More newb questions...

[Brit]

Well it won't matter much about the rear A/C. The Lexus dealer couldn't find anyone willing to finance a '98 model. They told me if it was one year newer it wouldn't be a problem.

So if anyone's in the market for a '98 there is a nice one at Northside Lexus in Houston. 94K, Silver/Gray for $16,450. Still needs a 90K.

They are hunting down another for me that's newer/less miles/more money (which is what I originally was after in the first place) and also going to go ahead and get an LX instead of a LC since it won't be an off road car (I have one for that already). So the luxo-barge for hauling around clients will work great.

Hopefully they will find something that will work sooner rather than later. After a few hundred miles driving around in one and getting back into my cramped RR for a 400 mile round trip up to Dallas yesterday for the Mavs game I'm ready for more room.

 

[aedgington]

Well it won't matter much about the rear A/C. The Lexus dealer couldn't find anyone willing to finance a '98 model. They told me if it was one year newer it wouldn't be a problem.

So if anyone's in the market for a '98 there is a nice one at Northside Lexus in Houston. 94K, Silver/Gray for $16,450. Still needs a 90K.

They are hunting down another for me that's newer/less miles/more money (which is what I originally was after in the first place) and also going to go ahead and get an LX instead of a LC since it won't be an off road car (I have one for that already). So the luxo-barge for hauling around clients will work great.

Hopefully they will find something that will work sooner rather than later. After a few hundred miles driving around in one and getting back into my cramped RR for a 400 mile round trip up to Dallas yesterday for the Mavs game I'm ready for more room.

How much are you wanting to spend?

 

[mscott]

If you're looking to finance, you might try Capital One. Look on their website. I was amazed last year when I financed my '99. I didn't even have a job at the time and I had a blank check FEDEXed to me the next morning by 8:30am. Even the rate was unusually low. It seems to be purely FICO score driven.

The application was basically: OK, how big (credit limit) of a blank check do you want us to send? If you never use it, you don't have a loan.

I don't normally hype things like this, but the ease and convenience was just unmatched.

 

[aedgington]

Did they know you spent their money on rims?

 

[Brit]

I have a Capitol One blank check in hand, but they say it has to be 2000 or newer. I had the same type of experience. I did the application at 11pm at night. Had a call confirming the loan at 7:30am and a check at 8am the day after.

 

[tabraha]

Capitol One likes rear a/c. That's why they were against the '98 I'm sure. They were almost ready to send those hooligans they have in their commercials out to your house but recalled them.

On a more serious note just keep looking b/c Houston is LOADED with 100's. I didn't look too hard at the big dealers after seeing their pricing. I primarily looked at the smaller private dealers. It was a little more risky I suppose but I saved a few grand off of the big toyota dealer prices and got a rock solid example of a 100. I mainly investigated for signs of a collision or flooding (I'm sure the latter is fresh on your mind) b/c the mechanics of the 100 are pretty solid overall. If you look at a LX at a private dealer you can get the VIN and take it to a dealer and pull the service history for most of it's life in all likelyhood.

 

[NMuzj100]

I would give Capital One a call and see if they can flex on the year. I have been thrilled with my service from Capital One and recommend them even though I don't recommend financing a car at all. I went through Lending Tree and they then went .25% lower than the best offer I received.

Last week I had to request a Title for my truck to reregister it. I called them and the CSR said she could fax it right away. I didn't have a fax available and wasn't in a real hurry to return to the lines at the DMV, so I had her just mail it to me thinking a week or two was no big deal. 8am the next day my son was hitting me in the head with an envelope as a wake-up saying "UPS, UPS, UPS". They had overnight-aired it without even a request.

 

[mscott]

Yeah, I forgot they wouldn't finance the rims!!!

(Although in PHX I used to hear commercials for a place called "rent a rim, believe it or not. Prolly only 47% interest compounded monthly!!!)

 

[Jim_Chow]

I have a 99 with rear air and have never needed to use the rear air. That includes temps into the low 100's. I live on the AZ/Utah border and it does get hot here. But it's what they call dry heat

Well, down here in Southern AZ, rear AC is critical if you ever intend on anyone sitting in the back seats. Wait 'til it hits 107F+ or so. The dry heat thing goes out the window...you still sweat regardless. You'll have so much heat entering the vehicle through all that glass (and there are lots of windows; the UV glass helps deflect some heat, though), the front AC won't be able to compensate to keep the entire vehicle comfortable. Sure, it feels great in the front, but if you've got kids and Rover in the back, they'll feel the heat a lot more, plus they're less tolerant to heat due to less body mass. The second row passengers will all be sticking their heads between the front seats trying to catch some of that cool air (at least that's what my lab does in the 4runner, but now she's got her own 3rd row AC vents in the 100). Also, AC won't cool as much with 105F dry air than 95F humid air outside. It only can cool down so many degrees depending on the outside temp, and it doesn't know/care about the heat index. The actual temp is what matters. You should have the people who are going to sit in back try sitting there when it's over 100F. Then figure if it's, say, a long road trip, effects will be compounded with the sun beating down on someone's face.

 

[aedgington]

Man if I had a houstonion in the rear w/out a/c, i'd probably get either knifed or strangled.

i will admit, though, the rear vents works extremely well.

 

[Brit]

There's a new deal in the works on another truck. I have a third party broker and lender and now he's fighting with the dealer about the price they quoted me. I forwarded an email with the quote in it to him so hopefully it will be resolved in the morning and I can go pick the damn thing up.

Wish me luck...and it does have rear A/C

 

[Brit]

Picked it up this evening. What a great truck! It sure was an obstacle course getting this thing. In the end I waited at the broker's office in Addison for someone to bring the truck over from Sewell in Fort Worth and he got stuck in a hail storm and had to pull into a gas station to wait it out. Then on the way home we had to pull off under an overpass to avoid a tornado!

Glad to be home and alive and safe. Good to finally be officially a 100 owner.

 

[calamaridog]

Can't wait to see a pic!

 

[tabraha]

Awesome! That's perseverance.

 

[Brit]

I'll have to take some photos of my own once the sun comes back out...but here's a few from where it was for sale,

 

[tabraha]

Looks brand new!!!!

 

[subspd]

Nice!

 

[Brit]

Thanks! It actually still smells new...which really suprised me. There are a few chips on the paint here and there but for the most part is clean on the outside. The previous owner was a single woman with no kids - so the interior is in as new condition. Everyone I've shown it to (who don't know the differences between an '02 and an '06) are assuming it is new and can't believe me when I tell them it has 79K miles on it.

We're going to find out how good of a traveling car it truly is. Tomorrow morning I'm heading out to visit a relative in Gulf Shores, AL and hang out on the beach for a few days and then head up to Atlanta to take in a Braves game with her kids and attend a conference I'm scheduled for.