Advice on Buying this 200

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auchief

auchief

Joined
Oct 9, 2018
Threads
3
Messages
79
Location
Auburn, AL
Hello! I've been lurking for quite a while, as I researched and watched for the perfect LC/LX to pop up. I was looking mostly at 100s due to budget constraints but last week a 200 series crossed my path (really my wife's path) and I am now considering purchasing it. I'm a little less informed on the 200s, but the prospect of the new technology in the 200 (and the bigger engine) are very attractive.

As you can imagine the mileage is very high for it to have fallen into the same price bracket as a 100.

Here are the details I have so far:

2008 LX 570
265,000 miles, 90% highway miles as it was a company car with two primary drivers.
Southern truck, so should be no rust
New Transmission in 2016
New Radiator in 2017
Needs new tires
I've been told there is some significant wear on the driver's seat
Full maintenance records are available, Lexus dealership was used through the initial warranty, then a local shop with good records after (I haven't seen these yet, but will definitely look at them)
Owner doesn't believe the water pump has been changed.
Selling because they just purchased a 2018 LX

Asking price is $15,000

I'm going to go take a look at it this week and give it a test drive.

I'm looking for advice/opinions? Anything else I should look for/questions I should ask? The seller has been very forthcoming thus far.


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I'd find out why it needed a new transmission because that's a very unusual failure point. Did they tow a lot or have a bunch of deferred maintenance? The price is ok, but these trucks are very expensive to fix so if it has anything waiting to blow up I'd be very cautious.
 
seems high priced for the mileage is my first impression
 
Whiskerz said:
seems high priced for the mileage is my first impression
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I checked Edmunds and KBB and that's right in the range for the miles in "Good" condition. I'm going to get a good look at it to see what kind of condition it's actually in. It needs new tires, so I'm definitely getting at least a $1000 knocked off before I consider making the purchase. My guess is he was offered something like $13k trade in value and decided to sell it himself.
 
A quick google and cargurus shows 1 in Texas with 185,000 miles for $16,000. That is a lot of miles
 
@auchief

The mileage is a little high for my liking but the price seems to be good. I would check and see if its a toyota/lexus reman trans. If it is and you're ok with the odometer reading 265K, then jump on it pending test drive.

BTW, get the VIN and visit Lexus Owners Site | Lexus Drivers
 
ton504 said:
@auchief

The mileage is a little high for my liking but the price seems to be good. I would check and see if its a toyota/lexus reman trans. If it is and you're ok with the odometer reading 265K, then jump on it pending test drive.

BTW, get the VIN and visit Lexus Owners Site | Lexus Drivers
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I plan to get the VIN for that puroose, and get and get a good look at those private mechanic service records. I hadn't thought of asking who did the transmission, so I'm adding that to the list of things to ask about.

I don't think I'd be happy paying the full $15k, unless it's in pristine condition inside and out and the owner already volunteered to tell me the driver's seat is showing some wear.
 
auchief said:
The only one I found for that price and those miles is a 100 in Carrolton, TX.
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I plugged in 2008 into my googlefu. Maybe it is weak. I was at work and trying to be quick. You are right I search 08's and it showed two 07's
 
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04UZJ100 said:
Yeah what’s going on with a highway use only transmission replacements?
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I'm going to dig deeper on that when I speak to the owner again. Best guess is while 90% of that was driving from Columbus to Atlanta, the other 10% was driving in Atlanta traffic. Still doesn't seem right.
 
Update: Drove the truck today. Drove like a new car, as advertised. The interior was pretty beat up, specifically the seats, front and back.

Transmission was replaced by an independent mechanic. Is this too big of a red flag to get over? He gave me the mechanic's number so I'm going to call and ask him some questions. I think $15k is out of question on this thing, but what would be a reasonable price?
 
New transmission is not a big deal in my mind. These 6-speeds can be found all day long. Take it as a good thing that you likely have a newer/less mileage transmission in a 265k mile body.

That's a heck of a lot of rig for $15k, and is a fair price. On the flip side, these rigs are not cheap when new. So any incidental issue may not be cheap to repair/replace.
 
I'd say that at $14k it's a fair deal if the interior being beat isn't a deal breaker for you. I really rarely see these things anywhere near $20k. I owned a 320k mile 100 series before my current 200, and if everything checks out I'd buy it. The 200 series is a much more refined and powerful animal than the 100.

