I recently stumbled onto a few of them, but have one question. Each one I've seen didn't have a roll bar. These things definately had them from the factory right? Assuming that the roll bars have been removed, I guess it wouldn't pass shaken since it is supposed to have all original safety equipment.

Also, does anyone in Oz know if the same models were sold there as in Japan?

Nope... No roll cage in the 4runner surfs on the JDM market. all the holes are in the floorpan etc but no cage. I used to manufacture/fit rollcages to the old 4runners. It seems they either care very little for the safety of their own population or they are very strict on saving weight. Most of the late eighties/ early nineties imports had minimal safety features. Most of the coronas/soarers/supras etc don even have side intrusion impact bars fitted to the doors. So pretty much relying on the strength of the 1mm thick tin the doors are made from. They didn even have child restraint anchors in them (or seatbelts in the rears sometimes).

We demand pics of Surfs, Landcruisers, Pajeros, Pajero Evos, L200s, Hiluxs, and whatever other 4x4s you see. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

wow. so I guess they didn't ride with the tops off then. That's crazy.

Apparently, the second gen was the most popular of the surfs, which I thought to be strange since it didn't have the cool factor of a removable top (albeit) a pita to remove - then you have to have a place to put the top when off...). Now it makes more sense.

I meant to take pics, but always seem to forget my camera.

I've found two, each with an asking price of at least 7000US! I guess since most of the 1st gens have long be thrown away and exported, the few remaining demand a hefty price. Part of the problem is that each of the one's I found had a rebuilt motor, even though they had less than 150,000 km on the odo.

Should have seen the look on the guys face when I told him mine has over 200,000... miles... on the same motor (although with one of EBs timing chain kits). Actually, that would've been the best picture. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Old or new? The most common 80's rigs I see are cruisers. How about a pic of the occasional hummer h2 trying to fit in a parking space the size of costco/sams shopping cart? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Snap a few pics whatever if you dont mind.

Isnt it mandatory to rebuild or swap in a new engine when you get to a certain ammount of miles/kms?

My understanding of the Surf is that the original head is very weak. No surprise if one of those has been rebuilt.

Before I got my Pajero, I was looking into the Prado. Same engine as the Surf.

My understanding is that they buy their cars tax free over in japan but after they turn 5 years old they have to either trade up or start paying the tax. That was how it was explained to me anyways.

I don't know about the new car jazz, never had one here. The only tax required is road tax and that is a yearly requirement. US military members get a reduced rate, but the tax on native Japanese drivers is pretty hefty. I will say that the roads are in GREAT condition around here, so damage to vehicles due to poor driving surfaces at high speeds is minimal. I think it works.

What engine did they use in the surf? I think the ones I found had 2.0 liter engines. I know they didn't have the 22r series (too bad).

Pretty sure they were the 2l-T turbo diesel. Not the most exciting rig to drive.

Hey oyaji! (sorry couldn't resist), I think you guys get off easier the rest of us. There are actually 2 taxes, each of which are due yearly. Rusty - I think people start tossing out cars after that start having to do the safetly inspection.

1. "car tax" (jidosha-zei) based on engine size, a 1.5-2.0 liter is about 39,000 yen, about $350US, maybe a bit less. 2.0-2.5 is 45,000. This is paid to the local governments

2. "weight tax" (juryo-zei) which I hear a lot of people call road tax, since it's for the roads, which is based on car weight. This is often paid (to national govt.) at the same time people do shaken

The shaken (safety inspection) is due 3 years after you first buy a car, then every other year after that. At some point it may become mandatory every year, but I am not sure about that.

A lot of Japanese get rid of their cars after they have to start paying for shaken because until recently, it was stupidly expensive. A lot of books were published on - get this - how to actually take the car to the inspection station and get it inspected yourself for 10s of dollars, as opposed to paying a dealer *thousands* of dollars to take it their for you. So the dealer shaken prices have been (according to wikipedia) coming down.

These 2 were gasoline, which surpised me because I was under the impression that most were diesel. There should (probably is) a lot of good diesels available for export since you can't drive the older one's in Tokyo any more.

You may be right about the tax that gets payed with shaken. For shaken, I just take it to the inspector, turn in the paperwork my wife filled out, buy the stamp for the amount the little lady behind the desk tells me to pay and be on with it. You're spot on for the car tax (we call road tax erroneously) amounts. It's pretty much universal throughout the country...

Good to see more people here that are over here. I really want to go wheeling and can't wait to get back in my Raider.

Yeah always good find "locals", though I'm only over there as of late for about half the year. We are almost as far apart as possible in Japan, sasebo to akita (obviously not as far as okinawa to hokkaido)

I found links to the 2 surfs I found. Both are 1988.

One has 120,000 km and The other has only 69,000 km but has a completely unnecessary body lift

Are you kidding? I'd drive that second one in a hearbeat!!!!

When this tour is up, I'll have a total 7-1/2 years on this side of the world. Been stationed in Sasebo for the entirety, though I've been all over the country. I like the pace down here.

As far as that truck is concerned, the body lift is 100% unnecessary here(or anywhere for that matter IMO). I don't think I'd touch that one...

I guess I should have qualified that with unnecessary for Japan where you would exclude yourself from many roads, parking lots, etc. Not a lot of places to really go wheeling so most of these rigs are mainly on the street which is often very very narrow.

Ummm... there is a body lift because those tires wouldnt fit on a stock truck...
So what you're really trying to say, is that a lifted truck is impractical in japan, which is something i could agree with. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Your right, but I feel that the body lift on that truck is asking for trouble. It must be 5" tall and, in my opinion, is too much. There are other ways to lift a truck, as you know, and Toyota's have more options than others. I feel the stress on the joining materials holding that thing together have got to be extreme. Therefor, I personally wouldn't do that to my rig, nor would I buy a rig that had that done to it. I'm not sure what kind of stress damage is done to the body panels where those pucks are at.

Disclaimer: this is purely my opinion. To each his own, of course.

Indeed. If you're ever up in tohoku, pm me

Wow now that i see that, that is one hell of a body lift... i wouldnt trust one over 3"... and that looks like more <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" />
Too bad, the truck looks killer otherwise