1999 good deal? (1 Viewer)

[Kanab]

I just bought a 2003 last month with 38K for $37,500. I think $34,000 would be a great deal on a '03 with 20k more miles (since they SHOULD be good for at least 200K). Besides, you'll have the extended warranty to cover you...I wish I had the piece of mind. Good luck!!

KBB- shows the 2003 with 60K at $33600 for private party excellant condition. That should be what I would pay even at a dealer with the extended warranty.

 

[Kanab]

Well looked at the 2003, it was certified but had a bad spot on the bumper that is not suppose to qualify it for "certified" it did have everything on it and listed for $58K when it was new 10/2002. It had 61K miles on it and we could not get any closer then $3K a part. I think I could of gotten there if it had 45K versus 60K. Plus it had the 18 inch wheels which I don't like. I think the 18's make the LC ride funny and causes more steering wheel shake on bad roads then the 17's. Oh well I'm sure there will be others

 

[mabrodis]

Octane degrades at altitude, so Utah is likely to be worse with the NC mountains -- where I live at 3600 feet.

What exactly do you mean by this? I've never heard of it 'degrading', I know that at higher elevations the same engine requires a lower octane fuel, and gas stations offer lower grade fuel, which ones at sea-level do not. I have heard hearsay about this that it has to do with less oxygen at higher elevations so there is less chance of pinging anyway, no idea if any of that is true, but I do know where I live outside of Denver at ~6000', the lowest grade of gas sold is 85 octane, mid-grade is 87 and the highest is 91. At something around 3000' elevation usually you see numbers like 86/88/92 and normal for sealevel is 87/89/93 I believe...

In any event it would appear lower octane is needed in the mountains, not higher (ofcourse the act of driving in the mountains with stress/heat/load on the engine, it would appreciate the higher octane possibly, but if it's not pinging, then it's not pinging, which means if you're driving and it's not pinging you're getting as much power as you can be, and higher octane gas would actually give you less power, higher octane = burning slower, ofcourse if it was pinging but the computer retarded the timing, then yeah, you'd have less power)...

 

[ELLTEE]

What exactly do you mean by this? I've never heard of it 'degrading', I know that at higher elevations the same engine requires a lower octane fuel, .

Sorry -- I wasn't clear. I think we're saying the same thing: The effect of higher octane -- to burn slightly more slowly than regular -- is changed by altitude. So to prevent pinging and eventual engine damage living at altitude becomes more important, and more difficult.

I am no engineer, but it seems to me that we are talking about an engine designed by world-renowned engineers -- who specify high-octane fuel for their V8 design. I take that to be more than a "suggestion."

LT

 

[rule303]

A lot of engines merely won't put out their maximum power on a lower grade fuel. My Ram allows low or mid grade fuel. They just state in the manual it won't put out the rated power with low octane. Some engines really NEED premium though. I told my wife to start using premium again in our 99 LC. I'd like to know if anyone out there can confirm there is a different computer program in the later models that allows for the octane change, or did the engineers just relent and allow it.
Its really all in the computer mapping though.

 

[Kanab]

A lot of engines merely won't put out their maximum power on a lower grade fuel. My Ram allows low or mid grade fuel. They just state in the manual it won't put out the rated power with low octane. Some engines really NEED premium though. I told my wife to start using premium again in our 99 LC. I'd like to know if anyone out there can confirm there is a different computer program in the later models that allows for the octane change, or did the engineers just relent and allow it.
Its really all in the computer mapping though.

1998/99/00 Landcruisers require 91 octane and they changed it in 2001 so you can use 87 octane in the Landcruiser. Hope that helps, I read this about a week ago on another thread.