Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Toyota FJ Cruiser

My daughter is interested in a FJ Cruiser. I have no experience wth them or with any Toyota for that matter. Has anyone here on the 'Fire had one? Any opinions? She does not drive many miles and we live in a smaller city so no real traffic issues but we do get snow in the winter.

I had a 2010 model that was a great little vehicle. It would go anywhere on the Ranch you had the balls to drive through. And it averaged about 19 mpg. Some folks claim they have a big blind spot when using the rear view mirror. Never bothered me. They do bring a premium now that they are discontinued. If I found another one for a good deal, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

I have noticed that they seem to be a bit on the pricey side for a used vehicle.

The inside mirror? That's no big deal. Ask any trucker or anyone who hauls a camper or trailer. Side mirrors are another story.

My wife a 2007 (late '06 purchase) FJ Cruiser. It now has 219,000 miles and it's not for sale. It's been the singularly most reliable vehicle we've ever owned. Besides normal oil and gas we've gone through the following:

1. 3 sets of tires: OEM Dunlops (55k), BFG AT KO 1's (85,000 miles), Toyo AT' (65,000 miles). Now on BFG ATKO 2's...love them.
2. 1x rear door strut. It wouldn't stay open any longer.
3. 1x rear door plastic latch. Kind of a fluke.
4. Rotors were replaced at 180k along with the second set of brake pads.
5. 1x front wheel bearing (had both fronts replaced on principal)
6. 2x rubber axle boots (minor tear in them but hey, that's how it works)

With BFG's on it, we get around 19.5mpg highway. Mixed 17.5 mpg.

It's an amazingly incredible, capable, reliable vehicle. Absolutely wonderful vehicle.

I had a 1978 FJ land cruiser best darn car/truck I ever owned.

Hmm maybe because they are a Toyota and are ultra reliable and rugged as hell.

Reliable...227000 and going strong...

Drove a couple of them on a couple different weekends as free rentals, actually drove every Toyota model over a couple years. My thoughts.

-Nice looking, get a lots of comments and second looks

-Bit bouncy ride, suspension seems tuned for off road use primarily and street use secondary

-Thirsty, 15 to 17 mpg in city, 17 to 19 mpg on highway.

-Interior is nice but not as plush as other Toyotas, again off-road utility designed with rubber floor mats.

-Never drove one in the snow, but would think they would be excellent, they have good tires, good ground clearance.

There a couple for sale in my part of the State. One is a 2007 with 113K miles for $15,000. The other is a 2014 with 17.5K and is priced at $35,983.

My friend had one, I think a 2008, and it was very reliable during the time he had it. It was good off road in stock form, got about 15 mpg around town, and was a decent vehicle to travel in.

Most of the ones I see here appear to be, "look at me vehicles".

I just did a Craigslist search out of curiosity. I got a list of all of them for sale within 500 miles of here. There are about a dozen with the mileage and prices very similar to what you see there.

This site, SearchTempest.com, will search CL and Ebay at the same time within whatever radius of your location that you enter. AUTOTEMPEST

That's good to know, R C. Thanks.

Thanks RC that is an interesting site.

Toyota prices overall are crazy high.

I considered one before buying a Double Cab 4X4 Tacoma in 2007. They are great SUV's, I know a few people who own them. The running gear is virtually the same as the Tacoma which is solid. The engine is tuned for a bit more performance and requires higher octane gas. Or at least the 2007's did when I looked at them. I haven't priced one, but wouldn't be surprised at high prices, especially now that they don't make them any more.

I own a 2014 with only 12k on the clock as well as a Tacoma for a DD.

Blind spots exist ,but are a non issue for me as I drove big trucks at work, plus I added the small convex mirrors I picked up at Wallyworld.
Runs well with 87 octane. I average about 18mpg.
The original suspension was a little too "mushy" for my liking so I added a Toytec "BOSS" suspension with front adjustable struts. I lifted it 2 1/2 inches and greatly improved the ride.(as well as looks. Should come like this from the factory)
Value of these rigs are crazy high right now. I had 4 salesmen at the local dealer make offers recently when I was getting a blown speaker replaced under warranty.
First couple of model years sold well, but went flat, averaging only around 13 k units for the rest of the run till 2014.
From what I read over on the FJ Forum, some early '07s had a fender bulge problems.
Best years are '10 on up. Larger rear end too.
They did switch to a cartridge oil filter in '10. No biggie, but a slight PIA at first.

Prone to windshield damage due to flat windshield glass.
Smallish fuel tank. Aerodynamics of a brick.
Handles funky due to short wheelbase.

Capable, very solid and safe.
I like mine.

I have a 2013 FJ that I bought new in 2012. It has 120,000 miles on it now and I have no intention of getting rid of it.

It does have a few problems I've had to get used to. One is the windshield seems to crack or chip easily. I'm on my second windshield and have two chips in it now. It is also a killer on bugs....nothing escapes by getting blown over the roof by the wind. I've never seen anything like it. Kills more bugs in a night time drive than Orkin will kill in a month.

The limited view out the windows takes a little getting used to but it wasn't really much of a problem. Mine has a Backup camera which helps with the restricted rear view window and loading a trailer.

In the 2013 version there isn't much room for storage of seldom used larger items I like to carry like jumper cables, folding shovel, rope, etc.

The gas milage is usually 18 or 19 around town and over 21 on the road. The gas tank holds 19 gallons and only 15 show up on the gas gauge. That is a little aggravating but not really a problem. A 25 gallon tank would have been a better size.

I have put this FJ through some very muddy conditions and the 4 wheel drive/locking differentials handled it every time with ease. I've had Many 4 wheel drive trucks and jeeps and I'd put the FJ up against any of them for handling the slick stuff.

Mine doesn't have carpet on the floors, but has rubber mats. I love that feature because clean up is so easy. I wish it was available on other companies trucks.

My plans are to hang on to the FJ and one day buy a daily driver. I'll retire the FJ to use as a hunting/fishing/Saturday utility vehicle only.

I think much of the reason for carpet is for insulation and noise control. Rubber mats let a lot more sound through. Besides, with carpet, they can sell you rubber mats to put on top of it.

I will have to drive one. As my daughter will be a new driver, visibility is important when you don't have as much experience.