in the mid 1980s, but I don't think ever available here in the US.
It's kinda sad that such an extensive variety of these great trucks were made, but all we can get here in the US is the gasoline 40s, 60s and the
modern day Land Cruiser.
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MH_Stevens
Junior Nomad
Posts: 59
Registered: 5-17-2005
Location: Aguanga, Alta California
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Go-Thermal speaketh true. EG the trucks made for Austrailia and Africa are superior to the ones for the US, indicating our frontier is disapearing -
hence Aqui en Baja!
Cheers,
Mike Stevens
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
Posts: 2116
Registered: 11-7-2002
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Here is a classified ad website for Landcruisers. It has catagories for FJ 40, 45, 55, 60, and so on. Many of the ads have pictures, so you can see
what an FJ 45 looks like for instance. http://ads.cruizers.com/classifieds.cfm?catID=0
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Geothermal-Shane
Junior Nomad
Posts: 83
Registered: 5-14-2005
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...oh...some of the older models may have dificulty passing smog inspection in California...like mine...
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MH_Stevens
Junior Nomad
Posts: 59
Registered: 5-17-2005
Location: Aguanga, Alta California
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Well contary to my original intentions I bought a NEW type Land Cruizer, a Lexus LX470 (LC with fancy trim and hight control). I'm hoping to stay well
south of Ensinada so I don't get carjacked and with all those onboard computers I hope they don't give a blue screen in the outback. Will I make it or
was this a really bad choice?
Cheers,
Mike Stevens
Cheers,
Mike Stevens
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