I'm back...still looking for a 100...

[boze_man]

forgot to add with the trade-in...the manager comes out when we were leaving and says he can add $1700 to the trade...so went from wholesale to slightly below avg NADA trade-in...so i guess they want to deal, month end and all

 

[SWUtah]

If you are interested I would make it part of the deal that before you buy it you have it checked out by a mechanic. I would also have some kind of warranty that covers your drivetrain for some amount of time like 6 months XX number of miles, that gives you some time to shake things out and if there is a problem you get some help with the cost to fix it. I bought a 99 a couple of years ago thet was in good shape except for some of the trim was peeling and the interior was rough like the one you are looking at. It had 58K miles on it and was a lease vehicle. It was a good LC and checked out with my local mechanic. The key is to get help checking out the condition. Is this a Toyota dealership you are buying from? I would say that with 77K miles on a 2003 it might of been a lease vehicle that averaged 15K miles per year and was not cared for like a owner would. Does it have a trailer hitch on it? Does it look like the trailer hitch was used much? If so that adds wear. If it checks out you need to change all the fluids, I would go to all synthetics. The bumper is going to cost you several hundred $$$ to fix also figure out the cost to detail the paint and the interior. I would think with all the fluid changes and detailing and repair you will be out $1500+. You really want the mechanic to check out your transmission since you think it might be acting funny. I have the 5 speed in my 2004 LX and it has added features compared to the 4 speeds and feels different. I would suggest you drive a new LC/LX and then drive the 2003 you are interested in and compare them. They should feel the same. If they don't then that would worry me big time and I would move on to another LX/LC. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[BMWSTOY]

Agree, Tranny sounds like reason for concern - a dealer warranty 100% parts and labor might be something worth working into the deal othewise I would walk away. The deals usually include a "feel good" action on their part - this one being more on your trade - remember they are making money on both vehicles, they can afford to reduce profit on one. Yes, the tax benefit could be valuable and if you have a poor used market, trades are not the worst thing you can do.

You are right about feelings, walk away from the Salesman/seller - too much pressure, and they never have a real good reason for selling which would have me guessing all the time if he was dumping it?

Hang in there, you will find the right one

 

[boze_man]

ok...i called a couple toyo dealers and they will conduct a pre-purchase inspect for say 100 or so bucks...

now what do i do?? get it inspected and then negotiate or negotiate pending passing inspection??

 

[lasalsa]

Hello All.. Just joined this forum. I'll completely introduce myself later..
In Short: I almost worked out a deal with this 03 that you looked at in TX. I was a little skeptical about the fluxuation of the prices. Yeah, it was listed at about 25.5 then went "by mistake" and was relisted at 26.9.. or similar. I contacted the dealer and called him out on that then we parted ways..

Sounds like you're on the right track with the purchase. I am currently working a deal and I placed a deposit on an 03 with 56K in Ohio that is listed at $29.9.

Needless to say, It's really difficult to buy a vehicle through the internet, while you are overseas..

More on that on my intro post..

Good Luck!

Richie

 

[SWUtah]

ok...i called a couple toyo dealers and they will conduct a pre-purchase inspect for say 100 or so bucks...

now what do i do?? get it inspected and then negotiate or negotiate pending passing inspection??

You negotiate the price with the completion of the sale based on it passing inspection. If the inspection comes up with any problem then the price needs to be renegotiated or the repairs made contengent on the sale. I would also drive another one with the 5 speed transmission back to back with this one to make sure the transmission feels ok. Good luck

 

[boze_man]

thanks for the help everyone

 

[boze_man]

update:

dealer gonna drop at local toyo dealer tomorrow for inspection...

anything specific to ask wrench??

 

[SWUtah]

update:

dealer gonna drop at local toyo dealer tomorrow for inspection...

anything specific to ask wrench??

I would want to be there while he inspected it and talking to him while he is looking at everything. You also want to watch so you are sure you get your moneys worth on the inspection. Otherwise you show up and they say give me the $100 and you ask how it looked and they say OK.

