2004 LX w/300K - Worth $5k? (1 Viewer)

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Hey everyone. New to the forum and LC/LXs but not new to enthusiast cars/trucks/SUVs. I've lusted over these SUVs for years and have yet to pull the trigger...Well maybe until now.

As the title states. I have a colleague that has a 04 LX w/300k that he told me he'd sell to me for $5k. Is it worth it? The exterior is pretty clean, I'd give it a 6.5/10 and the interior is really clean, i'd say 8/10. Im going to head out to his place today to check it out and ill report back. Anything I should keep an eye out for besides rust, timing belt, leaks?

Thanks in advance and I hope to join yall here soon!
 
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if in decent shape, BUY IT
 
Rust free underneath and drives like it should? If yes then I wouldn't worry about the miles, 5k sounds reasonable
 
If you don't get it, can you send me your coworker's info? :p I have been looking for my first LC/LX and the prices are crazy high. Sounds like you found a good deal. Good luck!!!
 
If it’s clean and doesn’t have any rust, he could get $10k for it without even trying. I guess it’s up to you if you want to let him know that lol.
 
Sorry to thread-jack a little bit, but I just stumbled across a 2005 LC on Facebook today. Other than having a classic ARB Bullbar on it, it looks rather normal. Here's where things get interesting and relevant to this thread however: according to the add, it has 455,000 miles on it! The guy is listing it for $12.5K... I genuinely wonder if he'll get it. The LC market is weird, especially now.

That said, even though I'm by no means an expert and am still never sure what a "fair price" is for one of these vehicles is, I do know that, based on the current market which I've been following on and off again for the past year plus, if a 2004 100 series popped up for sale near me with 300K miles and they wanted $5000 for it, and it wasn't completely beat/rusty/had some serious mechanical issues, I'd be arranging to go look at it ASAP, for whatever that's worth! With clean and sorted lower mile examples regularly pulling well over twice what's being asked here, it definitely seems worth investigating if you aren't afraid of big numbers on the odometer.
 
Went and looked at it and drove it today. Its pretty much a done deal. Reason I say pretty much as the title is with his family and is getting shipped here as we speak. That makes him sound 16 but he's actually 24. It actually adds value to me as the LX has been in his family since new and technically is a one owner car. Couple things to note:
  • Timing chain was done 14k ago
  • Newish Goodyear all terrain adventures
  • small power steering leak. I cant tell if its from a hose or the pump. He said he has to top it off once every 3-4 months.
  • Normal rock chips from 300k and small surface rust on hood from said chips
  • Could use a solid detail and I think it'll clean up really nice
  • This one is weird. VGRS and Airbag lights are on. He said he replaced the battery 2 months ago as it was completely shot and they came on after he replaced the battery. From a quick search that seems to be true but my buddy owns a few full service tire/lube shop and I am going to see if he can clear them and what the actual codes are.
All that said, I should be able to join this family by Tuesday!!
 
Welp still haven't pulled the trigger yet. The powersteering leak seems to be worse than I thought. I hpoe its not from the rack and its just the pump/hoses. Another thing I found is the speakers seem to be blown. This looks common in the ML speakers and the repair doesn't look horrible. Would this turn yall away?
 
Thats my thought as well. Watched a YT video on the PS pump, looks simple enough. Hoping with that and some ATP 205 that will fix it. Quick question:
  • Are the speakers replacements as difficult as it seems since most aftermarket speakers seem to be different ohms? Or is the foam fix really that simple and not worth making the investment in new ones?
  • This damn VGRS light is still on. It drives amazingly therefore it doesn't seem like there is a problem. I took it to my buddies shop and he couldn't get the light to clear and mentioned I might need a specific Lexus recalibration tool? Every search popped up with the VGRS and VCS or a combo of other lights. My case is just VGRS, does anyone know how to clear that or do I need to go to a dealer?
 
Gamecocks910 said:
Thats my thought as well. Watched a YT video on the PS pump, looks simple enough. Hoping with that and some ATP 205 that will fix it. Quick question:
  • Are the speakers replacements as difficult as it seems since most aftermarket speakers seem to be different ohms? Or is the foam fix really that simple and not worth making the investment in new ones?
  • This damn VGRS light is still on. It drives amazingly therefore it doesn't seem like there is a problem. I took it to my buddies shop and he couldn't get the light to clear and mentioned I might need a specific Lexus recalibration tool? Every search popped up with the VGRS and VCS or a combo of other lights. My case is just VGRS, does anyone know how to clear that or do I need to go to a dealer?
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Both those issues are outside of my expertise. ih8mud is pretty deep with knowledge, so you'll have probably find decent answers with good searching.
 
You are going to find trucks this age need things like that, no matter the miles or price. If this kind of stuff scares you away, you might be buying the wrong model and vintage vehicle.
 
You don't need VGRS, all it does is change the ratio when steering at low speed. Just remove the cluster and pull that bulb out, or put electrical tape to cover it.
 
No, thats good advice for sure. I wouldn't say it scares me away by any means. I am new LC/LX but not to bringing enthusiast cars "back to life." I have/have had a few E46 M3s and know my way around those. Just want to make sure I don't go overboard and have a lot more money into the LX than its worth like I've done with M3s :rofl: my wife will kill me.
 
Post some pics of the truck. VGRS can lead you down a rabbit hole, and it goes deep. It could be a number of things, don't bother with it.
 
You could literally buy it from your coworker, put it on eBay for $10k without touching a thing and within a week someone will have bought it. Absolutely crazy how you’re thinking a power steering leak and some blown speakers can be a deal breaker for a rust free, running and driving $5,000 facelifted 100 series with a recent timing belt job in this market. I’ve seen trucks with 400k miles sell for over $10k before the market got the way it currently is. How about you give me your co worker’s phone number and I’ll do what you should be doing and give him what he wants sight unseen without nitpicking and taking days to close on a truck that’s underpriced by half? I’ll also give him more money than you. I hope he sees this thread, because at this point you don’t deserve the deal you’re about to get.
 
Fzj80 1997 said:
You could literally buy it from your coworker, put it on eBay for $10k without touching a thing and within a week someone will have bought it. Absolutely crazy how you’re thinking a power steering leak and some blown speakers can be a deal breaker for a rust free, running and driving $5,000 facelifted 100 series with a recent timing belt job in this market. I’ve seen trucks with 400k miles sell for over $10k before the market got the way it currently is. How about you give me your co worker’s phone number and I’ll do what you should be doing and give him what he wants sight unseen without nitpicking and taking days to close on a truck that’s underpriced by half? I’ll also give him more money than you. I hope he sees this thread, because at this point you don’t deserve the deal you’re about to get.
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Dang man, sorry to ruffle your feathers. FWIW, the reason why we are waiting to complete the deal is because I am waiting for the title that his dad shipped? He already has a deposit and the deal will be completed as soon as the title shows up (tracking shows today). Just doing due diligence before a purchase.

All that said, I'm happy to sell it to you for $8k tomorrow.
 
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