SOLD Chicago area 97 LX 450, Triple Locked (Price change 01/03/23) (1 Viewer)

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Year
1997
Vehicle Model
  1. LX450
Location
Frankfort, Illinois United States
Mileage
171000
Color
rgb(3, 3, 3)
I'm finally selling my 97 LX 450. I am the second owner and I bought it from a Lexus dealer that came in as a lease with 64,000 in 2002. It is mostly stock but I did install the center diff lock along with the 7 pin mod. It also has an aftermarket Borla stainless steel cat back single exhaust. Two Magnaflow converters were also installed in the last 3 years. I would say that the condition is above average for it's age. Thee is very little visible body rust and a few minor scratches and dings. It has never been offroad, never in an accident and runs great. Starts up fine, drives straight and stops with no issues. Presently I use it as a daily driver but I have taken it on many long road trips from Chicago to Key West with zero problems. I will list a few minor issues below. I do my own maintenance and keep a log book with most receipts so I don't have any dealer service history. It has been maintained well with regular oil changes, transmission fluid changes and coolant flushes using Toyota filters and fluids for the past 20 years.

The interior is in very good shape except for the typical driver seat wear but not too bad. The carpet has one spot in the second row that looks like something spilled on it, possibly bleach? It is mostly covered by the floor mats however. The second and third row seats are in excellent condition. There is a moon shaped cut on the back of one of the third row seats about the size of a quarter (pic). The carpet is in good condition and not all sun bleached. It could use a cleaning and I might do that if we have warmer weather so that it could dry properly.

I am in the Midwest and yes there is some rust on the underside like all Midwest cars and trucks have after a few years. BUT, this LX has been garage kept and given regular car washes with the underside blasted with water its whole life and is not as bad as most 80's its age. So if you are looking for a pristine southern rust free truck, this might not be the truck for you. If you want one in above average condition (for the Midwest) then here it is.

Besides the normal maintenance, here are some additional things that have been done:
*Added center diff lock switch with 7 pin mod.
*Replaced "paper clip" power steering cooler with aftermarket one.
*Valve cover gaskets, distributor o-ring and oil pump seal have been changed.
*Replace power steering pump with rebuilt unit along with new hoses.
*Replace both catalytic converters with Magnaflow units and added a Borla Stainless Steel cat back muffler. TBH the Borla is kinda loud and can drone at certain RPM's and if I were to keep this truck I would look into a resonator or different muffler. YMMV
*Recently replaced master cylinder and flushed brakes.
*Replaced A/C condenser, evaporator and dryer due to a leak. Blows cold now.
*Added driver side heated seat.
Note I have not changed the head gasket as it has been perfectly fine with no issues. I have also not tested the front and read diffs in a while. It handles in snow so well I just never needed them. I will try to test them if we ever get any snow..

Edit 12/17 OK we got a little snow and I was able to test the front and rear lockers. The front locker engages but the rear one does not. The rear locker dash light flashes on and off and I confirmed this by jacking up the rear wheels to test the rear locker. The actuator is dead and does not move or make a noise. I assume it is bad or needs to be cleaned, rebuilt or replaced. There are kits to reseal them and instructions here on MUD. A new actuator is around $480 from Rock Auto. I may try to repair this myself. I am reducing my asking price to reflect this.

Pros:
*Low miles around 171,000
*Garage kept, never offroad
*Runs great. No codes, does not smoke or burn oil, all dash lights and controls work.
*I have the original tool kit and Lexus shop manual and a small box of extra parts and spares (oil filters, fusible links and whatever else I collected over the years)
*comes with 2 keys and 2 alarm/keyless entry key fobs. (edit 12/17 I found another set of keys and remote so it comes with 3 sets)

Cons:
*Rear heater piping was leaking so I bypassed it under the hood. Never used it so not a big deal for me.
*P/S pump has a tiny leak (maybe about an ounce per month)
*Small ding in the hood about one inch round.
*Scratch on upper rear hatch. (pic)
*Has a few minor scratches to the wheel flares and rear bumper caps (pics).
*A few of the climate control indicator LED lights have an intermittent problem and don't light up sometimes. Other times they are fine. Not sure what's going on there.
*CD changer is finicky sometimes and throws an error code and won't play. Other times it's fine.
*Cassette player. I have no idea if it works. I don't have any cassettes and I have never tried it.
*Tires are getting old and will need to be replaced in the next year or so.
*Body rust. The only rust spots on the body that I can find are behind both of the second row doors along the bottom edge. It is in the area where the door jamb meets the sill. Also along the bottom of both second row doors is an area that is starting to rust. Not visible looking at it from the outside, you can only see them with the door open. (pics).
*Not really a con but I'll mention it anyway. The running boards have been removed.
Added 12/08 * Rear hatch defrost not working. I tried using one of those repair kits but it didn't work. Also, the rear glass sprayer drips so it probably needs a new diverter (around $45).

Just a heads up. This truck was baselined when I got it 20 years ago. I repacked the birfs, new plugs wires, belts, dist. cap, all fluids etc. but that was 20 years ago. All the regular maintenance has been done since then (batteries, filters, shocks, brakes etc.).

I bought this truck in 2002 , been a member here since then ;) with plans for a 3" lift and 35's but life happened, you know how that goes. I have too many other projects and also running out of room. I don't want this truck to sit outside and be forgotten about. It should be someone's project. It has been a daily driver on and off and well cared for. I do not need to sell it and it's been paid off for a long time. I am listing it here on MUD first hoping the right person will buy it. I have a clean title in hand and the factory Lexus manual and box of spare parts for the new owner.


I am asking $15,000 OBO (01/03/23 Now asking $13,500 OBO)

VIN JT6HJ88JOVO164844

Millage is around 171,000 as I still drive it a bit.
I am not looking to trade and I will listen to REASONABLE offers.
Clean title in hand. Message me with any questions.
I am located if Frankfort, Illinois 60423 About 45 miles southwest of Chicago.

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more (edit 12/10 to include three keys instead of two)

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Thanks. To me it's just a little too loud. If the truck was more of an off road or weekend type thing, I think it would be ok. As a daily driver I don't hate it but I don't like it either. It can drone at certain RPM's. If I were to keep it I'd probably add a resonator or maybe switch out the muffler. It's a very well made system though.
 
sweet rig! Great job providing adequate pictures. GLWS. PS those are Zero's in the vin number. I am pretty sure they always are and never "o's".
 
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sweet rig! Great job providing adequate pictures. GLWS. PS those are Zero's in the vin number. I am pretty sure they always are and never "o's".
Thanks! And thank you for the VIN info. I know the newer tags have the Zero's with a / through them.
 
I also wanted to add that it comes with three keys and remotes.

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