1996 Toyota Land Cruiser

SUV

4.5L Six

Automatic

JT3HJ85J8T0136448

Clear

Gasoline

This Land Cruiser was our daughter’s her first “nice” car after graduation from college several years ago, and she took great care of it until she decided to buy a new car on her own this year. This Cruiser was just too nice to trade in – so we decided to auction it via eBay with no reserve. This is a “black out” trim model that was special for 1996, and the truck has factory installed, dash controlled differential locks - a original option. It also has front and rear grill guards, a front hood wind deflector, and relatively new Michelin LTX tires all around. The truck’s been in the dry NM desert climate all it’s life, so there’s no rust or corrosion issues to worry about. The truck has been garaged for a good portion of it’s life too, but the sun has been hard on the clear coat and some of the platic-covered trim in a couple of spots (details below). There is no indication of body work or refinishing on the truck – it is “clean and straight” as dealers like to say. The drivetrain has high miles, but the driveline is solid and the engine has no problems or issues. The motor has been serviced with synthetic oil since we bought it, and the truck just passed the NM tailpipe test for emission levels and engine control codes. The vehicle has the standard roof rack, matte black window trim, running boards, moonroof, and AM/FM/Cassette/CD unit. The climate control works beautifully, and the supplemental heater for the back seat works great too. The Michelin LTX tires are relatively new, and the leather interior is in great shape. The car came with 3rd row seating, but the original seats were removed by the previous owner. The metal mounting brackets are still installed on the side of the rear cargo area, so you could replace them if you need the extra seating. The vehicle has the factory receiver hitch and upgraded electrical connection. The vehicle is very comfortable on the road and is ultra reliable – we’ve used it for many long distance trips and it never misses a beat. We’ve attended to some minor service items over the years: Regular Oil/Filter Changes (Mobil 1 Synthetic) Regular Emission Checks (Every 2 years) Added Remote Keyless Entry system Renewed Brakes (front and back) New Battery 2011 New Air Filter/PCV New Plugs/Wires/Cap/Rotor 2010 Front Windshield Glass 2009 Open/Discretionary Items · The power antenna is missing. The radio reception is good, so we haven’t felt the need to replace the antenna and drive track. OEM replacement antenna stalk and drive track is about $100, installation takes about 10 min. Aftermarket fixed antenna would work too, for about $25.· The driver-side mirror is intact, but the fold away mechanism is loose and the mirror has to be repositioned occasionally. It looks fine – (no cosmetic issues) and the power control works, but the spring loaded pivot mechanism has failed somehow and the spring tension is too low. Replacement of the mirror assembly would correct this issue, at a cost of $150. The mirror is color matched to the rest of the car, so you’d have to either reuse the cover shroud or have it painted to match the rest of the exterior.· There is a minor dent about the size of a quarter on the driver side of the front hood. From the appearance, it looks like someone lowered the hood with a tool on top of the engine, and it created a small dimple about ¼ inch above the rest of the hood. This was done before we owned the car, but we haven’t attempted to smooth it or have it repaired via paintless techniques. It would probably require paint work to be completely eliminated, not matter how good the dent doctor is, though.· There are several small (3 inch or so) spots on the hood, and two larger areas on the passenger side around the fender wells where the clear coat has faded/whitened due to UV aging. The underlying color coat is still intact, but I’m told the color coat has to be redone to really match well. There is no deformation to the body panels – it’s just clear coat fatigue. The balance of the exterior finish is very glossy and consistent, so it’s not clear why these areas show the fatigue.· The window trim strips at the bottom of the windows on the driver side are plastic covered, and the plastic has shrunk/cracked in some places. The metal trim itself is good, and the wipe strips that touch the glass are fine. I don’t know if these could be refinished/repainted/dipped to restore the consistent color, but they’re still functional just sun fatigued.· The leather seat surfaces are generally in very good condition, with no cuts or tears. We had the driver and front passenger seat bases recovered in matching vinyl material when the leather panels dried out and shrunk to the point that the seam stitches were beginning to tear. The seat backs are in very good shape, with minimal wear or shrinkage.· The door lock actuators for the rear side doors work some of the time, but they do not lock or unlock the doors 100% of the time. I’m pretty sure this is just a cleaning/lubrication issue with the lock mechanism on these doors, but we haven’t attempted to correct it. You have to check the rear doors when you lock the car, but it’s possible the actuators are worn or failing.· There is a rock chip on the passenger side headlight lens. The light works, but the whole lens assembly would need to be replaced to correct this issue.· The L-shaped plastic cover for driver side storage compartment in the rear cargo area is missing. Technical Details 4.5L DOHC EFI 24 valve I6 EngineElectronically Controlled Automatic TransmissionFull-Time 4-Wheel-Drive (4WD)Low Range with Locking Center DifferentialFactory Front and Rear Axle Locker (Dash-controlled)Power Moonroof (Sunroof)Alloy WheelsRoof RackRhino Guards (Front and Rear)Hood Wind DeflectorPower Exterior MirrorsRunning BoardsTrailer-Hitch ReceiverLeather SeatsPower Front SeatsCD Audio SystemCruise ControlRemote Keyless Entry System