 

[BMWSTOY]

Be very careful of the inspection, they should find things even if they are minor. My father had an NSX inspected and they missed tons of stuff - the guy just thought it was good but did not include things like; flaking wheels, paint blemishes, interior stains, etc. Just because the inspector thinks its "fine" does not mean you do - have it rated somehow.
Tell inspector everything you want to look at plus his normal stuff.

 

[boze_man]

UPDATE:

i couldnt be at inspection but gave him some addl things to look over...one of the items that i wanted him to check was the front bumper. when i was inspecting the car i noticed a sticker on the inside of the front bumper, a dealer sticker, seemed odd, like a replacement part...

Tech said that the hood, bumper and left fender was replaced with genuine parts. done well with no apparent frame damage.

also minor rattle behind dash and pulsating brakes. thought it drove great and was great vehicle. no leaks, clean fluids, well maintained mechanically.

so now what to do...i can negotiate lower but hard to ascertain extent of damage...with hood being damaged i am a bit more wary... so on the fence at the moment, and havent heard from dealer as i am sure he knows.

i am going to go a re-inspect the 01 (from above) on way home...the seller is anxious and i may have it checkd at the local toyo dealer across the road tomoro...the 01 doesnt have a hitch, hard to add? do i need a OEM?

thanks
bill

 

[boze_man]

oh forgot...how do i tell if the sub woofer is shot? one of the speakers is shot for sure but how do i tell if the woofer is gone?

also what is a good deal for an 01 w/77k?

 

[boze_man]

after inspecting the 01 tonite in the sun (not the rain) i can see where the wife was not to excited...cosmetically the truck looked a bit ragged...so 01 is officially OUT...sorry to all who picked the 01 to win.

now back to 03...from the toyota tech inspection..."vehicle has been hit on left front corner. has new hood, left fender, and front bumper. vehicle has a slight breke pulsation. vehicle has a small dash rattle. vehicle is very clean & has no signs of any leaks. vehicle drives good & looks good"...hard to put any faith in the inspection...unless you are there then who knows what they do...look at it in 15 mins?

trying to determine if the pulsating brake issue could be caused by the accident damage? with a hood replacement would that mean axle/wheel was damaged?

i am gonna inspect again tomoro (hopefully in the sun this time) and try see what is what. wife seems to prefer a newer model and thinks as long as damage was just cosmetic and repaired properly what could be worse case..if you can get it for cheap enuf you can bank the diff between this and a cleaner one for any repairs...

also just goes to show you a clean carfax means NOTHING.

dealer is holding firm at 26.9$...month end creeping up fast.

ps - saw an 03 at an ohio toyo dealer (1 owner) certified with 81k for 29.3$...looked very clean...but more $$$

any words of wisdom??

 

[lasalsa]

Just offer the guy in TX. the ORIGINAL asking price that he posted of $25,454.00a few weeks ago, or maybe LOWER. IF that makes you feel better..

Good Luck!

 

[SWUtah]

after inspecting the 01 tonite in the sun (not the rain) i can see where the wife was not to excited...cosmetically the truck looked a bit ragged...so 01 is officially OUT...sorry to all who picked the 01 to win.

now back to 03...from the toyota tech inspection..."vehicle has been hit on left front corner. has new hood, left fender, and front bumper. vehicle has a slight breke pulsation. vehicle has a small dash rattle. vehicle is very clean & has no signs of any leaks. vehicle drives good & looks good"...hard to put any faith in the inspection...unless you are there then who knows what they do...look at it in 15 mins?

trying to determine if the pulsating brake issue could be caused by the accident damage? with a hood replacement would that mean axle/wheel was damaged?

i am gonna inspect again tomoro (hopefully in the sun this time) and try see what is what. wife seems to prefer a newer model and thinks as long as damage was just cosmetic and repaired properly what could be worse case..if you can get it for cheap enuf you can bank the diff between this and a cleaner one for any repairs...

also just goes to show you a clean carfax means NOTHING.

dealer is holding firm at 26.9$...month end creeping up fast.

ps - saw an 03 at an ohio toyo dealer (1 owner) certified with 81k for 29.3$...looked very clean...but more $$$

any words of wisdom??

