Buying a 1997 LX450 - Need advice most humbly

[ROCKFOX]

All,
I am new to the forum, but have followed it for years. I am finally in the position and state to buy a LX450. I love old LCs, and the 80 series has always been a favorite of mine. I am a fan of the LX as it offers a smidgen more creature comforts, and wears a L badge . The one I am considering has about 236K miles and is located here in GA.

I saw shots of the the undercarriage and looks to be devoid or minimal salt corrosion. I will go take a look at it later this week, but wanted to be educated by you all or humbly accept any advice you may offer, or other threads to read before I head to the seller.

This will be my third car, and fixer upper as it were, but from the pictures, and sans considering the high mileage, I do not see anything alarming about it currently.

I spoke to the seller last night, and noted that there are no leaks, compression is strong, it does not have the optional Lexus Carphone (cool retro stuff).... nor diff locks. That being said, I will probably not take it off-road much, I know that defies the point of owning a LC, but the ride height and driving dynamics on the road alone are what get me all excited !

Thanks again in advance for any help or advice.

- Rockfox

 

[Heckraiser]

So you like driving a slow, heavy, gas-guzzling boat on the road, huh?

 

[Funner]

All,
I am new to the forum, but have followed it for years. I am finally in the position and state to buy a LX450. I love old LCs, and the 80 series has always been a favorite of mine. I am a fan of the LX as it offers a smidgen more creature comforts, and wears a L badge . The one I am considering has about 236K miles and is located here in GA.

I saw shots of the the undercarriage and looks to be devoid or minimal salt corrosion. I will go take a look at it later this week, but wanted to be educated by you all or humbly accept any advice you may offer, or other threads to read before I head to the seller.

This will be my third car, and fixer upper as it were, but from the pictures, and sans considering the high mileage, I do not see anything alarming about it currently.

I spoke to the seller last night, and noted that there are no leaks, compression is strong, it does not have the optional Lexus Carphone (cool retro stuff).... nor diff locks. That being said, I will probably not take it off-road much, I know that defies the point of owning a LC, but the ride height and driving dynamics on the road alone are what get me all excited !

Thanks again in advance for any help or advice.

- Rockfox

A starting point in the link below, but if you been around here for years you should be well past this basic info. My advice is negotiate the best price you can and buy it. If something major being wrong with it fairly soon would creaTe a serious financial hardship, then don't buy one. Good luck

Slee - 80 Series Land Cruiser Newbie Guide

 

[ROCKFOX]

So you like driving a slow, heavy, gas-guzzling boat on the road, huh?

Pretty much.

 

[jpoole]

@ROCKFOX

Since you've been following along on mud for years you've probably got a lot of good ideas about what to look out for but revisit the FAQ as needed:

80-series FAQ

Tell us more about what you are trying to accomplish with this purchase and I'm sure you'll get great feedback from the many on here that have been through the buying process many times.

I'm still in the process of baselining a '97 with 230k miles and I'd be listing out the answers to the following questions as I assessed any potential purchase and eying my time/$$ budget while considering how soon I wanted a fully-baselined rig to drive:

1. How much budget do you have in mind for this truck's purchase and maintenance? At 230k plus, unless you have record of recent replacement done correctly, with OE parts then any 80 will need a lot of work, probably to the tune of thousands of dollars in parts alone to get it back to top-notch condition.
2. How much work are you planning to do yourself? This is probably the biggest factor in how much baselining and maintenance will cost.
3. How many of the following have been updated/refreshed recently? Head Gasket, Engine rubber (hoses, lines, belts, seals), Cooling system components (radiator, pump, tstat), suspension bushings (if original expect some sloppy handling/wandering), front-axle rebuild (if original you may need new birfields at this point), tires, etc.
4. How clean is the interior? Many of these have suffered from long-term leaks that lead to nasty carpet that needs to at least be pulled and washed with the padding underneath replaced, along with resealing/repairing the sunroof/etc. The front leather seat covers could need replacement if not in good shape. The headliner may also benefit from removal/cleaning when you are sorting out the sunroof leaks. etc.

Your expectations and time/$$ budgets will guide you to the right truck. Since you are looking for a third car/hobby car then you can probably succeed with almost any 80 that grabs your eye but be sure you are ok with the long baselining process that may follow if you buy a truck that isn't pretty well sorted/up to date.

 

[BILT4ME]

Are you planning on working on the truck yourself or paying someone else to do the labor? That will make a BIG difference in what you should be looking for.

Also, @slow95z is close to you down there and may help out if you need a hand with evaluation. (I think anyway... my geography isn't great!)

 

[ROCKFOX]

@ROCKFOX

Since you've been following along on mud for years you've probably got a lot of good ideas about what to look out for but revisit the FAQ as needed:

@jpoole -
Thank you so much for getting back to me so fast. I know that there will probably be a lot of work down the line. Some of my main questions definately relate to mechanicals, and then venture out into the interior and ride quality etc.

Few questions that I had would be -
1. What does 230K mean for a truck that has lived over 21 years.
2. How much life can I expect to get from this 80? I will eventually have the engine rebuilt over time, but is that worth it?
3. I am attaching pictures so that you can see what baseline I am working with.
4. I will ask about the Head Gasket, Engine Rubber seals etc. and actually have my Japanese Tech do a "PPI" just so I know what I am getting in bed with so to speak.
5. The interior actually looks pretty fresh and maintained for age. But as you say, I may need to remove the headliner, and I will def. check the sunroof for leaks.

