Completely new to LX and LC, and local offerings are sparse (1 Viewer)

[Hanuman]

I’m an expat living in Cambodia.
Good vehicles are thin on the ground here, and it takes time filtering through the dross to find something decent at a sensible price. That sensible price is likely to be ridiculously high by comparison with the same vehicle on sale in most of the rest of the world (2003 model, in acceptable condition starting at $20000)
My main focus has been looking for an LX470, but it’s slow and ponderous. As a stop gap, I’m seriously thinking about buying an LX450, or Landcuiser of the same age. We have to assume from the outset that all vehicle history will be fantasy. 200,000 miles is likely 300 or even 400,000.
But I’d like to have my own vehicle sooner than later, as relying on local alternatives is frustrating, and largely uncomfortable.
I have rebuilt many of my own European vehicles over the years, so working on suspension, brakes, engines, etc doesn‘t worry me. I’m more than comfortable resolving nasty wiring issues.

By getting a LX450 as an interim, I ’think’ that I may have a chance to buy into a fairly robust vehicle. So what are the major Achilles heal items that need a particularly close look?

So long as I have wheels that keep turning and can be steered, an engine that starts and runs reliably, a transmission that shifts, brakes that stop, and a shell that keeps the monsoon rain out, everything else amounts to luxury items.

 

[clx16]

Head gaskets and heater hoses, particularly the one on the side of the head near the back under the intake. Then any other coolant related mechanism should be checked and not discolored before your rely on it. Those are the big items.

 

[jpoole]

Many of us on this forum are in areas where the 1FZFE, fuel injected gasoline/petrol engine coupled to an automatic transmission are prevalent. I'm assuming you'll have other options there and that diesel powered rigs may be more common. If you can, share what drivetrains (engine, transmission) you are interested in and you may get more feedback. I assume that you may also be looking at 105s there as you shop which are similar to the 80 series chassis/drivetrain but have a body like that on a 100 series.

In my experience with these the main weakness may be their complexity and need for maintenance. That's not unique to the Land Cruiser but is just the nature of relatively modern 4wd vehicles. For reference I'm comparing these in complexity to 2wd as well as much older vehicles, etc. It's hard to find a better balance of driveability, ruggedness and ease of maintenance than the 80 series platform in my opinion and I definitely think you should consider them as an option given that you'll likely have to sort out whatever you buy.

If you can share pictures and tales from your shopping I think we'd all be fascinated and very interested in seeing what things are like there in Cambodia. Sounds like a very different place to buy/sell used automobiles and to operate them compared to what we often discuss here.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

By getting a LX450 as an interim, I ’think’ that I may have a chance to buy into a fairly robust vehicle. So what are the major Achilles heal items that need a particularly close look?

Power steering pump is a common problem. Oil leaks with the FZ engine. The "Pesky heater hose" too. Front axle service, check that the birfield's aren't making noise.

 

[Marco Lau]

I saw plenty of 80 series LC or LX when i was in Phnom Penh couple years back, I know Lexus is premium in Cambodia, but there is physically no difference between the LX450 and the LC other than cosmetic and interior trims and such. With that said, if i were you, i would look for a Diesel motor LC. I have seen a few so they are out there. Good luck with your quest.

 

[SaturnAscends]

I saw plenty of 80 series LC or LX when i was in Phnom Penh couple years back, I know Lexus is premium in Cambodia, but there is physically no difference between the LX450 and the LC other than cosmetic and interior trims and such. With that said, if i were you, i would look for a Diesel motor LC. I have seen a few so they are out there. Good luck with your quest.

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Would that Lexus have been imported from North America?

 

[Hanuman]

Would that Lexus have been imported from North America?

