Good deal or too much rust?

[rrsparky]

Got burned last year by a Toyota dealer up here in MN on a 2014 LC with rust issues. Now I'm feeling extra cautious.

Any thoughts on the condition of this one? 2014 98k miles, two owner - NY & ND, clean title, asking $40k. Some of the brackets look iffy to me and already noticed a missing bolt.

Am I being overly critical of a midwest car or would you avoid?

 

[KingTito]

Minnesotan here. NY seems to dump as much if not more salt than we do! I think you'd be surprised how much could be cleaned off using dry ice. And then immediately undercoated and you'd have a vehicle that could serve you up here for a long time. Missing bolts are a concern obviously. If you are in the Twin Cities area, happy to connect you with my dry ice guy who did my LC and then my undercoating guy who I use as well.

 

[rrsparky]

Minnesotan here. NY seems to dump as much if not more salt than we do! I think you'd be surprised how much could be cleaned off using dry ice. And then immediately undercoated and you'd have a vehicle that could serve you up here for a long time. Missing bolts are a concern obviously. If you are in the Twin Cities area, happy to connect you with my dry ice guy who did my LC and then my undercoating guy who I use as well.

I'll definitely reach out for those contacts if I pull the trigger. Thanks!

 

[stonepa]

Looks fine rust wise but if you buy it get it lanolin undercoated immediately.

 

[Sandroad]

I wonder why the bolt on the tank shield is missing? Was the tank dropped for some work? Rust seems treatable, but you will be dealing with rust frozen bolts, no matter how much cleanup you do. My problem is with the price. IMHO, $40k is a lot for a 12 year old with that much rust unless every other aspect is stellar.

 

[rrsparky]

I wonder why the bolt on the tank shield is missing? Was the tank dropped for some work? Rust seems treatable, but you will be dealing with rust frozen bolts, no matter how much cleanup you do. My problem is with the price. IMHO, $40k is a lot for a 12 year old with that much rust unless every other aspect is stellar.

On the carfax I see fuel pump and fuel pump module replaced @ 83k miles. Thinking that could maybe be it?

Still waiting on interior & exterior pics. What do you think a fair price would be at face value?

 

[jfz80]

FWIW I had a friend just pick up a 3 owner (2 in same family) 2014 LX570 with 156k miles for $24.5. TN and rust free with interior and exterior in good shape.

 

[stonepa]

I wonder why the bolt on the tank shield is missing? Was the tank dropped for some work? Rust seems treatable, but you will be dealing with rust frozen bolts, no matter how much cleanup you do. My problem is with the price. IMHO, $40k is a lot for a 12 year old with that much rust unless every other aspect is stellar.

I see dirt, no rusty bolts. Prices seems high but maybe not given it seems in line with all but the unicorns everyone loves to mention on here, but you never see in the real world.

 

[bobm]

Check the corrosion on the AHC! I was quoted 30+gs to repair recently because dealers don't wanna Fawk wit it. Beware

 

[Supra Turbo]

FWIW I had a friend just pick up a 3 owner (2 in same family) 2014 LX570 with 156k miles for $24.5. TN and rust free with interior and exterior in good shape.

Much higher mileage and LX. A bit apples to oranges comparison.

Check the corrosion on the AHC! I was quoted 30+gs to repair recently because dealers don't wanna Fawk wit it. Beware

Do you mean KDSS? OP is in US, so hes likely talking about USDM spec LC, which do not have AHC.

 

[jlm43]

When it comes to rust, if you have to ask, it's too much.

It's not bad at all but I'd definitely wait for something cleaner. That's 3 years less of ownership before things get difficult to work on.

 

[rrsparky]

When it comes to rust, if you have to ask, it's too much.

It's not bad at all but I'd definitely wait for something cleaner. That's 3 years less of ownership before things get difficult to work on.

Fair point. Pretty tricky finding much of anything rust-free up here in MN. Might have to bite the bullet and plan a trip down south for something but that's a whole other battle.

 

[LC Lurker]

Price is too high imho. If it was rust free, then yes. Or if it had that rust as a 2016+ then yes.

$40k is a hard pill to swallow for a 12 yo vehicle unless it’s in tip top shape. That being said, it could be the best you have in your area. Maybe take KingTito’s offer on that specialist to get an expert opinion. That’s what I would do before purchasing it anyway.

 

[jlm43]

Fair point. Pretty tricky finding much of anything rust-free up here in MN. Might have to bite the bullet and plan a trip down south for something but that's a whole other battle.

I've lived in Maine for most of my life so I know the battle all to well. All 3 of my LC's have been purchased out of state. I can honestly say that it's 100% worth the effort. The money saved down the road is much greater than the extra $1k to fly out and drive one home.

Finding the right dealer can make all the difference in the sales process. Two of mine were private party which is a bit riskier and the last one was from a dealer. All 3 went very smooth. I will say that I did take a trip to Dallas to pick one up that I had to walk away from so be prepared for that.

 

[Bunga]

I've lived in Maine for most of my life so I know the battle all to well. All 3 of my LC's have been purchased out of state. I can honestly say that it's 100% worth the effort. The money saved down the road is much greater than the extra $1k to fly out and drive one home.

Finding the right dealer can make all the difference in the sales process. Two of mine were private party which is a bit riskier and the last one was from a dealer. All 3 went very smooth. I will say that I did take a trip to Dallas to pick one up that I had to walk away from so be prepared for that.

This. There are lots of clean old ones. Schedule trips to see family or do a loop with Southwest Air so you can cancel easily. These are super reliable rigs, look for frame damage, water damage(!), rust, valley leak (borescope) and cracks on the radiator top at that age.

 

[Sandroad]

On the carfax I see fuel pump and fuel pump module replaced @ 83k miles. Thinking that could maybe be it?

Still waiting on interior & exterior pics. What do you think a fair price would be at face value?

The tank cover removal was likely from the pump replacement. That bolt is probably twisted off in the frame and they didn’t bother to drill it out. I can’t help on fair price without seeing it in person and a test drive. But $40K seemed a high starting point. And BTW, there is another bolt missing on the rear of the engine undercover. Those are notorious for twisting off in the frame because they stick out past the threads and the bolt end threads rust. Easy fix, but may simply be missing.