New vehicle advice needed

[JoshMead]

I've had my first car for some time now (MK4 Golf 4Door) and have finally accumulated enough money for an upgrade.

At first, like most young guys, I wanted something sporty and exciting like a Pontiac Solstice, C5 Corvette, or Porsche 928S. But considering the winters we get in this part of Canada, I concluded that it just wouldn't be practical.

So I looked to something more practical, but still exciting; off-road capable SUVs.
First up was a 2003 Land Rover Discovery. It looked nice at a glance, had some good commodities, and didn't seem all that bad for performance. But then after a bit of online digging, I found that the vehicle has a nasty history with consumers regarding a fatal engine design flaw that requires a $8000-$12000 replacement. It didn't always happen, but it was frequent enough that I didn't want to risk it, especially with this specific Discovery having 200K+ KM. And even in spite of that flaw, there were noted issues about it abroad. Even those who love it said that its a neverending project, and that's exactly why they love it.

Fair enough to them, but that doesn't exactly scream "daily driver" to me.

So now I'm currently looking at something else. A 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser. It looks both fantastic and unique, has all the essentials, unbelievable off-road capabilities, not bad MPG, a good number of commodities, is supposed to be reliable beyond belief, and has some interesting quirks like the three wipers, white roof, and suicide rear passenger doors.

It sounds like a good buy, very good... too good in fact. Everywhere I look, there's nothing but posative reviews about it, with no complaints outside of the roof rack that it comes with by default, along with minor complaints about rear visibility.

That being said. It there anything I should know about this? And should I buy it as a daily?

 

[kikie]

1) Move house and get a sporty and exciting car.

2) buy the Fj Cruiser but not before you did a test drive. I just read that the suspension is rather soft and the road holding is pretty bad. It has a strong Toyota gasoline engine but no diesel is available.

 

[Danoff]

It's interesting, people are kinda fanatical about the FJ. The TRD looks like a pretty limited edition (especially with more than 2 drive wheels), so that would probably hold its value pretty well (if you're planning on dumping miles on this and using it up just ignore me).

I'd keep the golf though, and daily that one when the weather is nice (assuming you can find decent parking for 2).

Or get an FX-35 (up to 2008) for the best of both worlds.

 

[Joey D]

An FJ Cruiser is a good vehicle. When I had my Tacoma I wheeled with a bunch of guys that had them and drove them from time to time too.

A couple of things though, it's most certainly overpriced thanks to an "overland tax" that's associated with them now. It could also be dubiously maintained too. Lots of guys who buy them beat the hell out of them and use really crappy parts to repair them. Or they modify them in a way that makes them worse somehow. Also, the visibility in them is terrible and the front windshield breaks all the time.

But if you get it checked out and an independent shop signs off saying it's in good nick and the price isn't outrageous, you'd be fine. If you don't plan on doing any off roading though, it's probably more than you really need for some snow covered roads.

 

[JoshMead]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll be looking into this FX-35 as a plausible alternative, and will definitely be thorough on my inspection of the FJs when I check them out.

Thankfully I've got a bit of a selection right now for FJs. Two in town for $12,500 and $14,000, and a third one in the next town over for $13,000.

I would keep the golf, but I don't have room for both, and the extra $$$ from selling it would certainly help the bank account. Overall, the car hasn't given me any grief. Just had to change the rear brakes, fuel filter, and the head/tail lights (which I replaced with aftermarket lights from carid). Not too bad for a car with 340,000km. It's no performer, but it has its perks, and handles the snow like a champ. Would definitely recommend one as a first car for anyone looking.

 

[Danoff]

I would keep the golf, but I don't have room for both, and the extra $$$ from selling it would certainly help the bank account.

I don't know if you have covered parking for 1, but you might find that if you left the golf outside through the winter while you use your FJ (or whatever) that it starts giving you some grief. Still, with that many miles on it, it can't possibly be worth much $$$. Sometimes a beater can be a nice thing. More than that though, you appreciate your cars better from a little distance. At least I do. I find that when I get into one of my cars that I haven't driven in a while I fall back in love, and that's a nice experience.

Anyway, it does suck to park outside. Especially in the winter.

 

[sintura]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll be looking into this FX-35 as a plausible alternative, and will definitely be thorough on my inspection of the FJs when I check them out.

Thankfully I've got a bit of a selection right now for FJs. Two in town for $12,500 and $14,000, and a third one in the next town over for $13,000.

I would keep the golf, but I don't have room for both, and the extra $$$ from selling it would certainly help the bank account. Overall, the car hasn't given me any grief. Just had to change the rear brakes, fuel filter, and the head/tail lights (which I replaced with aftermarket lights from carid). Not too bad for a car with 340,000km. It's no performer, but it has its perks, and handles the snow like a champ. Would definitely recommend one as a first car for anyone looking.

I have a Corvette besides the family car volkswagen, heres a pic: https://www.abswheels.se/img/blog/cray.jpg

it has some parts also from carid.

 

[JoshMead]

I have a Corvette besides the family car volkswagen, heres a pic: https://www.abswheels.se/img/blog/cray.jpg

it has some parts also from carid.

Damn, a C7. And here I was thinking that a C6 was out of reach. Someone's living the good life.

And yeah; stumbled upon Carid a few years back and it's been great to have. Even if you just need an OEM replacement part. Though with the golf's lights, I wanted to be a bit more creative.

 

[craw4dm]

So now I'm currently looking at something else. A 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser...

Did you get one? They are very, very fun, and very, very capable of doing almost anything. LOVE mine.

 

[JoshMead]

Did you get one? They are very, very fun, and very, very capable of doing almost anything. LOVE mine.

Unfortunately not. The ones for sale in my area ended up being so cheap because of how worn out they were, the owner of the cheapest one hid the number of KM on his and it's no wonder, ended up being almost 400K with a dented up roof and a dried out substance in the trunk that I didn't want to know the origin of.

I'm gonna keep looking, but will have to definitely raise my budget if I want one that hasn't seen collisions or rollovers.

 

[craw4dm]

Unfortunately not. The ones for sale in my area ended up being so cheap because of how worn out they were, the owner of the cheapest one hid the number of KM on his and it's no wonder, ended up being almost 400K with a dented up roof and a dried out substance in the trunk that I didn't want to know the origin of.

I'm gonna keep looking, but will have to definitely raise my budget if I want one that hasn't seen collisions or rollovers.

Yes, they certainly aren't cheap, and hold their value really well. I'm in my 2nd FJ in 12 years and I'm still loving it. If you have any questions, let me know. Good luck, and be patient! One will show up.