For Sale • Three Toyota FJ40s • Within 500 Miles of Bozeman
Crack PipeOr Nice Price?
An $8,500 orchard truck in Yakima, a $22,500 low-mile original in Fraser and a $45,000 aluminum-tub trail rig in Ogden. Same truck, three very different opinions about money.
This week's premise
Three FJ40s Walk Into the Classifieds
Every week I find old Land Cruisers within 500 miles of Bozeman, read the ads more closely than the sellers wrote them and check what these trucks actually sell for. Then I decide: nice price, or crack pipe.
This week's spread: one cheap, one fair, one priced by the truck's biggest fan. New to the 40 Series? My 40 Series buyer's guide explains why a 50-year-old Toyota without air conditioning costs more than a new Corolla.
Usual disclosure: I'm raising money for my own FJ40 through the Fund the 40 page. That makes me biased, broke and extremely well researched.
Ad 1 of 3 • Craigslist • Yakima, WA • ~460 miles from Bozeman
The $8,500 Orchard Truck With Two Sets of Doors
Our first contestant is a white 1969 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 on Craigslist, parked in the apple country west of Yakima. The seller says it has a clean title, the original engine and transmission, and that it "runs well, fun to drive." That's the 3.9-liter F six and a three-speed on the column. Three on the tree, in a Land Cruiser, in 2026.
The parts list is better than most. New fuel and air filters, new plugs, a new clutch master and slave, and a new brake master and wheel cylinders.
Then the honesty arrives. The seller says there's "typical Land Cruiser rust" on the rear sill, below the doors and at the rear corners. The tires are weather-checked, and the seller recommends replacing them before road use. The rear of the oil pan leaks. It comes with the original hardtop, a bikini top, one set of soft doors and two sets of hard doors. Most 40 owners want one good set of doors. This one has a surplus.
Ad 1 • The scorecard
What the Ad Says vs. What It Means
| The Ad Says | Points | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Original engine and transmission, clean title | + Nice | Original drivetrain plus paperwork. The foundation. |
| New clutch and brake hydraulics | + Nice | Somebody already paid for the parts that keep you out of the orchard. |
| Two sets of hard doors plus soft doors | + Nice | Good 40 doors are their own little economy. A spare set is real money. |
| Rust on the rear sill, below the doors, rear corners | − Pipe | "Typical" is the most expensive word in the Land Cruiser dictionary. Check the frame behind the rear spring hangers. |
| Tires weather-checked, oil pan leaking | − Pipe | Budget tires and a pan gasket before the first highway trip. |
| Odometer "rolled over" | − Pipe | Mileage: 100,000 plus who knows. |
Ad 1 • The comps
What Rough Early 40s Actually Bring
Rough-but-running early 40s are an $8,000 to $11,000 market right now. Hagerty's "Good" number is what this truck becomes after a lot of money and two summers.
Ad 1 • The verdict
Nice Price. Bring a Flashlight.
At $8,500 this is priced like a project and described like an honest one. The seller lists the rust, the leak and the bad tires without being asked.
The catch is the rust. If the frame and the rear crossmember are solid, this is a good place to start. If they aren't, it's an $8,500 set of doors with a truck attached.
What I'd pay: $8,000 cash after a crawl underneath, and I'd happily pay the full $8,500 if the frame is clean.
Ad 2 of 3 • IH8MUD • Fraser, CO • ~475 miles from Bozeman
The $22,500 Beige Truck Somebody Kept for 30 Years
Ad two is a Dune Beige 1977 FJ40 hardtop on the IH8MUD classifieds, sitting in Fraser, Colorado, which is the kind of town where an FJ40 is basically a municipal vehicle. The seller has owned it for more than 30 years and says the odometer reads 59,240 miles. The ad helpfully adds that this is "NOT 159k, 259k, etc."
It's a 1977, which means the 4.2-liter 2F six, a four-speed manual and a dual-range transfer case with manual locking hubs. The ad lists a factory hardtop with a white roof, rear barn doors, a spare carrier, diamond-plate rear corners, gray aftermarket buckets up front and two folding jump seats in back. Clean Colorado title. "Runs and drives well."
The photos show what looks like a plow mount and auxiliary lights up front. In Grand County, that's not a modification. That's a survival strategy.
Ad 2 • The scorecard
Low Miles, Real Patina, Honest Ad
| The Ad Says | Points | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 59,240 miles, owned 30+ years | + Nice | The two best phrases in an old-truck ad. Ask for the paperwork. |
| Original-style 2F, 4-speed, dual-range 4WD | + Nice | The 2F is thirsty, slow and nearly impossible to kill. |
| Clean frame rails, clean title in hand | + Nice | Exactly what you want to hear. Verify it anyway. |
| Factory hardtop, barn doors, jump seats | + Nice | Nothing to hunt down on forums at 1 a.m. |
| "Running/Driving Project," item condition "Fair" | − Pipe | It drives. It isn't done. |
| Surface wear on flares and lower edges | − Pipe | That's where 40s rust first. Want shiny? Budget for a body shop. |
Ad 2 • The comps
Late 40s With the Right Bones
Late-'70s 40s with the 2F and a four-speed have been selling in the high twenties this fall. The cheap one in this list had the older F six and a fresh coat of paint.
