Advice on a 99 purchase

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Threads
5
Messages
67
Location
Dallas, TX
OK, this is my first post so try and go easy on me ;). First of all, this is a great forum! I've been researching an LC purchase for a while and by far I've learned the most here-- thanks up front.

I know that the 2000+ is recommended for the upgraded diff. and traction control, but I'd like to stay under $20k, which seems to limit me to 98-99. So, I'm looking at a '99 with 99k miles and the guy wants $18,788 for it. It has the rear AC, but I'm not sure if it's locked. I know on the 80s the switch is to the left of the steering column; is this the same for the 100? Is there a quick way to tell? This seems like a decent deal: clean carfax, TX car, 2 owner, some maintenance records-- what do you guys think? I'm test driving it today.
 
Yes.

Yes. The dial is the to the left of the steering wheel and is actually just like the 80s dial except it does not include the lettering for the front diff lock. That is a strong, make sure the 90k service is done (timing belt), ask about the starter, check the vin stickers on the body panels and make sure he has two master keys (they are 250 each).

Good luck. 99s rock.

uzj100
 
johnroyale said:
OK, this is my first post so try and go easy on me ;). First of all, this is a great forum! I've been researching an LC purchase for a while and by far I've learned the most here-- thanks up front.

I know that the 2000+ is recommended for the upgraded diff. and traction control, but I'd like to stay under $20k, which seems to limit me to 98-99. So, I'm looking at a '99 with 99k miles and the guy wants $18,788 for it. It has the rear AC, but I'm not sure if it's locked. I know on the 80s the switch is to the left of the steering column; is this the same for the 100? Is there a quick way to tell? This seems like a decent deal: clean carfax, TX car, 2 owner, some maintenance records-- what do you guys think? I'm test driving it today.



That price seems a little on the high side for the mileage. I got my 99 for $18,900 a year ago with 62K and I know other people have gotten better deals than that. I have seen some 2Ks for under 20K. You just have to keep looking.

Also, as anyone else on this board will tell you, make sure the timing belt was changed. Should have been done @ 90K.
 
Thanks Longhorn and UZJ for the advice. From the photos I can see a dial switch similar to the 80 (attached). You both have 99s, do you wish you had the traction control?
P26010316.jpg
 
That pic shows the locker switch, it is the round/rotary switch just to the left of the steering wheel.
 
Good question on the traction control. I would like it from a safety standpoint for my wife. I have not driven one off road. Basically when I wheel the 99, I have 1200 set aside for breaking my front diff and replacing it with an ARB.

I would recommend a 00 because of a stronger front diff and traction control. Did you check ebay? There seems to always be tons down in TX. Also, do not forget about the lx470

I am keeping my 99 because it has 111k miles, it is the color I want and my wife will not let me purchase any more vehicles.

uzj100
 
firetruck41 said:
That pic shows the locker switch, it is the round/rotary switch just to the left of the steering wheel.
Good news!
 
uzj100 said:
Good question on the traction control. I would like it from a safety standpoint for my wife. I have not driven one off road. Basically when I wheel the 99, I have 1200 set aside for breaking my front diff and replacing it with an ARB.

I would recommend a 00 because of a stronger front diff and traction control. Did you check ebay? There seems to always be tons down in TX. Also, do not forget about the lx470

I am keeping my 99 because it has 111k miles, it is the color I want and my wife will not let me purchase any more vehicles.

uzj100
You make some good points. Although the cruiser will be my daily driver my wife will be driving it as well. I just checked around and found quite a few 100/470s around Dallas, in particular 2 00's for $23k and $21k, both under 80K miles. I definitely want to do some weekend wheeling and we go to Colorado a couple times a year, so maybe I should invest in a 2000. I was hoping the savings of a 99 might allow me to do some mods upfront-- tough decision.
 
Nothing against a 99, they are sweet. However, I have already broken one front diff and if I had the chance, I would buy a 00 or newer.

