Howdy, I'm new! Wanted to say hi. About to purchase a 2000 100 series and wanted some opinions (1 Viewer)

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Hmmm. So you think he's trying to get rid of it because he knows it won't pass a test?
Getting rid of a vehicle because it doesn't pass inspections is common. I had the same thing occur with my first 100. Frame rot caused it to fail. Took some digging but after a year I located a rust free LX for much less in much nicer condition. I'd personally pass on this vehicle, knowing some of the history
 
So I will break from the pack here and say that I'd be perfectly fine at 10K or so with this truck. Here's why;
1. A salvage title is the result of an insurance claim. Most likely the damage was all cosmetic in nature. This is further evidenced by the under hood pics and you driving it. The core support looks straight with older paint/stickers and it runs and drives fine. Take it from me, cosmetic damage adds up VERY quickly to the point the insurance company will total a vehicle that is perfectly safe to drive.
2. It was only a few years ago this truck was probably worth $6-7K, meaning $4k in damages could have totaled it out. A rear end wreck means a new bumper cap, hood, fenders, headlights, parking lights, labor, paint. Well north of $4K in all likelihood.
3. These trucks are appreciating, quickly. This is probably going to peak very soon, but the value they are today is north of what they were just a couple years ago. It was easy to find an early run LX470 with ratty seats, but otherwise perfect, for $3-4K. Now those trucks start at $7K

Point of all this is that a salvage title does hurt the value because it can hide damage. A car with a salvage title could be a total rollover with a bent frame, or it could be a few bent panels. Without the history it adds risk to the buyer. BTW, you assume the same risk anyway. I bet 9 out of 10 of these trucks don't have comprehensive coverage on them anymore, meaning most would never have been totaled by insurance, meaning they would have a clean title today even if they were totally eff'd up and fixed before you went to go look at it.
This is very helpful. Thank you. I linked the damage in another comment thread, and it really does look all cosmetic. Maybe a deer or something? My biggest concern is the emissions stuff, because I'm not really into going to spend 2500 on fixes right after I get a truck I've been wanting for a while haha
 
This is very helpful. Thank you. I linked the damage in another comment thread, and it really does look all cosmetic. Maybe a deer or something? My biggest concern is the emissions stuff, because I'm not really into going to spend 2500 on fixes right after I get a truck I've been wanting for a while haha
I'd strongly encourage you to find another. If you're getting codes that lead to O2 replacement (I'm guessing P0420 and/or P0430) that's normally the code for inefficient cat and commonly means the cat is tired. Replacement cats are something like $1250. EACH. At a discounted rate. It's a hugely expensive repair to have to consider on a vehicle that's not priced low. Add to that the salvage title and known damage (cosmetic or not, that's significant damage in your link) and this is just a poor proposition.

This might not be a bad deal, but there are multiple risk factors that we know of, which are not present in most 100's up for sale at this price point. This one seems to be an unnecessary risk, IMO.

I recently sold my extremely clean 99 for $13k with tons of recent OEM parts, classy (so says I) upgrades and perfectly clean and well-documented history.

Colorado generally has high prices for these, but here are some quick examples.


and for fun: 1973 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 40 - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle... - https://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/d/littleton-1973-toyota-land-cruiser-fj-40/7272927628.html
 
Hmmm. So you think he's trying to get rid of it because he knows it won't pass a test?
He's a car dealer, he likely wants cash instead of a car.

... I'm not really into going to spend 2500 on fixes right after I get a truck I've been wanting for a while haha
There aren't many emissions-related issues with these trucks, aside from simply replacing O2 sensors. So it's likely the cats which are expensive.

Are there any OBD codes? Is the Check Engine light on? Have you seen the DEQ failed emissions report?
 
I'd strongly encourage you to find another. If you're getting codes that lead to O2 replacement (I'm guessing P0420 and/or P0430) that's normally the code for inefficient cat and commonly means the cat is tired. Replacement cats are something like $1250. EACH. At a discounted rate. It's a hugely expensive repair to have to consider on a vehicle that's not priced low. Add to that the salvage title and known damage (cosmetic or not, that's significant damage in your link) and this is just a poor proposition.

This might not be a bad deal, but there are multiple risk factors that we know of, which are not present in most 100's up for sale at this price point. This one seems to be an unnecessary risk, IMO.

