First: It's absolutely a godawful time to buy a car of ANY kind, the market is just idiotic overall right now. Some of what you're seeing really is bubble pricing. LCs were having a moment before COVID anyway, and you combine increasing scarcity of good examples (so low supply), high demand, positively ASININE prices on new-car versions of the same rig (a late-model 200 is an $85k car or more) and general market insanity... That all drives prices through the roof. Will they come down again? Nobody knows. I've been waiting on older 911s (not even "classics" just "not new") to quit being stupidly priced for a while, and that hasn't got me far.
Re: LC's specifically, and the value for $$$: I've had my LX for just over a year. Highest mile car I've ever bought. I didn't spend anything close to what it would cost to buy today, which feels good, but it doesn't matter because I'm not planning on selling- possibly ever. BUT- what does it really need, at 235k miles?
Bottom line- they're great trucks, but ALL of them are getting old, and ALL old cars take work. The late 90s were a golden age in terms of whether the Japanese makers overengineered the crap out of their cars, and so a lot of them are holding up just fabulously, but all mechanical things age, and eventually break down. Even so- the newest 100s are 15yrs old. That can be a lot of years on a car.
Good luck in your search.
Re: LC's specifically, and the value for $$$: I've had my LX for just over a year. Highest mile car I've ever bought. I didn't spend anything close to what it would cost to buy today, which feels good, but it doesn't matter because I'm not planning on selling- possibly ever. BUT- what does it really need, at 235k miles?
- CV axles, those will be $800-1000 in parts if I buy Toyota units. The originals lasted 235k miles, so... probably. I might try to cheaply regrease and reclamp, but they probably just need replacement.
- Tie rod ends, inner and outer need replacing both sides- tire shop let me know that the other day when I went in for a rotate and balance. So another $200ish.
- The AHC needs new globes and a fluid flush/ torsion bar adjustment because while it technically works, the ride is pretty hard right now ($600-800).
Bottom line- they're great trucks, but ALL of them are getting old, and ALL old cars take work. The late 90s were a golden age in terms of whether the Japanese makers overengineered the crap out of their cars, and so a lot of them are holding up just fabulously, but all mechanical things age, and eventually break down. Even so- the newest 100s are 15yrs old. That can be a lot of years on a car.
Good luck in your search.