Decision, decisio, decision!!! Which one to buy?

[GRunner]

Dear fellow mudders,

Time for me to return my beloved 2003 4Runner and officially join the ranks of mudder. I have seen a few LX470 these last 2 weeks and these are the bottom line:

1/ 2001 LX470 : White and Ivory
- 76,000 miles
- Nav and Levinson
- Lexus Dealer
- $31,500 out the door

2/ 2001 LX470 : Light Green and Stone
- 64,000 miles
- Nav and Levinson
- Lexus Dealer
- $30,000 out the door

3/ 2002 LX 470 : Blue Vapor and Stone
- 54,000 miles Certified Pre-Owned
- Nav and Levinson
- Lexus Dealer
- $33,300 out the door

4/ 2002 LX470 : White and Ivory
- 65,000 miles
- Nav and Levinson
- Used Car Dealer
- $30,000 out the door

5/ 2000 LX470 : White and Ivory
- 79,900 miles
- No Nav
- Chevy Dealer
- $22,000 out the door

They all drives great and looks great in and out. Please shad some light! Which one would you choose? Pro / Con?

Help!!!!! This is the problem when there is no woman figure in your life...

Gary

 

[speyrod]

how many miles on 4 and 5?

 

[GRunner]

Thanks, see revised...

 

[spressomon]

Based only upon the data you presented IMO #5. The 2002's are virtually what you can get a decent 2003 with the 5sp auto for...however I don't know what part of the country you live...

 

[GRunner]

Yeah I wish I could get a 03 for mid-$30k out the door. But where I live (San Francisco Bay Area) is next to impossible! Thanks.

 

[KathmanduCruiser]

None of these are five speed, right?

Which ones have maintenance records?

Either 3 or 5 would be my choice. Certified pre-owned sounds the most intriguing to me so my vote would be for that one. They should be able to show you all the work that has been done on it since mile one and you should be able to verify that every single maintenance work recommended by the factory was actually done.

Also, how long do you plan on keeping it?

I would say that a 2003 is preferable because of the 5-speed transmission. But that is not one of the options here.

Dear fellow mudders,

Time for me to return my beloved 2003 4Runner and officially join the ranks of mudder. I have seen a few LX470 these last 2 weeks and these are the bottom line:

1/ 2001 LX470 : White and Ivory
- 76,000 miles
- Nav and Levinson
- Lexus Dealer
- $31,500 out the door

2/ 2001 LX470 : Light Green and Stone
- 64,000 miles
- Nav and Levinson
- Lexus Dealer
- $30,000 out the door

3/ 2002 LX 470 : Blue Vapor and Stone
- 54,000 miles Certified Pre-Owned
- Nav and Levinson
- Lexus Dealer
- $33,300 out the door

4/ 2002 LX470 : White and Ivory
- 65,000 miles
- Nav and Levinson
- Used Car Dealer
- $30,000 out the door

5/ 2000 LX470 : White and Ivory
- 79,900 miles
- No Nav
- Chevy Dealer
- $22,000 out the door

They all drives great and looks great in and out. Please shad some light! Which one would you choose? Pro / Con?

Help!!!!! This is the problem when there is no woman figure in your life...

Gary

 

[spressomon]

This one sounds nice based on the limited info...easy shot from SF...

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/car/325873342.html

 

[dealmaker]

Maybe its just me...but $30K+ for something 6 yrs. old and with 50k-75k miles seems excessive. A few months ago a guy in my area had an '04 LC100 for sale with 27k miles for $39k. Half the miles for an extra $9k. Not saying that I see those deals all the time tho.

 

[GRunner]

Yeah I am more leaning towards the 2000 now being that it has the same drive train as the 2001 and 2002. I know I can retrofit a nav screen into the 2000 (or am I dreaming?) and it will be pretty much the same as the others. I am planning on keeping this vehicle for at about 5 years (or unless the gas price reach $4.50 a gallon). dealer showed me the car fax and everything looks good. all the labels are there on the vehicle. What other major component should I look when buying this type of vehicle? am i pretty safe by assuming that I am purchasing it from a franchised dealership (Chevy)?

Thank you guys! I know I will have more questions AFTER I purchased IT!

 

[hoser]

Maybe its just me...but $30K+ for something 6 yrs. old and with 50k-75k miles seems excessive. A few months ago a guy in my area had an '04 LC100 for sale with 27k miles for $39k. Half the miles for an extra $9k. Not saying that I see those deals all the time tho.

Also keep in mind, GRunner is talking "out the door price" which includes tax and whatever other junk fees the dealer tags on. So $39k is more like $43k here in Cali.

 

[Jim_Chow]

I would either go w/ 3 or 5 (either cheap or expensive). Nice thing about #3 if it's CPO lexus, it should have all the maintenance done at the dealer w/ full history (you can ask the lexus dealer to download the service histories for 1-3). As far as 4-5, you're pushing your luck. Neither have a warranty, so figure you might have to spend a few grand getting the maintenance up to par. #5 has no nav, so that's one less thing that can go wrong when you don't have a warranty. Actually, I would look for a used '03 in the LA area. There's a green '03 LX w/ 48 K mi at South Bay Land Rover. Although not a great color, it's got the 5speed. A tip: the factory warranty is 50K, so if you bought this one, you should still be able to buy the extended factory platinum warranty for a lot less than what it would cost if it had > 60K mi and was not certified. Don't bother w/ Toyota CPO...the warranty is worthless, only 3 MONTH/3K mi vs. 3 yr/100K mi for the lexus CPO. No contest. For some strange reason, it seems used '03 LX's cost as much if not more now than they did when I bought mine (late '05/early '06). Maybe it was just the time of year (before Xmas).

