For Sale Buyer Beware - LX 470 in NM (1 Viewer)

Year

2005

Vehicle Model

1. LX470

Location

United States

I was hoping to be driving route 66 from Albuquerque to LA as a new LX 470 owner, but instead I'm back at home with a warning.

2005 Lexus LX 470 [Toyota Land Cruiser] - cars & trucks - by owner -...

This 2005 Lexus LX 470 combines reliability with exceptional 4x4 capability. CARFAX available upon...

albuquerque.craigslist.org

I've been in contact with this owner for a week. I did as much due diligence as I figured I could from LA. Pre-purchase inspection which everything turned up mechanically good and assurance from the owner that despite a few scratches everything with the vehicle was good. Owner seemed like a straight up guy and also owns a 100 series and has had cruisers in the past.

I bought a one way ticket to ABQ and visually it was as expected but there were a few body rust spots which weren't disclosed and I would not categorize as excellent condition which it's listed as. But that's not a big deal.

The killer was the ride. It harsh from the get go on residential streets. With more speed on main streets you could feel everything. There was a bottle of suspension fluid in the door notch, but the seller never disclosed any issues with the AHC. Pre-purchase never mentioned an issue. It did go up and down, albeit a bit clunky. I tried it in comfort and sport, felt the same.

When I mentioned this to the owner he didn't seemed surprised, so now I feel snookered.

We got the price right if the truck didn't have this issue, but adding another $1,800-$2,000 for a suspension conversion was not expected, so I walked. Maybe it's a great deal for someone who can do the conversion at a good price or go down the rabbit hole of fixing an AHC, but to not be made aware of this is shady. I've got an FJ62, so I know a stiff ride and this was worse than leaf springs.

Sucked flying twice when I'm trying to limit covid exposure, not to mention the cost.

Just felt I had to get this off my chest in case someone else is considering looking at it. Ad says NM rig, but Carfax reveals it spent 90% of it's life in CT and amazingly the undercarriage is free of rust which is amazing.

Not sure if there is any way to mitigate this from happening in the future, just don't want anyone else to make my same mistake.

 

[dahlmaker]

I'm happy to report I've finally got a 100 series!!!

Saw quite a few clunkers along the way and one unicorn.

The weekend after I went to NM I came across a 2000 LX 470 in my neighborhood on OfferUp. It had 85K on it and the guy was asking $10K. I had been focused on 03-05 models so didn't really consider something earlier. It was in perfect shape with just a few scratches on the bumper from being in the street. I didn't have cash in hand to leave a deposit and another person drove up with cash and took it on the spot. I lost some sleep over that one.

Drove my family 3 hours to Big Bear to see what turned out to be a fair not excellent 100 for $7,200. I would have bought it but the seller didn't have the title, only DMV paperwork to apply for registration without title. It was probably legit, but I don't know enough about buying a vehicle without a clean title so we walked.

The next day another 100 popped up on Offerup and this time I brought cash.

So now I'm the owner of a 1999 Land Cruiser. It has 185K miles and is locked. Two older previous owners with no kids. Interior and mechanically it looks great. Zero rust. In the shop right now for timing belt and baseline everything. The bad is the clearcoat is peeling around the windows and roofline. It's been sitting outside in California for years. I still feel like I got a deal at $8,000.

I appreciate all the support here. I've been a bit obsessed for a few months, so now I can delete my alerts and start being more productive in other areas of my life, as well as get to the fun of building this up. Will be a daily driver and family adventure hauler. I'll start a build thread shortly.

 

[kwon-offroad]

Who did the PPI?
They are to blame for your issues too. AHC issues are very easy to spot.

Congrats to the OP.

I think the reliance and expectations from a "PPI" is way overrated, especially from a dealer or even an independent shop. A PPI from a strong recommendation or an 'expert' is another thing entirely but still shouldn't let your guard down. When allowing a dealer/shop perform a PPI don't drop it off and ask them "I need a pre-purchase inspection". Give them a discrete list of things to check and ask them how much that costs to execute (probably more than a PPI). I don't care if a window switch doesn't work, because I will find those before dropping the car - and I can fix that minimally. I want to know what systems are not working properly. And if you're transacting remotely, I still really don't care about that window switch.

 

[medtro]

Who did the PPI?
They are to blame for your issues too. AHC issues are very easy to spot.

Harsh AHC ride is hard to spot without driving it. Most PPI doesn't involve test driving.

 

[banjo1981]

It's in decent shape. If you want to track down the issue or just convert the suspension you might have a good truck on your hands.

I ended up buying this one and that’s what I’ve done. I have a stack of receipts from the previous owners attempts to fix the AHC and they eventually just gave up lol. Lots of other maintenance was done on this rig, but I knocked the price down because I knew what I was getting into... mostly.

 

[TheLCProject]

I ended up buying this one and that’s what I’ve done. I have a stack of receipts from the previous owners attempts to fix the AHC and they eventually just gave up lol. Lots of other maintenance was done on this rig, but I knocked the price down because I knew what I was getting into... mostly.

But back to the OP's qualms..no disclosure of a "stack of receipts...from failed AHC repairs". Disgusting behavior.

 

[banjo1981]

Oh for sure. The guy I dealt with just played the silent and oblivious type. But if I was flying in from out of state I would expect a little more like the OP. Especially for what the original sales price was . Yikes it was high.

 

[dahlmaker]

Oh for sure. The guy I dealt with just played the silent and oblivious type. But if I was flying in from out of state I would expect a little more like the OP. Especially for what the original sales price was . Yikes it was high.

Yeah, I can still picture his dumbfounded look when I called him out on it - There was literally no mention of any issues with the suspension or AHC over multiple calls on the phone and emails. But as you know it was glaringly obvious once you leave the driveway. Guy didn't want to budge on the price at all. Hope you get the rig sorted out the way you want it.