This 1980s Toyota Land Cruiser Costs $135,000

The Toyota Land Cruiser has become a high-end SUV with an expensive price tag, but this legendary vehicle comes from very humble beginnings. Introduced over 70 years ago, the Land Cruiser started off as a highly utilitarian piece of machinery; one can simply look at the classic FJ40 Series to get an idea of what this SUV was all about.

These days the Land Cruiser is a premium product, and even though people modify modern versions, nothing comes close to the FJ40, especially ones with a few tasteful modifications. Just look at this stunning 1983 example by Leyton Cars Classics that received a comprehensive restoration and looks even better than the day it left the factory floor.

The exterior features a Militia Green matte paint job that perfectly suits its history as a military vehicle, and is expertly contrasted by an orange fabric top that feels both modern, fresh, and period correct. Leyton has added a few must-haves to the exterior such as a new grille, an 8,000-lbs Warn winch, a ton of LED off-road lamps, and a high-lift jack. Modern touches include a set of modern turn signals and LED headlights. A hardcore Colombia off-road bumper and a set of chunky off-road wheels finish off the look.

The suspension has been changed out for an ARB/Old Man Emu leaf spring and Nitrocharger sport shock setup that results in a 2.5-inch lift, and the front wheels feature updated disk brakes.

Under the hood sits the original 4.2-liter inline-six engine, which sends 143 horsepower and 230 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.

Jump inside and this 39-year-old Land Cruiser looks better than new. The Militia Green matte paint and orange theme runs throughout the interior, with Orange leather seats upholstery, as well as an orange shifter boot, door panels and headliner. This old dog even gets air conditioning, a rear-view camera, and a part-digital instrument cluster. This Land Cruiser has less power than a Mazda Miata, and less features than a base model Ford F-150, but sports a price tag of $135,000 (and an odometer that shows just 226 miles). Of course we’d buy it.