Thanks for the input, I’ve mentally moved on from this rig. Too many red flags, as pointed out here.
Buying/Selling - what year, how much, etc. - ask for opinions here (14 Viewers)
- Thread starter Trunk Monkey
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I've been looking at a 2002 lx470, with 162,000 miles. I owner has it up for $11,000 and the car spent all of its life in Arizona. It also has a very good maintenance record.
It seems like a good deal. But the car has been in two accidents, and the the owner sold it 6k miles after the second accident. The front suspension had to be repaired and the brakes had to be rebuilt.
Does it seem like a good idea? At what price would it be a great buy?
Here is the link for it
For Sale - Delano, MN: 2002 Lexus LX470
And the posted carfax and history.
It seems like a good deal. But the car has been in two accidents, and the the owner sold it 6k miles after the second accident. The front suspension had to be repaired and the brakes had to be rebuilt.
Does it seem like a good idea? At what price would it be a great buy?
Here is the link for it
For Sale - Delano, MN: 2002 Lexus LX470
And the posted carfax and history.
Based on the info provided, I would not purchase it. Lots of early year lx470s out there with no suspension work. Of course, depends what you plan to use it for and how mechanically inclined you are.
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Needs a timing belt, that current one only has 40k miles on it, but its 10 years old. There are a lot of other things that go along with a timing belt service.
I don't think it's a terrible buy at the listed price based on the miles. The wrecks aren't terribly concerning because they have put 20k miles on the car since the wreck. If it was improperly repaired, it's unlikely that someone would be willing to drive it that far. I do notice that the fenders don't match great. Tri metallic paints are hard to match, but still something that would bother me.
The concern I have is this seller/current owner. Why did they buy it/Why are they selling it? They've owned it for a few months and haven't really driven it.
delete
I have a 2006 4runner, V8, great rig, 225k miles. I've had it for half a year, haven't done anything to it but the plan was this spring to build it a little.
I was talking with a buddy yesterday and I said something about how I loved the rig but kinda wished I'd gotten a Land Cruiser.
His grandpa has one he's planning on selling, I could have first dibs. What do you think about this 'upgrade'?
The LC is a 1999, single owner, dealer maintained, timing/pump done last yr, low low miles @ 61k, looks brand new, but....he's wanting $16,000.
What do you all think? Should I buy the LC and sell the 4runner? I got the 4runner for $8.5 and think I could sell it for more.
I was talking with a buddy yesterday and I said something about how I loved the rig but kinda wished I'd gotten a Land Cruiser.
His grandpa has one he's planning on selling, I could have first dibs. What do you think about this 'upgrade'?
The LC is a 1999, single owner, dealer maintained, timing/pump done last yr, low low miles @ 61k, looks brand new, but....he's wanting $16,000.
What do you all think? Should I buy the LC and sell the 4runner? I got the 4runner for $8.5 and think I could sell it for more.
Hell yeah. Only downside is the LC will feel big and slow.. but everything else screams buy now.
I didn't want to pay $3k+ to bring my dad's stuff back from AZ as a sunk cost with a U-Haul truck. I figured buying a rust-free full-size SUV or truck, driving it back, and selling it would be a better option. I was looking at Expeditions, Excursions, Tahoes, Sequoias, Tundras, etc... Saw this LX470 that was at the right price point and condition, so bought it. Drove it back up to MN and came to thoroughly enjoy it on the drive. Developed an emotional attachment, you might say. It was never my intent to keep it - I figured a rust-free, southern vehicle was an easy sell in rust-laden MN. Clearly I was wrong, but I'm happy I was wrong. It's let me keep this awesome rig longer than planned.
Looking at an LX in Georgia, been same family-owned since its purchase. Has decent records, owner states that hes always done suggested maintenance. Timing belt was done several years ago but no sticker under hood and no receipt, also says hes done alternator brakes, rack and pinion and bushings. Some of these show up on the carfax, some do not... Zero rust which is a plus and underbody looks dry with no leaks. I dont think AHC fluid has ever been changed because he didnt know what that was... But i've got him down to $5,500 and thinking of getting it looked at and maybe pulling the trigger. What do yall think... also seats are torn up. Here are some pictures
Miles? Year?
As for timing belt- owner may confuse serpentine/accessory belt replaced as timing belt. If that job was done by dealer or a decent independent repair shop, you should see the sticker on the cam cover or air intake baffle. You can try to pull the service history off Lexus Owners page.
$5500 - if running and driving- and no mechanical defects- visible damage- could be a fair price with mire info
Sorry, its a 2000 with 240xxx miles. Good point with the serpentine belt
You can bet that things will need doing and you'll want to set aside $1500-$3000 (more if you aren't doing most if all the work).
