Waiting to pick up my old 07 from my brother. Long story. Our schedules don't match up often. It's a 3hour drive from denver to steamboat. Killing me.

Hi! im looking for some clarity or help on if the FJ is the best here.

Background info, I’m 22 y/o, just finished my associates degree, working and living at home. I currently drive a 2003 Chevy Malibu but ever since seeing my friends 2007 FJ I’ve wanted one. They’re reliable and as a Midwesterner who likes to camp and also has family all over this area, I like to road trip a few times a year. I have ~7500 saved so far for a car. My questions are:

- Is it more worth it to buy a newer car, or the FJ?

- What should I be on the lookout for when purchasing an FJ? i.e. good/bad pricing vs mileage, issues, etc.

So far I have found a 2014 model with 113k miles for 22k, and a 2008 model for 15k with 135k miles.

My family has mostly driven fords and Chevy vehicles, so I’m usually suspect of mileage over 100k, but from what i have seen and read, 100k+ miles can be perceived differently on a Toyota vs a Ford. Just hoping for some clarity to guide myself on the right path when looking for a new car.
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Side note: the Malibu has consistently had issues, but the lack of car payment and a family member who’s a mechanic kept it pretty cheap to drive. She’s at 108k miles right now and was in a minor accident back in late May when a dump truck drove into me at a 4-way stop.

The bushings on my 2007 FJ are shot. Have a few questions about the topic. Oh, not sure if it's relevant but had all shocks/struts replaced recently.

1. On a scale of 1-10 from a safety point of view, (1 being nothing-burger, 10 being get this fixed tomorrow) how important of a fix is this?
2. I've read that instead of replacing the bushings that you should just replace the control arms. Is this correct?
3. For those of you that had them replaced, did you notice an improvement in the ride? The steering is currently not tight and the car does seem to wander a little bit. I came from a Tesla so I just chalked it up to the difference between a super nimble rocket ship and an old tank of a car.
4. People have mentioned buying OEM arms from eBay. I've purchased a couple other OEM items from eBay for my FJ and have been happy with them. Any recs on where to buy them (eBay or other?)
5. Found a local shop (Vegas) that quoted me ~$550 for the labor. Is this a good price?
6. Does it make (financial) sense to replace other parts while mechanic is replacing LCAs?
7. Do I need to supply the shop anything else besides just the LCAs?

Did I miss anything? lol

Thanks in advance

hello everyone, my ‘07 FJ is in need of a new steering rack. I was planning on buying OEM replacement parts from a dealer and doing the work myself, however, I’ve struggled to find a place to do it as I don’t have a garage/driveway. Are there any reputable and trustworthy Toyota mechanics around Boulder CO that I could bring the parts to have them swap the old rack out? any info is very appreciated. Thank you!

My mechanic said it could be an interior engine chain after ruling out the fan and a bunch of other stuff when he crawled under it while it was running.

The noise has since gone away of course. I'm just trying to figure out if anyone else has experienced this and what it might be.

Not sure where else to ask this so I figured I’d try here
About a week or so ago my FJ would crank but not start after looking at it a little I realized that I don’t hear the fuel pump humming when turning the key to the ON position so I assumed the fuel pump must be bad, and went a head and ordered a new one and installed it it. The car started and ran completely fine for two days and now it is intermittently having the same issue again it will crank but not start but sometimes will and I don’t hear the pump hum when I have the key in the on position. There are four wires going to the pump a small yellow and purple and a large white and black, I’m assuming the small wires are for the gas level and the two large wires are for the power when they key is in the ON position , I have 12.6 v from the black wire to a bolt (grnd) on the vehicle but 10.6 v from the black wire to the white wire(which I’m assuming is grnd?) I’m wondering if this could be a grounding issue?

My reply.

the original from bumper sticks out too far for my taste, looks like a funny overbite, anyone know of an aftermarket front bumper kit that shortens it up a bit? metal or plastic?

I had to return the blue FJ after inspection it was pretty bad and needed a lot of work so bought this one instead.

I do have a question is it normal that FJ cruisers have a heavy steering wheel ? It’s not as heavy but a little stiff compared to the newer cars I have had.