Good Deal? 2006 LC 123k $16,500

[MattK]

I'm going to check this LC out tomorrow morning and can use some help with what to look out for:

Used Toyota Land Cruiser For Sale - CarGurus

Carfax checks out. It's a one owner car. The timing belt has not been replaced yet.

Thanks in advance!

 

[MastiffDad14]

Rust on the underside, see if each panel has its Vin tag, any rough edges on the body lines example would be running your finger on the edge of the door or back edge of the hood. Usually a sign of a repaint from a previous repair from a tape edge. Not necessarily a big deal but if you are finding ruff edges you can ask the owner what happend.

Check AHC suspension does it go from low to high is the fluid at the appropriate level in the canister, does the suspension have noticeable changes in firmness from comfort to sport 2.
All of the switches work, windows, locks, sunroof, diff lock. Check the brakes visually and mechanically, Does he have any maintenance records.

See if the car was warmed up before you got there, could be a sign it has noisy manifolds and he didn't want you hearing them as they normally get quiet when the engine warms up.

If it all checks out it sounds like a good deal. Just plan on getting the 90k service done along with heater Ts and all new fluids.

Check the oil, is it low is it dirty, how about the air filter. Simple things that could give you an idea on how the truck was maintained. Look behind the front wheels are the CV axles leaking

 

[RND1]

Very good price if it checks out. You can input the vin on the toyota owner's site and see the service history. Check for rust underneath. Go through all the AHC settings to make sure it works. Schedule a PPI if possible to get it on a lift and look at everything underneath.

 

[aging fleet]

Sounds like a good price. Not sure if you care, but the bumpers and side moldings appear to be painted black to match the car. They're normally a dark grey.

 

[MattK]

Thanks guys! The service lookup at the Toyota Owner's site is slick!

I got a text as I was headed out the door that the seller just took a deposit. Ugg.

Next up:

Used Toyota Land Cruiser for Sale in Providence, RI: 9 Cars from $11,900 - iSeeCars.com

I'll let you know what I end up with.

 

[MattK]

The LC in RI has a decent service history other than 90,000 service was put off until 130k. I asked the dealer about rust and he sent me the following picture:

Rust

• MattK
• Mar 18, 2017

Is this a deal breaker?

 

[MastiffDad14]

I wouldn't say it's a deal breaker just because the inside of one wheel arch has rust but it will be a deal breaker if the entire underside of the chassis is covered in rust.

 

[m3fan]

I wouldn't say it's a deal breaker just because the inside of one wheel arch has rust but it will be a deal breaker if the entire underside of the chassis is covered in rust.

LOL. A chassis covered in rust is a deal breaker... oh dear. Can anyone produce any facts on how chassis rust has caused anything other than an annoyance for bolt removal on an LC100? Even the worst cases I've seen on this forum seem to go down the road just fine. Certainly no "underbody corrosion" factor for ANY insurance adjuster or actuary or appraiser. Hit everything with some rust inhibitor every fall and be done with it. Big deal. We're talking about a 11yr old $13K truck that is $85K new these days that will easily serve the next owner for another 100-200k miles. This is not a concours car.

Sounds like a good deal to me. The rust on the inner wheel wells needs to be ground back and hit with some POR15 and undercoating and be good for another 11 years.

 

[MastiffDad14]

It's not just the rust on the underside of the truck that's a turn off, really other than people on the forum getting carried away about it who cares if there is some surface rust.

It's all the components affected, I should have specified and said rot, if the frame is scaling I'd be turned off.

Rusted out brake lines, bushings that resemble raisins, ahc lines, shocks. Just opening a can of worms.

As stated above some rust who cares, rot run.

M3fan, what serie m3 do you have? We have two in the family. 08 E92, and an 05 e46 comp package. Not such a fan Of BMW's newer forced induction cars

 

[Kabanstva]

Every 3+ year old truck in Chicago that I've seen in my 15+ years of living here has rust underneath. Sometimes even after one winter. And they still go another 25-30 years with more and more rust accumulating every year JUST FINE.

Yeah, rust sucks. Nobody likes it, but it's not a deal breaker.

 

[m3fan]

M3fan, what serie m3 do you have? We have two in the family. 08 E92, and an 05 e46 comp package. Not such a fan Of BMW's newer forced induction cars

E39 M5. Always an M3 fan but for the past 4 years the E39 has been an incredible vehicle for me. May never get rid of it!

 

[MastiffDad14]

They just don't make them like they used to. That's an amazing car, I can't blame you for not wanting to sell it.

 

[MattK]

You guys are the best!

Thanks for all the really helpful information, without it I don't think I'd have the confidence to buy a used Land Cruiser, and I certainly don't have the means to buy new.

I'll go and check out the car on Monday and will report back. On my way there I'll check this one out as well

2002 Lexus LX470 Excellent Condition

On paper it looks great, but the (private) seller has me a little suspicious. It has a great service history (all Lexus dealerships) up until it reaches 85k 3 years ago, at which point there is nothing and the seller claims only 5k was put on the car in that time... and some of what he's telling me about the car contradicts his listing...

On the plus side he's encouraging me to have it inspected beforehand... Is it possible to tamper with the odometers on these cars in a way that can't be detected?

Oh, and, the 90k service needs to be done...

 

[RND1]

The LC in RI has a decent service history other than 90,000 service was put off until 130k. I asked the dealer about rust and he sent me the following picture:

Rust

• MattK
• Mar 18, 2017

Is this a deal breaker?

The problem with this one is if you can see rust on the inner wheel well, there's a lot more where you can't see. I looked at several 100's when searching for mine and the bodies tend to hold up really well - I never saw one rusted there. First place I would typically see rust was on the upper tailgate handle area. If it was there, it was all over underneath. I wouldn't even bother looking at that one.

 

[cyclonus]

2002 Lexus LX470 Excellent Condition

On paper it looks great, but the (private) seller has me a little suspicious. It has a great service history (all Lexus dealerships) up until it reaches 85k 3 years ago, at which point there is nothing and the seller claims only 5k was put on the car in that time... and some of what he's telling me about the car contradicts his listing...

On the plus side he's encouraging me to have it inspected beforehand... Is it possible to tamper with the odometers on these cars in a way that can't be detected?

Oh, and, the 90k service needs to be done...

Looks nice in the ad. I'm in the always PPI camp. I don't know enough about cars to inspect them myself.

I prefer stock, but I'd be fine with the bars he has.