2008 FJ Cruiser - Pull the Trigger?

[treillw]

Considering buying a 2008 FJ Cruiser with 190k miles on it for $13k. Seems to be a pretty good deal, but that is a lot of miles. They should "run forever", until you get one that is a turd and I am an adept turd-finder. Motor and tranny sound good. Shifts smooth. 4wd is very smooth. As far as I can tell, it should have a good bit of life left in it.

There is a leak on the rear side of the transfer case. Seems that the seal at this flange is bad. Anyone know how hard it is to fix?

What do you think? Would you buy it? Any better deals out there? Don't need a new car really - just came across this one and it would be an upgrade.

Thanks!

 

[BAKPAKR]

My 12 year old really wants an FJ Cruiser for her first vehicle. If I still lived in the West, I would try finding one in good shape myself.

 

[Horsepuller]

Love em till you get to a stoplight. That slim windshield makes it difficult to look up…. They sure do hold their monetary value!

 

[180splitg3]

I've always liked the FJ! I know nothing about the value but I have a friend who has been driving one for at least ten years and loves it.

 

[Ross]

Traded my 07 in last year right at 140k..you could tell tranny was starting to slip as you took off dealer verified at trade in and told this was common problem around this mileage…I was only owner regular service but was used in various conditions…pluses a Toyota, never replaced anything on it, good ride with the lift shined in the backcountry…ample room slept in it a few times, downside very bad blind spots have to be aware of the mirrors and side areas when in town..as I recall they put a few dollars in it and sold it for 20k my trade was 10500…I would have someone check the tranny for you if comes up clean and no bad accidents should be ok for several years….mine was used but not abused

 

[treillw]

Traded my 07 in last year right at 140k..you could tell tranny was starting to slip as you took off dealer verified at trade in and told this was common problem around this mileage…I was only owner regular service but was used in various conditions…pluses a Toyota, never replaced anything on it, good ride with the lift shined in the backcountry…ample room slept in it a few times, downside very bad blind spots have to be aware of the mirrors and side areas when in town..as I recall they put a few dollars in it and sold it for 20k my trade was 10500…I would have someone check the tranny for you if comes up clean and no bad accidents should be ok for several years….mine was used but not abused

Who would you take it to to check out the tranny?

Good info thanks.

 

[Grumman]

I sold one in 2008 that likely would have appreciated in value by now. My reason for selling was because they were not conducive to infant car seats in the back.


If it has been well kept I would go for it. It is still cheaper than a newer side by side.


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[treillw]

Traded my 07 in last year right at 140k..you could tell tranny was starting to slip as you took off dealer verified at trade in and told this was common problem around this mileage…I was only owner regular service but was used in various conditions…pluses a Toyota, never replaced anything on it, good ride with the lift shined in the backcountry…ample room slept in it a few times, downside very bad blind spots have to be aware of the mirrors and side areas when in town..as I recall they put a few dollars in it and sold it for 20k my trade was 10500…I would have someone check the tranny for you if comes up clean and no bad accidents should be ok for several years….mine was used but not abused

I didn't notice the tranny slipping when I floored it a few times.

 

[Centralcoastca]

They are great for wheeling and have a solid drivetrain, the 4.0 v6 is very reliable. I looked at buying a new one back then and liked a lot about it but I didn’t care for all of the blind spots. It would definitely be something to get used to. With that many miles It’d probably be worth getting checked out at a shop you trust if possible just in case they spot something you don’t and would be able to let you know what the leak would take to repair.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Seals are not too hard to replace as long as you have access to a lift. You can do it laying under the vehicle but it's a pain.

 

[treillw]

I sold one in 2008 that likely would have appreciated in value by now. My reason for selling was because they were not conducive to infant car seats in the back.


If it has been well kept I would go for it. It is still cheaper than a newer side by side.


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How bad is it getting the car seat in?

 

[treillw]

Vehicles are beyond stupidly expensive. People need to boycott spending 60, 70, $80k on new vehicles.

20 years ago a brand new z71 was $22k. Prices have tripled in that time.

I can't believe I'm considering spending $13k on a vehicle with essentially 200k miles on it.

 

[BLJ]

We bought an 07 in August of 06. Had around 120k on it when we sold it. 3 car seats/booster seats would not fit in the back or we would still have it. Best vehicle we've ever had. $13k seems like a lot for aomething with 190k, but that may be half its life too. Strictly opinion there. I know how the Toyota value thing works.
Ours was a 6spd manual so I can't speak of the transmission issues.
Was like it was on rails in the snow.
I will agree with the blindspots. Just something that had to be taken into consideration. Wouldn't be a deal killer for me.

