Just got a PPI done on an '04 LC...

[CruisaC]

Curious from those that have more experience with this than me:
---Deal breaker stuff?
---particular issues that may be typical of this age and model that are notoriously expensive/difficult to fix?


Prelim stuff from talking with the mechanic (report coming later), several areas showing oil leaks, will need new cv boot/axle, tires, some cosmetic stuff. TSC light on, small emissions leak. He rough estimated 3-4K in repairs to bring it up to snuff. Depending on if I can get the seller down as a result, may not be a deal breaker on the surface but I also don't want a major project on my hands.

 

[BlueWeim]

when was timing belt and water pump changed last?
is the VIN sticker on all the doors and catalyst sticker on the hood? (easy way to tell if it has been hit by a freight train before)
is it LC or LX? if its LX does AHC work properly?

Id be interested to see where the "oil leaks" are. I bought one because the guy told me it was pouring oil out of the front main and was going to be super expensive to fix, I slightly took advantage of him not knowing what he was talking about because all it needed was a steering rack and it was just pouring power steering fluid out.
CV boots and axles arent very cheap to replace even doing it yourself, so you may get a quote on that.

 

[CruisaC]

It's a Land Cruiser. 159k miles, timing belt done around 90k, not sure about water pump. The right sided doors have been repainted and owner was up front about accidents (all on carfax) which happened before he bought car. No airbag deployment that I can see reported.

oil leaks--- valve cover gasket (which owner knew would need replacing) and oil pan.

 

[DirtDawg]

What year was the TB done? It will probably be needing a TB/WP soon.

I hate buying vehicles that were in accidents.. You never know what your gonna find.

Valve cover gaskets are not hard and can sometimes be remedied by simply retorquing the bolts. Oil pan leak is most likely just a drain plug gasket that's never been replaced.

 

[CruisaC]

Timing belt 12/12 so yes it will need it again soon. I get the feeling its had a small emissions leak and hasn't been able to pass emissions testing (not an issue where I live) for awhile. Last service was about a year and a half ago but prior to that was pretty routine from what I can tell. Accident was over 5 years ago (not that that ends up meaning a whole lot necessarily).

I guess a different way to ask the question is: Is it unusual for a truck like this to need ~$3k in repairs to get it "up to speed", and should that scare me off at all? I've been looking for a couple of months and this checks most of my boxes to this point regarding age, location, color, miles, price, etc.

 

[tacoduck]

go to toyota owners website and register, then enter in the vin. you can pull comprehensive records regarding service if done at toyota. really good way to get a diagnostic on the vehicle. how many owners? spend time in the north? any rust? interior in good condition? all those factors play into whether the truck has been taken care of.

 

[DirtDawg]

To answer your question, they can. It took me around $1400 to baseline and that was including the TB/WP. So if you factor in labor (I do my own work), $2-3k is somewhat reasonable. Though if it's only got the problems mentioned above and you can do your own work (minus TB/WP), all that stuff is easy to address.

 

[CruisaC]

go to toyota owners website and register, then enter in the vin. you can pull comprehensive records regarding service if done at toyota. really good way to get a diagnostic on the vehicle. how many owners? spend time in the north? any rust? interior in good condition? all those factors play into whether the truck has been taken care of.

thanks for all responses. Just as an aside, I have been on the site for about a month and found it to be immensely helpful. Found out about the Toyota owners website through here as an example. Ive read teh FAQ from Slee, pored over the 100 series forums. I am NOT mechanically inclined so I know my limitations

Couple of additional details:
Texas truck all its life
3 owners (2 were a father and his son, current owner)
Like I mentioned earlier, pretty good service records up until 12/14, which I speculate is around the time the emissions leak was detected and subsequently the truck can't pass emissions?
Interior is in good shape but the drivers seat needs some attention.

I feel like after my research through this site I have a good idea of what to look for in a particular vehicle, for me an 03-07 LC --just haven't gotten to the point of getting a PPI on anything until today because most things don't "check the boxes". Don't want to let fixable stuff scare me off if it's not unexpected given age, etc. but also don't want to naively dive into something that will suck the life out of me and keep the truck in the shop all the time.

 

[DirtDawg]

but also don't want to naively dive into something that will suck the life out of me and keep the truck in the shop all the time.

Well your buying a Toyota and not a dodge, so you should be fine

 

[tacoduck]

buy it and drive it for a while. none of the issues you described will lead to catastrophic failure. tackle the timing belt in 20k miles. Talk him down on the price and then work the issues over time. writing a check to a mechanic for 3k would be bummer after purchasing a vehicle.

 

[abuck99]

Key point of consideration: Will you do the general maintenance or will the dealer or indi-shop does the general maint.? Go to Slee's newbie guide for 100's if you haven't already studied that.

If you take it to a shop, you easily can spend close a $1,000 just base-lining fluids (radiator flush, BG transmission fluid exchange, Power steering fluid drain -ps tank clean & refill, transfer case and diff service and eng. oil change) From what you described, I don't think the PPI quote is out of line with what a service shop would charge to sort those things out. If you did it your self- it would be exponentially less.

Leaking CV's doesnt mean they need to be replaced. If the boots arent torn, and the dont click you can clean them out, reband and refill the boots with out pulling the axles for about $50 in materials. You're probably ok with the TB service for a while, (90k intervals). I would get some clarity on the potential emissions leak however( where is the leak?) - that can be a pain in the azz to chase and sort out. If the folks who did your PPI connected it to Techstream, that should help point to isolating the problem.

From what you describe, the service history sounds pretty solid. If you are in proximity to the truck, I would crawl around under the truck, remove the under cover, and look around- checking swaybar bushing mounts, swaybar links, upper & lower control arms and ball joints, steering & tie rod ends, shocks, trans, drive shafts and ujoints.

Use the PPI quote to negotiate a fair price, do the baseline maint. your self and save the $$$ for upgrades or future service that you dont have the inclination to tackle. Lot's of good people here to get input from and plenty of threads to review for data.

 

[CruisaC]

Thanks everyone for responses.

Unfortunately I will not in all likelihood be able to inspect the vehicle myself in person. I got a personal recommendation for the PPI company and feel pretty good about the thoroughness of the inspection, spoke directly to the mechanic after, etc.

There are some basic things I'll be able to do and hopefully fluids, etc will be part of that. I will have to rely on an indy shop or dealer with most of the rest. Unfortunately I tend to have more funds than time (not always a good problem to have), and have learned over time what is worth my time to do myself and what is better to leave for the experts