 

[Wellcraft19]

My take is that when you're buying a used car (and plan to keep it), color comes very far down the list.
Like others have said, 3 or 5 are likely the best alternatives, me leaning towards the 5. You can get a lot of work and mods for the $8K price difference.

 

[drsales]

I purchased my 2000 LC for $16,900. with 92k miles. Plus the cost of the 90k service here at my local shop. OK $18k.

So here are items that I have had to service and you will to as the miles pump up.

90k Service: $1000
Starter Rebuild: $500
Brake Pads and bearing service all around: $450
Power Antenna: $60
New Tires: $800

But what a nice ride, get for long trips. The LX will be toooooo.

I would work on the 2000 LX and get his pricing down. Pull the tires and ck brakes and rotors. Use up and coming maintenace cost to bring him or her down. Good Luck. Usually around here I guess the Lexus in normally $3-5k higher.

 

[BMWSTOY]

#5 If you are going to mod it and #3 if it will remain a mall cruiser. If I were not going to scratch mine up and load with camping gear and put a canoe on on the top of it I would love to to have the Lexus AHC and steering wheel. #5 is more like mine and it will not see a stealership if at all possible - cost savings. If you opt for #3 then you have the money to take to the Lexus dealership and pay top dollar to keep in in pristine condition. They are both going to make you very happy - obviously on this forum we know its the best of its kind. Best of luck to you. Oh, and #3 would have at least 285's on it in an A/T, #3 would keep the plush ride of Michelins

 

[Filmpros]

I agree with the others...#3 or #5...but I would not pay those prices. Used cars have a ton of markup on them and the LC's are a select group of buyers....in other words...these are not flying off their lots...being gas guzzlers does not help either.


I would offer 20% less than they are asking and don't settle for anything less than 12% to 15% off those prices.

ALos, check the NAV Screen and see if it is worn, if so...they should replace it under the TSB that is out. One thet happens, you should get a Patronus Screen Protetcor for the NAV Screen right away...$10 on e-bay and they are cut to fit the NAV perfectly.


I did this on mine after experiencing three (3) NAV Screen replacements on my 2001 LC. The glare coating wears off the touch screen and it is hard to see in daylight. Toyota replaced the NAV unit all three (3) times, but it was ready for a 4th one when I sold it. Never had a another issue with the vehicle during the 80,000 miles I drove it...outside of the NAV Screen.


On my 2006, I put the $10 Screen protector on within the first 5 minutes I owned it. Can't see it, works great....and I don;t have to worry about the NAV Screen issue whatsoever.

 

[GRunner]

i have given some DEEEEEEEEP thoughts from all your much appreciated comments about a 2003 instead of 2000 and the time I am planning on keeping it, etc. So, after doing some research, today I went neck to neck with a local dealer (almost local) on a 2003 LX470 with about 66,000 miles with everything you can name: night vision, entertainment, Nav, Levinson, and great inside and out. Before I tell you what price I am offering, what do you think is a fair out the door price (with tax and license)?

Also, there are a few that Longo is showing which is close to my price range, and also the one that South Bay Land Rover has which is a great price. Anyone who is close to the LA area could help me take a look at them or maybe test drive them for me?

Thanks so much for your comments! Happy Mother's Day!

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=220052719
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=218810928
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=221999823
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=220169786
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=220176225
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=219760494
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=220243221

 

[SC4Hundred]

$ 32,000 out the door for 2003, good luck.

 

[GRunner]

Gosh, they wanted $39,000 and I offered $38,000. Very sleazy dealer always tries to bump up a couple hundred and then said "oh won't work" at the end. I think I am going to let this one cool down for a while... even though one of my friend said $39,000 is still a good deal. However, considering the 2008 is coming out soon, I think the 2003-2007 are going to take a price dive once they come out next year. Or does the price for LX/LC stays pretty strong even when a new model comes out?

As a side note, turns out that #5 cannot be sold at that price. The dealer wants $22,000 out the door now! They said, "oh, I meant PLUS tax and license!" God! I HATE car shopping!

Also, any mudders who live in LA could tell me if Longo play this kind of game or not? Or are they pretty straight up folks? I don't want to have to settle on a price and when I get there it is a different story...

Thanks so much!

 

[Jim_Chow]

Is the 03 LX CPO? If it is, $38-39K is reasonable. If not, it should be a couple of grand less. Keep in mind that the rig is out of factory warranty, so if you try to buy an extension, it'll cost a lot more (if you can even do it). In Jan 06 when I bought my 03, I got it w/ 49K mi CPO w/ everything sans night vision and rear entertainment for $41.9K or the same w/ 2 yr extension to the CPO for $300 more (I got the extension). If you check the KBB trade-in price, add the price of the options plus $2-2.5K if CPO and ~$1.5K for dealer expenses and that should get to close to their cost to break even. If you wait until the end of the month, you can often get a better price/deal. If it's not CPO, try to get them to CPO it (not sure if it's even doable w/ > 60K mi). Gas is well over $3/gal, so I wouldn't expect them to be flying off dealer lots. Good luck.

 

[ckkone]

I would go for #5 (after checking carfax of course), I would then have the T-blet done and call slee to spend the extra $$$$$ I saved not buying the others.