Buy the 2003 with the dealer agreeing to fix the brakes and the dash rattle. Drive it by a body shop and ask them if the repairs were more then cosmetic.

 

[boze_man]

almost done...

went to look at the 03 this afternoon hoping to finally see it in the sun and drive it on a dry road. took a motor-head friend along as well.

in the sun the 03 looked like a new vehicle in/out excpet for a few minor items

we test drove and noticed a few addl items:
slight steering wheel vibration
slight pull to right or pulsation when slight turn
tires were feathered on the outer edges
passenger side inner cv joint was a bit dirty and/or leaking
oassenger side steering rack boot looked like it was damp and/or leaking
2ND button on the console would not stay down
driver window was noisy when going up
box hitch looked like it was seldom used
tires had some good life left
accident repair looked good
didnt appear to be any leaks
looks like the one and only key is a master...did the test best as i could determine

from toyo tech:
brake pulsation was diagnosed by toyo tech as warped rotors (tech thought 400$ to turn rotors and repack, said pads looked good)
dash rattle easy fix
fluids clean and no leaks
thought LC drove well and he would buy it

anyone know what worse case cost to eventually replace steering rack if it was indeed damaged in accident? and how to fix 2ND button on console? and fix noisy driver window(when goes up)? DIY things?

called dealer tonite and said i would like to get this finalized tomorrow...but wanted to address issue of obtaining a second key, getting brake pulse corrected and fix noisy window.

any feedback asap would help
thanks again for your patience
bill

 

[SWUtah]

almost done...

went to look at the 03 this afternoon hoping to finally see it in the sun and drive it on a dry road. took a motor-head friend along as well.

in the sun the 03 looked like a new vehicle in/out excpet for a few minor items

we test drove and noticed a few addl items:
slight steering wheel vibration
slight pull to right or pulsation when slight turn
tires were feathered on the outer edges
passenger side inner cv joint was a bit dirty and/or leaking
oassenger side steering rack boot looked like it was damp and/or leaking
2ND button on the console would not stay down
driver window was noisy when going up
box hitch looked like it was seldom used
tires had some good life left
accident repair looked good
didnt appear to be any leaks
looks like the one and only key is a master...did the test best as i could determine

from toyo tech:
brake pulsation was diagnosed by toyo tech as warped rotors (tech thought 400$ to turn rotors and repack, said pads looked good)
dash rattle easy fix
fluids clean and no leaks
thought LC drove well and he would buy it

anyone know what worse case cost to eventually replace steering rack if it was indeed damaged in accident? and how to fix 2ND button on console? and fix noisy driver window(when goes up)? DIY things?

called dealer tonite and said i would like to get this finalized tomorrow...but wanted to address issue of obtaining a second key, getting brake pulse corrected and fix noisy window.

any feedback asap would help
thanks again for your patience
bill

Bill I would go into the dealer and have the sales manager put it on the rack and look at the boots and the steering rack with one of their Landcruiser tech's. Determine if it is leaking or just dirt/grease. If it isn't torn and leaking then you are good to go. If there is a problem then I would turn to the salesmanager and state that you are sure he wants to make this right before the sale or give you a make right slip so you can bring it back and have them fix it free of charge.

 

[BMWSTOY]

Hard to tell, it sounds like there are several issues yet unresolved. First, I would want to know who repaired it - there should be a lifetime warranty from the shop and a good shop at that. Insurance claims are lifetime warranty - settle for nothing less. Appears from what you say that there are steering issues, tire wear, steering rattle (could be brakes, but could be more) possible allignment issue too. All of these tells me, under the original 25K? If you are comfortable with all of the above, the other stuff is small and minor. Walk in with a check for 25, see if they let you leave.
The window could be dirt inside, should be easy to clean. Worst case - replace some minor parts. Button could be a dirt issue as well, again worst case - low cost part.

 

[lasalsa]

I +1 what was said above.. Offer 25K..

R..

 

[SWUtah]

I +1 what was said above.. Offer 25K..

R..

I would give them their offer but I would insist that all problems are ID'ed and as part of the deal corrected.