Bought a 2000 LX. I think it's a money pit. I could use some encouragement.

[Texas Sun Power]

So I recently bought a 2000 Lexus LX470 with 225,000 miles and bought it for $6300 knowing that it would not be perfect. The first thing I noticed was that the front sat a little lower than the back. More than normal. I'm not unfamiliar with these cars entirely. I was told that the suspension had been converted from AHC to Coilover. Hmm. I looked at the shocks up front to confirm that they were indeed coilover. It's a bouncy ride and makes horrible noises. I took it into a shop that specializes in LC. They told me the suspension was shot and that the front end was done using a kit from a now out of business company and the AHC was still on the car (saw that) but they simply unplugged the relay leaving it to blink OFF and simultaneously shutting down ABS and I suspect other things. OK, I can deal with fixing this lifting it was in the works anyway, but....
1. on top of the rigged suspension, the coolant is green not red
2. The sparkplugs are so tight that they can't be removed and the shop won't touch them because they are afraid it will break off in the head.
3. It shifts a little hard from 1 to 2, but that's probably just a solenoid, but now I'm paranoid.

Should I hunt this seller down and try to get my money back (I have plenty of lawyer friends for letterhead and this guy wasn't bright) ?

Looks like I'm the dim one now.

 

[SmoothLC]

Um, not necessarily.

AHC - The "coil overs" are unique though. I'd suggest replacing the four corners w/ OEM since they're about $40 a piece. Then plug in the AHC and see how or if it performs.

Coolant - A flush isn't too expensive if you don't want to do it yourself. Bunch of write-ups on here if necessary.

Spark Plugs - That may be a little more problematic, but shouldn't be a deal breaker. Hopefully others can chime in on an appropriate remedy.

Hard Shifting - Solenoid or maybe the trans fluid needs flushing? Check the level and color and replace if old or dirty.

Doesn't really sound all that bad, but report back on what you find.

 

[Nolan Sylvester]

Anytime you buy used you take these chances. The spark plugs would be a concern but someone will work on it and get it fixed. The coolant is easy. If your uneasy about it cut your losses and move on the the next one. That said around here you still got it for a pretty good price. Change all fluids fix suspension. And enjoy. That's my .02. Probably not worth a dang


Sent from my iPhone

2005 Lexus LX470

 

[RyanStl]

Hey, unless he told you a bunch of lies threatening lawyers is not cool in my book. I really dislike how litigious our society has become.

 

[hkeller]

With AHC, it is not as simple at 4 new shocks at $40 a piece. I would try to answer, but you might want to search a bit. If you want to ditch the AHC, you can go with OEM pretty cheap.

 

[yeti in ga]

sounds like you got what you paid for "knowing that it would not be perfect." so go get some maintenance and baseline the hundy, and order a lift kit from OME or Iron man $1,000 - $1,500. Have a reputable shop take AHC out and replace with new stuff. Not the greatest deal ever but not the worst. If the T belt and water pump cant be confirmed changed then add that to your list... another $1200 unless you do it your self . Yea ... it can add up quick.

I would not touch one of these trucks used high miles with out maintenance records , unless I could do the work myself...

 

[dnp]

So I recently bought a 2000 Lexus LX470 with 225,000 miles and bought it for $6300 knowing that it would not be perfect. The first thing I noticed was that the front sat a little lower than the back. More than normal. I'm not unfamiliar with these cars entirely. I was told that the suspension had been converted from AHC to Coilover. Hmm. I looked at the shocks up front to confirm that they were indeed coilover. It's a bouncy ride and makes horrible noises. I took it into a shop that specializes in LC. They told me the suspension was shot and that the front end was done using a kit from a now out of business company and the AHC was still on the car (saw that) but they simply unplugged the relay leaving it to blink OFF and simultaneously shutting down ABS and I suspect other things. OK, I can deal with fixing this lifting it was in the works anyway, but....This is the short version: A lot depends on what the rest of the truck is like. If it's relatively nice and worth keeping, and if you were planning on fixing the suspension anyway (presumably going to install a lift?), all this might not be that big of a deal. Since the front of an LX has torsion bar suspension that's assisted through the use of electrohydraulic shocks/"springs", it must be assumed the PO utilized coilover shocks to "help" the OEM torsion bars with the weight no longer carried by the electrohydraulic units. Therefore, the easiest / most complete way to solve your problem is to remove all the suspension components in place, and replace them with a totally mechanical lift kit that uses only torsion bars (front), coil springs (rear), and mechanical shocks (hydraulic). OME, Iron Man, ICON, etc. are a few available.
1. on top of the rigged suspension, the coolant is green not red Not that big of a deal. Either when you do your timing belt service or now, drain both the radiator and engine block of coolant (petcock on radiator and drains on both side of the block) Fill both with water, and repeat. Do this until everything runs clean. Then drain one last time and replace fluid with 50% Toyota Long Life coolant (NOT Super Long Life) and 50% distilled water. Done.
2. The sparkplugs are so tight that they can't be removed and the shop won't touch them because they are afraid it will break off in the head. Spray Kroil in the sparkplug tubes, and let it sit for as long as you can. Pray it penetrates enough for the plugs to let loose. The sparkplug threads are repairable, but not a desireable fix
3. It shifts a little hard from 1 to 2, but that's probably just a solenoid, but now I'm paranoid. Someone else will have to chime in on this one

Should I hunt this seller down and try to get my money back (I have plenty of lawyer friends for letterhead and this guy wasn't bright) ? Depends on how badly you want to keep the truck. $6,300 for a 225k LX is not that bad of a price....depending on what the rest of the truck looks like

Looks like I'm the dim one now.

