Looking to buy 2005 with 165,000 miles -- looking for help evaluating! (1 Viewer)

Location

United States

Hello,

Looking to buy a rig to be used as a camping/adventure vehicle in New England. Use case would be fire roads and areas off the beaten path to explore. Just fun exploring for me and the dog!

I've never done work on cars, but do all of my own maintenance and upgrades on my motorcycle, but am very interested in learning on this rig.


I've found one in Connecticut that looks to be in decent shape but wanted to get peoples opinion on it and whether it's a good buy. I've heard rust is a big consideration, especially on the east coast. Attached are pictures.

Here is the description:
Mechanically beautiful, drives like a dream. Front seats normally worn for the age. Back seats beautiful condition Tires 30% worn, brakes new Tons of cargo space Removable third row. Lots of cargo space. Rear seats flip up. You could actually sleep back there. Radio doesn't work. Fuse replacement. I am sure it's minor. The car is priced for it. AC blows plenty cold. Has rear AC also so will chill the whole car. Roof rack is standard, good for skis or excess cargo. She was a local drive kids around car. Never off-road or mud or really much snow. Kept in a garage when not used. Never used to tow anything. Comes w/ this trailer hitch thing though. Small dent in bumper hard to see. Recently detailed inside and out and looks sweet


They are asking for $13,500 and it has 165,000 miles. Thanks for the help!

 

[kbfj621989]

From VIN check on Toyota’s owners site and carfax, looks to have been sitting around for the last year. When I look, it was last seen at a Toyota dealership at 117k and no mention of any timing belt service. The rig has long history of radio issues and some previous rear ac line repairs. Some PM was done at 75k which is great to have. The last recorded oil change was just over a year ago at 163k.

I would still be cautious about the rust on this rig and would recommend a thorough inspection as it did have a few owners.

 

[Super77]

@HotCocoa 1. Welcome. 2. If you haven’t done so already, do a market search on classic.com, which aggregates auction results. These are actual sold prices, not just asking prices. You can see the mean sold value for an 05, plus photos of what people actually bought for that $. $13.5K feels fair for this vintage, but there’s a few red flags.

Being on my third LC and a full DIY wrencher, I can say that it’s one of my favorite platforms to work on. They’re over engineered, parts are relatively affordable, and they’re fairly reliable and forgiving if they have not been abused. A known history is probably going to be your biggest tell, followed quickly by rust. As a former New Englander, I’m still in awe of the rust-free local cars I can buy all day long here in the PNW. Consider expanding your search outside the Salt Belt.

 

[krice118]

I’d find one here on mud maintenance records.

 

[LXfromTX]

Test every switch, button, etc. for proper operation. That includes testing the rear a/c since it's a different circuit from the front a/c. Closely check the top of the windshield seal area for any rust/paint bubbling. Check the windshield glass for OEM glass or replacement glass. Check down in the footwells for any traces of water streaks on the covers, fuse holder, Electrical Control Units. Besides frame rust, water intrusion from the windshield can give you all kinds of gremlins that you don't want. I didn't see any good frame shots above but check the frame down the sides of the vehicle and above the spare tire area. Consider the cost of cleaning up the frame and using a sealing product such as Wool Wax, Fluid Film, etc., especially if your planning on driving it at all over the winter months.

 

[HotCocoa]

@HotCocoa 1. Welcome. 2. If you haven’t done so already, do a market search on classic.com, which aggregates auction results. These are actual sold prices, not just asking prices. You can see the mean sold value for an 05, plus photos of what people actually bought for that $. $13.5K feels fair for this vintage, but there’s a few red flags.

Being on my third LC and a full DIY wrencher, I can say that it’s one of my favorite platforms to work on. They’re over engineered, parts are relatively affordable, and they’re fairly reliable and forgiving if they have not been abused. A known history is probably going to be your biggest tell, followed quickly by rust. As a former New Englander, I’m still in awe of the rust-free local cars I can buy all day long here in the PNW. Consider expanding your search outside the Salt Belt.

Oh wow, great feature. Appreciate this.

I'll have a look at the historical prices now.