For Sale 1997 Lexus LX450 187k (1 Viewer)

Location

United States

I think I made a mistake and coming to the forum for a bunch of group thinking. I forgot for a hot minute that I wasn't in TX anymore and taking care of things in NYC is harder than usual.

Purchase:
I bought a 1997 Lexus LX450 on May 4th, 2017 from a guy on CL. The car was listed for sale in Brooklyn and only had 1 previous owner for the first years of its life (in NJ) and the seller had the car since late last year. I got the car checked at Lexus of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. They did a pre purchase inspection for $215 and told me that the car needed new brake rotors and pads. On that recommendation I bought the car for $3.5k with the expectation of doing the brake stuff. I drove the car from Brooklyn to a parking garage on 110th street in NYC and parked in the garage until I got my license plates because this was my first car in the city. In total I drove 40 miles with this car.

Garage/not starting:
The car sat in the garage because I had to get the license plates and didn't have anywhere to go yet. Yesterday, May 21st I went to take the car out and it wouldn't start up. This morning I was able to get it started and drove it directly to a mechanic that is well regarded. He told me that Lexus didn't mention that the power steering pump was leaking, there may be an issue with the fuel pump and potentially the fuel tank may have a small leak, and it needs a new tire. The mechanic is going to give me an estimate tomorrow for work and I will update with what he says or if anything else changes.

My plan was to use this as a fun summer car and potentially just sell it at the end of the summer depending how everything went.

Condition:
Paint is good
Small crease on the front hood
Circular dent on the back right above the reverse light
I don't have undercarriage pictures of the car but I would expect it to have rust
Seats move
Leather is good
A/C works
Has the back flip seats
Tow hitch
Rubber mats all around and in trunk
No lockers

I am deciding if I should sell or invest a bunch of money into it.

Thoughts and offers accepted.

Thanks in advance and trying to be as transparent as possible because that's what I expect from others.

 

[lcgeek]

There will always be something "next" to fix on these, but too bad the Lexus pre-buy didn't catch the other stuff. Definitely worth a call or even taking it back to them and asking "what the ?". Your $215 cost you a lot more.
Either way, don't let a little buyer's remorse initiated by additional unexpected repairs dissuade you. You will get out of her what you put into her My 2 cents.

 

[Pdubzz]

I agree with lcgeek. I just bought a 95' with 140k miles down here in Delaware for $4k and immediately had to put $1k into it (it was sitting for a year). After paying that amount of money I was definitely questioning my decision making abilities for a solid week. But once the important stuff got fixed, I have been enjoying it more and more everyday. I feel like as time goes on, the initial purchase and repair cost will get lost in the back of my mind. (Same exact thing happened to me 2 years ago when I bought an 87' Dodge Raider / Montero).

In regards to your situation, I don't think the repairs you have to make are too serious. And if you do decide to sell it once the summer is done, I think you will be able to make some money back, even after putting $ into for the repairs needed. $3,500 is a GREAT deal for that clean looking 80 in the northeast. And from my experience living, and looking for a 4x4 in North Jersey, prices usually go up for 4x4's as winter approaches.

As for the lexus dealer, personally, I would take the receipt from your mechanic and bring it to them and ask for your money back. I think that's ridiculous and unacceptable.

My .02 are to fix it, and enjoy it. Then sell it once you don't enjoy it anymore. Hope that helps!

 

[AZcruisers100and80]

At the very least, take the mechanic's diagnosis to the Lexus dealer before paying the mechanic for all of those repairs. If they won't refund your $215, they could at least confirm if the mechanic is being truthful, as a courtesy, free of charge. I'm not a dealer maintenance guy myself, but based on many dealer inspections I've had done, I would really be surprised if they missed all of that. Just has me wondering if the mechanic might have added an item or two, as some mechanics do. All of that to say, if you an keep your repair costs under $1,500, you should still have a truck that's worth about what you've got into it. It really looks clean....separately, regarding power steering pump, if it's just seeping and not all out leaking, it's not a big deal. One thing with these 80 series, as the miles go up, is that they seep in places, and as long as you keep the fluids topped off, it's not an issue. Having seen many of these in other countries where they have been thoroughly neglected, I've seen firsthand that if you just keep the fluids topped off, it keeps running, for the most part.

 

[Maltrix]

How's the rust underneath? Need to see pics.

The cost of ownership for a car in NY is almost never worth the trouble btw