Hello Auto Board,

My title says it all. I have a really old Ridgeline that my son is currently driving, and I'm thinking of selling it and buying a high-mileage FJ Cruiser (250K miles). Based on the Carfax from the dealer, it looks as though the car has been serviced regularly, but it is still almost 20 years old (it's a 2007). If I do decide to go through with it, I'd take it to my mechanic to have it completely inspected before buying it.

I've always loved the looks of these cars, and I have wanted one for a while, but I know it's not super practical in any way. It's basically a reliable jeep. My wife thinks I'm crazy, my son would love to drive it until he graduates, at which point he will take my current ride (2016 GX) and I will take back either the Ridgeline or this FJ. I'd rather have the FJ, but it has twice as many miles as the Ridgeline! The one other thing that I really like about the FJ is that it is manual, and I want both my son (16) and my daughter (13) to learn how to drive a stick, so that is good. Am I just being irrational because I really like these FJs (and I'm really tired of the Ridgeline)? Somebody walk me back from the ledge.

If it's rust free and has even a modicum of maintenance history, I'd smash buy. YOLO

I'll give talking you out of it a go....

Instead of buying a 19 yr old FJ Cruiser you should buy a 19 yr old Land Rover or a 2007 BMW X5.

Go for it! Awesome vehicles. One thing to look for, and it shouldn't be a deal-breaker, is the cracking of the inner fenders due to the body flexing.

Depends on the price. All of the clean ones I have seen are overpriced, especially compared to a newer 4runner that shares much of the platform.

Do it

Do it. I've been driving an FJ for years now. Runs great. Gets crappy mileage. Fun and easy to tinker with. Great aftermarket support.

I offroad and overland and tow my boat with a 2000 Nissan Xterra with 290,000 miles on it. Just did a trip out at big bend ranch about 3 weeks back, and had zero concern.

The drivetrain in that Toyota is at least as reliable, if not more, with proper maintenance. Fix the major bugs, don't sweat the small stuff that happens with an older vehicle, and it can give you a few years for sure.

YellAgs, DM Sent. It looks like the majority of the board says "Do it!". Ha. I appreciate the enthusiasm. I'll keep you guys posted.

We had one and I loved it. Wish I still had it.

I thought these were pretty cool when they came out. Everyone I talked to about it was like "are you a lesbian softball coach?" Now, suddenly, FJ Cruisers are a hot commodity. Funny how that happens.