Help with purchase - Boston and Houston (1 Viewer)

[thammer62]

Still shopping hard for a 2008 or similar.

At the risk of alerting others, I still would appreciate seasoned 'vet' feedback.

Boston (Quincy,MA) option:
2011
90k mi
One owner, accident free
33,9
In Maine most of its life
For sale at a non-dealer used car lot after they bought it at auction ~2 mos ago

Listing link:
CarGurus - Find great car deals

Houston (Spring, TX) option:
2008
80k mi
One owner w/ 1 minor front end accident with no air bag deployment
31,9
In SE TX its whole life (no flood)
Just arrived at a 'Yota dealership
***Has some odd wheel well aftermarket trim pieces added and wondering if possible to cleanly return to stock look.

Listing link:
CarGurus - Find great car deals

Both are saying no rust but I have a hard time believing Maine/Boston is rust free.

1) Everyone's thoughts on which way you would lean here? Really appreciate any help.
2) Anyone in Quincy MA or Spring TX in the next couple of days by random chance?

 

[thammer62]

More shots of Houston fender flare bolt-ons fyi

Tia

 

[UCrazyKid]

The fender flares came as a dealer installed option on every single LC sold in the Golf State area. There is another thread on it going on right now.

I would be surprised if the car in Maine has no rust. Check the CarFax to see where it was been registered for the last 7 years. It has a towing hitch attached, how much towing was it used for and has the transmission fluid ever been changed?
The SE Texas car would worry me for flood damage.

For both the mileage is not an issue and they seem to be priced about right.

Have an independent PPI done.

 

[KLF]

I have the same exact vehicle as the Boston one, except mine has a tan interior. That's 2+ hours from me, if it was closer I'd be happy to go check it out.

Make sure you get eyes you trust on it before going any further.

 

[NLScooby]

The fender flares came as a dealer installed option on every single LC sold in the Golf State area. There is another thread on it going on right now.

I would be surprised if the car in Maine has no rust. Check the CarFax to see where it was been registered for the last 7 years. It has a towing hitch attached, how much towing was it used for and has the transmission fluid ever been changed?
The SE Texas car would worry me for flood damage.

For both the mileage is not an issue and they seem to be priced about right.

Have an independent PPI done.

I agree with @UCrazyKid - If given a choice, I'd avoid vehicles from areas with long winters where road salt is frequently used.

 

[UCrazyKid]

Another comment, you did not mention what the service history was on either vehicle. Good to Toyota Owners official website, register and then 'add' the vehicles by VIN as your own and see what kind of dealer work has been done on the car. Repairs, maintenance, etc.
Also the tires look like crap on the Houston vehicle, has the dealer not gone over it yet? The fenders are bolted in the wheel well and use 3M body tape to hold the elsewhere. The consensus is that that are not too hard to take off if no other attachment has been made.

 

[thammer62]

Another comment, you did not mention what the service history was on either vehicle. Good to Toyota Owners official website, register and then 'add' the vehicles by VIN as your own and see what kind of dealer work has been done on the car. Repairs, maintenance, etc.
Also the tires look like crap on the Houston vehicle, has the dealer not gone over it yet? The fenders are bolted in the wheel well and use 3M body tape to hold the elsewhere. The consensus is that that are not too hard to take off if no other attachment has been made.

You're right I left that out by mistake. I have been using the VIN look up for service records on each LC that comes up for sale since a month or so ago. Both show regular maintenance. That Houston LC just arrived and was in inspection yesterday. So, No, to answer your question. It hasn't gone through yet.

 

[thammer62]

I agree with @UCrazyKid - If given a choice, I'd avoid vehicles from areas with long winters where road salt is frequently used.

Yea I have been wondering why Boston 1) was sold at auction even though the carfax and service records look nice and 2) why it has been on the lot for over a month and a half. Something just seems off about that. Has to be rust. Plus the gentleman working on the lot wont call me back on my request for picture texts of under wheel well, radiator top, etc.

 

[zmf]

Both are saying no rust but I have a hard time believing Maine/Boston is rust free.

1) Everyone's thoughts on which way you would lean here? Really appreciate any help.
2) Anyone in Quincy MA or Spring TX in the next couple of days by random chance?

I'm just north of Boston, and could take a look for you. Fair warning - I'm no inspection expert and have only had an LC since last July, so other than making sure it's not a piece of rusty crap, all I could really do is compare it to my '14. For whatever that may be worth....

-Z

 

[thammer62]

The SE Texas car would worry me for flood damage.

Have an independent PPI done.

Wouldn't a flood damaged car be required to show up on a carfax? I'm sure there is fraud in that business but no experience so just wondering.
I assume a PPI is some sort of private inspection done by a trusted Toyota mechanic? Or is that something more specific?

 

[RS6tofj80]

I may be able to get by the Houston truck this afternoon - I'll PM you with details if so.....if you decide to do a PPI there's a great Mud member who could likely do it @duggy

E

 

[duggy]

Thanks Erich for the mention. We definitely can do a PPI on the rig before it's purchased and go over it with a fine tooth comb.