Most would.

for instance, I looked at a fairly straight LX450 just a few days ago. Bought at auction in the US with 200,000miles (having already been clocked (UK term for winding the miles back)), the car appeared in Cambodia in 2005, and in t

 

[SaturnAscends]

Most would.

for instance, I looked at a fairly straight LX450 just a few days ago. Bought at auction in the US with 200,000miles (having already been clocked (UK term for winding the miles back)), the car appeared in Cambodia in 2005, and in t

I would look for a 1hz diesel

 

[Hanuman]

Would that Lexus have been imported from North America?

Most/many would.

For instance, I looked at a fairly straight LX450 just a few days ago. Bought at auction in 2004 in the US (Arizona, I think) with the odometer showing 200,000miles (having already been clocked (UK term for winding the miles back)), exported, the car was registered in Cambodia in 2005, and in the 16 years since has accrued only 5000miles and LPG conversion.
Nothing is as it seems.
Accident damage cars arrive in shipping containers, and head straight to a bodyshop. There’s some good repairs, and some nasty ones. I saw similar things happen in Bangladesh, where standards are much lower.

With this particular LX450, it’s a 1996, black. The roof has a few small dings from stuff being strapped on badly, but along the length of the roof and across the windscreen frames, there’s no deformity. Shut lines are consistent, and doors close nicely.
The interior seems clean, and the leather is in good order. But retrimming and interior swaps are available on many streets, here. Sunroof worked fine.

Arizona strikes me as a fairly dry climate overall (I know nothing!), and coastal climate issues were probably avoided in the car’s first decade. Do LX have week points for rust? Potential for major body repairs would put me off, especially underside, but swapping doors, wings(fenders) and anything else that can be unbolted just needs a few tools and a bit of thought.

Hoses, joints, etc are really just service items, ultimately. The car is unlikely to do many short trips- in fact, it’s likely to normally not be used much, anyway, as I work overseas a lot. A bit of care would have the car prepped for cross country journeys, and out into the wilds. No heavy off-road work, but a family of five and many rough roads mean your average small saloon (sedan) is not going to be my thing.
Plus, I get buy something bigger to satisfy my inner child. My cars back in Europe are fast saloons.

Choice is pretty limited, here.
80-series. I’ve not seen many older diesels. Ratio of 10:1. There’s more LX than LC on the market. (I did find a very rare LX450 diesel, 1998, brand new)
Likewise, the 100-series, most are petrol.
Importing is not straight forward, and faces huge tax.

Pricing is inconsistent, in a country where a seller may start with ‘how much you want to pay?’.
Hence, I’ve lowered my initial expectation of buying a 470 until I find one that I really like. I don’t like the 570, which is just as well.

 

[SaturnAscends]

Most/many would.

For instance, I looked at a fairly straight LX450 just a few days ago. Bought at auction in 2004 in the US (Arizona, I think) with the odometer showing 200,000miles (having already been clocked (UK term for winding the miles back)), exported, the car was registered in Cambodia in 2005, and in the 16 years since has accrued only 5000miles and LPG conversion.
Nothing is as it seems.
Accident damage cars arrive in shipping containers, and head straight to a bodyshop. There’s some good repairs, and some nasty ones. I saw similar things happen in Bangladesh, where standards are much lower.

With this particular LX450, it’s a 1996, black. The roof has a few small dings from stuff being strapped on badly, but along the length of the roof and across the windscreen frames, there’s no deformity. Shut lines are consistent, and doors close nicely.
The interior seems clean, and the leather is in good order. But retrimming and interior swaps are available on many streets, here. Sunroof worked fine.

Arizona strikes me as a fairly dry climate overall (I know nothing!), and coastal climate issues were probably avoided in the car’s first decade. Do LX have week points for rust? Potential for major body repairs would put me off, especially underside, but swapping doors, wings(fenders) and anything else that can be unbolted just needs a few tools and a bit of thought.

