Anyone regret buying a high mileage cruiser or lx? LIke 250k plus mileage?

[gamecock2009]

I found a perfect car, its close, the color, it has 285s, only thing is it has 343k miles and hes asking $6 which is out of his mind with. Or a 2000 lc with 343k miles asking 3.5 not as in good shape and no tires. So i wanna get one or the other just cant shake the feeling of hitting that 400k mark down the road. and guys bough high mileage and have a story??

 

[nissanh]

Too pricy.
Buy high mile truck only if you know how to wrench or got $$$.

 

[Greenbean]

First and foremost ask when the last timing belt/water pump was done, if they know than you need to know who did it. That will tell you a lot!

Service records are your friend man! No joke. I purchased mine with very high mileage but it was a Corp CEO car so that meant it wasn’t neglected. Anything it ever needed was done as it was a tax wrote off. I am it’s 2nd owner.

Find out how many owners each has had.

I would hope by 300K it has had an alternator, A/C compressor, maybe valve cover gaskets, power steering rack. Not saying they all leak/fail but I don’t see many LC owners keeping those components on them and just waiting for them to wear out. Certain things arise.

You need to get under it and really just look and take pictures.

Be sure the sunroof works too.

Good luck on your hunt!

Others will post up good stuff, it’s late and I have to work early.

 

[Dclain87]

I’m looking and haven’t considered anything over 250k. The math just doesn’t work for me, I can find something between 185k and 225k for maybe 3-4 k more and I’m not getting something with that much wear and tear. I bought a gx470 a few years ago, and it was the same then. High mileage examples were 3-4K less. But I bought something with a little less miles, I haven’t had to do hardly anything yet other than the basic stuff.

 

[BullElk]

There are two vehicles on the planet that can be purchased with 300+k miles and still driven with great confidence. The Land Cruiser and I don't know of the other one. Not saying all LC/LXs are in excellent condition at 300k but they easily can be like no other vehicle can. It very much depends on the previous owner and what he or preferrably she did with it as well as where it has lived its life. My highest mileage LC/LXs at purchase were 263k and 312k miles. One is a triple locked 80 series stolen for $2350 and one a '99 LC for $2800. If the history is decent with no big red flags, everything feels good based on experience AND the price is reflected downward due to the high mileage...... then it can easily be a GO.

A higher mileage LC/LX at purchase can be a jam up good deal for three reasons in my book. 1.The price should always be correlated downward simply based on the mileage like most any other auto deal, 2. most of the longer mileage interval maintenance items have been completed and 3. generally speaking, machines that are in use as designed seem to be more dependable than ones that sit around too long. That's why low mileage LC/LXs are overrated. A 100k LC really does not give better service than a 200k LC but it sure does cost a whole lot more.

 

[92LXAZ]

Bought mine with 269k. Pretty well cared for. Super clean interior. It's said a lot and true, find the best one you can that fits your budget and don't worry too much about the miles (taking service history into account of course). Expect to put some money into it. I'm doing a little at a time as to not get cash poor into such a high miler, small things some service related some not. Mine will need a steering rack but will drive it as is until affects are felt. Best of luck.

Yes $6k is too high for 343k IMO.

 

[Brandon Ryder]

buy the cheaper one and put the difference into the maintenance it needs. timing belt steering rack etc...
i bought one with 275 and the timing belt broke within a few months.so i spent an extra 650 in parts that i wasn't counting on. with 3k in parts and a do it yourself attitude you can accomplish a lot.

 

[Dclain87]

If I could find a high mileage one that wasn’t totally roached or totaled for less than 3k I would freak out. Every single high mileage one I see, it’s like the owner thinks it’s a collectors model. 5k+ lol

 

[chrismenke]

I bought a double locked 1999 LC with 252k on the clock for $2100. The car has issues, but frankly for what I paid, I don't care. Sheet metal rust in the off side doors is FAR FAR worse than any frame rust, which is incidentally surface only.

Interior was rough and dirty, but one day of detailing took about 10 years and 100k miles of the interior. Then, a LX470 showed up at the local PnP and for 600 I've got a new LX470 interior.

My take on things is if you can get it super cheap and baseline it yourself, go for it. If you're gonna buy a 3k truck and spend 4k baselining it, you may be better off shopping for a 7k truck.

 

[ScubaJon]

if you are afraid to wrench on it yourself do not get one.

A 20 year old car will have problems. there are posts about almost any problems you will encounter and if you are willing to invest time tools and money for parts they are not that bad to work on.

 

[VidereStudios]

I have purchased several UZJ100's over the years...one at 75k miles, one at 113k miles, and one at 202k miles. I daily drive the high mileage one and it is now up to 259k miles. All I have done is regular maintenance and replaced the broken ignition shaft. It has been rock solid. However, I am coming up on the 270k mile service and I am getting ready financially to put out a lot of cash to buy all the parts (and new steering rack) to refresh her.

I honestly don't think it is worth some of the premiums people are asking for low mileage rigs. If you can find a good 100 that has been maintained and isn't a rust bucket, I wouldn't let high mileage be a deterrent. However, you do have to budget for a big outlay of parts at some point (steering rack, etc.) and if you don't wrench on your own rig, it can get super expensive to have someone else maintain it for you. I enjoy wrenching on my rigs, so that definitely helps in the funds department.

However, that being said, I still agree with the statement to buy the best and newest Land Cruiser you can afford.

 

[neckbone]

There are two vehicles on the planet that can be purchased with 300+k miles and still driven with great confidence. The Land Cruiser and I don't know of the other one.

A late '80's Mercedes S-Class diesel (maybe even the straight 6 gasser) is the other.

 

[Titan099]

G,
I have both a high milage LC (300K) daily driver and a LX 222K (newly purchased). The LX needs all the routine maintenance for the mileage but is super clean. The LC has all the maintenance items completed and is in average shape for miles.
After the required maintenance, I would drive either anywhere. if i were selling, i would need close to the same amount for each based on maintenance performed for the LC, and condition for LX.

Look for service records, if they are there, you know that at least someone was putting effort into caring for them.