Howdy folks! Little background. I drive an 06' Tundra AC (2uz-fe) and my wife drives a 2010 VW Tiguan S. After the Tiguan (78,000 miles) just recently had the infamous 2.0l FSI timing chain tensioner fail outside of warranty (a "non" maintenance part but known issue per TSB) I decided to get out why we were still ahead and got rid of the Tiguan. I will add that VWOA made it right and covered the cost of the repair but after owning 7 VWs in my lifetime most experiencing major issues before or around the 100,000 mile mark, I decided I was done.
We were in the market for another used vehicle and I really like my Tundra and the 4.7 engine: Lots of power, easy to work on, low wear with almost no oil consumption design. At first we test drove a 3rd gen limited 4runner but found it a bit too small. We then test drove a Highlander but I wasn't really to impressed with it as it felt a bit too much like a minivan and the price wasn't that great for a vehicle with 150k miles. I also considered a 4th gen 4runner with the 4.7 but couldn't find any in my price range.
That's when I came to my senses and started looking for a 100 series
2uz-fe, body on frame, legendary reliability, capable off road, plush, wife approved, etc. etc. I also did some research on common problems so I would know what to look for.
We fairly quickly found a 01' LX470 with 130,000 miles with an asking price of $9850 and took a look at it. Started it up, and "tick, tick, tick, tick", took it for a test drive and the ticking went away: cracked manifold. Not a huge deal. I also noticed the ABS, VSC and TRAC lights were on so I pulled over and scanned it (Techstream) and found LF wheel speed sensor failure. Also not a big deal and fairly a common problem. The upper rear hatch has the common rust problem but water didn't appear to leak inside the vehicle. Lastly no volume to the head unit so I ran radio diagnostics which returned code P190, I'm assumed the amp was bad after doing a google search
Aside from those things, everything else checked out mechanically: truck ran good, tranny fluid looked good, AHC worked properly, radiator was original, service records were up to date and all the electronic gadgets and powered stuff still works, which I still am amazed at.
Due to the problems we were able to get it for under the asking price which I felt was fair, even with the issues.
I've since started the replacement of the wheel sensor last weekend but the harness broke off and the sensor is stuck in the hole so I need to revisit that. I also sent the amp to united radio for repair as I wanted to keep the stock stereo. I may replace the manifold with OEM or DT or have them fixed. I will do the job myself so I'm leaning toward replacement since its pretty labor intensive. Any long term problems with running a cracked manifold? Again after warming, expansion seals crack so its not a bad crack. I've found that a lot of folks on this site have ran theirs cracked without issue so I'll probably just go with it.
I would like to replace the upper rear hatch but I'm in no hurry to do so.
So we're really loving this truck and Ih8mud was a big help in the buying process so thanks!
Technically, it's my wife's truck so my dream of dropping it off at Slee for bumpers, armor, sliders, OME/AHC delete, etc. is just a dream so far, but one day...
We were in the market for another used vehicle and I really like my Tundra and the 4.7 engine: Lots of power, easy to work on, low wear with almost no oil consumption design. At first we test drove a 3rd gen limited 4runner but found it a bit too small. We then test drove a Highlander but I wasn't really to impressed with it as it felt a bit too much like a minivan and the price wasn't that great for a vehicle with 150k miles. I also considered a 4th gen 4runner with the 4.7 but couldn't find any in my price range.
That's when I came to my senses and started looking for a 100 series
2uz-fe, body on frame, legendary reliability, capable off road, plush, wife approved, etc. etc. I also did some research on common problems so I would know what to look for.We fairly quickly found a 01' LX470 with 130,000 miles with an asking price of $9850 and took a look at it. Started it up, and "tick, tick, tick, tick", took it for a test drive and the ticking went away: cracked manifold. Not a huge deal. I also noticed the ABS, VSC and TRAC lights were on so I pulled over and scanned it (Techstream) and found LF wheel speed sensor failure. Also not a big deal and fairly a common problem. The upper rear hatch has the common rust problem but water didn't appear to leak inside the vehicle. Lastly no volume to the head unit so I ran radio diagnostics which returned code P190, I'm assumed the amp was bad after doing a google search
Aside from those things, everything else checked out mechanically: truck ran good, tranny fluid looked good, AHC worked properly, radiator was original, service records were up to date and all the electronic gadgets and powered stuff still works, which I still am amazed at.
Due to the problems we were able to get it for under the asking price which I felt was fair, even with the issues.
I've since started the replacement of the wheel sensor last weekend but the harness broke off and the sensor is stuck in the hole so I need to revisit that. I also sent the amp to united radio for repair as I wanted to keep the stock stereo. I may replace the manifold with OEM or DT or have them fixed. I will do the job myself so I'm leaning toward replacement since its pretty labor intensive. Any long term problems with running a cracked manifold? Again after warming, expansion seals crack so its not a bad crack. I've found that a lot of folks on this site have ran theirs cracked without issue so I'll probably just go with it.
I would like to replace the upper rear hatch but I'm in no hurry to do so.
So we're really loving this truck and Ih8mud was a big help in the buying process so thanks!
Technically, it's my wife's truck so my dream of dropping it off at Slee for bumpers, armor, sliders, OME/AHC delete, etc. is just a dream so far, but one day...
