Just like I need another left foot, I needed another Land Cruiser. So I picked up a 2006 100 series.
Background
Almost 2 years ago, my wife and I found out we were having twins. After the panic subsided, I began to produce more logical trains of thought, such as, we must replace our daily drivers. Meanwhile, my wife obsessed over a kitchen table replacement. We were clearly paving the way for a model of familial efficiency. Or pure chaos. One of those two.
At the time, we had a 3-year-old daughter, and the plan was to have on more kiddo. (Ah, plans. I plan to get in shape.) From a vehicular standpoint, we were set. My daily driver was a 2008 Lexus GS350 AWD, and we'd just bought my wife a new Nissan Rogue. I researched a replacement for the Rogue first, because I hated it, and loved my GS. And I hated the Rogue. Did I say that twice? (Hated it.)
A combination of fatherhood and practicality gently shoved me into the world of minivans, which is quite amazing, I must say. I quickly narrowed my search down to the Sienna and Odyssey. After 2 months of research and searching, I picked up a certified 2011 Sienna XLE. Then I told myself a lie for 6 months: 3 baby seats can fit in a 3rd gen GS.
Reality is the Dr. Phil of existence, and it beat me over the head with a healthy dose of 'get real.' And so I did, but not without a showing of my middle finger. After all, if I'm going to get a vehicle that can haul our gaggle of children, it's going to be something great. After pretending to consider vehicles such as the GMC Acadia, Infiniti QX, and some others, I officially launched an exhaustive, 3-month 100 series search.
The Search
I first decided I wanted a 2003+ for the 5-speed auto and updated interior, but quickly gravitated to the increased power that came in 2006, as well as the exterior updates (I've always been a sucker for the '06/'07 LC grille). My first serious pursuit was with a 2006 Land Cruiser with 113k miles located in the Denver area. It was a one-owner trade-in in San Antonio, had no AHC, had the 90k service completed and the brake booster and ABS pump replaced due to the 'common' issue documented here on 'Mud. I learned my lesson on this one: quit dicking around and pony up. I sat on it too long and lost it over $500 (sale price was $23,5). Here's a thread I posted about it. I was discouraged, but some of you helped me keep my head up. For example, @RS6tofj80 was kind enough to look at a nice '06 near him in TX, but the seller was firm on an unrealistic price.
Over the next couple of weeks, the first thing I did every morning was check my list of sources (Cars.com, Autotrader.com, Craigslist, eBaymotors, etc.). One day, minutes prior to my checking, a 2006 LC with 56k miles was listed at a Lexus dealer in New Jersey for $24k. "What's the catch?" I thought. I called immediately, and they'd already received a deposit. NOOOOO! Attempting to calm me, the saleswoman told me they get used cars in all the time. "Not like that one!" I said. She asked for my number just in case. I scoffed to myself, and gave it to her, which is not like me.
A couple more weeks went by, and I'd set my sights on a Pacific Blue 2007 LC -- my favorite color. My biggest hesitations were that it had more miles than I wanted (120k), and it spent its entire life in Connecticut. The seller was great, though, and took several detailed pictures. The rust was minimal compared to others I'd seen in the area, and things seemed to check out. Between meetings one day at work, I began negotiating via email. After returning to my office, I had a 2 new voice mails: one from the seller of the Pacific Blue 100 (as it turns out, voice-to-voice negotiation is preferred by some. Who knew?), and another from a Lexus dealership received minutes prior.
Twist of Fate
Feeling somewhat uncertain about the Pacific Blue LC -- I felt I was settling, you see -- I listened to the message from the Lexus dealer. It was that lovely, beautiful (in my head, anyway), brilliant woman I spoke to about the low-mile '06 a few weeks back. As it turns out, the financing fell through, and I was the second person to have called. "Are you still interested?" she asked. You bet your Mafioso accent I am!
But, not so fast. I was prepared to be more impulsive than I was comfortable with, but still needed more info above the 40 or so pictures available in their ad and the 2-owner Carfax/Autocheck reports with one minor accident showing. However, I want to note that I felt a level of comfort in that it was being sold by a Lexus dealership. I've owned several Lexuseses and have had nothing but great dealership experiences. They always took care of me. I know others have had different experiences.
It was not a cream puff. I asked the woman to walk around it while on the phone with me and "pick it apart." The front bumper cover had some moderate damage on the passenger side, which was visible in the ad pictures. (Was this from the accident showing on the Carfax report?) There was a dent in the tailgate, and a very light scuff on one corner of the rear bumper. The undercarriage looked great for a NJ vehicle. Vowing never to pay full price for a car, I bid $500 off the already low asking price. They accepted, we arranged shipping, and I bit my nails until it arrived.