Also, the interior on the LX is super nice and includes memory seats.

uzj100
 
Locker ?

I test drove the 99 and it is in great shape. The mileage is actually 94k and all of the VIN tags matched. The seller is going to pull the maintenance records to verify the 90k service. Overall it looks like a solid truck. Here it is on ebay.

I'm a total newbie re. the lockers and although I've read most of the beginner's threads I have a couple really beginner questions, apologies:

When I engaged the rear diff. I forgot to engage the center diff. :doh: and when I drove forward, there was a thud noise and then the truck lurched forward. Given I incorrectly engaged the lockers, does this sound odd?

Also after engagement the rear lock light was flashing for about 20 seconds then went solid and the idle increased. On disengagement it took about 30 seconds for the lights to go out and only after I drove forward. Does this sound right as well?
 
The lights take a while to come on and go out.

Not sure about the thud. I would go back and try it again. Complete stop, neutral, low range, then rear diff lock. Drive real slow, moving the steering wheel back and forth. A dirt parking lot is preferable over concrete. The light will come on solid. After that, come to a complete stop and unlock, turn steering wheel back and forth and the light will go out.

It looks great.
 
uzj100 said:
come to a complete stop and unlock, turn steering wheel back and forth and the light will go out.

It looks great.
You may need to be moving when you turn the wheel back and forth to unlock.



The light will flash until the locker engages, then solid once it is engaged. Usually it will not engage/disengage when stopped, as you need to line up both sides of the axle, that's why turning helps, both wheels will be turning at different speeds and they should line up quicker.
 
uzj100 said:
The lights take a while to come on and go out.

Not sure about the thud. I would go back and try it again. Complete stop, neutral, low range, then rear diff lock. Drive real slow, moving the steering wheel back and forth. A dirt parking lot is preferable over concrete. The light will come on solid. After that, come to a complete stop and unlock, turn steering wheel back and forth and the light will go out.

It looks great.
Thanks uzj100. I'll try and take it out again. I feel OK about the lockers, it was noticeable when they engaged and my guess is that my amateur mistakes caused the thud. The indicator lights worked as you described.

I'm mostly debating about the lack of records now. This dealer doesn't have them and the carfax only shows 2 services. I called 2 different Toyota dealers and they said that they can only provide me with records if the cruiser was serviced at their particular shop. Oh, and I have to have the actual vehicle with me. They won't give me any info with just the VIN.

I can guess based on the title registration which dealership the previous owner might have used based on his/her location, but there's no guarantee that it was this dealer and/or that it was even serviced at a Toyota dealership. Any thoughts?

Thanks for all of the help.
 
Last edited:
firetruck41 said:
You may need to be moving when you turn the wheel back and forth to unlock.



The light will flash until the locker engages, then solid once it is engaged. Usually it will not engage/disengage when stopped, as you need to line up both sides of the axle, that's why turning helps, both wheels will be turning at different speeds and they should line up quicker.
OK, cool. That's pretty much how it went. It took me a few seconds to realize that I should drive forward. :confused: I'm really surprised you guys haven't railed me for such rookie mistakes. :D

Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate the help. I'm ready to get a LC in the garage, start building it up and get out on the trail.
 
Last edited:
johnroyale said:
OK, this is my first post so try and go easy on me ;). First of all, this is a great forum! I've been researching an LC purchase for a while and by far I've learned the most here-- thanks up front.

I know that the 2000+ is recommended for the upgraded diff. and traction control, but I'd like to stay under $20k, which seems to limit me to 98-99. So, I'm looking at a '99 with 99k miles and the guy wants $18,788 for it. It has the rear AC, but I'm not sure if it's locked. I know on the 80s the switch is to the left of the steering column; is this the same for the 100? Is there a quick way to tell? This seems like a decent deal: clean carfax, TX car, 2 owner, some maintenance records-- what do you guys think? I'm test driving it today.