Ad 2 • The verdict
Nice Price. The Best Truck Here.
At $22,500 OBO, this sits below the late 40s that sold this fall and below Hagerty's "Good" number, with the drivetrain and the miles you want.
It's been listed since mid-September, which helps the "or best offer" part of the price.
What I'd pay: $21,000, and I'd still pay the full $22,500 if the frame is as clean as the ad says.
Ad 3 of 3 • IH8MUD • Ogden, UT • ~310 miles from Bozeman
The $45,000 Aluminum-Tub Tribute Truck
The third truck is a white 1974 FJ40 in Ogden, Utah, also on IH8MUD, and it comes with a story. The seller says it was his dad's truck. After years in a garage, he had it gone through by a Utah Cruiser shop to get it "adventure ready," then took it off-road with his family for one last trip in his dad's honor. That part is lovely, and I'm not roasting it.
The truck is a different conversation. The ad lists an inline six and a manual, a custom aluminum tub, two gas tanks, a lift, a winch, a heavy-duty bumper, alloy wheels and a custom roll cage. Recent service covers the ignition, carburetor, cooling system, tires, steering linkage, steering knuckles and brake hoses.
The fine print: the hardtop and door parts are dismantled and "will need some corrosion repair" before they go back on. The front seats show wear. And the mileage field in the ad says 0000000, which is a bold number for a 52-year-old truck.
Ad 3 • The scorecard
Lots of Build, One Big Number
| The Ad Says | Points | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Custom aluminum tub | + Nice | Aluminum doesn't rust. It also isn't original, which matters to some buyers. |
| Recent shop work: steering, knuckles, brakes, cooling | + Nice | Real work, not a wash and an air freshener. Ask for invoices. |
| Winch, cage, lift, two tanks | + Nice | Trail-ready on day one. The shopping list is already done. |
| Hardtop and doors dismantled, need corrosion repair | − Pipe | An open truck with a box of roof parts. Fixing a 40 hardtop isn't cheap. |
| Mileage listed as 0000000 | − Pipe | Unknown. At $45,000 you want to know. |
| $45,000 asking price | − Pipe | Restored-original money for a modified truck. |
Ad 3 • The comps
What Nice 40s Actually Brought This Fall
The comps don't get to $45,000. Hagerty's "Good" number for a 1974 is a reminder that the average 40 is a lot less special than the ones in your Instagram feed.
Ad 3 • The verdict
Crack Pipe, Mildly. It's the Price, Not the Truck.
I like this truck. It's built to be used and it has a story worth carrying forward. But $45,000 is above every comparable FJ40 sale I found this fall, and those trucks had attached roofs.
Modified 40s are a personal-taste market. Shop invoices would close some of the gap. Not $13,000 of it.
What I'd pay: $32,000, with the shop invoices in hand and the hardtop parts in the bed.
The scoreboard
Three FJ40s, Ranked
| The Ad | Asking | Verdict / What I'd Pay |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 FJ40, Fraser, CO (IH8MUD) | $22,500 | Nice Price. $21,000. |
| 1969 FJ40, Yakima, WA (Craigslist) | $8,500 | Nice Price. $8,000. |
| 1974 FJ40, Ogden, UT (IH8MUD) | $45,000 | Crack Pipe, Mildly. $32,000. |
Check these prices against real sales on the Land Cruiser Market Tracker. The 40 Series median is $30,000 over the last 12 months.
Overall pick: the Fraser truck. It's the closest thing here to a real, driving, honest FJ40 at a fair price, and the seller already told you what the odometer means.
Best deal for someone with a welder: Yakima. Best story: Ogden.
Your turn
Scan Your Own Marketplace Gem
Next time you see an old Toyota with a big number on it, point the Car-Dex at it. It's free, it runs in your phone's browser, and it'll tell you what you're looking at. Then come back and tell me whether it's a crack pipe or a nice price.
And if you want to help me get my own 40, the Fund the 40 page is right there. I promise to crawl underneath whatever I buy before I hand over the money.
Photos and listing screenshots come from the sellers' public ads on Craigslist and the IH8MUD classifieds, shown here for commentary and review with links back to each listing. Prices and details are as listed on Oct 20, 2026 and may have changed. Seller and want something removed? Contact me and I'll take it down.
Seen a Listing We Should Talk About?
My friends keep sending me ads, and I keep writing about them. If you spot an old truck that's too good, too weird or way too expensive, send it my way.
If one of these is your FJ40, good luck with the sale. I'd love to hear the story.
Never Lift.
Drive Fast · Take Chances · Never Lift