Hoses, joints, etc are really just service items, ultimately. The car is unlikely to do many short trips- in fact, it’s likely to normally not be used much, anyway, as I work overseas a lot. A bit of care would have the car prepped for cross country journeys, and out into the wilds. No heavy off-road work, but a family of five and many rough roads mean your average small saloon (sedan) is not going to be my thing.
Plus, I get buy something bigger to satisfy my inner child. My cars back in Europe are fast saloons.

Choice is pretty limited, here.
80-series. I’ve not seen many older diesels. Ratio of 10:1. There’s more LX than LC on the market. (I did find a very rare LX450 diesel, 1998, brand new)
Likewise, the 100-series, most are petrol.
Importing is not straight forward, and faces huge tax.

Pricing is inconsistent, in a country where a seller may start with ‘how much you want to pay?’.
Hence, I’ve lowered my initial expectation of buying a 470 until I find one that I really like. I don’t like the 570, which is just as well.

That's interesting, I always thought diesel Land Cruisers were preferred in the developing world. Also, I wonder why Lexus is so popular as opposed to regular LCs?

As far as common rust spots.. I'd say maybe the rear tailgate/bumper, and sometimes on the roof by the rack. AFAIK they're not known for rusting super aggressively like the older models. Just have a look underneath and you should be able to gauge what you'd be up against.

 

[Hanuman]

Small update.

Diesels. They do exist. Sadly, far too many LX450 have had Prado 4-cylinder diesels installed, as it turns out, as have a fair number of Petrol Landcruisers, and a few diesel land cruisers.
There’s been something of a flurry of diesels and 80series land cruisers join the market in the last few weeks. Right hand drive, though. With the government clamping down on improperly imported vehicles, and Right Hand drives being banned in future registration and import. Sadly, many of these vehicles are the most original and complete, compared to legitimately imported cars which have been butchered, and poorly modified.
With maintenance being a last thought, there’s some nasty stuff.
The most promising Landcruiser Turbo diesel turned out to be a minefield of failed suspension links. Interesting to drive.

Which raises one question- exactly how responsive should a properly running Landcruiser diesel be? How eager to rev? I have no real benchmark to compare to.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

a shell that keeps the monsoon rain out

My two 80 series have leaked like crazy compared to other vehicles I have owned.

Common leaks are from the rear sliding windows, moon roof, and windshield. Be prepared to spend time fixing these.

The moon roof drains will need to be cleaned regularly. The moon roof itself will leak and the gasket that goes bad is only replaced by buying new glass if it exists.

Most people stretch a bicycle tire tube around the edge of the glass or use a giant piece of magnetic sign materiel to block the moon roof.

And even if you do replace the windshield gasket, be prepared for continued leaks because it is notoriously difficult to get the windshield installed correctly.

Goodluck

 

[Hanuman]

Well, folks… it’s been a month or so, and progress has been glacial. I’ve a short list of 3 cars, out of many seen, and many more discounted.
2 LX450, and 1 Landcruiser.

The top car, which I’m hoping to get a technical inspection done on, is a Gold LX450. A few minor trim issues, an odometer shy of at least 150k miles, but which drives fairly well, and the I6 sounds nice. Electrically, as far as I can tell, everything works electrically. It seems to have been relatively cosseted.

The number 2 choice is the Landcruiser, in black. The things that detract are a price tag at least $1000 too much, an HID upgrade which I would want to completely re-wire, and a roof lining which was done by an idiot. The material is nice enough, the fixing a little questionable, but it has pencil lines all over it where they marked it out, instead of being a bit more discreet And doing it all on the reverse.
it has the I6 gasoline engine, and goes fairly well, although I don’t have much to reference against.
the suspension is very tight, the owner is an off-road enthusiast, and he’s apparently taken some care about where he’s spent the maintenance effort. It hasn’t been beaten up, but does carry 24years of marks and minor dings.