Whats it for?- DD, 2nd/3rd vehicle, around town grocery getter or cross country vacation explorer? Kind of dictates how much to gauge invest for preventive maintenance approach vs wait till it breaks and fix approach.
I'd want to get a look under those seat covers to see how bad the front seats are but overall its pretty clean for a 240k 2000. Did you read through the FAQ on Slee's 100 series newbie list of what to look for? At that price, its worth a drive to look it over- Id want to make sure the motor was solid ( and then radiator not colored brown on top, heater T's, soft hoses, look for evidence of coolant leaking under crank pulley, look for oil leaks)-make sure the CV's weren't leaking-the 4wd: shifts to HI&Lo range- the CDL works- the AHC works-the brakes are good- the E brake works-AC blows cold- then check switches-lights-bulbs etc.
Whats it for?- DD, 2nd/3rd vehicle, around town grocery getter or cross country vacation explorer? Kind of dictates how much to gauge invest for preventive maintenance approach vs wait till it breaks and fix approach.
I'd want to get a look under those seat covers to see how bad the front seats are but overall its pretty clean for a 240k 2000. Did you read through the FAQ on Slee's 100 series newbie list of what to look for? At that price, its worth a drive to look it over- Id want to make sure the motor was solid ( and then radiator not colored brown on top, heater T's, soft hoses, look for evidence of coolant leaking under crank pulley, look for oil leaks)-make sure the CV's weren't leaking-the 4wd: shifts to HI&Lo range- the CDL works- the AHC works-the brakes are good- the E brake works-AC blows cold- then check switches-lights-bulbs etc.
That's a great deal in my mind... Unless you have some reason to believe his Grandpa is a crook. If he's willing to sell the car to his grandsons friend hopefully he's not willing to ruin their relationship by obscuring issues.
Very hard to find a car with low miles! Sure you can find cheaper, but with a lot more miles of abuse on the various parts.
I'm going to go check it out today. I've got the slee checklist for checking these rigs out, and I'm going to see what service records he has.
The thing that I'm a little concerned about is whether or not this vehicle has spent long stretches without being driven. Could low low miles like this indicate a potential problem having sat for long stretches at a time?
There's also a 99 lx 470 close by here with 190k miles and it's half the price!
But man would it be cool to put a 100k miles on this rig and still be sitting with a sub 200k '99 L.C.!!
The thing that I'm a little concerned about is whether or not this vehicle has spent long stretches without being driven. Could low low miles like this indicate a potential problem having sat for long stretches at a time?
There's also a 99 lx 470 close by here with 190k miles and it's half the price!
But man would it be cool to put a 100k miles on this rig and still be sitting with a sub 200k '99 L.C.!!
D21FJ60
#LiveLaughLove.
I drove an '00 es300 that was driven 5 miles a day. Within about two weeks of driving 50-80 miles a day the valve cover gaskets blew and oil was pouring into two spark plugs. So sitting for a long time or being driven short distances is detrimental to the longevity of the internal rubber.
Working on my 80 build(baby steps) but need something to replace a 2013 ford Escape my daughter bought 2.5 years ago and it needs 3rd tranny. 
I found a 2004 gx470 single owner with 96,000. I have done a little research and know it needs timing belt, prepared for the nav swap out everything else look good, but its from the north east and I'm putting it on a lift later today to see how bad. What other things should I look for? I know its a noob question and have been a mud member for a few years and will expect the rash yet to come but to me $10,000 sounds like a deal so what is behind that to good to be true? I wonder if it a flood car. Carfax here I come?
I found a 2004 gx470 single owner with 96,000. I have done a little research and know it needs timing belt, prepared for the nav swap out everything else look good, but its from the north east and I'm putting it on a lift later today to see how bad. What other things should I look for? I know its a noob question and have been a mud member for a few years and will expect the rash yet to come but to me $10,000 sounds like a deal so what is behind that to good to be true? I wonder if it a flood car. Carfax here I come?
Working on my 80 build(baby steps) but need something to replace a 2013 ford Escape my daughter bought 2.5 years ago and it needs 3rd tranny.
That's a great deal if little to no rust.
Carfax says two minor accident reports, no flooding, and two owners not one. Do these things eat up breaks? looks like a lot a break pads.
No, they don't. Probably cheap pads. OEM should last 30-40k. They cost $40 for a set and replacement takes about 20 minutes.
Working on my 80 build(baby steps) but need something to replace a 2013 ford Escape my daughter bought 2.5 years ago and it needs 3rd tranny.
LX470 or GX470?