I'm in Auburn too, there's a few 200 series around here, and I think the only two built at all are in my neigborhood. I've got an '08 Silver LC with TJM bumper and a small lift and duratracs, and my neighbor has a 2013ish LX with an ARB Bumper.
 
I’d pass. Save a little more money and get one with less miles that isn’t beat up.

I am most concerned that an independent mechanic did not install the transmission correctly, or use the correct fluid, or set the correct level.
 
TimCFJ40 said:
I'd say that at $14k it's a fair deal if the interior being beat isn't a deal breaker for you. I really rarely see these things anywhere near $20k. I owned a 320k mile 100 series before my current 200, and if everything checks out I'd buy it. The 200 series is a much more refined and powerful animal than the 100.

I'm in Auburn too, there's a few 200 series around here, and I think the only two built at all are in my neigborhood. I've got an '08 Silver LC with TJM bumper and a small lift and duratracs, and my neighbor has a 2013ish LX with an ARB Bumper.
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I think I've seen your truck around town before. I mostly seen college kids driving 100s around downtown, from time to time. The only thing I've seen out here around North Donahue are 100s, and they are few and far between.

This will be primarily a kid & dog hauler, so at the end of the day, that interior is going to take a beating anyway. Might as well get some seat covers.

I've gotten some more details on the service history.

Master brake cylinder was replaced really early on in the car's life at 27,842 miles (in 2009)

Serpentine Belt was replaced 107,386 miles, in 2012

Oil changes were done pretty religiously every 5000 miles.

New brake pads and front end alignment were done in May

The Battery was replaced in September

I'm thinking I'll need to have the water pump replaced soon since it's never been done. Can't find a record that the heater Ts and/or hoses have been replaced. Serpentine Belt has now been on longer than the original, so that's gotta be replaced as well. Everything else seems to check out. Assuming I go forward with this I'll obviously set up an appointment with an independent mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection. I actually called the Toyota place to ask them about the car's recent trip there and they said I could bring the truck in there for an inspection. Is this something any of you would recommend or am I better off just taking it to an independent garage?


Thanks everyone for your feedback.
 
auchief said:
I think I've seen your truck around town before. I mostly seen college kids driving 100s around downtown, from time to time. The only thing I've seen out here around North Donahue are 100s, and they are few and far between.

This will be primarily a kid & dog hauler, so at the end of the day, that interior is going to take a beating anyway. Might as well get some seat covers.

I've gotten some more details on the service history.

Master brake cylinder was replaced really early on in the car's life at 27,842 miles (in 2009)

Serpentine Belt was replaced 107,386 miles, in 2012

Oil changes were done pretty religiously every 5000 miles.

New brake pads and front end alignment were done in May

The Battery was replaced in September

I'm thinking I'll need to have the water pump replaced soon since it's never been done. Can't find a record that the heater Ts and/or hoses have been replaced. Serpentine Belt has now been on longer than the original, so that's gotta be replaced as well. Everything else seems to check out. Assuming I go forward with this I'll obviously set up an appointment with an independent mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection. I actually called the Toyota place to ask them about the car's recent trip there and they said I could bring the truck in there for an inspection. Is this something any of you would recommend or am I better off just taking it to an independent garage?


Thanks everyone for your feedback.
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I don't really have a local mechanic I'd use for such an inspection, as I do basically everything myself. I have used Tiger Tire a few times on the wife's car and they've been honest and responsive. Not sure whether I'd use Lynch Toyota for a PPI, only because they're bound to find a laundry list of issues on a 267k mile truck, but maybe that gives you some bargaining power. As to interior, I use mine the same (as a kid hauler and dog car etc), and for me a worn interior is ok, a severely damaged interior is a no-go. You can easily spend a lot of money getting a destroyed interior back to snuff, but it's entirely your call as to your tolerance for interior damage. Even at $14k, I'd want an interior that didn't make me feel like I was driving a crappy car. That'd be different if I was buying a $2k pickup to haul firewood in etc.

Good luck with the search. There's a really nice white low mileage cruiser in VA in the classifieds section here I'd be very strongly considering if I was buying now, but it's ~$10k more than the one you're looking at.
 
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