Here it is coming off the truck:
Background
Almost 2 years ago, my wife and I found out we were having twins. After the panic subsided, I began to produce more logical trains of thought, such as, we must replace our daily drivers. Meanwhile, my wife obsessed over a kitchen table replacement. We were clearly paving the way for a model of familial efficiency. Or pure chaos. One of those two.
At the time, we had a 3-year-old daughter, and the plan was to have on more kiddo. (Ah, plans. I plan to get in shape.) From a vehicular standpoint, we were set. My daily driver was a 2008 Lexus GS350 AWD, and we'd just bought my wife a new Nissan Rogue. I researched a replacement for the Rogue first, because I hated it, and loved my GS. And I hated the Rogue. Did I say that twice? (Hated it.)
A combination of fatherhood and practicality gently shoved me into the world of minivans, which is quite amazing, I must say. I quickly narrowed my search down to the Sienna and Odyssey. After 2 months of research and searching, I picked up a certified 2011 Sienna XLE. Then I told myself a lie for 6 months: 3 baby seats can fit in a 3rd gen GS.
Reality is the Dr. Phil of existence, and it beat me over the head with a healthy dose of 'get real.' And so I did, but not without a showing of my middle finger. After all, if I'm going to get a vehicle that can haul our gaggle of children, it's going to be something great. After pretending to consider vehicles such as the GMC Acadia, Infiniti QX, and some others, I officially launched an exhaustive, 3-month 100 series search.
The Search
I first decided I wanted a 2003+ for the 5-speed auto and updated interior, but quickly gravitated to the increased power that came in 2006, as well as the exterior updates (I've always been a sucker for the '06/'07 LC grille). My first serious pursuit was with a 2006 Land Cruiser with 113k miles located in the Denver area. It was a one-owner trade-in in San Antonio, had no AHC, had the 90k service completed and the brake booster and ABS pump replaced due to the 'common' issue documented here on 'Mud. I learned my lesson on this one: quit dicking around and pony up. I sat on it too long and lost it over $500 (sale price was $23,5). Here's a thread I posted about it. I was discouraged, but some of you helped me keep my head up. For example, @RS6tofj80 was kind enough to look at a nice '06 near him in TX, but the seller was firm on an unrealistic price.
Over the next couple of weeks, the first thing I did every morning was check my list of sources (Cars.com, Autotrader.com, Craigslist, eBaymotors, etc.). One day, minutes prior to my checking, a 2006 LC with 56k miles was listed at a Lexus dealer in New Jersey for $24k. "What's the catch?" I thought. I called immediately, and they'd already received a deposit. NOOOOO! Attempting to calm me, the saleswoman told me they get used cars in all the time. "Not like that one!" I said. She asked for my number just in case. I scoffed to myself, and gave it to her, which is not like me.
A couple more weeks went by, and I'd set my sights on a Pacific Blue 2007 LC -- my favorite color. My biggest hesitations were that it had more miles than I wanted (120k), and it spent its entire life in Connecticut. The seller was great, though, and took several detailed pictures. The rust was minimal compared to others I'd seen in the area, and things seemed to check out. Between meetings one day at work, I began negotiating via email. After returning to my office, I had a 2 new voice mails: one from the seller of the Pacific Blue 100 (as it turns out, voice-to-voice negotiation is preferred by some. Who knew?), and another from a Lexus dealership received minutes prior.
Twist of Fate
Feeling somewhat uncertain about the Pacific Blue LC -- I felt I was settling, you see -- I listened to the message from the Lexus dealer. It was that lovely, beautiful (in my head, anyway), brilliant woman I spoke to about the low-mile '06 a few weeks back. As it turns out, the financing fell through, and I was the second person to have called. "Are you still interested?" she asked. You bet your Mafioso accent I am!
But, not so fast. I was prepared to be more impulsive than I was comfortable with, but still needed more info above the 40 or so pictures available in their ad and the 2-owner Carfax/Autocheck reports with one minor accident showing. However, I want to note that I felt a level of comfort in that it was being sold by a Lexus dealership. I've owned several Lexuseses and have had nothing but great dealership experiences. They always took care of me. I know others have had different experiences.
It was not a cream puff. I asked the woman to walk around it while on the phone with me and "pick it apart." The front bumper cover had some moderate damage on the passenger side, which was visible in the ad pictures. (Was this from the accident showing on the Carfax report?) There was a dent in the tailgate, and a very light scuff on one corner of the rear bumper. The undercarriage looked great for a NJ vehicle. Vowing never to pay full price for a car, I bid $500 off the already low asking price. They accepted, we arranged shipping, and I bit my nails until it arrived.
Here it is coming off the truck:
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