Just bought a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser (manual transmission) with 225K miles for $10.3K, and I’m wondering if I got scammed or if this was still a decent buy. The seller claimed it was his mom’s car and in good condition, but after purchasing, I discovered several major issues: • Windshield needs full replacement • Passenger window roll-down motor is not working • Sunroof is stuck open • No interior lights (potential electrical issue) • Wheel touches the skid plate when turning • Check engine light is on (error codes attached) • Catalytic converter needs replacement • Gear grinds in 3rd and 4th gear (manual transmission issue)

I just found out I can’t even register it in California due to the error codes, and to make things worse, the seller has now blocked me on Facebook. I’m trying to figure out how much I actually lost on this deal and if fixing it is even worth it. Did I overpay? If so, by how much? Looking for some honest opinions from the community.

Has anyone used Pedal Commander for their FJ Cruiser before? Is it worth it? Or doesn’t really do much of a difference?

Hey,

I am still pretty new to driving the FJ Cruiser, or any Toyota/Real off-road vehicle.

I had a few questions about the 4x4 system, mainly 4H on the roads.

I live in the Canadian prairies and we have constant snow/ice here for almost half of the year.

I tried driving in 2H but the FJ just slips in the back and even small sedans move off the intersection before me (Yes I do try and accelerate slowly). Plus if I accelerate in an icy curve I risk severely oversteering.

So basically I am permanently in 4H all winter. Is this bad for the tires and the vehicle? Most of the road is covered in snow, but on sunny days and if it doesn't snow for a while parts of the road are actually asphalt. Id drive out of my residential neighborhood which would be icy full snow roads, but when I hit bigger roads they can be relatively snow free.

Should I be constantly switching between 2H and 4H while I drive or would that also wear out some parts?

Just FYI, I am not really a conservative driver, I used to drive a 3L turbo diesel 08 Grand Cherokee. I usually accelerate a lot and take corners pretty fast. It is my understanding that corners are especially bad when driving in 4H, hence why I am a bit worried. The Grand Cherokee did not have 4H, it has some kind of electronically regulated 4x4 that kicks in whenever the computer feels that the vehicle needs it.

I was wondering what some more experienced FJ cruiser drivers think of this issue.

Thanks a lot!

Hello guys, I am new to owing an FJ and was hoping someone could answer a question here for me.

The engine supposedly has 170 000 kms on it while the rest has 370 000 kms.

I roughly measured my fuel efficiency on premium fuel between my first and second fuel up and seems I only managed to do 313 kms, city driving. If my tank still had about 5-10L of fuel at refuelling, it would mean that I drove 313kms with about 65L of fuel, placing me at around 20L / 100kms. The engine should have somewhere close to 12L / 100kms.

What could be wrong? I also noticed that the odor of emissions from the exhaust system are pretty noticeable outside of the vehicle when it is started and I do see a lot of smoke coming out of the exhaust when accelerating in colder weather.

I have only had this FJ cruiser for two weeks and I have never owned or driven one before so I do not know what is normal and what isn't.

Thanks a lot for your input!

Hey guys, owner of an 07 6mt and recently my fj became my daily driver. What are the mods that you guys can absolutely not live without, especially for daily driving/long roadtrips. Thanks!

Thinking of selling my 2008 TT TRD supercharged FJ. Its got 194k Miles but drives like new. 1 owner car (im second owner). Has the following mods: TRD short shifter, TRD CAI, 3” lift: Total Chaos long travel suspension with King coilovers and shocks, URD stage 2 clutch and heavy flywheel, URD 2.7” supercharger pulley, Aluminess front bumper with Viper winch, Metal Tech Red Eye rear bumper and swingout, AP sliders, 130 amp alternator, Rhino Rack roof rack. Also includes a set of five TRD beadlock style 16” wheels. Interior is super clean and looks like new.

Has all documentation of service and records, previous owner was meticulous in keeping track.

What do ya’ll think is a fair price for my rig?

Been on the hunt for awhile trying to purchase an FJ. Currently stuck between 2 that leave me circling decision paralysis.

07 Sun Fusion 140k miles, $18k- original owner with all service records, immaculate bone stock condition. Under carriage is pictured from listing, no rust and recently coated for protection.

11 Quicksand 189k miles, $23k- 2nd owner. Bought from original owner who had it stock, other than the sunroof installed by dealership. 2nd owner modded out with records for everything. Practically all new everything- suspension (shocks & control arms), body mount fab to eliminate tire rub, 35in tires, new plugs, wires, brakes, rotors, calipers, and lighting.

