Advice on a possible purchase

[mateoDesertRat]

Considering a 2005 LX470 w/ 115K miles. Seller says vehicle had "front axle service with new OEM front differential, CV axle and CV boot. New OEM front lower control arms, and repack wheel bearings." Should I be concerned? Does this indicate hard usage or abuse? Anything I should look for? Thanks in advance for you help and advice!

 

[JunkCrzr89]

Maybe, maybe not...After all, it’s a 12 year-old vehicle. Where is it from geographically? CV boots tearing/leaking is pretty common at that age for Toyota 4x4s with IFS. Many people just choose to replace the CV axles with new/reman axles that already have new boots, typically because rebuilding axles to install new boots is a very messy job. Similarly, if a ball joint or bushing in a control arm goes bad (these are also wear items that eventually need replaced), many people just choose to replace the entire arm, because a) replacing ball joints and bushings can be a pain in the a$$, and b) a new arm comes with new ball joint and bushing already installed. Also, per the Toyota maintenance specs, the front wheel bearings are supposed to be cleaned and repacked/replaced every 30k miles, so at 115k, they should have been repacked 3-4 times already. However, the front diff being replaced is the oddball here, given the model year. I’d inquire further about the diff being replaced. Perhaps the seller is confused and the diff was not actually replaced, but instead new axle seals were installed IN the diff when the CV axles were replaced (which is recommended).

 

[nukegoat]

It's fine

 

[mateoDesertRat]

Thank you all! Great advice. It appears the seller and I have reached a deal. Once everything is finalized I'll post some pix.