There's always one more "carrot" to push for: '98-'99: V8, IFS (an advantage for my uses); '00: TRAC; '03: 5speed; etc. I ideally wanted a newer 100 with TRAC, ARB lockers fr/rr but just couldn't fit this into the budget. Having said that my '99 has been a blast to use for off-road, hunting, camping, etc. and I use the rr locker regularly. The '00+ owners state the TRAC will get you by without lockers in most instances. However given my total budget for this rig I could have had the '00-'01 but then could not have afforded the lift, 285's, sliders, bumpers, fridge/freeze, dual battery...etc. These are more important to ME than the TRAC given my uses and overall budget. You've undoubtedly thought about all this...but just an FYI from a'99 owner.
 
spressomon said:
There's always one more "carrot" to push for: '98-'99: V8, IFS (an advantage for my uses); '00: TRAC; '03: 5speed; etc. I ideally wanted a newer 100 with TRAC, ARB lockers fr/rr but just couldn't fit this into the budget. Having said that my '99 has been a blast to use for off-road, hunting, camping, etc. and I use the rr locker regularly. The '00+ owners state the TRAC will get you by without lockers in most instances. However given my total budget for this rig I could have had the '00-'01 but then could not have afforded the lift, 285's, sliders, bumpers, fridge/freeze, dual battery...etc. These are more important to ME than the TRAC given my uses and overall budget. You've undoubtedly thought about all this...but just an FYI from a'99 owner.
spressomon-- thanks for the input. You've pretty much summed up my ongoing debate. I definitely want to modify the truck for off-road use. Patience and budget will certainly come into play.
 
I looked for months before finding my 98 with the lockers in the price range I wanted. I didn't feel like spending $35k+ on a rig that I was going to take out on trails and scuff up. We just got back from a trip to DisneyLand, Hwy 5 for 7 hours each way. I wish I had the 5 speed automatic then, but that's one of the trade offs. And I've already upgraded the front diff to the 4 pinion for a grand, so I'm still money ahead. The dual A/C is nice if you have kids in the back, but I did NOT want the AHC since I tow a trailer, and I've had to deal with systems like that as a mechanic. It's cheaper to install nice shocks than deal with all the hydraulics. Just my $.02
Good luck in your search! And the only dumb question is the one not asked.:cheers:
 
Another ?

I've noticed now that I'm seriously looking to buy, that there are very few '99,'00 100/LXs for sale from private owners. In Dallas, about 95% are being sold through secondary (non-Toyota) dealers and most of these guys are originally buying them at auction.

Is this a reflection of their age (99, 00s) and mileage? Does anyone have some insight to this trend? I'm curious why they're ending up at auctions to begin with?
 
Campfire said:
... I wish I had the 5 speed automatic then, but that's one of the trade offs. And I've already upgraded the front diff to the 4 pinion for a grand, so I'm still money ahead. The dual A/C is nice if you have kids in the back, but I did NOT want the AHC since I tow a trailer, and I've had to deal with systems like that as a mechanic. It's cheaper to install nice shocks than deal with all the hydraulics. Just my $.02
Good luck in your search! And the only dumb question is the one not asked.:cheers:
I agree, I don't think I want to deal with hydraulics either. I understand that the LXs use them, but did Toyota switch over on the 100 at some point?
 
Last edited:
spressomon said:
The '00+ owners state the TRAC will get you by without lockers in most instances. However given my total budget for this rig I could have had the '00-'01 but then could not have afforded the lift, 285's, sliders, bumpers, fridge/freeze, dual battery...etc. These are more important to ME than the TRAC given my uses and overall budget. You've undoubtedly thought about all this...but just an FYI from a'99 owner.
Ditto what Spresso said. Come up with a total budget of what you want to spend on the 100 and plan it out. Then maybe go on a spending spree like Bull. The sooner you mod it, the sooner you can enjoy it :D At the time I bought my LX, the '00+ were going for $5k more than the '98-99's. You can buy a lot of goodies for $5k.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom