Jokingly asked my wife if I could by an FJ40. She surprised me and said I could use some of my retirement savings for Valentine's Day. Found a low mileage '69 FJ40 on E-Bay. Seller had over 500 "5 star" ratings, no negatives. Answered questions, etc. Listed all things as recently restored except a 350 Chevy V8.

We started out to see the rig in SoCal from north-central Washington. Got as far as central Oregon when I had to check into the ER with heart failure. We headed home and arranged to have it shipped.

His description (Comments in red):

Four wheel drive powertrain works well (One Warn hub frozen=PTM transfer case leaks)

5 off-road tires Arrived with two flats all tires need replacing)

All power train in excellent condition Radiator and oil leaks

Others: Ignition switch is located BEHIND roll bar and almost impossible to reach.

Front bucket seat held in place by the tool box latch.

Window scratched and chipped

Paint overspray on side mirrors, window glass, tires.

Electrical wires to license plate lights, tail lights and back up lights cut and mot connected.

Battery dead

Weather stripping largely non-existent.

Realized it was "Buyer Beware", so I posted negative feedback on E-Bay. It was pulled w/o explanation ($$$$$$??)