After 10 years of 4Runners, I bought a LC. (1 Viewer)

[2Many2UZs]

Hi all, first time poster, long time lurker from 4Runner land.

Current daily is a 4th gen 4Runner with the 2UZ and some medium mods (lift, bumper, etc) and 267k. My built 3rd gen is going to a new home this weekend. My wife's 176k Lexus ES is going to my neighbor for his daughter's first car, and while we both work from home full time and really don't NEED two cars, it makes things easier. Her specific requirements were no blue cars, and no SUVs.

So I bought an Atlantis Blue over "Chateau" (tan) 1998 Land Cruiser WITH a factory rear locker, 255k for $8,201 off Cars & Bids.

Am I a great listener or what?

I am flying to Philly in a few weeks to pick it up and drive home. The seller has no record of the timing belt or water pump being replaced, so we'll tackle that as soon as we get home. This will be my 3rd 2UZ Toyota so I'm good to go there. What I'm diving into this forum for is suggestions and best practices on moderately restoring the interior, specifically the front seats and steering wheel, and some body rust. Ironically, none of my Runners have ever had body rust, so this is a first for me. The frame is pretty standard for a Northeast truck, but still very good compared to some trucks for sale for considerably more money.

My 4th gen has some clear coat peel, its got plenty of dings and scratches from shenanigans over the years... but it still shines up nice after a wash (I've shamelessly included a photo of it too), and I think this LC will be in the same boat. I'm very excited to dig into this truck. It is going to take a lot for me to forsake my beloved 4th gen, but I'm going to going into this with an open mind and as open of a wallet as I can.

I have been very active on the T4R forum and on the 4Runner & 4th Gen Runner subreddits but now with my new LC baby I come to you all for guidance and more bad ideas. I've attached one photo from the C&B Auction. Link here if you want to go see them directly on that site.

 

[Mike NXP]

Nice, I like that color. Welcome to the 100 series world.

 

[D21FJ60]

Love that color. a blue SUV, so she wont drive it then

 

[Africaster]

Really lekker colour … and just as good side advantages

 

[jsloden]

Saw that one listed. You got a great deal. The surface rust on the frame and the small amount of body rust should be corrected fairly easily.

 

[REKCUT]

 

[2Many2UZs]

My runner has Doug Thorley Long Tubes + Y + Gibson exhaust. No emissions testing in my county, thankfully. Summit Racing (down the street from me) had a set of Thorley shorties, which based on my searching seems to be a pretty hard to find upgrade. Already deep in the rabbit hole of exhaust choices to pair up to it. Thanks for the welcome all!

 

[trdcorolla]

Welcome to Mud! I came from a 2004 UZ 4Runner too. The 4Runner is a rocket compared to the 100, but I love my 100. I might as well say it, don't forget to change the heater t's.

 

[Red Beard]

Wow right over in West Chester. Nice. I wouldn’t have thought someone would fly to buy an LC in the Philly area. But there are a lot of Main Line grocery getters that live in 3 car garages year round. Nice find! Lemme know how the 1 car thing goes, my wife and I are in the same boat now. Have fun! West Chester has a cool downtown area with lots of restaurants and bars.
Or head to Philly, test the suspension on potholes, and get a cheesesteak and a beer

 

[hickuptruck]

I think you need a new rear rocker patch on your passenger side

 

[2Many2UZs]

I think you need a new rear rocker patch on your passenger side

Sure do. I have a great body shop by me that I’ve used on other vehicles. Never had a blue car though, curious as to how it will blend.

 

[2Many2UZs]

Wow right over in West Chester. Nice. I wouldn’t have thought someone would fly to buy an LC in the Philly area. But there are a lot of Main Line grocery getters that live in 3 car garages year round. Nice find! Lemme know how the 1 car thing goes, my wife and I are in the same boat now. Have fun! West Chester has a cool downtown area with lots of restaurants and bars.
Or head to Philly, test the suspension on potholes, and get a cheesesteak and a beer

I’m an hour south of Cleveland - salt is a bitch. I’ve kept up on it with my 4th gen runner but it’s inevitable to some extent. We are gonna stay two cars now, wife is gonna drive the cruiser. She likes my runner so it shouldn’t be a massive change.

We land in Philly sat morning the 12th, pick up the truck, then added in a quick Valentine’s Day weekend downtown for the wife and me. Looking forward to it at least two cheesesteaks before we leave Sunday afternoon to drive back.

 

[Red Beard]

I’m an hour south of Cleveland - salt is a bitch. I’ve kept up on it with my 4th gen runner but it’s inevitable to some extent. We are gonna stay two cars now, wife is gonna drive the cruiser. She likes my runner so it shouldn’t be a massive change.

We land in Philly sat morning the 12th, pick up the truck, then added in a quick Valentine’s Day weekend downtown for the wife and me. Looking forward to it at least two cheesesteaks before we leave Sunday afternoon to drive back.

I’m out of town that weekend but if you need recommendations, hit me up. Seriously though, congrats on a steal!

 

[95Fantasma80]

great price and great color! congrats

 

[arkaid]

Nice color, though I am biased congrats!

 

[OEMGUY0720]

That color is amazing. I bet it’s more beautiful on outdoor daylight.

 

[Kabanstva]

There’s still time man, at least I hope in your case to cancel that transaction. That thing is so rotted underneath and the seller took the time to use flat black grill paint to mask some of the rust in the most obvious and visible places. They did a very sloppy job but it might fool an unsuspecting buyer. I knew something was off when I saw that hole in the rocker and every nut and bolt is rusty in the engine bay, but somehow, miraculously the front skid plate and control arms look clean. My guess is the LCAs we’re replaced, as was the skid plate because that actually looks like original paint….and then it all goes downhill when you see how much rot is on those side pinch welds of the body and basically everything rear of the the front wheels. You can see they spot painted some areas like the rear lower control arm brackets and other chunks of the frame and gas tank skid plate. Looks like their trick worked and people took the bait.

 

[Kabanstva]

It’s also missing a vin on that pass side front fender…