Hey all,
I'm dangerously close to pulling the trigger on a JDM import HZJ73, 190k ish miles, water pump, starter, timing belt, new ironman 2.5 lift and a few other things done, reported to run great. It's a little steep for me, but in my mind represents a reasonable value, and it checks almost all the boxes. I want to buy one truck to last me a long time, will not "daily" it, but will run around town regularly, and will mostly use it for a few trips a year, backcountry and mild to moderate off road. Up to possibly 2000 miles per (though not more than 1 of those a year) with a total yearly of 10k miles or less. More interested in covering ground in varied terrain and dependability than in going fast, building out a crazy overland rig, or doing any real crawling. It's just my partner and I, not a lot of gear, and we tend to prefer it a bit more "primitive" when we're out there than have too many comforts. I should add, that I've wanted something almost exactly like this since I was a teenager, and it was only through a bit of real life, not easy or fun stuff, that I find myself in a position to even think about it.
I know there are easier things, but I found a bit of a unicorn, and am mostly only interested in Short to mid wheel base stuff, the removable FRP is also very appealing.
Can this crew give me any insights about things I should consider, reasons this may be a great idea or a terrible one? Fairly new to working on cars, but have been a bicycle mechanic my whole life, so nothing I've come up against yet has been too wild or daunting to stop me from being willing and optimistic.
thanks a ton for any insights here.
I'm dangerously close to pulling the trigger on a JDM import HZJ73, 190k ish miles, water pump, starter, timing belt, new ironman 2.5 lift and a few other things done, reported to run great. It's a little steep for me, but in my mind represents a reasonable value, and it checks almost all the boxes. I want to buy one truck to last me a long time, will not "daily" it, but will run around town regularly, and will mostly use it for a few trips a year, backcountry and mild to moderate off road. Up to possibly 2000 miles per (though not more than 1 of those a year) with a total yearly of 10k miles or less. More interested in covering ground in varied terrain and dependability than in going fast, building out a crazy overland rig, or doing any real crawling. It's just my partner and I, not a lot of gear, and we tend to prefer it a bit more "primitive" when we're out there than have too many comforts. I should add, that I've wanted something almost exactly like this since I was a teenager, and it was only through a bit of real life, not easy or fun stuff, that I find myself in a position to even think about it.
I know there are easier things, but I found a bit of a unicorn, and am mostly only interested in Short to mid wheel base stuff, the removable FRP is also very appealing.
Can this crew give me any insights about things I should consider, reasons this may be a great idea or a terrible one? Fairly new to working on cars, but have been a bicycle mechanic my whole life, so nothing I've come up against yet has been too wild or daunting to stop me from being willing and optimistic.
thanks a ton for any insights here.