Number 3 is a black LX450. All things considered, it seems comparable to the Landcruiser, but is 450kms nearer. It needs a new exhaust as that’s blowing badly at the rear box. The big plus is the price, but the big negative is that the maintenance seems a bit lacking.
I have found a few pipes and small brackets held on with zip-ties, and both front knuckles have significant dry grease accumulations. The dust here is highly intrusive. The difflocks don’t indicate correctly. There is a faintly audible clicking from the front left when driving. It road speed related. You can’t feel it, but it almost sounds like something clockwork. I guess a CV joint. it’s not obvious at low speed when manoeuvring, only when driving freely on te open road. ($$?)

Of all the other cars viewed, I’ve seen many that are simply spare parts heaps, still assembled to a chassis. Only one genuine Landcruiser turbo diesel, which was asthmatic. It could bare manage more than 2000rpm, and had no appreciable torque. The rear axle was loosely attached to the chassis, and every rubber joint was shot.
Every other diesel was a Prado diesel conversion, which people were proud of but would admit it was very sluggish.
Many right hand drive cars that will be required to undergo left hand drive conversion to remain road legal.

And that’s as far as I’ve got.

 

[Dave 2000]

As above on the petrol motors but the diesels have a place here as has been mentioned. The earlier 12 valve models had problems with the big end bearings letting go but would guess they have all but been done now. They are an easy replacement by a mechanic and the sump can be removed without lifting the engine. These vehicles are getting old now and slow electric windows (particularly if it is a little cold) means the rubber seals changing before burning up the switch gear and motors, other than that given your mention of monsoon rains remember with a snorkel the diesel engine will run under water.

Regards

Dave

 

[SaturnAscends]

Well, folks… it’s been a month or so, and progress has been glacial. I’ve a short list of 3 cars, out of many seen, and many more discounted.
2 LX450, and 1 Landcruiser.

The top car, which I’m hoping to get a technical inspection done on, is a Gold LX450. A few minor trim issues, an odometer shy of at least 150k miles, but which drives fairly well, and the I6 sounds nice. Electrically, as far as I can tell, everything works electrically. It seems to have been relatively cosseted.

The number 2 choice is the Landcruiser, in black. The things that detract are a price tag at least $1000 too much, an HID upgrade which I would want to completely re-wire, and a roof lining which was done by an idiot. The material is nice enough, the fixing a little questionable, but it has pencil lines all over it where they marked it out, instead of being a bit more discreet And doing it all on the reverse.
it has the I6 gasoline engine, and goes fairly well, although I don’t have much to reference against.
the suspension is very tight, the owner is an off-road enthusiast, and he’s apparently taken some care about where he’s spent the maintenance effort. It hasn’t been beaten up, but does carry 24years of marks and minor dings.

Number 3 is a black LX450. All things considered, it seems comparable to the Landcruiser, but is 450kms nearer. It needs a new exhaust as that’s blowing badly at the rear box. The big plus is the price, but the big negative is that the maintenance seems a bit lacking.
I have found a few pipes and small brackets held on with zip-ties, and both front knuckles have significant dry grease accumulations. The dust here is highly intrusive. The difflocks don’t indicate correctly. There is a faintly audible clicking from the front left when driving. It road speed related. You can’t feel it, but it almost sounds like something clockwork. I guess a CV joint. it’s not obvious at low speed when manoeuvring, only when driving freely on te open road. ($$?)

Of all the other cars viewed, I’ve seen many that are simply spare parts heaps, still assembled to a chassis. Only one genuine Landcruiser turbo diesel, which was asthmatic. It could bare manage more than 2000rpm, and had no appreciable torque. The rear axle was loosely attached to the chassis, and every rubber joint was shot.
Every other diesel was a Prado diesel conversion, which people were proud of but would admit it was very sluggish.
Many right hand drive cars that will be required to undergo left hand drive conversion to remain road legal.

And that’s as far as I’ve got.

I can’t imagine why anyone would swap a 4 cyl diesel into a heavy 80 series.

I’d go with the best maintained one you mentioned. It will likely save you money in the long run.