Is there such thing as a cheap 100?

[grampswrx]

So the saying goes, "there's nothing more expensive than a cheap benz/bmw etc." Is it possible to get a cheap 100? I have seen a bunch of them around $5k-$6k here in SoCal. I know the typical advice is to get the newest one I can afford. But if I buy one really cheap am I going to be needing to immediately spend another $3k in parts to get it baselined properly? And if so, is a $9k cruiser all that much better?

I'm set on getting one for an around town rig that wouldn't be a daily driver. The only difference in budget will be how long I have to wait to pull the trigger.

 

[WarWagon]

Bought mine for 4K but there was a lot of haggling and I had to fly to Philly to get it; needs a small amount of work but it's solid.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I think your question is true of any used car, if it's priced less than book value - why? You'll get the unicorns that are a great vehicle that the owner just wants gone so they price it low. Do your due diligence.

 

[DJCloz]

I live in SoCal, I looked for my hundred for about 3 months. The cheaper ones, $6-8 K usually were trashed and had very high miles. Ones that I have seen posted for unlder $6K were either a hoax or sold right away. I wanted to get a rig that was closer to 150K miles, but finally pulled the trigger on my 99 with 170K miles. The guy wanted 11K, I showed up and really liked it. I had seen others that were just thrashed from being family vehicles. This one was a single owned car in pretty decent shape. I was straight foward, I offered the guy $9k and asked him to hold the cash in his hands. I pled my case that selling a car is a bitch and I was right there, right now with that amount of cash. Dude went for it. Money talks, I did waste some time looking at other cars too, but in the used car market you just need to jump deals and be ready. Know that buying any used carwithout recent service records you should do a lot of prevenative maintenance. That being said, I am probably at least another $9k into mine, but I love it so much and Its ready for D day! You should be looking at LC's that are slightly above your price range also, that way you get an idea of what you might want to save more for, or you make an offer and the worst case, the seller says no, best case, you got your rig at a great price!

 

[jLB]

It depends on what is driving down the price, and what you're willing to put up with or fix.

For instance, I know when we were looking for my son's 100, it seemed that there were a ton of LX470s with paint issues. (They all seemed to be the same color, smoky topaz mica I think.) They weren't our cup of tea, but for the right person, they might be a deal.

 

[ponytl]

I believe there is value in most 100 series it's just hard for one to be "totaled" by just mechanical issues... Again I don't think miles are even an issue or even lack of maintenance these thing will take A LOT and the parts to bring them back or up to standards just aren't that expensive. In my area (TN AR MS AL) you can usually find a pretty nice high mile (200k) 100 for less than $6k (and no I don't really believe that 200k is high miles) my daily is at 317k and no rattles no parts falling off everything works as it should and I think it looks pretty good... I would not have a second thought embarking on a 3000 mile trip at the drop of a hat in it.
what I would avoid is RUST everything beyond that is bolt on... I would pass on a $1000 dollar running driving rust bucket unless i just wanted to part it out... but I'd buy a nice 100 with a blown engine for $3k anyday

 

[ScubaJon]

And what makes you think the one for 15K is not going to need just as much work as the 5K one. Unless they have dealer records that you can check on you will never really know if all the Maint has been done or other work done. In my case I was not looking for a diamond because I did not want to pay 15K.

When I found one for a cheep price and went to look it had hail damage and busted up bumpers.

I was making a trail truck so 1 the bumpers were going to be replaced.

it was going to get scratched and dented so why pay for one that was nice and worry about it every time I take it out.

Both back rows of seats were going so did not care what they looked like. And they are cheep in the forsale section if you want nice ones.

It needed a timing belt but hey for 400 bucks and a day or 2 of my time I was sure I could knock it out after reading the how to's on mud and I did. I have never been into a motor before.

So I spent 5 K on the cruiser and it was a 2000 so did not have all the stuff I did not want or need. It did have more miles but was a 1 owner with decent dealer records. I am happy as a clam. I have spent about 800 on needed maint .

 

[jemsec]

It's a known fact that if you do your homework, you get that for which you paid. If it's really cheap there is usually a good reason and may be hard to find until after you own it. Pay me now or pay me later!

 

[ponytl]

It's a known fact that if you do your homework, you get that for which you paid. If it's really cheap there is usually a good reason and may be hard to find until after you own it. Pay me now or pay me later!

rare i do homework... usually buy unseen at the drop of the hat... but it has to seem like a deal... so I guess i break the rules...

 

[WarWagon]

I've got an estimate today for $600 to fix the rust areas on my 100 from Philly and I'm dropping $800 tomorrow morning on timing belt and water pump/tune up.

Front end is gonna need some attention from a sway bar bushings etc standpoint too. But the vehicle is clean and runs very strong. I wanted a lower price point with $ left over to fix what needed to be fixed. Drove it back 800 miles in one day without an issue. These things are tough.

 

[TXLX100]

It all depends on what a buyer is willing to accept. Steering rack, CV's, complete timing belt service, etc are not inexpensive compared to a $10k truck price. But it's not stuff that will likely leave you stranded right away.

I think the sweet spot is a 98-2002 with around 120-150k miles that has been well maintained, or a 2003-2004 well maintained with 180k plus miles. Best long term value with those trucks.

And rust free if you plan to keep forever.

 

[labcab]

I bought mine in 2003 with 100k on it. The starter died soon after and paid the dealer to do the 90k service, but besides those two, I didn't do much besides fluids and tires for the next 100k. A little after 200k, things started going: battery, a couple coils, muffler, etc. I did the second 90k service myself and about half the plastic clips I touched fell apart in my hands.