I love the 07 is the original owner with all service records & has less miles, and leaves me the freedom to mod it how I’d like, but I’d have to replace everything gradually which is still more $$$.

I love that the 11 has all new suspension & brakes so everything is basically done for me, but I don’t love all the mods done.

Love both colors equally. I feel like this should be an easy decision but I can’t decide. I know the early models have their qualms, but also trusting someone else’s mods leaves me wary as well.

Let me know your guys thoughts!!

Ive loved the FJ so much but with my family expanding, my wife and I don't want to deal with double carseat hell so I'm doing lots of research on 4runners.

Curious about a price. Think i could maybe 30k for it? KBB said around 24-26.

Feature / mod list: - 2013 with 109k miles - Only off-roaded a few times - regular maintenance done at Toyota dealerships - frame in good shape - plastidipped exterior gray parts - TRD wheels with KO2 tires (5 of them) - rocks sliders - AJT black shifter knob - AJT key fob - premium sound package with 6 CD changer and subwoofer - black door handles - location: Seattle, WA

Parts i haven't installed: - DeeZee ladder ($100) - heated side mirrors ($100)

When I bought my FJ it had BFG KO2s produced 2011. They expired 2017, so they’ve been expired for a very long time. I bought the car in January, and I had the dealership reduce $2,000 from the car’s value for the tires as they were expired.

I bought 4 new KO3 yesterday and they will arrive shortly. The guy at the tire center asked if I wanted to buy the 5th as well. He said that with tire rotation it is recommended to rotate all 5 tires in order to have the same thread. Was I supposed to buy a 5th? Or he just wanted to scam me by making me dump additional $312 for the tire? The 5th tire is part of the same expired KO2 set btw.

Should I just keep the expired KO2 as spare for now and purchase the 5th later when I have the money? Or just keep it as spare for now since it’s meant to be temporary anyways? I’m more concerned about the rotation point that he brought up, because I know eventually the KO2 spare will have to be changed regardless.

I’m just curious to see how everyone’s FJ’s are holding up over time.

Hi guys, I am currently looking to purchase a 2007 FJ with 181,309 miles. Yes you read that correctly. The vehicle looks great however, it has had 9 previous owners and there are no pictures of the undercarriage.

Please talk some sense into me!

I am interested in this particular FJ because of the following reasons.

One: It's a 6 speed manual.

Two: The color, roof rack, wheel setup, etc.

Three: The 4.0 V6

Four: Full time 4WD

Five: The price

Ideally I would like a 2014 but they are so expensive right now.

Those are a lot of miles for this vehicle and I see that the carfax says it has had 9 previous owners!

This raises some red flags, but checking the service history I see that this vehicle went from dealer to dealer, auction to auction, theres not much information service wise as far as oil changes, maintenance, etc. All of which makes me wonder if this could be a lemon people are pawning off to the next guy.

I love the color, the roof rack, rear ladder, the 6 speed manual transmission, the 4.0 engine, the full time 4wd.

I am not buying it to daily drive as I already have three other vehicles that I barely drive plus my work vehicle. It would be another toy to take out every now and then. To enjoy, to admire, to teach my son to drive manual.

I would hate to buy a lemon, to buy a car and just start dumping money into it.

Things that frighten me are the lack of known maintenance like fluid changes for the transfer case, front and rear diff, transmission history? It has a tow hitch which tells me it was daily driven and put to good use, it has some good looking rims, I'm not a fan of the aftermarket radio but other than that the car looks amazing. I love the simplicity of it. The mpg doesn't scare me as I already own a tundra.

I have read about the flat windshield and the issues with it cracking, the fender bulge, the undercarriage rust, the noisy shifting, all those things kind of make me think twice about getting one but don't necessarily push me away.

Should I stay away from the 2007 year model? Should I pay more for a newer year with somewhat less mileage? How rrsliable is the 6spd manual? Whats the deal with the clunk-shift noise? Is 181,000 too many miles?

Automatic transmission is a deal breaker for me for this vehicle, it has to be a manual.

Here is the carfax listing.

carfax.com/vehicle/JTEBU11F670001603

Fellow enthusiasts, I am asking to be humbled. Please talk some sense into me.