 

[mooneywa]

@thammer62 - that LC didn’t “just arrive” as you might have been told by the dealer. I parked next to it back on the 5th of February when I got my cruiser aligned at Fred Haas. It looked ROUGH and it was kept in my mind because of the silly fender flares. They looked so out of place on the car that it was forever embedded in my memory. It was very dirty and didn’t look like it it had been turned in clean. The area above those flares was the dirtiest. It looked like the design of the flares traps dirt in that area, I’d be careful about what 10 years of dirt might have done to the body in and around those flares. Obviously they have since cleaned it up, but generally speaking it seems to me that if you trade in a car that looks that rough you probably didn’t care to take super good care of it along the way. That’s just my opinion and could be in no way indicative of that actual condition of the car.

There was another thread I posted on here about Fred Haas Toyota that since got moved by the mods to “chit-chat” if you want to find it. I was lamenting their 20% (!!!!) “shop supplies” charge for which they could not justify any supplies being used. I understand why it was moved from the regular forum as that can be a slippery slope but I hope the mods can indulge us as now might be a good time to point this out. Clearly service departments and sales departments are different, but after escalating my complaint I found that the overall dealership leadership has no qualms about charging fees for something that doesn’t exist and they had a very nebulous definition of integrity. With that experience, I PERSONALLY (YMMV) would not trust them to accurately represent that cruiser to the point I’d travel from SC to TX.

That all being said, it could have just had a dirty day, the PO didn’t have time to wash it before it was traded in, and it’s an absolute diamond.

I’m out of town doing some military reserve stuff otherwise I’d swing over and give a very good look at it for you.

 

[UCrazyKid]

Ok, I looked carefully at the Boston vehicle pictures. Warning I am picky (OCD) about vehicles and feel that every detail tells a story about how one was cared for. I always assume a seller is lying to me and I expect the worst from a used car dealer. "Sure the oil was changed every 5,000 miles!" Then I pull the dipstick and the oil is BLACK and stinks... (true story)
I have found some unusual wear on switches indicating lots of use or careless treatment in my opinion (granted these vehicles are built for HD service). Scratches on the interior, missing plastic pieces on rear folders (indicates to me the seats were taken out and stored and trim parts lost). There is a strap on the underside of the 2nd row for securing when hauling, the left compartment cover is broken and the strap just tied up. Then there is just some general grime on pieces where the detailer missed.
Have a look. Not trying to discourage you, just let you know what you are getting into. The sellers reluctance to send you pictures of the underside would be enough for me to walk away.

 

[M1911]

I’ve broken that compartment cover for the 2nd row seat strap. Relatively easy to do. Those scratches on the interior seem is a bit more wear than I would like to see, but I would be more interested in how the undercarriage looked.

 

[thammer62]

This community is awesome. You boys don't mess around. Very grateful for the feedback. Neither of these are looking too promising. I have time/no rush to buy so this should be a fun process albeit tough. Ha

I think the Houston one is out based on someone already laid eyes on it and had a very bad first impression. @zmf Boston would be nice to have eyes in person especially underneath. Only if it is somewhat on the way and not out of the way. If it is clean underneath it could be plenty good for my needs.

Again much thanks to everyone. Just Boston moving forward until the next one(s) pop up.

 

[marketShark]

@thammer62 The 2008 is 10 years old at this point, the "wood" finish on the steering wheel and the shift knob unfortunately wear very poorly. The finish exposes the tan base coat and the black plastic core beneath that. Many on MUD have taken to replacement films or recovering in leather outright (see: Steering wheel wooden paint and headache and Xuji steering wheel cover install/pics) The door handles, same thing. I have seen many with little to no such wear in those spots, and others that have significantly more wear there.

I'm far more impressed by solid service history, "accident free-ness", and a clean/ rust free undercarriage.

EDIT: the Houston one also needs a new set of tires, so factor that into the first year cost of ownership

 

[KLF]

I looked at a few in this region last Spring, but had to go to Delaware to get mine that passed the rust test. I looked at an '08 in Manchester NH that had just around 100K and it was scary rusty. Big hole rotted through the exhaust too.

The missing 3rd row mount covers are a red flag to me. They can be replaced, but it just indicates overall poor care. Lots of scratches too, that would be a deal breaker. I'm at 115K now and I don't have nearly that amount of wear.

 

[RS6tofj80]

I got by the houston truck this afternoon - it was parked to the side as if it had been driven recently or was waiting service.... while clean onthe rust scale - it's not in great shape and looks to have jsut been driven, not loved.... no offroad it seemed but it is far from cherry....perhaps they serviced it better but that would create enough doubt to me - and I agree with the other Local Houston members comments onthe "stealership" in general..... they are the worst of the Houston dealers in reputation ....

happy to keep an eye out locally or if one is in Dallas/ Austin - as I travel a ton these days...

E

 

[thammer62]

I got by the houston truck this afternoon - it was parked to the side as if it had been driven recently or was waiting service.... while clean onthe rust scale - it's not in great shape and looks to have jsut been driven, not loved.... no offroad it seemed but it is far from cherry....perhaps they serviced it better but that would create enough doubt to me - and I agree with the other Local Houston members comments onthe "stealership" in general..... they are the worst of the Houston dealers in reputation ....

happy to keep an eye out locally or if one is in Dallas/ Austin - as I travel a ton these days...

E

Good stuff man. Much appreciated. Super helpful. That seals it - No longer considering that car or that dealership.

Im thoroughly impressed with the crew in here. Makes my decision to buy a LC even stronger. Looking forward to finding her.