By Jeff Glucker
A Series 70 Land Cruiser is a wonderful thing. We don’t get them though, which is sad. The 70 Series arrived in the mid 1980’s to replace the aging 40 Series trucks. Toyota wanted a version of its Land Cruiser to retain the tough, off-road capability of the versions that came before. Yes, the 60 Series (and eventually, the 80, 100, etc) is still a very capable machine, but Toyota aimed to add in a bit of luxury.
So it’s nice to find a 70 Series truck for sale here in the States. It’s a shame we never got a crack at them when new, but if you’re up for adventure; here’s your chance. Someone on Craigslist is selling a 1988 Land Cruiser BJ73. The 73 means this is a medium-wheelbase truck. Under the hood is a 2.5-liter HR588 turbodiesel engine, built by VM Motori for Toyota.
You know what else used this engine? The Alfa Romeo Alfa 6!
This truck likely started its life in either Italy or Spain. Now it sits with 105,000 miles on its odometer, a clean interior, and a top that’s just waiting to be taken off for sunny beach runs.
The asking price is $19,000. That seems a bit steep to me, but not as bad when you consider domestic market FJ60s fetching that much or more. I’d be happy spending $15k on this truck if I had the dough to do so. It’s rare, capable, and stout.
If you want to take a look, here’s the listing: Toyota Land Cruiser BJ73
Cool, but not $19k-cool. I think I still prefer the 60-series, though they don’t sell for cheap, either. There’s one on BAT I’ve been drooling over that should crest $20k soon.
That’w why I think this one at $15k would make sense… based on current FJ60 prices.
Effectively the same thing is still available here in NZ, but only in long wheelbase turbo diesel V8, five speed manual transmission forms, no automatic available..
https://www.toyota.co.nz/new-car/land-cruiser/land-cruiser-70/
The dualcab, separate tray ute version is the most common version seen, with power companies, telecom providers,and farmer,s appreciating the toughness, good price, economy and 2+ metre wading depth(!) Priced between NZ$70 and NZ $80K,( US$ 44K to US$ 50K, €40K to €45K)
Yes I live in paradise.
I wonder if the 2.5TD is Europe only? There are a few for sale in Australia with a 3.4TD, from AUD$12k up, so about US$8-9k.
A better vehicle is a Y60 Patrol (GQ in RHD, GR in LHD) with the 4.2L diesel or petrol engine.
Apparently yes, this specific engine was for the Spain and Italy markets (based on quick research)
Makes sense for service parts etc