At $16,500, Would You Cruise The Land In This 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser?
While a new retro-styled Land Cruiser is on the market, today’s Nice Price or No Dice J80 proves there’s still a lot to like in the rear-retro models. Let’s find out how much we like this one’s price.
The 2017 Jaguar F-Type convertible we looked at yesterday got our collective Spidey Senses tingling. Its $16,800 asking price was about ten grand shy of where similar models are trending, making it either the best deal out there or a scam worthy of a Nigerian Prince drowning in cash. Most of you called it the latter, and hence, it earned not praise and a stampede of buyers, but the ad being yanked from Facebook and 65 percent No Dice loss right here. Lesson learned, I suppose.
The traditional gift for a 40th Anniversary is the ruby. It seems then that Toyota missed an opportunity with today’s 1997 Land Cruiser 40th Anniversary Edition by not offering the commemorative model in a commensurate ruby metallic paint. Instead, they were made available in a choice of Antique Sage Pearl, such as this one, or Emerald Green. According to the Internet, a total of 4,774 40th Anniversary Land Cruisers were built exclusively for the U.S. market.
Externally, the 40th Anniversary edition is denoted by decals on the front fenders, specially painted alloy wheel cutouts, port-installed running boards and roof rack, and blacked-out badging. The Anniversary party continues in the cabin with special two-tone leather upholstery, embroidered floor mats, and a badge on the console marked with the series number.
This one seems to still have all the special edition goods. It also looks to be in remarkably good condition for its advanced age and for having traveled 231,000 miles over that time.
According to the ad, this clean title truck is entirely rust-free and is in working order. It appears to be all stock except for the switch to a modern double DIN stereo head unit featuring a backup camera and available Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Everything else seems solid Toyota, right down to the AWD, four-speed automatic, and 4.0-liter 3F-E straight six with its 150 horsepower and 214 lb-ft of torque. The ad says the engine is “working great” and, in fact, claims the truck overall to be in great condition.
The pictures bear that out, showing no fading in the paint or any tears in the upholstery, just as the seller claims. This truck even has the desirable third-row seats that fold up into the sides of the load area when not in use. There is no word in the ad about the age of the big knobby Yokohama tires, but they at least look OK in the pics. The undercarriage looks just as tidy.
As we all know, the Land Cruiser has a bit of a fan base. That has led to prices being elevated over where they might be if the following weren’t so fanatical. This one not only seems to be in better than average shape for its age and use, but it’s a 40th Anniversary Edition, which… well, admittedly, doesn’t mean all that much. Still, that’s a good bit of party banter should you only ever hang out with other car nerds.
What might such a package be worth?
The seller asks $16,500 for the truck, and this time, I don’t think that’s a scam. What do you think? Does that $16,500 price for this Anniversary Edition make you want to pop open the bubbly? Or, for that much, would you rather have the rubies?
You decide!
Houston, Texas, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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