I recently sold my extremely clean 99 for $13k with tons of recent OEM parts, classy (so says I) upgrades and perfectly clean and well-documented history.

Colorado generally has high prices for these, but here are some quick examples.


and for fun: 1973 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 40 - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle... - https://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/d/littleton-1973-toyota-land-cruiser-fj-40/7272927628.html
Some good examples of trucks in there, but the 2002 LX470 is a good example of what I was talking about. ARB bumper, after market headlights, mediocre paint on the drivers front fender and the core support is not the original color all adds up to this truck having been in a collision. The title says "rebuilt" which is a status to can apply for after you repair a totaled vehicle. I wouldn't want to pay 15K for a poorly repaired vehicle. My guess is this was a DIY repair since I can't imagine a shop doing this level of work.
 
Alright, received the inspection from Lemon squad. The only mechanical issues listed are "The engine shows active oil leaks. The engine should be pressure washed off and rechecked to verify source of the leak or all leaks."

No codes for any emissions issues reported. I assume I'd have to have this looked at further to understand the severity of the oil leak?

Anyone able to take a look at this report for me and see if you see something that I don't?
 
Alright, received the inspection from Lemon squad. The only mechanical issues listed are "The engine shows active oil leaks. The engine should be pressure washed off and rechecked to verify source of the leak or all leaks."

No codes for any emissions issues reported. I assume I'd have to have this looked at further to understand the severity of the oil leak?

Anyone able to take a look at this report for me and see if you see something that I don't?
Valve cover gaskets are common items. I've got all the parts to do mine on my 05 LX. If it's something like the front main seal, it's a much bigger job. If it's a rear main, it's a very big job. If it's head gaskets its a massive job. Even the valve cover gaskets are pricey unless you do them yourself because it's a ton of labor. They parts are only like $100.
 
I'm not really into going to spend 2500 on fixes right after I get a truck I've been wanting for a while haha

I think you just answered your own question. Don’t buy any 100 series. Especially not this one. “Wanting one for a while” isn’t the same as wanting one and being ready for it.
 
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My stock 99 no rear locker, CO one owner truck, a folder full of receipts for all work done, 206k miles purchased in March of 2020 $6500.
Torn CV boot, needs a TB and WP service.

IMHO Its not worth it.
 
That's the one I would pick, pending due diligence on where it spent its life. My guess is there will be some items of concern in the Carfax at that price. Most dealers here are well aware of what the market will pay.
Desirable rear locker DIFF LOCK he's playing games, an ok price. The miles don't scare me.
That said I would baseline and preventative maintenance alot of items.
 
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Alright, received the inspection from Lemon squad. The only mechanical issues listed are "The engine shows active oil leaks. The engine should be pressure washed off and rechecked to verify source of the leak or all leaks."

No codes for any emissions issues reported. I assume I'd have to have this looked at further to understand the severity of the oil leak?

Anyone able to take a look at this report for me and see if you see something that I don't?
Post up the report. Plenty of us love to play backseat mechanic. :D
 
Post up the report. Plenty of us love to play backseat mechanic. :D
Haha, alright. It's attached. To be honest I'm a bit dissapointed in this report, as it mostly focuses on the cosmetics which really are the last of my concerns. No codes reported for emissions though, so that's a win?
 

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Haha, alright. It's attached. To be honest I'm a bit dissapointed in this report, as it mostly focuses on the cosmetics which really are the last of my concerns. No codes reported for emissions though, so that's a win? that means the dealer cleared codes before the inspection crew saw the car.
Fixed that last line for ya. :)

Without seeing pics of the rust, it's hard to say, but that doesn't sound good.

Their mechanical inspection is pretty lax, t seems. The rest of the report is pretty detailed, I think.

An oil leak sufficient to smoke from the wheel wells is not normal for a 100. That's concerning, but it could be something simple.

I stand by my initial judgement here. Too many risk factors for that price. If you want a project to wrench on, try to get them down to $6k. If you want a car you won't spend $3k to baseline immediately, I'd pass on this... and perhaps most 100 series for that matter. :p These aren't cheap cars to keep in decent shape.
 
Fixed that last line for ya. :)

Without seeing pics of the rust, it's hard to say, but that doesn't sound good.

Their mechanical inspection is pretty lax, t seems. The rest of the report is pretty detailed, I think.

An oil leak sufficient to smoke from the wheel wells is not normal for a 100. That's concerning, but it could be something simple.

