When the Toyota FJ Cruiser arrived for the 2006 model year, it impressed with its retro design, robust underpinnings, and excellent off-roading capabilities. As a result, this capable Toyota sold well the first couple of years it was on sale. However, the sales boom didn’t stick around, and neither did this SUV. That’s because the Japanese carmaker decided to pull the plug officially in 2014.

However, Toyota’s latest sales figures report for 2021 revealed a surprising bit of information. That’s because a brand-new one of these SUVs just sold. As you might imagine, these SUVs have borderline become collector’s items. If we had to guess, a brand-new example with zero miles on the clock likely sold for a considerable sum.

When did the Toyota FJ Cruiser go out of production?

While the Toyota FJ Cruiser officially went out of production for the 2014 model year, a brand-new one just found a home. As you might imagine, the carmaker’s latest sales report doesn’t tell us much. For starters, we only know that this SUV sold sometime during the first half of 2021. As a result, we don’t know where this off-roader was hiding or how much its brand-new owner ended up paying to take it home.

While the sale of this Toyota FJ Cruiser might seem a bit odd, it’s actually not rare for discontinued models to register a handful of sales per year. For example, Dodge managed to sell a handful of Vipers last year, several years after they went out of production.

If it seems like these cars are hiding across the country in dealerships, that’s because they are. It’s not completely unheard of for dealerships to retain low-volume vehicles while speculating a future price increase.

This off-roader has been selling for years

This phenomenon isn’t even rare within the FJ Cruiser’s world. That’s because CarSalesBase reports that this off-roader has continued to sell well years after its discontinuation. For example, 2015 saw the sale of 229 SUVs. Since this is the year directly after its cancellation, these were likely leftover units stuck at dealerships across the U.S. However, the sales don’t stop there.

In 2016, nine of these SUVs found brand-new homes, marking a significant decrease. Before the latest unit sold in 2021, the last FJ Cruiser sale occurred in 2018 when another of these brand-new SUVs sold. As a result, it had been a few years since one of these off-roaders traded hands. Given that trend, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that others are out there hiding.

Is the Toyota FJ Cruiser a good SUV?

If you’re wondering why people keep seeking out the discontinued Toyota FJ Cruiser, it’s because it is an impressive SUV. According to Consumer Reports, a brand-new example in 2014 would’ve cost you between $30,875 and $32,500. Additionally, this SUV aced several road tests while achieving excellent owner satisfaction scores. As a result, a low-mileage example of this SUV could easily sell dangerously close to $60,000.