1981 Toyota FJ40
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These trucks are legendary in off-roading groups for being reliable and extremely agile due to their short wheel base. Given their track record in some pretty inhospitable places, well, it's easy to see why these are growing tremendously in market value. However, all those wonderful features also makes finding a nice one challenging, since so many of these trucks have been bashed, abused, and just plain used up in the years before they made it to the collectors' A-list.
Fortunately, this 1981 Land Cruiser is very clean, with an awesome yellow paint job and white top that really stands out. You'll find the interior is far more civilized than you'd expect for a world traveler like this, with comfortable high-back bucket seats. Twin folding seats in back expand passenger capacity, and with durable non-slip rubber mat on the floor, you can get dirty without worrying about cleaning carpets when you get home. Toyota's 2F 4. 2-liter inline-six have powered Land Cruisers for decades, and while it seems modest and underpowered, it's proven itself time and again when conditions were less than nice.
Around town, it's smooth and torquey and the gear ratios are exactly right to make it feel quick and...