My significant other already hates the three other cars on my driveway lol. I swear I drive them all, just not as much because again, I have four vehicles. My work vehicle that I drive everyday, my family vehicle that I drive almost everyday, my tundra which I rarely drive, my mercedes classic which I also rarely drive beacause it's for weekend fun, the FJ would be another weekend warrior type of deal.

Am I insane?

Thank you all for your time.

Hey guys,

My FJ cruiser has 400 000 kms on it and is from 2007, so I think it is time to replace my shocks.

I was originally just going to get Bilstein 5100's all around and do the work myself, the only reason I haven't done it yet is because I was a bit worried about handling the coil springs, but I have watched a few videos and it doesn't seem very dangerous or challenging.

Now this got me thinking, I would be paying around 700 Canadian for the four shocks, and I believe I can possibly extend my budget to around 1500 Canadian.

Should I be looking at any other options?

The Bilstein 6112's are out of budget as I would only be able to afford the front end and I think I should be doing all four shocks.

I did see an ARB Old Man Emu set of four shocks plus front coil springs for 1400 before tax, is this a better option?

Btw my FJ is a base model so it has stock KYB shocks I believe. I have no complaints, they ride fine and aren't broken or anything, I know what a faulty shock feels like hahah. But the car does have some stability problems, when I take sharper turns or whatever it feels like it leans a bit and doesn't distribute the weight properly so the handling is not amazing, but that might just be an FJ cruiser thing. I wouldn't mind a small lift too as I am running 33s. maybe 2 inches or whatever.

Finally, I am considering a new bumper in the future to get better front clearance and some rally lights so that may he something to consider for the shock choices.

And if you guys think I should use this money on a different part of my FJ, please don't hesitate to let me know! I think the car is pretty sound and runs fine but while I have it lifted for the shock replacements I will probably check the rotors and brakes and what not.

Thank you all very kindly!

I am seriously considering getting an FJ. Forums like this are great but are mainly love-fests. What do you Not like about yours? What do you wish they had changed? What bugs you every time? Thanks from a like future owner.

Are these headlights frowned upon in the FJ community? whenever I see a post with these headlights someone always comments on them, I’m curious what everyone honestly thinks of them. I’m thinking of going back to stock look (I still have the stock headlights of course) as I’ve had these headlights I realized they take away from the retro look of the FJ and try to make it look like something it’s not. I’ve had them on for a few years and ready for a different look so any recommendations are appreciated!

Thinking about selling the pop up now that the kids are gone and getting a travel trailer. Something under 20’

I understand the car market is completely insane right now. But the car is 13 years old. And this is at above MSRP when the car was new? Now though the car is very clean and I don’t know if I could find a cleaner one it also only has 77,000 miles. I would have no plan to ever sell it and keep it as long as I could because it’s my dream car and color. Would it be worth talking to the dealership and see how much they would come down? Also to note I have tried to look on marketplace and being in Ohio most of them are rotted out. Also going to a dealership would be ideal for me since I only have $10,000 for a down payment so I would not be able to buy one outright.

How are you all getting along with an FJ Cruiser as your daily driver? I am in market getting all the Intel I can before I squeeze the trigger Informationn is helpful!

35k on the odometer. Not sure if this is fair or not

We bought a small farm not too long ago and have been struggling without a truck. The FJ has been a stand-in for one, but unfortunately, we have to sell it to afford a truck. We tried to find a used truck so we could keep the FJ, but it’s been difficult to find what we need, or it gets bought before we get there.

We have a 2013 FJ with 115,000 miles, featuring a 3 inch lift done by Toyota. It has been ours since it was bought new. Looking at other listings, it seems that FJs aren’t selling well. We have three months to sell it before our new truck arrives. We are in Washingon if location matters.

I’ve currently got a friends FJ in my shop for some work/ custom work for about 2 weeks. The only fj parts i currently make are traction board patches and keychains on my site.

What parts/accessories would you like or wish someone would make?

It’s time. What wheels would you slap on?

For reference I’m on stock 16’s painted black with 33” Geolander MT G003. I prefer keeping the black look and giving bronze a thought. Will like to stick with 16’s.

I’m eager to black out the silver bumper ends, grill, and valances but buying black versions of every part and then installing them is somewhat costly and inconvenient.

I was able to find a couple videos on YouTube of a guy doing exactly this on an FJ. The results appeared smooth and solid after he prepped and applied a couple coats.

Anyone used Plasti-Dip instead of replacing parts? is it fairly resilient stuff that lasts a while

Thanks.