Rust on LX 470, too much for $18k? (1 Viewer)

Location

United States

I went to look at a 2005 LX 470 I'm interested in buying. Mileage is low and the rest of the car appears to be in good shape. I pointed my phone under the car and took some photos. Is this amount of rust concerning? It's from an area where rust is inevitable. I'm trying to buy something to actually use, not put in a museum, so something a bit flawed is actually good. I don't want one that's so nice that it makes me feel like I have to be careful. However, I also don't want something that's going to require unreasonable care and money to prevent it from becoming unfit for use within a few years.

Is this amount good, typical, or concerning, and does the price seem appropriate?

 

[mudkip]

 

[mudkip]

 

[mudkip]

 

[jerryb]

gross

 

[Stylo07]

I don’t think it’s as bad as it looks, but you’d have your work cut out for you to tidy it up and protect it.

As for whether the price is appropriate, I don’t see that you posted one. Or any details or exterior/interior pictures for that matter.

 

[mudkip]

The price is in the title but I probably should have included it again. It's $18k. I didn't include pictures of the rest of the car because I think the price is completely fair for the rest of the car. The exterior looks great. The interior needs a decent cleaning but it's otherwise good. It has working AHC which I assume means it has the original suspension. It was incredibly comfortable, unlike a different one I drove that had that replaced. It has around 100k miles on it. Everything seemed great when I drove it. I don't know enough to buy it without an inspection first anyway, but the rust has me wondering whether it's even worth paying for someone to look at it.

 

[MountaineerLC]

That rust isn't bad, IMO and certainly wouldn't be a deal breaker. That said, $18k seems like a lot to me. You're not far from being in 200 series territory. Of course, I'm a cheap SOB and vehicle prices are crazy in general these days.

 

[jlm43]

Generally speaking, if you have to ask if it's too much rust, it is.

The rust is not a deal breaker, nor is the price. But that rust at that price would be, for me anyway. What does the rest of the vehicle look like and how many miles are on it?

I feel that most first time 100 buyers are turned off by higher mileage. To be honest, I was too when I purchased mine 4 years ago. But now that mine is at 205k miles and still 98% rust free, I'd gladly take a 200k to 250k mile 100 over a somewhat rusty one with 125k miles on it. Dealing with rust just isn't worth it as everything will either be a PITA to fix or expensive as you'll be paying someone to deal with it.

 

[kookylukey]

I picked up mine recently for $17k low miles and zero rust. Keep looking

 

[Pz10420]

I wouldn't be too concerned with that level of rust on a car, but I also would NEVER pay 18k for a car with that level of rust.

 

[excessive]

agree with the others, too much rust for the price. I'd only buy that if it were DIRT cheap

 

[JunkCrzr89]

I’d pay $6k for it, certainly not $18k.

 

[NE Snowman]

That’s 10-13k dealer price in the rust belt imo (8k max out of my pocket). Not sure you’ll talk them down, they’ll find someone that doesn’t look at the underside.

Keep looking, that isn’t awful rust for the right price.

 

[mudkip]

Thanks! You've all convinced me to get something else. The rest seemed great for the price, but I can't spend that much and get something that's going to be risky or require a lot of work. There's no way I'll be able to talk the dealer down to a price where I'd be comfortable. Here's the listing if any of you are curious: https://www.dmajesticauto.com/details/used-2005-lexus-lx-470/88963427

I got to look at the Carfax and it showed two owners and some minor damage back in 2006, but no other issues.

 

[Stylo07]

The price is in the title

Doh. Sorry about that. I agree with others that it’s not worth it. 100k miles in 17 years can mean a lot of sitting and/or lots of short trips—perhaps many of which were in salt/snow—none of which is good for a car.

Continue to be patient, and you won’t regret it. Glad you checked.

 

[js47]

The interior needs a decent cleaning

Keeping the inside clean is just about the easiest “maintenance” you can do on a car. I’d probably be more concerned about that than this level of rust.