Does anyone see any red flags?....lx purchase (1 Viewer)

[clarkrw3]

here are a couple of pictures of the '96 truck I might buy....was just wondering if any of you eagle eyes could see any red flags....the truck has 63k and has been in the east its whole life. However, not much more undercarrage surface rust than i have seen on most land cruisers. Anyway I will most likely pull the trigger today.

thanks for the input

Rob

 

[TX_TLC]

Other than the engine bay has been steamed cleaned to possibly hide any leaks?

Have you checked it out/had it checked out?

Looks very clean...way to throw the house in the background to make you think one of two things....

1) They have money and fixed anything that went wrong at the first sign of trouble....

or, and one that as a buyer I feel you must lean toward...

2) They have money and drove it with no regard to maintence. "What is that funny noise??? OK fine we will install a bigger stereo and DVD so you don't notice it."

Just my $.02 in your shoes as a health skeptical buyer.

 

[chip7238]

Deja vu?

Haven't you posted this before? Some good advice in this thread...

 

[clarkrw3]

this is a dealer so I am pretty sure that it is just part of the normal detailing they do on every car before they sell it...all of his car's have equilly clean engines. But, I understand what you are saying, you can tell much more about what is going on with the vehicle if the engine is uncleaned.

However, my BMW is kept that clean almost all the time, sort of a freak that way.

 

[clarkrw3]

Yes I have posted about this truck, and I understand the advice but i hadn't posted pics and so I figured I would post them in a new thread...sorry if that is not correct. If I did something wrong the mods can delete this and I will post them in the other tread. and by the way the truck is 17.4k

I don't mind all the stuff added some of it I would have done anyway and most will stay. The truck has only had 2 owners as far as I can tell and the great shape of the interior is a good indication that it has been taken care of. Also it has a Lexus battery in it which is rare, and to me indicates that it has been dealer serviced...who actually goes to the dealer for possible the 3 battery in the vehicles life? And since it is a lexus I should be able to get the records from them. hmmm maybe I am talking myself into this truck...but the wife is pushing very hard right now. I feel that I might be getting a regular suv if I am not careful.

I would like to get it checked out but am still not sure if I will be able to.

 

[LX_TREME]

DAMN... Looks good on top but ALL RUST the bottom parts

Also it has a Lexus battery in it which is rare, and to me indicates that it has been dealer serviced...who actually goes to the dealer for possible the 3 battery in the vehicles life?

The above statement LX_TREME slowly raising his hand

 

[chip7238]

Yes I have posted about this truck, and I understand the advice but i hadn't posted pics and so I figured I would post them in a new thread...sorry if that is not correct.

Don't sweat it. In the other thread, DougM mentions possible electrical gremlins from all the add-ons. I would be leary of this - most installers do not take the time to install things right. This LX does look good on the surface, but be careful since you can't see it in person. Maybe someone on the board that lives nearby could look it over for you.

Good luck!

Chip

 

[e9999]

looks like the bottom was steam cleaned too, and yet there is still grease on one knuckle --> Birf job needed ?

 

[clarkrw3]

Birf job needed ?

That was my thoughts. Which isn't a big deal I would baseline all the fluids and PM anyway...I also need to do one on my fathers rig....sounds like a Goodyear party to me.

The rust on the control arm mountings seems to be surface, I thought that when I install the new control arms with the 6" lift that I could grind them down and paint them. Does that seem logical?

Alot of the undercarrage would be replaced. running boards with sliders, slee lift parts and skid plates and exhaust.

am I underestemating the rust that is visible? I dad's truck is from texus and it has some of the same type surface stuff.

 

[elmariachi]

here are a couple of pictures of the '96 truck I might buy....was just wondering if any of you eagle eyes could see any red flags....the truck has 63k and has been in the east its whole life. Rob

It looks like a nice truck up top but my guess is there is a lot of rust underneath that you can't see. That was/is the case with my 40th Anniversary I bought in Pennsylvania this past January. I have no regrets...my truck is exactly what I wanted and I have managed to clean most of it up and recoat the chassis. I bought it expecting to replace all the braking components and in fact I had to. And there were numerous bolts, clamps and fittings that needing replacing and I am not done yet. From what I can see on your pics, it appears the truck may have been undercoated....a common practice by Lexus dealers, who know that their customers can and will pay $1000 for it. Undercoating hides rust and traps in moisture and makes an undercarriage look a lot better than it really is.

For that money, I'd buy a southern truck without all the electronics (which as stated by others, may wind up being a nightmare too.)

 

[CharlieS]

Too clean. Makes me nervous that they're hiding something.

Do you have service docs?

Seems expensive for a '96. At this point you can buy 100 series for that kind of money (not that I'd advocate buying a 100).

Charlie

 

[elmariachi]

Seems expensive for a '96. At this point you can buy 100 series for that kind of money (not that I'd advocate buying a 100).
Charlie

If you have $18K to spend, I believe you can get a really nice 100K mile truck for $13-14,000 and have money left over for some serious mods and PM work. IMO....IMO....IMO.... I'd rather have my 130k mile truck that I am done PM'ing than this 70K mile truck like it sits.

 

[Texus]

cynics maybe???

