I think I bought an LX450 in Houston

[Romer]

I had the winning bid on the following auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...&item=2489172463&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT

It was below the reserve and the seller and I negotiated a price. Being under the resrve gives me the ability to walk away from it. I am trying to find a cruiser person to go check it out before I give him the final OK.

Then its fly to Houston on Friday and drive back to Denver.

So, Hopefully by this weekend i'll have the "girle mans" 80 with lockers and nerf bar steps. Then I'll have to sell my 99 GMC Jimmy. My wife is being pretty cool, even though I am paying more money (than the Jimmy's worth) for an older car with more miles.

 

[Rookie2]

Definitely have someone look it over if you can.

My ebay purchasing saga: Saturday morning at about 5 o'clock, drove from Knox-vegas to Atlanta to catch a flight to Jacksonville Florida. Got to the dealership to find missing belt, CEL on, oil seepage to name a few. After doing some spazing, had the belts replaced and vehicle checked over at Pep Boys (man... that's how green I was). Got on the road about 3 o'clock for the 10 hour drive home. I was exhausted and had a splitting head ache by the time I got home. Very long and stressful day.

Good luck.


Rookie2

 

[whodat]

i just got one on ebay also 107k

seems good so far...the seller had good feedback...I paid $500 to have it shipped from Missouri to Fl. Had 1 week.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...&item=2487439497&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT

 

[Rookie2]

Damn.. that's a smok'n deal if you got it anywhere close to that. I really like the look of those side running board/bars.. wished the sliders looked more like that. Wonder if they provide much protection?


Rookie2

 

[Romer]

Whats the difference between the nerf bars on this rig and sliders

 

[semlin]

Whats the difference between the nerf bars on this rig and sliders

about 85 lbs

sliders will support the weight of the truck and protect the rocker panels if you land on a rock with them

 

[Doc]

I bought an 80 on e-bay. When I went to pick it up I also checked out the 60 series on the same lot. Came home with both of 'em.

Now I need a 55.

 

[Rich]

I see that it is a Houston seller. The engine compartment has some corrosion that I am not accustomed to seeing. Maybe the owner ran it on the beach or ? How does the engine look to you guys in the rust belt? I.E. the metal heater return line that runs to the water pump, the power steering fluid reservoir, and the EGR vacuum valve.

 

[Romer]

According to the vin check it spent 3 years in NJ, then 3 years in Ohio before coming to Texas. I noticed that too and asked my saviour from Lone Star Cruisers (Jim Reiss) to look at that for me. I don't expect a perfect cruiser for that kind of money and do expect to have to put soe money into it.

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

How did you get it? It said reserve not met? It did show a BUY IT NOW thougu didn't say it was met?

 

[Rookie2]

Hmm... good observation Rich. My rig spent it's first 6 years in a south Florida beach town. Although the undercaraige shows some evidence of rust, the heater line and components in the engine compartment show zero signs of rust, except for the steel under portion of the EGR has a solid coat.

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

MAN, I'd a did the BUY IT NOW AND GRAB THAT SUCKER!!

 

[Romer]

I was going to do the buy it for for several days. I have been watching it the hole time and talked to him. Was nervous about the miles so was on the fence. I even posted the great deal in Chat in case someone else was interested since I had a hard time deciding.

When I saw the bid at 12,100 with 5 minutes to go, I bid and "won" the auction. I didn't really win, but they try and negotiate with the winner. So I then called him and we worked out a price and I said I wanted someone to look it over first, if it checked out I'd take it.

I liked the Not meeting reserve because it allows me to back out if it doesn't check out without penalty. That includes when I show up and see it for myself

 

[RavenTai]

I had the winning bid on the following auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...&item=2489172463&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT

QUOTE]


looks like a northern rust belt vehicle, have you pulled a carfax yet? the rust on the heater pipe that runs above the exhuast is very common, you will likely also find a lot of rust arround the radiator support and front suspension when that pipe is rusted

 

[Beowulf]

Ken,
As Rich says, that looks like a lot more corrosion than a typical Texas vehicle. The Carfax explains that but you'll want someone to check for corrosion in other areas like the rear hatch. The FT 4WD badge is missing from the tailgate so check for prior body damage in the rear.

Great price though and it has the lockers.

For the other LX owners... Does that one have a full wood trim interior? I was surprised that the instrument cluster, center dash, clock, and A/C vents didn't have wood trim.

-B-

 

[tarbe]

Do you know where the vehicle is physically located in the Houston area? 281 area code covers a pretty large area.

Do you have someone lined up to look it over?

 

[RavenTai]

Ken,

For the other LX owners... Does that one have a full wood trim interior? I was surprised that the instrument cluster, center dash, clock, and A/C vents didn't have wood trim.

-B-

yep that is it, IIRC the LC when stock only has "wood" in those areas also, the aftermarket kits cover a lot more places, LX's are not as likely to need the aftermaket kids as the "wood" is printed directly on the plastic instead of the decals that peel up the LC has

some of the aftyermaket kits I saw looked very good, some were very ugly,

 

[Romer]

I do have someone lined up to look at it tomorrow. Jim Reiss has kindly volunteered. It's in SW Houston.

Is an Autocheck the same info as a carfax? I have the auto check which says no accidents, tells it started out in NJ for 3 years, then spent 3 years in Ohio before moving to Texas

 

[alaskacruiser]

B said "The FT 4WD badge is missing from the tailgate so check for prior body damage in the rear."

No it's not. The '96 LX450 has the "Full-Time 4WD" badge on the tailgate, the '97 LX450 does not. So nothing to check up on there.

As for the wood trim interior- as far as I can tell, only certain color combos got it. Mine is black/tan and it looks the same as the one on ebay- no wood trim on the dash. (Personally, I like it that way).

 

[NorCalDoug]

I don't recall seeing a LX with the wood trim everywhere. What I saw in the pics matches up with what I have in mine and the wife in hers. On the plus side -- LXs got better fake wood trim than the LCs did -- LX trim doesn't fade, crack, or get hazy, at least none that I've seen.

And to back up alaskacruiser -- the 97 LXs didn't have the Full-Time 4WD badge, only the 96s had them -- it's an easy way to tell the LX years apart.