Another uzj100 noobie

[under dog]

Hey folks. I'm a former lurker on the lookout for 100 series. We're a one-car family and the old trooper is on a downward spiral at 160k miles. I saw this as my chance to step up and get into a LC (always wanted one since having an old 70 series in high school) and took to the task of convincing the wife. In a total "what if" test, we took a 99 UZJ out for a spin and were totally impressed at how tight it was. The rig had 140K+ miles, the usual bumps and scratches, but drove like new without the squeeks, wiggles and bad breaking that we are used to (again, I'm currently a trooper owner). We passed due to the mileage but are sold on LCs!

So now we're in the market for a 2K+ (want the traction control) and here's the scenario: I'm seeing plenty of 2000's out there and the better ones are in the 60-80K mileage range. From what I'm reading here (and what I experienced) the mileage doesn't scare me. We're also checking out an 2002 with lower miles but close to 8,000$ more in price. Am I better off spending more money up front for what appears to be a clean LC or save money on buying an older one and invest some of the savings back into maintenance? I know the arguments could go either way but was looking for opinions. Sorry if this sounds like another version of a standard question. But hey, at least I'm not hiding here anymore...

 

[e9999]

well, then, Welcome!

and good luck with the search!

 

[SWUtah]

Welcome
Newer is better, lower mileage is normally better, it all depends on the individual 100 series. Nice thing with the LX is that if it was maintained at Lexus dealers you can get all of the records from any dealer, so you will know how it was maintained. Also the AHC suspension is a major difference. I owned a 99 LC and now have a 2004 LX, big difference. Good luck on the search. Read Slee off road site under the tech section it will tell you what to look for and the differences by model year.

 

[3rd Cruiser]

Welcome!

My .02, go with the newest cruiser you can afford, while keeping the milage within reason. Keep an eye out for 2003's comming off of leases. These are pretty easy to spot as they are at the dealers with about 33,000 to 38,000 miles on them. I would also consider a "Toyota Certified" cruiser. Littler higher in price, but a great extended warrenty.

If you haven't already, check out edmunds.com. Great info about prices for used vehicles, customized for your area code.

Take your time! It took me 7 months of watching auto trader and visiting dealerships, but I got exactly what I wanted. Had to have a rear locker or no deal.

Have fun, you won't regreat the decision to up grade to a LC. I had a 91 Trooper and I feel your pain

 

[_JP_]

what do you guys think you should pay for a new '06 if i can find one? how much below invoice?

thanks and good luck.

jp

 

[SWUtah]

what do you guys think you should pay for a new '06 if i can find one? how much below invoice?

thanks and good luck.

jp

$10K off MSRP

 

[SWUtah]

2003's comming off of leases. These are pretty easy to spot as they are at the dealers with about 33,000 to 38,000 miles on them. I would also consider a "Toyota Certified" cruiser. Littler higher in price, but a great extended warrenty.

I agree that a 2003/2004 off lease would be a good bet. But most leases are 12K-15K per year so on a 2003 you would be looking at 48K - 60K miles. On a 2004 you would be looking at 36K - 45K miles. Nothing to be afraid of and the certified for either LX or LC would be a good way to go.

 

[under dog]

Thanks! I'm leaning towards the '02 and you confirmed it. The VIN tells a pretty good story, brakes are 3 months old and the owner has all the records. I'm getting it inspected next week to confirm all this-- as well as take it for test drive. I'll post pics if everything works out.

 

[under dog]

We pull the trigger today!

Everything checked out after the test drive and buyer inspection at the local dealer yesterday. It drove like a dream and had a perfect chance to test out the offroad performance on some snowy-sloppy backroads. The shop could not find a drop of oil anywhere, compression was good and, for the most part, everything was in excellent mechanical shape. They gave it an overall A- as the front wheel bearings were "a little" loose-- something easily addressed at the 60k.


The seller found the toyota certification and came down to 28k. If all goes well, it'll be in our hands by the end of the day.

Pics to come soon...

