The ideal Bohol cruiser

Janis Joplin's old song, "Mercedes Benz" always comes to mind whenever I see one of these modified vintage Toyota J40 Land Cruisers, circa 1970s.

The Toyota J40 is the model designation for a Toyota Land Cruiser 40 series made from 1960 until 1984. Most were built as two-door vehicles with slightly larger dimensions than a Jeep CJ.

I may seem like someone with a peculiar taste for cars but if you lived in Metro Manila in which some streets can get suddenly flooded even with just a few minutes of continuous rainfall, having one of these modified 4x4 Land Cruisers with hydraulic supension can be a wondrous joy.

A fully restored edition, if you can find one for sale, usually costs around P450,000. However, I was warned by someone who owns one that it isn't a vehicle that can be parked just about anywhere unattended. Apparently, there has been a growing demand for its parts that these Toyota Land Cruisers have become a prized target by local carnappers.

However, Toyota has come up with newer editions of this workhorse.  Aptly named the Toyota FJ Cruiser, it is a retro style SUV with styling and off road performance reminiscent of the original Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers.

It was introduced as a concept car at the February 2003 Chicago Auto Show, and was approved for production after positive consumer response.  It debuted at the January 2005 North American International Auto Show in final production form.  The FJ cruiser is built by Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors in Hamura, Japan since 2006 and shares many structural underpinnings from the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.

Not only in the streets of Manila, but in Bohol as well, this FJ Cruiser would make an ideal vehicle to drive around in.

So Lord, won't you buy me ...

Your Sunday Best

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