I stand by my initial judgement here. Too many risk factors for that price. If you want a project to wrench on, try to get them down to $6k. If you want a car you won't spend $3k to baseline immediately, I'd pass on this... and perhaps most 100 series for that matter. :p These aren't cheap cars to keep in decent shape.
Ah man. Alright. This is a super bummer, but I hear yall. This is the rust.

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Sounds like you're really determined to buy this s*** pile. Everyone is telling you to walk but you keep going back to the same lemon. Comical!

Why not spend another $2K and get a decent car? It's not like this is some low mileage salvage title car that you're getting for 30%+ cheaper than a clean title car. You're getting absolutely ripped off at $11K for a 230K mile salvage 21yr old pile of junk that won't pass emissions.

Here's a linear logical breakdown of the issue you're facing: the car is overpriced for the year, mileage and title status, the seller is a dealer (i.e. he knows what he's doing or knows people that do), he already replaced one or more O2 sensor(s), the car still failed emissions, he knows it likely needs new catalytic converters, he decided to pass the buck onto the next sucker (you, in this case), new cats cost $2500, you'll be spending that $2500 to repair the car, and then some. Let that sink in for a minute. There are a ton of these high mileage cars on the market with a clean title for the same money, and they pass emissions.

edit: add rust bucket somewhere in there, as well.
 
Sounds like you're really determined to buy this s*** pile. Everyone is telling you to walk but you keep going back to the same lemon. Comical!

Why not spend another $2K and get a decent car? It's not like this is some low mileage salvage title car that you're getting for 30%+ cheaper than a clean title car. You're getting absolutely ripped off at $11K for a 230K mile salvage 21yr old pile of junk that won't pass emissions.

Here's a linear logical breakdown of the issue you're facing: the car is overpriced for the year, mileage and title status, the seller is a dealer (i.e. he knows what he's doing or knows people that do), he already replaced one or more O2 sensor(s), the car still failed emissions, he knows it likely needs new catalytic converters, he decided to pass the buck onto the next sucker (you, in this case), new cats cost $2500, you'll be spending that $2500 to repair the car, and then some. Let that sink in for a minute. There are a ton of these high mileage cars on the market with a clean title for the same money, and they pass emissions.

edit: add rust bucket somewhere in there, as well.
Just trying to do my due diligence here lawrence! Gotta make absolutely sure it's not something that I should pursue after spending money on a PPI. No need to be so didactic! After seeing the report and listening to all of you I'm not going to move forward with it. Take it easy on someone who has very basic knowledge of all this stuff
 
I will say a few things as someone who has owned a Prius, two Tacomas, and now a 100.

I would expand your search for vehicle options, obviously this is me not understanding your motives.

The leap from Prius to 100 for a camping rig is pretty big and there are plenty of capable vehicles in between those two. Any reason you aren’t looking at Tacomas or 4Runners? Heck the world version of the Mitsubishi Montero is known as a capable off-road/“overlanding” rig and you can even get a locker from the factory. There are Xterras, cherokees, etc. that could expand your options and lessen any sense of urgency. Heck, buy a cheap early model LR Disco and put a few thousand into it. Cheaper than most any 100 these days.
 
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I will say a few things as someone who has owned a Prius, two Tacomas, and now a 100.

I would expand your search for vehicle options, obviously this is me not understanding your motives.

The leap from Prius to 100 for a camping rig is pretty big and there are plenty of capable vehicles in between those two. Any reason you aren’t looking at Tacomas or 4Runners? Heck the world version of the Mitsubishi Montero is known as a capable off-road/“overlanding” rig and you can even get a locker from the factory. There are Xterras, cherokees, etc. that could expand your options and lessen any sense of urgency.
Considered the Tacoma and 4Runner heavily for quite some time. After test driving a few, I just found them to be a little small for me (driving, and space in the back to build a sleeping platform etc.) The land cruiser has been on my radar for 6 months because I can get a good one for a lot less than a taco or 4runner, it’s a great size for my family, and I just love the look of them. the reliability factor is a big deal too. Not crazy about the other options you mentioned, mostly because I’d like to have a Toyota. I’ve only ever owned Toyota’s and they’ve always served me very well. I’ve considered the Sequoia and also open to it, just gotta find the right one. I think the reason i lean toward land cruiser is after market support, and I’d like to build it out quite a bit in the future.
 

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