The value of a classic 4x4

Cweston

New Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Location
Harrisburg, NC
I have a '75 FJ40 that was purchased new by my grandmother, and has been passed down to my father, then to me. Since I've had it, I've set it up with all the goodies and I will never ever get rid of it.Last year, some punk kid broke into our shop and busted the glass out and flipped it over with a forklift. The kid was caught and admitted to doing it and we are awaiting his final court date in Superior court. I got an estimate that showed $4500 in damage, and I also have pictures of it while it was laying on it's side. I took all this to the District Attorney only to find out I may only get about half of it in restitution based on book value for an '89 model (they only go 20 yrs back). The D.A. said to bring documentation showing the actual value to get more. Any suggestions on how to do that? Do I get it appraised? And how would I get a vehicle properly appraised that has been damaged like that? Help???
 
first of all, your not going to get full value out of a restitution payment. Second of all...you may never get that payment in the first place. 3rd of all, "all the goodies" arent figured into restitution.

It sucks, and ive been in your boat before. The D.A. can ask for what ever amount he/she wants, its really up to the judge and the other guys lawyer.

That being said the value of FJs has dropped slightly lately and your going to have a hard time proving value.
 
Geez Red, a little pessimistic?

Your best bet will be to find examples of similar models for sale, e.g. AutoTrader, etc. Of course this will be a bit challenging since this is a fiarly rare vehicle, but they are out there.
Also NADA etc
Do you have any pics etc of it before the damage?

Any chance it is insurred? If so, you are golden, teh company will pay out value for the damages.
IIRC in a worst case scenerio, after the criminal charges have been files etc you can also file a civil suit for the damage money. That will take more time $ up front though.
 
lol..yeah. i guess that was pretty pessimistic. it just reminded me of what i went through and i guess the feelings came out in the post.

Gather every for sale ad you can print off for Fj 40s. take that to the DA. a 70's model 40 is alot more valuable than a 80's model. your just going to have to argue and make phone calls. If your persistant enough it will come out in your favor.
 
BigRedB2 said:
first of all, your not going to get full value out of a restitution payment. Second of all...you may never get that payment in the first place. 3rd of all, "all the goodies" arent figured into restitution.
It sucks, and ive been in your boat before. The D.A. can ask for what ever amount he/she wants, its really up to the judge and the other guys lawyer.
That being said the value of FJs has dropped slightly lately and your going to have a hard time proving value.
Click to expand...
BS, to 90% or more of this statement........you have to jump through hoops and get appraisals of what it was worth before it was trashed. You will get full value but you're going to have to do some leg work and get a good attorney.
I had a buddy have his shop get broken into and his 69 Z28 was vandalized, the kids were caught and he collected every cent for the damages after his court date. If you have insurance to cover the shop and contents, then the insurance company pays and goes after the perpetrators in court.
 
Look for values of recent ones sold at barret jackson auctions. Tell me him yours is just as nice. Print three comparisons and they will average the three for a value.
 
Thanks for the replies... I assumed already this was going to be a pain in the ass, I was told by a few others today to print out ads of comparable FJs and what they're going for, and I also have a few clean photos of the truck before it was damaged. The guy got a public defender, and the D.A. says the court will split up whatever restitution payments over the course of his probation, if he misses a payment, jail time. As far as insurance coverage goes, it wasn't a "company vehicle", so no luck there. It just angers me to know he can break into my shop, destroy my personal belongings, which are very important to me, and get no jailtime, and, if I'm lucky, only have to pay half the cost. And if I dish up some old fashioned justice myself, I go to jail.
 
BIGWOODY said:
BS, to 90% or more of this statement........you have to jump through hoops and get appraisals of what it was worth before it was trashed. You will get full value but you're going to have to do some leg work and get a good attorney.
I had a buddy have his shop get broken into and his 69 Z28 was vandalized, the kids were caught and he collected every cent for the damages after his court date. If you have insurance to cover the shop and contents, then the insurance company pays and goes after the perpetrators in court.
Click to expand...

Didnt i already cover this in my second post. and i am speaking from first hand experience. I have been through this, not a second hand account.


RKBJR said:
Another incorrect statement...
Click to expand...

proof?

first of all, the DA probably looked up an FJ60, i doubt they have foreign cars listed in their system. His listing probably said "toyota landcruiser 1989" if you have looked in the for sale section of this forum over the past few months you will know that the FJ60s arent selling unless they are dirt cheap.

an 89 "FJ40" wouldnt be called and FJ 40, it would be an banderainte. and also not available in the US without importation.
 
This might be a case where a good lawyer could really make thousands of dollars of difference. A good friend of mine went through a somewhat similar deal, where a classic vehicle of his was damaged and the insurance company was offering him a few hundred bucks. After a few talks with the lawyer he got $7000 or so, which was a lot closer to the value of the vehicle.
It sucks that the system is like that, but that's what lawyers do, might as well get one on your side...
 
As far as value goes you might want to call Cool Cruisers of Texas and talk to them. If you can get someone to help you out they can give a est value. That's all they deal with and one of the best options I can think of. If it was in great shape it could be worth well more than 10k.
 
The D.A. looked up '89 Land Cruiser, no mention of FJ whatever. Either way, as much as the lil punk is #1 on my shit list, I just want what the estimate calls for. I even have the original sales ticket from when it was purchased new, along with all (well, most) of the receipts for any parts. This truck has a lot of sentimental value, as it has been family owned since new. Believe me, I will be taking all advice into consideration, and will bring all documentation, and any info I can gather from other sources, whether it be Land Cruiser sources, or ads for FJ40s in many different conditions for comparison reasons. I can't tell you how hard it is to be patient and just let the law do it's job. Thanks again fellas.
 
Wow Im angry for you!! What a bunch of hoodlums!! Wouldnt the FJ40 be considered a "classic" car. What Im getting at is isnt it registered as a classic car therefore you get a special plate as a "collectors item" and all that recognizing it due to its age. If thats the case, you can argue the rarity for parts to fix it, not to mention it is a collectors item and a family heirloom. Someone on here said it best where its probably a good idea to shell some coin for a lawyer. But IMHO lawyers are a dime a dozen and just get lucky from time to time.

But yeah, I know from past experience and other peoples storys where vandals get off pretty easy unfortunately. Especially if this kid is a minor. And the police never follow up on restitution~so if he doesnt pay, it will probably be a while till he sees jail unless you light a fire under the po po's @ss.

I hope it works out though. There is one thing I hate more than a theif and thats a dumb wreckless vandal. If it were me I would prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. If he flipped your truck w/ a forklift did he do any damage to that as well as other things in the shop? Sounds like he ransacked it!
 
Yeah, he did more damage... $23,000 in damage to an automated drilling machine we have. Company insurance took care of that, well, they just jacked up the rates so we'll end up paying it all back anyway. He'll get his, one day.
 
Cweston said:
Yeah, he did more damage... $23,000 in damage to an automated drilling machine we have. Company insurance took care of that, well, they just jacked up the rates so we'll end up paying it all back anyway. He'll get his, one day.
Click to expand...

Keep us posted.. Im hating this kid more and more. What a dumb punk. With all the technology these days his @ss coulda sat at home and done all that carnage on Grand Theft Auto rather than bust up your stuff! Hope he at least gets a year in jail to think about it, although he probably wont. :shaking:
 
I say drop the charges smile at him say have a nice day and catch his ass out wrap him in a bed sheet and beat the dog :poop: out of him with axe handles and socks filled with bars of soap!!!
 
Back
Top