I think I found my Cruiser. I'd love a nod of approval before going ahead. (1 Viewer)

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davidodysseus said:
I'm in Connecticut/New England.
Click to expand...

I'm in Maine so I'm close but not that close. I would HIGHLY recommend dropping the spare while you're at the dealer.
1) You will know if the jack and tire removal hardware is still in the vehicle
2) You'll know if the mechanism if frozen, which is common in the northeast and why people leave the spare in the bed of their trucks
3) You'll be able to see what's going on for corrosion on the rear crossmember and other rear frame sections.
It's super easy to do and there's no reason why a dealer would object to something like this, especially on an older vehicle.
 
Alright, thanks for all the recommendations.

I'm heading up around noon eastern time today.

Currently my plan is to get under the truck with a flashlight and really look around, taking down the spare as well. Is there a resource somewhere on here that would show what an acceptable, workable, and non structurally threatening level of rust would be? Maybe someone on here who's bought one that is too far gone or at that threshold from being negligible to a headache.

How do i check AHC?

Is there anything within the engine I should be looking out for? I'm new to mechanical work, but I want to learn.

If this truck is the one and I accept his offer. Is it reasonable to require him to change the timing belt, AHC red? fluid? Transmission fluid, air filter?

I will post pictures today when I'm at the dealer with an update on the process.
 
jlm43 said:
I'm in Maine so I'm close but not that close. I would HIGHLY recommend dropping the spare while you're at the dealer.
1) You will know if the jack and tire removal hardware is still in the vehicle
2) You'll know if the mechanism if frozen, which is common in the northeast and why people leave the spare in the bed of their trucks
3) You'll be able to see what's going on for corrosion on the rear crossmember and other rear frame sections.
It's super easy to do and there's no reason why a dealer would object to something like this, especially on an older vehicle.
Click to expand...

Great, thank you. I was actually planning to spend a week or two out on the Golden Road as a first trip in the LX if things work out. If it happens, maybe we could meet up sometime. I'd love any input on how to bring her up to shape.
 
davidodysseus said:
Great, thank you. I was actually planning to spend a week or two out on the Golden Road as a first trip in the LX if things work out. If it happens, maybe we could meet up sometime. I'd love any input on how to bring her up to shape.
Click to expand...
This vid helped save me from buying a project.
 
davidodysseus said:
If this truck is the one and I accept his offer. Is it reasonable to require him to change the timing belt, AHC red? fluid? Transmission fluid, air filter?
Click to expand...

that all depends on which way you want to go. Personally, I would go for a lower price and plan on either doing it myself or finding someone I trust to do the work. My 2005 LC is at 173k right now and I plan on "going big" at 200k. A good friend of mine is a long time auto tech that does work on the side out of his garage for less than half of the normal shop rate. I'll have him replace the TB and all associated fixings along with all of the front end rubbers. At 200k and 15 years old, it's a good time to get it up to speed. But mine is also 98% rust free so it's worth putting the money into.

As for corrosion, anything more than surface rust would make me walk away. But I REALLY hate corrosion. Once the metal starts to scale / flake, it gets much harder to treat and work with. With no rust prevention, a Maine vehicle will only go 15 years or so before it's beyond repair. Give or take a few years of course.

As for the Golden Road, there's plenty of camping to do out there. Have you been out that way before? It's a great area with some awesome hiking around Mt Katahdin. Once you're into the North Maine Woods, you have the whole north west side of Maine to explore. Bring some hiking boots and a fishing pole and you'll be good to go.
 
jlm43 said:
that all depends on which way you want to go. Personally, I would go for a lower price and plan on either doing it myself or finding someone I trust to do the work. My 2005 LC is at 173k right now and I plan on "going big" at 200k. A good friend of mine is a long time auto tech that does work on the side out of his garage for less than half of the normal shop rate. I'll have him replace the TB and all associated fixings along with all of the front end rubbers. At 200k and 15 years old, it's a good time to get it up to speed. But mine is also 98% rust free so it's worth putting the money into.

As for corrosion, anything more than surface rust would make me walk away. But I REALLY hate corrosion. Once the metal starts to scale / flake, it gets much harder to treat and work with. With no rust prevention, a Maine vehicle will only go 15 years or so before it's beyond repair. Give or take a few years of course.

As for the Golden Road, there's plenty of camping to do out there. Have you been out that way before? It's a great area with some awesome hiking around Mt Katahdin. Once you're into the North Maine Woods, you have the whole north west side of Maine to explore. Bring some hiking boots and a fishing pole and you'll be good to go.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input. So you have a 05LC w the same milage as the 05LX I'm looking at today. Good to hear the LX may be a possible contender.

Yeah, I know the golden road area. I thru-hiked the Appalachian in 14' and spent a few nights car camping in my outback around ABOL last month. If the LX works out the plan is to remove the middle and third row seats, build a sleeping platform and get out into the backcountry for a week or two.

It's amazing land out there.
 
davidodysseus said:
I know 170k is high, but all the trucks in my price range are in this ball park.

I'd be going from a 2014 Subaru Outback with 70k. Is this a crazy idea? I've lived around the world. Spent almost two years living in the Himalaya spending summers and winters on the Tibetan Plateau. The Outback doesn't stir that deep part of my soul that wants to know the world. I know it's just a truck, just a thing, but I want a truck that I can drive to Alaska or the Arctic Circle, that I could take into Mexico seeing friends. I want something that calls me forward into the world and reminds that piece that it's there and supported in following those dusty and unworn paths.
Click to expand...
You've got your high visual horizon in a good place to swap out of a Subaru. Now you need to make sure you have your financials in order knowing these historical machines will require attention for the journeys you envision mate.

You are in a great place to learn and with prior coordination there are seasoned 💯 sherpas out in your vicinity who will assist.

Good Luck,
G
 
boca1 said:
Been awhile since I've been under my Truck, but that weld on the second picture does not look factory, accident? frame damage?
Click to expand...
Really. okay that's big. The car has no accidents on it's carfax.

they're asking 12k so it seems lower than what others are asking during the current market.
 
The welds are always the first to rust (and hardware) so those seem to be the worst from the pictures. The welds do have some blistering so that isn't good but it's definitely treatable. Given the current market, that price seems reasonable. Depending on the condition of everything else of course. Keep us posted on how it looks underneath.
 
that is a repair, here what mine looks like
IMG_0385.jpg
IMG_0385.jpg
IMG_0386.jpg
 
To me, it just looks like a rusty weld. I’d compare it to the other side and see what that looks like.
But a frame repair would look like that as well so it could be either or
 
Just take tons of pic or videos of everything you see under the rig. Ditch both the soft and hard porn to make space on your phone if you must.
 
*Following


This has been a fun read. I was in this boat not too long ago! Info/advice here and on a local FB Toyo page helped me get $2k off of my LC!

Good luck and let us know how it ends.
 
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