Thanks again for getting back to me so fast. This community is pretty amazing !

-Rockfox

80-series FAQ

Tell us more about what you are trying to accomplish with this purchase and I'm sure you'll get great feedback from the many on here that have been through the buying process many times.

I'm still in the process of baselining a '97 with 230k miles and I'd be listing out the answers to the following questions as I assessed any potential purchase and eying my time/$$ budget while considering how soon I wanted a fully-baselined rig to drive:

1. How much budget do you have in mind for this truck's purchase and maintenance? At 230k plus, unless you have record of recent replacement done correctly, with OE parts then any 80 will need a lot of work, probably to the tune of thousands of dollars in parts alone to get it back to top-notch condition.
2. How much work are you planning to do yourself? This is probably the biggest factor in how much baselining and maintenance will cost.
3. How many of the following have been updated/refreshed recently? Head Gasket, Engine rubber (hoses, lines, belts, seals), Cooling system components (radiator, pump, tstat), suspension bushings (if original expect some sloppy handling/wandering), front-axle rebuild (if original you may need new birfields at this point), tires, etc.
4. How clean is the interior? Many of these have suffered from long-term leaks that lead to nasty carpet that needs to at least be pulled and washed with the padding underneath replaced, along with resealing/repairing the sunroof/etc. The front leather seat covers could need replacement if not in good shape. The headliner may also benefit from removal/cleaning when you are sorting out the sunroof leaks. etc.

Your expectations and time/$$ budgets will guide you to the right truck. Since you are looking for a third car/hobby car then you can probably succeed with almost any 80 that grabs your eye but be sure you are ok with the long baselining process that may follow if you buy a truck that isn't pretty well sorted/up to date.

 

[slow95z]

yeah man, i am in GA and have a cruiser or 12. if you need anything just hit me up.

 

[jpoole]

@ROCKFOX

The pics didn't make it through unfortunately.

It's always a roll of the dice but if you are going to maintain an 80 odds are in your favor that you could get 400k+ out of the engine bottom end. HG replacement, even if just preventative and to allow valve stem seal replacement will be needed before then along with many peripherals and plenty of service work. As long as rust doesn't get it, you don't wreck it and you can source the bits and pieces that wear/break, an 80 should last pretty much indefinitely (this is true of most autos). It all comes down to proper care and sourcing parts, which will get harder. I've driven cars much older than these all my life and it's only gotten easier to keep them on the road with the expanded access to parts/info that we have thanks to the internet. 80s are pretty rewarding given that if you fix something on it to Toyota's original standards it should be a really long time before you have to worry about it again. An 80 is a lot less likely to become so fragile that you decide to quit driving it hard for a really long time to come.

 

[ROCKFOX]

@jpoole - Thank you so much ! Such amazing and motivating words. I think I will try to pull the trigger on this one. Attaching pictures here. Let me know if they come in. Tried to link my website, and it failed.

- Rockfox

 

[lumbee1]

Geez!!! that is CLEAN. I wish mine looked that good The undercarriage on my truck is covered in brown. I can't tell if it is Uwharrie clay or rust.

 

[ROCKFOX]

@slow95z - For sure I will . Many thanks .

 

[gummycarbs]

That is absurdly clean.

 

[koifish]

Looks like its been cared for, DO IT!!

 

[ROCKFOX]

@koifish - I am actually strongly considering it! Usually I have hesitation. Not this time.

 

[jpoole]

It does look really clean and cared for. Also may not have come with a port/dealer installed roof rack which is a plus in most folks opinions. Some of the wood-grain interior trim pieces look to have been removed or never installed which is also a plus in most folks opinions. Some efforts in carpet cleaning are ahead and the front bumper could be re-aligned (it's slightly pushed in/up) but other than that the pics don't show any issues. If you are prepared for the worst you may be pleasantly surprised by such a clean 80.

 

[jpoole]

Only other items I notice in the pics are the apparently original heater hoses around the heater control valve/firewall. Be careful with that valve if you buy it as it could be brittle and start planning to update all of those hoses at some point. The hoses look ok, I don't see bulging/discoloration/etc. but you can gently squeeze them to feel for brittleness etc. to get a feel for how safe they are to run until you decide to replace.

Also, there are two hose clamps on the upper radiator hose. I assume that there was weeping around that hose with just the factory spring clamp and that someone added an extra clamp to stop the weeping. Not necessarily an issue, but a little weird. As long as the rad cap is good (allowing coolant in/out properly) and nothing crazy is going (HG leak causing really high pressure) on you shouldn't need two hose clamps once you replace that hose in the future unless the barb/fitting on the radiator has issues.

Let us know if you get it, and share more pictures. It's fun to see what these can look like when clean/original and inspiration for me as I work to clean up my derelict 80.

 

[ROCKFOX]

@jpoole - Sure will do. I contacted the seller, after getting motivation from all of you. I started a project website on my personal website which will track progress from purchasing, to as I slowly get it all cleaned up and move it along to factory spec. Not sure if the link will work - but here is where I will post updates apart from the forum .

So grateful for all the support and kind words from everyone .

- Rockfox

Project Cars at AutoProcure Atlanta

 

[ZackR]

Nice find, how much did you end up paying? Drive it for a year in stock form to learn what you like and don't like before adding any mods.

Hope you like to get your hands dirty! Thats part of the allure....

 

[shocktower]

@koifish - I am actually strongly considering it! Usually I have hesitation. Not this time.

Well since no one has yet . Now buy that thing