 

[NB7]

Had one for a few years about 10 years ago. It was my wife's daily driver, and due to a job change involving a longer commute we sold it for something more fuel efficient. At the time, I remember being concerned about how much I was going to be spending on tires and fuel, not to mention parts in the future because they weren't making them anymore. Man that thing was a lot of fun to drive though, and I wish I had been in a little better position at the time to suck it up and have kept it. I would love to still have it. It felt bomb proof, rubber floors and everything, and was a blast to drive in the snow and off road. Still my favorite vehicle this day as far as oil change goes. The oil filter could be found right at the top of the block when you opened the hood, and even had a drip lip around the threaded port. Not like my truck where I'm going to spill oil every time no matter what when getting the filter off.

 

[treillw]

Had one for a few years about 10 years ago. It was my wife's daily driver, and due to a job change involving a longer commute we sold it for something more fuel efficient. At the time, I remember being concerned about how much I was going to be spending on tires and fuel, not to mention parts in the future because they weren't making them anymore. Man that thing was a lot of fun to drive though, and I wish I had been in a little better position at the time to suck it up and have kept it. I would love to still have it. It felt bomb proof, rubber floors and everything, and was a blast to drive in the snow and off road. Still my favorite vehicle this day as far as oil change goes. The oil filter could be found right at the top of the block when you opened the hood, and even had a drip lip around the threaded port. Not like my truck where I'm going to spill oil every time no matter what when getting the filter off.

The oil filter is one of my favorite things haha. Finally somebody put some thought into it.

 

[treillw]

We bought an 07 in August of 06. Had around 120k on it when we sold it. 3 car seats/booster seats would not fit in the back or we would still have it. Best vehicle we've ever had. $13k seems like a lot for aomething with 190k, but that may be half its life too. Strictly opinion there. I know how the Toyota value thing works.
Ours was a 6spd manual so I can't speak of the transmission issues.
Was like it was on rails in the snow.
I will agree with the blindspots. Just something that had to be taken into consideration. Wouldn't be a deal killer for me.

So you could fit two car seats in the back, but not three?

 

[Poser]

That’s as good as a deal as you’re likely to find this market. Anyway you can have your mechanic do a pre purchase inspection on it? Otherwise, I’d just be prepared to spend another ~ $1500 fixing what never needs to be fixed out of the gate.

 

[Wetwork]

I have a 2014 FJ I got four years ago.

As a outdoors man here's my cons.
1. You have to really, really pay attention if you are going to tow anything big. (tranny cooler is a must)
2. Not dog friendly unless they sit up front cuz suicide windows don't roll down. (they make doggie windows but sheesh)
3. If a lot of snow and ice pile up on back door shelf, you can't open the back door.
4. Horrid gas milage with a tiny gas tank. I'm talking 14MPG. And I'm tuned up good and true.

Other than that I totally love mine. I have the CRAWL package, I did all the cool mods so I can lock in the real locker in 4whl hi. and a ton of other cool stuff. They are off road beasts. Have no problem sleeping in the back. I"ve stuffed a buck deer in back as well as a cow elk. So theres room.

 

[Grumman]

How bad is it getting the car seat in?

The infant “pumpkin” seats were a pain in the arse. If my kids would have been in front facing or booster seats I could have managed.


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[eddielasvegas]

I'll offer my 2007 FJ ownership experience even though others have commented on similar problems/issues. Mine are in no particular order. It's a very capable off-road vehicle in stock form, but I sold it after 8 months due to the below.

• If you regularly have more than 2 people in it, the suicide doors are a PITA.
• Suicide door windows do not open limiting circulation in the back.
• Wait until you have to replace the windshield. I had to have mine replaced in '07. It was covered by insurance and they paid $1,200. Yepper, you read that right, 12 BF's.
• No lid on center console.
• Requires premium gas. This one always burned my azz more than a 3 foot flame and premium was only 30 cents a gallon more at the time. Now it's 50+ cents more and none of our cars require it.
• Not only the above, but MPG was horrid.
• A few other things I did not like about it that I cannot remember.

If you're going to spend that kind of money for a car with 200k (I could not but YMMV), I would look into a 3rd gen (1996-2002) 4Runner. All the issues I mentioned above are remedied with my T4R.

I bought an '01 T4R in 2018 (good timing I must say) and it is fantastic. Their T4R3G 4WD drivetrains will easily last 300-400k miles with decent maintenance. Mine has 180k and I expect to drive it until I can't drive any longer.

Good luck with whatever you decide.


Eddie