Most car enthusiasts will tell you that when it comes to dependable commuter cars, Toyotas are the way to go. If you have a well-maintained one that’s never been in a major accident, you’ve got yourself a stellar machine on your hands. Earlier models without complex infotainment systems are also easier to upgrade, too.
Some older Toyota models, however, get folks more excited than others. For instance, this “old rare Toyota” someone traded into a Nissan dealership.
Puyallup Nissan (@puyallupnissan) posted a TikTok showing off the car, leaving several folks scratching their heads. They couldn’t understand why anyone would trade the vehicle in for a Nissan of all things.
A ‘fun, little’ ride
The dealership worker’s video begins with him holding up a pair of keys to the camera. According to the employee, the customer “upgraded to a brand-new Nissan” after trading in a “fun little 2007 Toyota.”
“Let’s go take a look at something I’ve never shown you,” he says. The video then shows a white top coupled with a striking blue paint job on the small truck. It is unmistakably an FJ Cruiser.
The TikToker approaches the car as he speaks about its specifications. “Now I heard this thing has really low miles,” he says. “Pretty cool, I thought these were four-door for some reason but I guess they’re two-door.”
He approaches the car showing off its compact body before stating that he “wish[es] they still made this.” Next, he compares between the FJ Cruiser and another small SUV in Nissan’s lineup: the Xterra.
“It’s just a cool sleek design,” he says, gushing about the vehicle’s aesthetics.
The FJ’s rear interior
@puyallupnissan #nissanxterra #toyotafjcruiser #raretoyota ♬ original sound – Puyallup Nissan
First, the Puyallup Nissan worker wants to see what the rear seat legroom looks like. After cracking open the front door, he reveals that the car has an opposite-end opening door for entry.
“Looks nice,” he surmises before approving of the backseat headroom space as well.
There’s also “a big subwoofer” in the trunk area.
“Was that stock?” he asks after showing the piece of audio tech on camera.
Judging from this post on an FJ Cruiser forum made by someone looking to purchase an OEM subwoofer, it was stock. After getting out of the backseat area, however, the Nissan worker notices something strange about the suicide door.
“It’s kind of funny they put a warning label,” he says. “Hold, bottle, only. So weird, have a cup holder but tell him to hold it?”
Front of the FJ
Immediately he says that the driver’s area of the small Toyota trucker looks great, save for the “little bit of wear” on the chair. “It’s all fixable. I assume this will pass inspection. It is an ’07 though,” he says.
Continuing to assess the car, he cracks open the glovebox to reveal “the old owner’s manual.” Highlighting the design of the book, the dealership worker was taken aback by how “old fashioned” its aesthetic was. It appears that the brand’s penchant for being slow to adopt new tech also extends to graphic design.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the “original window sticker” to see what its previous owner paid for the machine. As he placed the keys in the ignition to start the vehicle up he commented on the FJ’s age.
“These things are old enough to be considered probably collector’s items,” he says.
Slash Gear would agree. The automotive outlet states that although the car has been out of production for 10 years, folks still love it. According to the site, that has a lot to do with the vehicle’s unique design language.
“The FJ stands out; not for what is, but for what it isn’t,” it states. “Similarly to the Jeep Wrangler, the FJ eschewed conventional style norms of more popular crossover SUVs in favor of practicality and functionality.”
Older Toyotas are often celebrated for their functionality and dependability—but they’d hardly win beauty pageants. That’s changed in recent years: Just take a look at the new Toyota Prius’ stunning aesthetics.
Crank that engine
After turning on the vehicle, the dealership worker noticed “there’s a little buzzing noise.” He points to the infotainment system which he says is “all stock. Always like to see that. The buzzing noise went away.”
The best part of the car, however, seems to be the number of miles its owner racked up on the odometer. Despite being a 17-year-old old, it only accrued a little bit over 84,000 miles.
“I saw the CarFax too…one owner, clean,” he says. “All this is really cool. Love to see older cars.”
In a follow-up video. the employee also pointed out another strange quirk of the FJ Cruiser: It has three, small windshield wipers. He added that the customer who traded the car in purchased two new vehicles at once: a Nissan Rogue and Altima.
@puyallupnissan Replying to @ORIGINS #toyotafjcruiser #fjcruiser #upgradetoanewnissan ♬ original sound – Puyallup Nissan
TikTokers couldn’t believe the trade-in
Many viewers stated that the customer would’ve been better off with the FJ.
“That FJ Cruiser is gonna outlast the Rogue and Altima they traded it for,” one person remarked.
Another simply said, “They downgraded.”
Someone else chimed, “Nothing like an Xterra and definitely not an upgrade.”
An FJ owner who seemed happy with their purchase also surmised that the owners would come to rue this choice: “I have one, they will regret the trade.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Puyallup Nissan and Toyota via email for further information.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