 

[Rigger]

Sounds like you should have taken it in for a mechanic diagnosis before you purchased it. Just saying.

But now that you own it, leave the PO alone, and start working your way through the issues. Cruisers are good trucks, and they are usually fixable. Break out the tools, and invite your friends over for a wrenching party. Then buy the pizza once the work is done!

 

[aging fleet]

Sounds like you bought someone else's headache, but unless some kind of warranty was offered or the car was totally misrepresented, I'm not sure you have any recourse (at least that's my understanding of how things work here).

Getting back to the issues at hand, I'd be afraid the remnants of the AHC system are shot. I'd start shopping for an OME or similar conversion.

 

[Slickspawn]

doesn't sound bad at all to me. the suspension is worth looking into, but not if you planned on lifting it.

 

[yotasavg]

Alright, since nobody else has said it... can we PLEASE get a picture of the front suspension??? I'd love to see these "coilovers". I know some crazy Russians did a real conversion from tbars to coilsovers, but I cannot imagine what the front end of this particular LX looks like...

As others have said, doesn't sound like that big of deal to get this thing base-lined. The spark plugs sound worrisome, but you can't have the first engine with stuck plugs... someone knows how to fix it and will be willing to do it. Find that guy and pay him...

 

[NJNeal]

Did you test drive this first or buy it sight unseen on the internet? You bought a $60k truck that's 17 years old and with 225k miles for about 10% of its original sticker. I'd say you got what you paid for, more or less, and buyers' remorse is a very common phenomenon with used cars. If you otherwise like the truck, you'll be spending a few grand to make it roadworthy, but it will likely be worth the investment. If you don't like the truck, get out of it. You might lose a little money, because you'll be more honest than the last seller, but if you don't like solving problems associated with a 17 year old, 225k mile truck, you'll probably come out ahead. If you decide to keep it, I wouldn't worry too much about the stuck plugs...maybe a little heat, maybe some of the many products that free up corroded parts, and you'll probably get them to free up. The suspension will be expensive to restore to OEM, but there are cheaper options.

 

[Texas Sun Power]

Hey, unless he told you a bunch of lies threatening lawyers is not cool in my book. I really dislike how litigious our society has come.

I tend to agree. He did lie, but it's a buyer beware state (TX) and I did get a really good deal

 

[Texas Sun Power]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I thought all of these same things. I'm not remorseful, but was alarmed when the owner of a Land Cruiser Specialty shop said he wouldn't work on the car once the spark plugs were found to be stuck. That's the only thing is truly worrisome. I'll get pics up as soon as I can get the truck back home. It's a nice truck. I didn't want to lift this truck in the first year and had planned on lifting it once I have a daily driver to replace it. That being said, I might try to get the AHC working for the time being, otherwise, is there any point to getting a 1" lift if I plan to go 2-2.5" in a years time?

 

[ton504]

So you being the dummy and didn't check all of this stuff before your bought it. And now you come running to us to hold your hand? LOL are you like 16? If so, I guess we can look past that and help you.

 

[Texas Sun Power]

So you being the dummy and didn't check all of this stuff before your bought it. And now you come running to us to hold your hand? LOL are you like 16? If so, I guess we can look past that and help you.

thanks a lot for responding, but I think I've received the help I needed.

 

[NJNeal]

That being said, I might try to get the AHC working for the time being, otherwise, is there any point to getting a 1" lift if I plan to go 2-2.5" in a years time?

Not really much point doing it twice. After you do all the research, you'll probably wind up with a modest OME lift. If you read a lot of the posts about these, ride quality suffers compared to original AHC ride. If you don't really need the lift, you'll probably like the ride that the original ride gives you. If you can't afford to restore the AHC system, which might run you between $2k and $4500 depending on how many components need to be replaced, going to a standard Land Cruiser suspension would be less expensive and give a very nice ride.

 

[Slickspawn]

So you being the dummy and didn't check all of this stuff before your bought it. And now you come running to us to hold your hand? LOL are you like 16? If so, I guess we can look past that and help you.

Come on man.

 

[ton504]

thanks a lot for responding, but I think I've received the help I needed.

Yea no problem.

Should I hunt this seller down and try to get my money back (I have plenty of lawyer friends for letterhead and this guy wasn't bright) ?

This just rubbed me the wrong way and was the reason for my previous post.

 

[Texas Sun Power]

Yea no problem.



This just rubbed me the wrong way and was the reason for my previous post.

I can understand that. It's a little out of character for me. The guy was shady in a number of ways though and definitely lied, cheated, and sold me a car that technically wasn't his. I had to hunt the previous owner down using maintenance records to get the title in my name and that hasn't actually happened yet either. But just calling the guy "not bright" wasn't really the whole story.