Buying a LX570 in Puerto Rico?? (1 Viewer)

[altaverse]

Mudders! I need your help!

I'm thinking about upgrading to a 200 series and wanted your feedback on buying an LX570 down in Puerto Rico.

I found a 2009 LX570 with 122k miles, but I'm concerned about buying a higher mileage truck that doesn't have a solid service history.

Here's a link to the listing (in Spanish, but has pictures)
Lexus, Lexus LX del 2009 Clasificados Online Puerto Rico

Ideally I would pay a premium for a 1 owner truck will full dealer service history and lower miles, but LX570's are few and far between in Puerto Rico, and its unknown how long it will be before another truck shows up. I thought about shipping one down, but the import duties and shipping costs, even on a 2010/2011, are over $9k.

I've read the higher mileage LX570 threads about common issues to look out for (leaking cam tower, radiator, starter, steering rack, alternator) and I have the truck over at the Lexus dealer for a PPI today.

The only real issue I noticed (other than the lack of service history) was a small amount of blue/white smoke on cold startup (relatively cold startup, its always 80 degrees +/- in Puerto Rico) which only lasted 3-4 seconds. This went away after a few seconds and did not occur after the truck was started again after being driven.

I would really appreciate any feedback that you guys have as to how to make the best decision in this situation- would the lack of service history scare you away? Would you wait a few months hoping for the perfect truck to show up? Or would a clean bill of health from a Lexus dealer give you enough peace of mind to buy?

Thanks everyone!

PS- have any of you found a third party warranty for your LX570's that you would recommend?

 

[linuxgod]

I would pass.

Blue smoke on startup is the classic sign of leaking valve stem seals. A bit of oil drips down into the cylinders when the engine is turned off and then when you restart it when cold it'll quickly burn off. A 122k engine will not do this unless the PO didn't change the oil regularly. Expect if you purchase you're going to need to tear down and rebuild the engine soon

 

[altaverse]

Thank your for your input!

 

[Sandroad]

I concur with @linuxgod that there could be a problem. 80F startup temps should not have any color in the exhaust of a 122K 5.7L. That and the lack of available service history makes it an iffy purchase. Wow on those import duties and shipping costs!

 

[altaverse]

Thanks for your thoughts, unless I can find a warranty that covers tearing down the engine I'm thinking about passing on this one!

As far as import duties, I believe these are based upon the KBB of the truck. New LX570's have close to $30k in import duties and retail for $140k.

 

[32cls6speedmt]

I don't think many warranty companies would insure a vehicle that is 11 years old and has over 100,000 miles. It doesn't make much business sense. If you could find one then I am sure it will have a lot of exclusions.

How was the ppi?

 

[altaverse]

 

[altaverse]

PPI came back with $11k in parts and labor, although the techs weren’t able to find out what was causing the smoke at startup.

They also found almost every panel on the truck had been painted, which was not noticeable to my untrained eye.

I’m going to pass on this truck and am out a few dollars for the inspection, but if nothing else I learned the value of having a PPI performed at a reputable dealer before purchasing a truck.

Thanks again for all of your feedback, time for me to get back on the hunt!

 

[kchristian]

Mudders! I need your help!

I'm thinking about upgrading to a 200 series and wanted your feedback on buying an LX570 down in Puerto Rico.

I found a 2009 LX570 with 122k miles, but I'm concerned about buying a higher mileage truck that doesn't have a solid service history.

Here's a link to the listing (in Spanish, but has pictures)
Lexus, Lexus LX del 2009 Clasificados Online Puerto Rico

Ideally I would pay a premium for a 1 owner truck will full dealer service history and lower miles, but LX570's are few and far between in Puerto Rico, and its unknown how long it will be before another truck shows up. I thought about shipping one down, but the import duties and shipping costs, even on a 2010/2011, are over $9k.

I've read the higher mileage LX570 threads about common issues to look out for (leaking cam tower, radiator, starter, steering rack, alternator) and I have the truck over at the Lexus dealer for a PPI today.

The only real issue I noticed (other than the lack of service history) was a small amount of blue/white smoke on cold startup (relatively cold startup, its always 80 degrees +/- in Puerto Rico) which only lasted 3-4 seconds. This went away after a few seconds and did not occur after the truck was started again after being driven.

I would really appreciate any feedback that you guys have as to how to make the best decision in this situation- would the lack of service history scare you away? Would you wait a few months hoping for the perfect truck to show up? Or would a clean bill of health from a Lexus dealer give you enough peace of mind to buy?

Thanks everyone!

PS- have any of you found a third party warranty for your LX570's that you would recommend?

I just moved from PR. It took a while but I found a clean 2008 LC for much less than $30k up in Utuado. (The further from San Juan you get, the better the deals are.) It seemed like everytime I looked there was another LX for $30k in Dorado or Guynabo. I would definitely wait til you find one that doesn’t smoke and has better history.

 

[altaverse]

Thanks man, I'll keep an eye out

 

[BuckCruiser]

Mudders! I need your help!

I'm thinking about upgrading to a 200 series and wanted your feedback on buying an LX570 down in Puerto Rico.

I found a 2009 LX570 with 122k miles, but I'm concerned about buying a higher mileage truck that doesn't have a solid service history.

Here's a link to the listing (in Spanish, but has pictures)
Lexus, Lexus LX del 2009 Clasificados Online Puerto Rico

Ideally I would pay a premium for a 1 owner truck will full dealer service history and lower miles, but LX570's are few and far between in Puerto Rico, and its unknown how long it will be before another truck shows up. I thought about shipping one down, but the import duties and shipping costs, even on a 2010/2011, are over $9k.

I've read the higher mileage LX570 threads about common issues to look out for (leaking cam tower, radiator, starter, steering rack, alternator) and I have the truck over at the Lexus dealer for a PPI today.

The only real issue I noticed (other than the lack of service history) was a small amount of blue/white smoke on cold startup (relatively cold startup, its always 80 degrees +/- in Puerto Rico) which only lasted 3-4 seconds. This went away after a few seconds and did not occur after the truck was started again after being driven.

I would really appreciate any feedback that you guys have as to how to make the best decision in this situation- would the lack of service history scare you away? Would you wait a few months hoping for the perfect truck to show up? Or would a clean bill of health from a Lexus dealer give you enough peace of mind to buy?

Thanks everyone!

PS- have any of you found a third party warranty for your LX570's that you would recommend?

I live down here in Puerto Rico part time, every other week, and I wouldn't touch any car in Puerto Rico with a 10' Pole. I'm currently driving a beautiful 97 LX450 that I shipped from the States. Fully serviced by Slee prior. Because of its age I paid the minimum import duty which was $895. I suggest you do the same. Find yourself a great 80 series or 100 series back in the States and ship it over. I think I paid 600 to get it truck to Jacksonville ... $1200 over water ... $895 imported into the island. Every aspect of owning a vehicle in Puerto Rico is a joke. It's hard to buy a vehicle with a clean title because parking tickets, traffic tickets and other fines accumulate so that the owner pays them the next time they register their vehicle for the upcoming year. Often times people buy a vehicle and the current owner does not mention that there are hundreds or thousands of dollars of tickets associated with that vehicle. A clean title is difficult ti verify. PR is a 3rd world country. Do not by a car in Puerto Rico unless you're buying brand new and then ... do not buy a car in Puerto Rico.