If you pay someone to wrench on it, I could easily see the cost of service on a 200k+ cruiser exceeding the purchase price. If you do the work, I would imagine the average high mileage truck could be baselined for under $1k. If you blindly buy one that needs a couple axles, a steering rack, a master key/ECU, brakes all around, catalytic converters...then you might be looking at $5k in parts.

Personally, I would budget $2k-$3k for baselining plus a couple surprises on a $6k truck.

 

[RyanStl]

Personally, I would budget $2k-$3k for baselining plus a couple surprises on a $6k truck.

I'm doing the same on an '02 for $10,900. It seams like there are a lot of Toyota owners that want to pass on the deferrable maintenance to the next owner after 10+ years. Well, same as any other car, but we all know if we put a little in our Land Cruisers we will have another 10+ years, easy.

It's easier for the LC owner to do such since these give off so few problems.

 

[2001LC]

Great question.

I agree miles on the clock is not that important. If one does his own mechanical, body, interior and detail work it's time and parts. Find straight, rust free and as TM said "Do your due diligence" Then baseline it to level of desired perfection.

If one pays other to do work, then it best to find one properly maintained and pay a higher price for clean. It will be cheaper 7 out 10 times in the long run.

I'm restoring one that was improperly maintained now, it's fun for me. I bought it right and I'm going through ever system from end to end. By the time I'm done I'll have ~100 hours and ~$3K in parts. Had I have paid someone do this level of detail work I'm doing, it would have cost $6k to $12K.

These rig are tanks, hard to kill.

 

[drjman]

I'm in SoCal and I bought my 98 LX with 238k for $6400 (4 months ago). It had all the records and everything was done on time (even 3 timing belts). It was owned by a Lexus service writer. I put another $1500 into it right away (bushings, LC bars, head unit, speakers, etc).

My brother-in-law just bought a 2000 LX with 119k in perfect condition for $9200 (working AHC). It's never had the belt done.

We came across a few with over 200k that the owners said they have never changes the timing belt (one owner vehicles).

In SoCal there is an even mix of completely abused, auction resellers, and a couple gems. You just have to keep at it.

 

[bctlex]

So the saying goes, "there's nothing more expensive than a cheap benz/bmw etc." Is it possible to get a cheap 100? I have seen a bunch of them around $5k-$6k here in SoCal. I know the typical advice is to get the newest one I can afford. But if I buy one really cheap am I going to be needing to immediately spend another $3k in parts to get it baselined properly? And if so, is a $9k cruiser all that much better?

I'm set on getting one for an around town rig that wouldn't be a daily driver. The only difference in budget will be how long I have to wait to pull the trigger.

It depends on the vehicle and what you mean by immediately. Even the newest 100 is 10 yr old. Even with low miles, bushings and shocks probably will need to be replaced. It may not be immediate need - you can drive it as is, but it will improve the driving experience. A 9K cruiser probably has less miles than 5K cruiser, but will probably need the same amount of work, unless the previous owner had replaced a whole bunch of stuff before selling it.

For myself who enjoy tinkering, and dont mind getting dirty, my perfect vehicle to buy would be one that has good maintenance history (not neglected) but need a few things, which I can leverage for cheaper price. I bought mine with the understanding that it will need tires, shocks, ,TB and WP and a few other things. I have been slowly replacing stuffs while learning how things works. Its a great change of pace for me who stares at monitors all day for work. I also can make sure things are done right, and I can pick and choose how I want to build the car.

 

[Desert100]

Here's my strategy, FWIW: look in a really affluent area, for one which has only ever been used as a luxury SUV, for shopping and maybe ski trips.

I bought mine in that way (98 LC, 167K miles) from a company owner who never gave a second thought to the cost of maintaining it - the dealer was able to print out the entire service record for me. PO just parked it outside his house and put a 'For Sale' sign in the back window. $10.5K including 4 extra wheels and snow tires. All it needed was a baseline service and 4 new shocks (OEM, $50 each). I've proactively replaced things since then, some of which aren't cheap (e.g. the starter motor as soon as it began occasionally to need more than just one turn of the key), but my goal is to be driving something that's as reliable on both freeways and dirt as a brand new vehicle and so far that has proved, even with one of the oldest 100 series on the road, entirely doable.

When I think about the cost I compare it directly to the $90K or whatever Toyota charges for a new LC today, plus the fact that I can laugh off getting 'pinstripes' on the side of this rig, which would not be nearly so amusing on a new vehicle.

 

[Warde]

I was looking at two this past weekend
2000 Desert Bronze, 290k miles, zero rust, paint looks great, seats need deep cleaning got him to accept $5000 for it. It was a great deal, still for sale in Miami (craigslist)

However a 1 owner FL car, 2006 Silver came for sale in immaculate condition, 170k miles, I took it home for $17k on Saturday. Both great deals IMO

 

[cooper30]

For reference, I bought my 2000 LX last August for $10k. It had 113k miles and barely any rust underneath.....a rare find up here in the salt belt. The person I bought it from is an LC enthusiast who was moving out of the country and couldn't import it where he was going.

It came with most of the maintenance records, the timing belt had been changed on schedule, tires had 5k on them, was clean inside and out, and the AHC had been replaced with a Strutmasters kit.

I currently have 121.4k on it, and the only issue I had was the APPS failed a few months back.

I wasn't looking for an LX/LC specifically...as a matter of fact, they weren't even on my radar. I was looking for a 4Runner, and my wife saw an ad for the LX that stated it was the same as a Land Cruiser. After some quick online research, I realized what she had found.

They are out there, you just have to have patience and luck.


Edit for typos

 

[ponytl]

I think I should have been more clear in my first answer... I think for there to be value in a lower priced 100 you have to be able to do the mechanical work yourself... they are pretty simple to work on... easiest cheapest late model engine change I've ever done... I think a full engine swap is easier than a full brake job...