Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40

Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40

BACKGROUND

From the Atacama Desert to the Rocky Mountains, from the dunes of Dubai to the open plains of Australia, the Toyota FJ Land Cruiser stands alone as the most reliable, long-lasting, and nearly unbreakable vehicle that gets you anywhere you need to be.

From its beginnings in 1951 as a mobility vehicle for Japan’s National Police Reserve, and then through over 70 years of continuous production, 14 model lines and thousands of variations, the Land Cruiser is the longest produced vehicle in Toyota’s history. During that time, it has sold more than 10 million examples and become a cult object within the four-wheel drive sector, consistently setting the benchmark for durability, ruggedness, reliability and flexibility. It is the world’s most customer-trusted vehicle and marked the foundation of Toyota’s development target of quality, durability, and reliability.

HISTORY

This Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40 was sold new in Åland Island and was with the same family, never left the Island. Åland is a small island where they do not use salt on the roads, so this vehicle has not been driven long distances and never driven on salty roads.

The story that I was told when I purchased it is that the owner passed away and there was no more need for the vehicle in the family, it was sold to another resident of the Island from whom I purchased it.

PAPERWORK

All that came with the vehicle is what was in the glove box.

I have the original Åland Island Toyota car sales plastic booklet folder, user manual, maintenance manual, some handwritten notes showing a few oil changes with dates and km and some old tax receipts between 1987 – 1997.

It is now registered here in Finland, and I have the Finnish EU registration certificate.

EXTERIOR

First thing that you will notice is the faded paint finish, this is quite normal for red coloured vehicles that have been exposed to the sun. I thought about having it machine polished as this would bring back the shiny finish, I decided not to though as then I would also need to clean/paint the rims, bumpers etc to make it match. Also, the faded look looks quite cool!

Bodywork is nice and straight without any signs of mayor repairs, also rust free with only a few small blemishes here and there. Paint thickness measurements are quite equal, there are a few higher readings in some places that can be seen in the photos.

The exterior has had a light respray at some stage, this is noticeable due to some slight overspray on some of the window rubbers. This must have been done many years ago due to the now faded paint finish. All the internal painted areas are original paint by the looks of it.

The spare wheel has never been used and is possibly still the original factory one, there’s no date stamping on it. The wheels that are fitted are not the best but still usable, they are old and look to be the second set the vehicle has had after the factory set.

INTERIOR

Inside the vehicle there doesn’t seem to be many changes made, nice and original.

When I acquired the vehicle, it had very old front seat covers fitted and an old carpet covering the rear rubber mat. The front and rear seats look to still be original, apart from the drivers bottom section of the seat being recovered in a slightly different material. It was obvious to me that the rear seats have not been used for a very long time, it took a while to open them up and free up mechanism. Rubber floor matting is original and quite good, apart from the driver’s side being quite torn.

All the dials seem to be working as they should, event the interior light still works.

There are a few repairs that are clearly visible to the inside rear floor section, mainly to the rear corners.

MECHANICS

I was using it for around one week and could not fault it, fun vehicle to drive. One thing that might need changing soon is the clutch as it is right at the top before it bites, it does not slip though so is fine to use as is.

Engine, gearbox, brakes etc are all good. I have just had the engine serviced, all joints greased and all other fluids checked, also four-wheel alignment carried out.

Meter reading is showing 37500km. Looking at the vehicle and what notes I have, I would say that it has driven 137500km and not 237500km. There are parts of some old oil filter boxes with the date and km written down, last recorded km reading was 70604km on 22.12.1998. It is very realistic that on this small Island it has been driven 70604km up to 1998, then the remaining 67000km (total 137500km) from 1998 to 2022.

The electric winch has not been tested.

It was just inspected at the testing station here in Finland as part of the registration process. The inspector commented how well preserved the vehicle is, he also mentioned that the stamped chassis number is extremely clear and that this area is normally rusty and hard to read.

UNDERNEATH

The chassis is totally rust free and has no signs of previous weld repairs, this is mainly due to never been driven on a salty road.

These vehicles are constantly creeping up in value and are hard to find in this condition, not only a great vehicle to own but also a great investment!

VIDEO

This Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40 can be shipped worldwide.