If you want a very capable off-road vehicle with a good reputation for reliability, then the answer is probably yes. These were great vehicles and were actually phenomenal in the bush where it took a lot to stop them.

The better question is probably why you wouldn’t buy one, and in that case, the answers include high fuel consumption (the FJ Cruiser was only available with a petrol engine, not a diesel). The vehicle was also a bit on the small side inside and won’t hold all the gear a typical family would need for a week away camping. Also, the two-and-a-bit door layout means access to the rear seat is a bit limited.

There’s also the matter of not buying more vehicle than you need and, if you’re not planning to go off-road or outback touring, then the FJ Cruiser is overkill. They’re also getting a bit long in the tooth these days, but a well maintained example can still be ultra-reliable.

The petrol V6 engine in an FJ Cruiser is a fairly conventional piece of equipment and shouldn’t represent too much of a problem for a mechanic with decent experience. Poor starting can be caused by any number of things but will usually come down to a fault with either the ignition or fuel system.

An engine that takes two attempts to start can often be suffering from poor fuel pressure, so a check of the pump and filters would be a good place to start. But a slack ignition system can also cause the same symptoms. If the problem is a relatively new one, it’s possible that you might have unwittingly bought a tankful of old or contaminated fuel. Start with the basics, including a mechanic that knows their way around this engine.

Hi Rebecca, generally 100,000km isn’t a concern on rugged off-road vehicles like Toyota’s retro-cool FJ Cruiser, as this has been spread out over five years now and most people will rack up at least 20,000km per-year. The crucial aspect to this is whether the FJ has a full service history (major services happen every 80,000km and 100k kilometres), and whether the bulk of those kilometres were done around town in stop-start driving, or on longer trips which cause less strain on mechanical parts. In most cases parts won’t simply start falling off once you hit 200,000km and a well looked-after FJ should be able to reach over 300,000km before major components will need to be reconditioned. As to the value I have seen sub-100,000km-old examples listed as low as $32,000 and some as high as $45,000 so it will come down to the individual FJ’s history. I would definitely have a look at the prices around Australia as you might find bargains a short road-trip away.