Thoughts on buying a 80 Series Cruiser

Rackers03

Rackers03

Member
Hi all,
New to the site, so thought i'd ask something.
I'm sixteen end of the year and looking for a good 4bie to take offroad/use at home (farm in SA)
Currently got me eyes on a '97 80 series Standard.
It's got a 2 inch lift, 33 inch muddies, bullbar, UHF/radio, snorkel and spotties. It's got the 1HZ diesel under the bonnet with the manual and 344,700 k's on the clock and the bloke is wanting $7,000.
Just wanted some thoughts on if there is anything I need to look at/any problems with the Standard 80's?
Cheers,
Hugh
 
shanegtr

shanegtr

Well-Known Member
The 1HZ is fairly bullet proof and they just keep chugging away. Make sure the gears shift nicely - common for the syncros to wear out. Nearly everything else is going to be maintenance related for an older vehicle.

Consider joining up on Offroad80s - https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/aus80/ A forum I started for 80 series owners many years ago
 
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Batts88

Batts88

Well-Known Member
Good tough wagons my brother had one with the k's it has done there may be a few things to keep an eye on that may be due to be replaced due to normal wear and tear if they haven't already been done. Wheel bearings , swivel hub bearings, starter motor, alternator also hopefully it's been serviced correctly oil, fuel and air filters the uni's etc greased. When I get a vehicle I usually change the diffs, gearbox oils so I know there good.
 
discomatt

discomatt

Well-Known Member
If well maintained with regular servicing and a folder full of receipts its a cracker, if no receipts and no regular service history it will cost 3 times that in the next 2 years to make it a good 4wd
 
L

Lost1?

Well-Known Member
Join lcool website. Plenty of good info on there that should help you with what to look for when buying a used 80 series.
 
03hilux

03hilux

4x4 Earth Contributer
Check the chassis around the steering box for cracking, rust around the rear windows and bottom right corner or upper tail gate, and along the boot floor across the back door.
Check if swivel hubs and front wheel bearings are good, as a workshop will charge around $2000 for a swivel hub rebuild with bearings.
 
Rackers03

Rackers03

Member
Batts88 said:
Good tough wagons my brother had one with the k's it has done there may be a few things to keep an eye on that may be due to be replaced due to normal wear and tear if they haven't already been done. Wheel bearings , swivel hub bearings, starter motor, alternator also hopefully it's been serviced correctly oil, fuel and air filters the uni's etc greased. When I get a vehicle I usually change the diffs, gearbox oils so I know there good.
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shanegtr said:
The 1HZ is fairly bullet proof and they just keep chugging away. Make sure the gears shift nicely - common for the syncros to wear out. Nearly everything else is going to be maintenance related for an older vehicle.

Consider joining up on www.offroad80s.com A forum I started for 80 series owners many years ago
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thanks m8, I'm keen to get into it. I've only had an old farm runaround to call my own before this haha
 
Blue_haired_man

Blue_haired_man

Well-Known Member
On top of what everyone else has said, as with any diesel repairs are bloody expensive, take it for a good drive. Tappets can be a bit noisy in the 1hzs even when still in spec, injector pumps are still bloody expensive.

If it’s been well looked after, and hasn’t been overheated, the motor will put out half a million kms easy. But you’ll still be looking at plenty of dollars driveline and steering maintenance if they’ve been neglected.
 
Rackers03

Rackers03

Member
Blue_haired_man said:
On top of what everyone else has said, as with any diesel repairs are bloody expensive, take it for a good drive. Tappets can be a bit noisy in the 1hzs even when still in spec, injector pumps are still bloody expensive.

If it’s been well looked after, and hasn’t been overheated, the motor will put out half a million kms easy. But you’ll still be looking at plenty of dollars driveline and steering maintenance if they’ve been neglected.
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Thanks for the tips. Any tips/ideas to making the 1HZ in it last?
 
SeaJay

SeaJay

Active Member
Rackers03 said:
Thanks for the tips. Any tips/ideas to making the 1HZ in it last?
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they just need regular oil and filter changes to last, 500k is a conservative estimate, more like 1,000,000km unless you fit a turbo.

the earlier models were more prone to cracks around the steering box/front panhard mount than the later, and more so if you go larger tyres than 33in, also staying with the Toyota rubber bushes rather than nolathane reduces the chance of cracking the front diff housing where the lower control arms mount, although they are harder to press in.
 
Blue_haired_man

Blue_haired_man

Well-Known Member
Mate unfortunately there’s no real big tips of tricks other than keep up the preventative maintenance if you want it to last. Finding a good old fashioned and trustworthy mechanic to do service work is definitely a big help, so as to identify and rectify smaller issues before they become major issues. At the end of the day oil and filter changes are cheap insurance compared to a rebuild.

I’ve had both a 1hz powered 105 series and currently a 79. You won’t win any races, but that’s not what they were built for.
 
Rackers03

Rackers03

Member
SeaJay said:
they just need regular oil and filter changes to last, 500k is a conservative estimate, more like 1,000,000km unless you fit a turbo.

the earlier models were more prone to cracks around the steering box/front panhard mount than the later, and more so if you go larger tyres than 33in, also staying with the Toyota rubber bushes rather than nolathane reduces the chance of cracking the front diff housing where the lower control arms mount, although they are harder to press in.
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thanks for the tips! Any ideas on good first things to put on it?
 
2002GU3

2002GU3

Well-Known Member
Rackers03 said:
thanks for the tips! Any ideas on good first things to put on it?
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G'day Hugh, welcome to earth mate, going by your original post you already have most of the main accessories, A tyre deflator and compressor are pretty much a necessity, a winch and some recovery points would come in handy also.
 
AdventureWagon

AdventureWagon

Member
Depending on condition that's a good price for a diesel 4WD here in Brisbane. When I was looking I saw an 80 series 4.5L petrol, 320,000km, with knackered 1st gear synchro for $9500 and that was a reasonable price at the time. I paid $6k for my 95 series 3.4L petrol with 380,000km but it needed $2k of work.

When we were looking it was a toss up between these two, and I was for the 80 series but was outvoted by my wife and son for the 95!
 
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