99 lx 470 vs 99 LC

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Yodaman

10 Year
Joined
Jun 4, 2015
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2
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Hey guys,

I'm new to the thread, and new to land cruisers. My wife has been driving a FJ cruiser for the last few years, but the family is growing so we are looking to upgrade to something with a little more room for her and the family. She only puts about 8K on the her car a year. We love the LC/LX. Given the lifespan of the LC and LX I'm thinking of going with something a little older as I would like to avoid taking on a loan.

I'm looking locally at a 99 LX 470 with 137,000 miles on it for 10K. Pictures make it look clean and well taken care of.

There is also a 99 LC that I'm looking at with 255K, but the owner claims it has been meticulously taken care of. Asking price is 6500. I have not been able to look at either in person yet, and I don't have any info about service records yet.

I tend to do a lot of my own repairs, and understand that in buying a 16 year old vehicle i won't be getting anything that is maintenance free. I am looking for reliability in that it won't leave us stranded. My question is for the price which one would you all buy, and what would you offer? My thinking is that in buying the LC with 255K even if I have some maintenance done at the shop it would take a lot of repairs before I spent the 3500 difference in repairs. Thanks for the input, and I'm looking forward to the replies.
 
About a year ago I bought a 99 LX with 175k miles on it for $10k. It was completely stock, in excellent condition with all its maintenance records. We also only put about 8k a year on it and is my wife's daily car with a 4 year old and twin 1 year olds. I went with the LX because it comes standard with all the bells and whistles yet still a LC off road. I also went with the LX because my experience with other used luxury cars I have purchased is they tend to be taken care of better. That is a gross generalization I know but has held true for me. I was concerned about the mileage but all my research indicated a properly maintained LX/LC would last easily 250k or more no problem. So the 175k at 8k a year seemed to be reasonable. So far we have had no problems with it. Since I don't know much about the two particular cars you are looking at, I am just telling you why I picked mine. 135k miles for $10k seems like a pretty good deal to me all things being equal. I see your point about the $3500 cost difference and you being handy but the extra 118k miles could eat that quickly. For a daily driver for anyone, the interior comfort can be as important as the mechanics if it is not enjoyable to drive in. Then that $3500 may not be as big a savings as it appears. Just some thoughts. Feel free to PM if you have any questions about mine. Either way sounds like two good choices and a great vehicle for a growing family. Good luck.
 
Does the LC have a locking rear differential? For me, that would be the primary reason to consider the LC. Otherwise, I would probably spend the 3500 for 100,000+ less miles - particularly if timing belt/starter have been done, tires are good - that kind of thing.

Gil
 
Both above have great points. Also consider that the LX in 99 and the LC in 99 had vast differences in accoutrements. A 99LX will have standard things that didn't show up in the LC until years later. Somewhere I have a post detailing about the LC vs LX differences in little things that add up in my mind. 100k less miles would be icing on the cake. That is a pretty low mileage LX for a 99. If you are just buying a family wheeler and expect to get it dirty I would lean towards the LC and put the money into sliders etc. though.

edit: Here is the short list with other good info in that thread as well.
 
Yodaman said:
Hey guys,

I'm looking locally at a 99 LX 470 with 137,000 miles on it for 10K. Pictures make it look clean and well taken care of.

There is also a 99 LC that I'm looking at with 255K, but the owner claims it has been meticulously taken care of. Asking price is 6500. I have not been able to look at either in person yet, and I don't have any info about service records yet.

I tend to do a lot of my own repairs, and understand that in buying a 16 year old vehicle i won't be getting anything that is maintenance free. I am looking for reliability in that it won't leave us stranded. My question is for the price which one would you all buy, and what would you offer? My thinking is that in buying the LC with 255K even if I have some maintenance done at the shop it would take a lot of repairs before I spent the 3500 difference in repairs. Thanks for the input, and I'm looking forward to the replies.
Click to expand...

I just bought 98 with 207K for 6K with good maintenance records. I will spend some $ for tires, TB/WP, shocks, bushings, replace all fluids etc in the next few months. I rather bought a cheaper car that need some maintenance items because I can do some of these myself to save on labor cost, and make sure they are done right. Without getting a loan, I can spread the cost over the next few months, which is always a good thing imho.

Assuming both car are in similar shape, and need about the same maintenance cost after purchase, I would get the LX, which sounds like a good deal. Dont forget to check AHC. Good luck!

Chris
 
imho, if it will be a low mileage daily - the LX.
If you will wheel it, LC for sure if it has a locking rear.
 
I just bought my LX last month. $10.5k with 93k miles. Super plush. Floating as I drive. Mostly a once a week driver. It will eventually see some dirt. Yes I will have to do some repairs.

I'm a bit biased, but 100+k miles difference on that odometer seems super significant.
 
tabraha said:
Both above have great points. Also consider that the LX in 99 and the LC in 99 had vast differences in accoutrements. A 99LX will have standard things that didn't show up in the LC until years later. Somewhere I have a post detailing about the LC vs LX differences in little things that add up in my mind. 100k less miles would be icing on the cake. That is a pretty low mileage LX for a 99. If you are just buying a family wheeler and expect to get it dirty I would lean towards the LC and put the money into sliders etc. though.

edit: Here is the short list with other good info in that thread as well.
Click to expand...
Slee Offroad also has a good web page with differences between the two...check the newby link from the home page at sleeoffroad.com.

Steve
 
Which one did you end up going with?
 
Really cool to see these threads, I am at a similar crossroads for my next family hauler.
Looking at a '99 LX w/ 139k, asking price is $11k.
Does the '99LX have LSD rear? I was getting a pre-purchase inspection and did not see any sticker on the rear diff housing...
 
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