 

[under dog]

Got it! We had some fun driving this around in the Idaho snow and it performed flawlessly on a couple of drives up canfield butte near CD'A. After considering various options, I left the old Trooper back in Idaho at a consignment auto shop-- I had to take the new LC on a test trip back to Seattle loaded with family, dog and presents. ;p

First impressions:

Even with the third row seats I was able load everything without blocking the view through the rear-view mirror. The dog (71 lbs) still had plenty of space and the 'clam shell' rear entry was MUCH easier to work with than the Trooper's two door system (I always hated the lock/latch system). On to the road...

Gas mileage was around 17 mpg, which was about same as the old trooper. The ride was quiet, pimp-smooth and there was never an issue with power on any of the steeper hills or passes. As I mentioned earlier in this thread-- the shop noticed a small amount of play in the wheel bearings but this did not result any handling issues. The controls were no-brainers to figure out and I love the little details like an extra side visor when driving into the sunset. I found the bass to be a little muddy on the stock sound system but maybe new speakers can fix that. Also, there was a noticable whistle (appears to be a common observation on this board). After spending six hours in the rig I wasn't even close to feeling as road weary when making the same drive in the trooper.

Stuff I gotta do: git it licensed (of course), two more master keys cut (came with one master and one valet--good info on the board for this), better floormats and cargo mat. In the near future we'll need to schedule the 60k service (which should address the bearings), serpentine belt replaced and rear brake pads. My gear-head neighbor just offered up assistance on the later two and I hope to be spending more time on the board for info and questions. A big Thanks and happy new year to those out there who moderate this and respond with such useful information!

Here's the new rig:

 

[SWUtah]

Got it! We had some fun driving this around in the Idaho snow and it performed flawlessly on a couple of drives up canfield butte near CD'A. After considering various options, I left the old Trooper back in Idaho at a consignment auto shop-- I had to take the new LC on a test trip back to Seattle loaded with family, dog and presents. ;p

First impressions:

Even with the third row seats I was able load everything without blocking the view through the rear-view mirror. The dog (71 lbs) still had plenty of space and the 'clam shell' rear entry was MUCH easier to work with than the Trooper's two door system (I always hated the lock/latch system). On to the road...

Gas mileage was around 17 mpg, which was about same as the old trooper. The ride was quiet, pimp-smooth and there was never an issue with power on any of the steeper hills or passes. As I mentioned earlier in this thread-- the shop noticed a small amount of play in the wheel bearings but this did not result any handling issues. The controls were no-brainers to figure out and I love the little details like an extra side visor when driving into the sunset. I found the bass to be a little muddy on the stock sound system but maybe new speakers can fix that. Also, there was a noticable whistle (appears to be a common observation on this board). After spending six hours in the rig I wasn't even close to feeling as road weary when making the same drive in the trooper.

Stuff I gotta do: git it licensed (of course), two more master keys cut (came with one master and one valet--good info on the board for this), better floormats and cargo mat. In the near future we'll need to schedule the 60k service (which should address the bearings), serpentine belt replaced and rear brake pads. My gear-head neighbor just offered up assistance on the later two and I hope to be spending more time on the board for info and questions. A big Thanks and happy new year to those out there who moderate this and respond with such useful information!

Here's the new rig:

Sounds like you got a solid rig for a good price congrats. What tires do you have on your 2002?

 

[kitkraft]

Congratulations Underdog! I really enjoyed that vicariously! Caused me to feel that old itch for a new rig! But with 221K on my old '98, finding out just how far it will go has become an end in itself...lol.....

 

[spressomon]

Congratulations. You'll be continually amazed at what it will do for you .

 

[ff347]

Ah, good color choice! You will really learn to love that thing as you get to know it.

 

[under dog]

Sounds like you got a solid rig for a good price congrats. What tires do you have on your 2002?

Thanks!

Came with Wintercat SST's from Les Schwab. I don't know much about the quality, etc. The sidewall is thicker, which I prefer. They appear to have plenty of tread left after 20k miles...