HJ61 Sahara, backwards step?

Getting on a bit IMHO. You'll miss the ride of the coils.
Check that rust issue, esp in the roof, and the transfer case for oil transferring.
Gerry

as Joc said watch out for those tell tail signs.

Also if it has not been off road or in 4WD much the idler shaft in the gearbox has a rtendancy to chatter away and wear. Usual on higher K vehicles but you don't actually mention K's.

Having said that the HJ61 were a good vehicle in their time but the ride and noise levels a nowhere near as good as the Prado so you maybe better finding a 80 at the right price.

You cant go wrong with a 60 or 80 series. I got a fj62 Sahara & will not part with it.
Yes they ride a little ruffer than a prado but are twice as tough. If you get one in good condition it will last a lifetime with care. Try to get one from inland. I got mine from Charleville qld & has absolutely no rust in it.
Really mine rides quite well for a leaf vehicle & will go where ever i want it to.
Very cheap to maintain & after market gear everywhere for them including very reasonably priced panels if the need arise.
The 12 ht & the 2h is a lovely donk that i love for a diesel. Very reliable (just dont get it hot !) Cheap to rebuild if needed & basic to work on for a home mechanic.(although i am a diesel mechanic)
basic driveline that always works (lsd fitted to the back on Sahara model's)
personally i believe they are the best L/C Toyota built.
Air,power windows,lsd,built in fridge on some model's,auto if you want it,good seats, good dash layout & room to put accessory's in & all in a true rugged 4x4.
My wife loves it & it is not a real problem to park.....666TOY

I've got a mate with one and with decent suspension and a rear diff lock it will be pretty capable. they are pretty solid old truck and the motor will go pretty much forever with regular servicing.
As has been said the biggest problem is rust, mechanically bits are freely available and pretty cheap. The oil pumping problem between transfer and gearbox doesn't exist with auto's and is easily fixed if it is a manual.
I've got amate with one and it is very reliable and solid as and pretty comfortable to boot.
Going 'backwards' isn't always a backward step especially considering the 'disposable' mentality which seems to exist with most later model 4wd's.
The whole reason I went 'backwards' with the Humvee, 19 y/old and virtually indestructable, cheaper parts, simpler to work on, bugger all electronics and cheaper to insure.
Peter

We also had 4 kids. Main problem with the HJ61 is that they are all at least 17 years old.

We went the other way - we owned a HJ61 Sahara before the Prado. Had the HJ61 for about 7 years. Rarely put 3 across the middle seat anyway - usually 2 kids in the middle and two in the back, with some breathing space between them. Not much room behind the 3rd row in either vehicle.

Can't say that the 61 series had any more room than the Prado. It was a little wider maybe in the cab, but about the same everywhere else, and the Prado had a lower rear floor because the spare was on the back instead of underneath. The Sahara had split middle seat for easy rear access, unlike your '96 Prado.

Your maintenance costs will rise with the 61series. Swivel hubs and wheel bearings are regular service items. And you'll need 10.5 litres of oil every 5k, instead of 10k services on your Prado. You can stretch the 12H-T services to 10k, given that its a Direct Injection motor, but thats up to you.
Fuel consumption will be marginally better than your V6 Prado - but not a whole lot different - you might get 12 l/100k out of the HJ61 vs say 14-15 l/100k out of the V6 Prado.

If the leaf springs are saggy on the 61 series, they will cost a bit to fix.
The 12H-T was a brilliant motor in its day but can be costly to repair and the extra power of the TD can take its toll on the gearbox and clutch. These needed repairing on mine before it reached 200k.
Autos were pretty reliable.
Radiators can easily crack top tanks - replacing the tank is cheap, replacing the complete radiator is expensive.
Diffs are very strong.
Brakes - the rear drums brakes can bind when 4wding - reversing back down steep hills may inadvertently adjust up the rear shoes.
Fuel tank is only 90litres, unless you have aftermarket tanks.
Wheels are 15x7 on the GXL and Sahara.
The sunroofs are often dead by now.
The rear airconditioners are very costly to fix. Many people ditch the rear aircond, and just live with the front one.
The front bucket seats on the Sahara are not as good as the Prado.

If you can find a good HJ61 Sahara, then they are a great vehicle. Just be prepared for the extra maintenace a few more repairs than you've probably had with your younger Prado.

Bushfix, I have an 86 12HT Sahara, 215K.
I bought it at 130K in 93 and the only problem, the main control for the electric windows on the drivers door packed up.
It seems to be about just where you rest your knee while driving, and the switch packed up due to a bit of flexing and cracked the circuit board. $450 for a new one!!!
Guess where I don't rest my knee now?
One bit of rust on the edge of the sunroof, about the size of a zac, and it will be fixed soon. No other rust.
Lots of people tell me not to part with it, it's the best LC by far.
Certainly I am very happy with it and not too many electrics, which is important out in the outback with dust and corrugations etc.
Dave

last of the 2/90 hj61s.Auto.408000 klms. Travels the Duncan and Tanami roads all the time. We even just duck out the Keep at night for a bbq tea.
I did the turbo in November Injectors and Pump at 370000.
Replaced front springs about two weeks ago with Blue Max comforts 50mm lift and new shocks all round, trade price was just under six hundred. So far no problem with auto but change oil every 30 thousand and also only tow in 3rd.
If you get an auto get someone who knows how to adjust lock up convertor about 90 klms an hour instead of close to where it drops into fourth at 75klms an hour. Also if you can get an australian delivered one that is twelve volt not twenty four.
Its what I do for a living working on 4bs, grin why I own a 61.

I do not know anything about the Parado but I do have a 87 HJ61 and a 96 1HZ 80 series. The 80 has the better suspension,steering,brakes etc but there is nothing like the power from the 12 HT.I bought the 80 to do a Vic trip from Qld towing a camper trailer,our fuel economy was approx 7-8 klm per ltr travelling at the speed limit.It was a comfortable trip except a noticeable lack of power passing or going up hills.Last year we done a trip around Qld towing the same camper trailer travelling at higher speeds on the outback roads and we averaged 8.3 klm per ltr overall.We beat 2 other Ni$$an 3.0ltr on economy.On normal driving I get approx 10 klm per Ltr .Anyway I am starting to ramble on a bit so what I am trying to say is I was going to sell the 12 HT but I cannot part with it just yet as it is a pleasure to drive just to feel the power.

G'Day Bushfix,

I have a HJ60 2H Turbo (arb) Auto, think that the 60 series is fantastic but same advice as above on things to check for. The ride is fairly good with decent suspension. They are getting old though and even good ones may require some money spent to bring up to scratch. I would allow 2-4k for repairs and upgrades as that is about what it has cost me. Not a reason not to get one but just a realistic view about cost.

Personally I think the sahara would be a great vehicle for the money.Very much dought you will get a big space advantage. However there is absalutly no dought newer is better If given the choice I would take your prado every time. If i had less than 10 grand to spend i would snap up the sahara but in answer to the question yea your going backwards

thanks all you blokes for your comments. my gut feeling is that my heart should not rule my head here. if i can only afford one vehicle (and I already have a good one) then yes it does feel like a step backwards if there is not much interior space to be gained AND the vehicle is that much older. hmmmmm.