That rust aint no thing... it's surface stuff... those frames are engineered & built to last atleast 25 years (approx)... It's really disturbing that everyone (mainly) on here seems that if it too clean... there is a problem... not really on an LX... the majority pf Lexus buyers don't even consider leaving the pavement... that's no their draw really... it's most likely a garaged truck... I have had 20+ y.o. cars with 150K plus on em that looked better than most 5 y.o cars...the rust on the knuckle is surface stuff... that black stuff isn't grease, it's black paint from the knuckle... i.e. meaning limited use most likely, hence the mielage... & the surface rust on there as well (sitting)...the price... forget what all those on here say... what is it worth to you & are you comforatble paying such a price?? & hell that thing could still be under some ext. warranty... mine was (97 LX) until this month... I know most on here will balk @ all this... but there is TOO much pessimism most of the time... s***, that things cleaner looking than mine was & I had similar miles last year & no REAL problems... well, IMO if you checked the history @ the Dealer, carfax, driven it, seen records if any... and all that be good... what's the hang up?? If it feels good to you after your research, than do it... if it needs birfs after 63K... it's a pussy reject runt of the litter... some never get them done & last forever...but if you don;t mind doing it... than all good & have at it...it's a fun & self-rewarding job... good luck!

 

[clarkrw3]

The 18K on this one includes having money for mods. And I am expecting to do some undercarrage referbashing in time. My thought are that this truck is garaged and used infrequently. If you consider that it only has 63k miles and is 9yro it must not have had more than 10-15k in the snow. I understand what Texus is talking about and I do have a good feeling...however, less after talking with all of you. I understand about doing all the PM and feeling better about a truck after you have done it...I feel the same about my 50k on my 330ci that I bought used. Once I have done everything and had the thing apart and such I feel much better about the condition of things and wouldn't trade it in on some 25k car. That said It seems to me that it has been sitting for some time seeing that the front drive shaft only has surface rust on the bottom of it rather than uniformly around the shaft. Probably the thing I am most concerned about are the 10 aftermarket switches that I don't know what they all go to. all are however, installed very well and look good.

 

[elmariachi]

That rust aint no thing... it's surface stuff... those frames are engineered & built to last atleast 25 years (approx)... It's really disturbing that everyone (mainly) on here seems that if it too clean... there is a problem... not really on an LX... the majority pf Lexus buyers don't even consider leaving the pavement... that's no their draw really

The 1997 truck I bought up there was located 114 miles from where this Lexus is...so basically the same environment. My truck was owned and garaged since new by a 50 year old doctor who drove it to work, used it to drive to his beach house, and the only thing he ever hauled was golf clubs (the third-row seats were in plastic bads...new). He too said..."Awww, its just some surface rust." I brought it back to Texas where I had to replace all four calipers, the LSPV, rotors, numerous rear e-brake parts and about 100 bolts and clips and springs associated with various elements of the chassis. OH, and my cat hanger had to welded because it had rust through as well. Just to remove the rear bumper caps was a 3 hour affair jackassing with rusted bolts. And not to mention the complete nastiness of working beneath a truck and getting all that s*** in my eyes at every turn of the wrench. I am not complaining because I bought the truck right. For someone in Arizona who has never had to deal with this, I think to say "It's just surface rust" is a little misleading. Without LOTS of hi-res detailed pics of the undercarriage, there is no way in hell I'd pay $18K for it, no matter how many switches it has or how much garage time its seen. I agree about the knuckles, there is nothing suspicious there.

I would like to see a pic of the underside back by the rear diff and spare tire. That will tell all.

 

[clarkrw3]

elmariachi--- how many miles did your 97 have on it when you bought it?

 

[NovaFZJ80]

Looks like the dealer took alot of time to cover up/steam the engine as well as the bottom...for me, it would be hard to plunk down $18k on something i didn't see/or get someone to look at...but hey, if you are satisfied with it, then pull the trigger...also having all of the aftermarket electronics would cause alarm for me as well.

if you are not in a hurry and have 2 cars for dds, then i'd wait around to find a better one..yeah the low miles seem good, but why were they so low in 9 yrs ??

 

[Texus]

Lo miles 'cause...

Cause it maybe was a 3rd or fourth vehicle that only took the kids to college, driven on weekends... people like my mom do this... had her car about 5 years... 30K 2001 runner...

 

[elmariachi]

elmariachi--- how many miles did your 97 have on it when you bought it?

My truck had 120K. Please understand that I have had 6 of these, two of them brand spanking Texas new. I know what they look like when they have spent their lives in the south versus the north. All I am saying is that if even if that Lexus has been garaged and minimally driven, my guess is there is rust and salt corrosions on most if not all the bolts towards the rear. Just get some more pics and then you'll know.

EDIT>>>FWIW, there are 15 1997 Land Cruisers on eBay right now and another 75 at www.autotrader.com. With high gas prices, these trucks are going to be coming out of the woodwork by non-offroaders who hate 14mpg. Its a buyer's market....why buy something questionable?

 

[acolella]

The best thing you can do is find out where it was serviced and get copies of all the service records. All of the truths will show there.
I was lucky enough to have access of all the records before my purchase FZJ80 95'.