Need advice on how to sell my 1998 LX470 (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
May 22, 2016
Threads
13
Messages
249
Location
Central Illinois
So I bought this 1998 LX470 about 5 years ago. I've put a ton of work into it, with mostly Toyota or Denso parts. I've had it on Craigslist and facebook, and the responses I get are either people that aren't serious, or want to tear it down. I cringe when they ask about pictures of the undercarriage because the frame is solid as a rock, but you can see rust at the welds etc. I mean, it's a 22 year old frame and these people think the frame is gonna look fresh out of the paint booth. I'm definitely very reasonably priced and have tons of receipts. I don't want to give it away, but damn, what do you do???? I wish I could have bought this thing with all the work done at this price.

Advice???
 
It takes some patience if you want to get the most value out of it. If you want a quick sale, you’ll likely navigate into buyers that don’t know what a 100 really is, if you are patient, buyers are out there. How long have you had it listed?

also consider, it’s harder to finance these trucks after 20 years and miles, the amount of people who can buy these with cash is also limited so again, for top dollar you are going to have to be wait a little.
 
Sell it in the classifieds here. Craiglist is full of scams and facebook is too easy to kick tires. Selling it on here will get a narrow, but serious audience. That audience is going to appreciate good parts and will know how to properly asses rust on these.
 
Selling vehicles right now just plain sucks. I've got a nice Nova I've been trying to move, and nothing but idiots on CL and FB. Everyone wants 100 pictures, and multiple videos. Come look at the damn car! I'm going back to sitting cars on the corner with a for sale sign. Venting with you man.

Jim
 
Everyone wants 100 pictures, and multiple videos.
This is the new norm. Keep in mind you can always Skype with a serious buyer to provide a-la carte images real time.
 
Selling vehicles right now just plain sucks. I've got a nice Nova I've been trying to move, and nothing but idiots on CL and FB. Everyone wants 100 pictures, and multiple videos. Come look at the damn car! I'm going back to sitting cars on the corner with a for sale sign. Venting with you man.

Jim
The advent of Bring a Trailer has really revolutionized car buying. Their insistence on high quality listings has forced everyone to up their game. It's similar to Amazon's impact on online shopping. 5 day shipping is no longer acceptable for most online shoppers. Neither is a used car listing with a few basic pictures.

I think it's a huge win for old car ownership as a whole. You're no longer limited to the cars (or buyers) in your area. Buying sight unseen has become far less risky and therefore far more common. This yields more buyers finding the car they really want and more sellers getting top dollar for their cars. To that end, I think it's also created a divide between the really "nice" cars and the "old and tired" ones.

If you're really looking to sell it, pay someone to detail it and then hire a photographer. Investing a few hundred dollars in sale preparation will probably yield thousands in higher sales price if you can list on bring a trailer (or ebay).
 
Selling vehicles right now just plain sucks. I've got a nice Nova I've been trying to move, and nothing but idiots on CL and FB. Everyone wants 100 pictures, and multiple videos. Come look at the damn car! I'm going back to sitting cars on the corner with a for sale sign. Venting with you man.

Jim
Got photos?? Lol.
 
The advent of Bring a Trailer has really revolutionized car buying. Their insistence on high quality listings has forced everyone to up their game. It's similar to Amazon's impact on online shopping. 5 day shipping is no longer acceptable for most online shoppers. Neither is a used car listing with a few basic pictures.

I think it's a huge win for old car ownership as a whole. You're no longer limited to the cars (or buyers) in your area. Buying sight unseen has become far less risky and therefore far more common. This yields more buyers finding the car they really want and more sellers getting top dollar for their cars. To that end, I think it's also created a divide between the really "nice" cars and the "old and tired" ones.

If you're really looking to sell it, pay someone to detail it and then hire a photographer. Investing a few hundred dollars in sale preparation will probably yield thousands in higher sales price if you can list on bring a trailer (or ebay).
It never hurts to get the rig up on a lift or get under it on a creeper and knock off the dirt and welds a bit. :banana: The high pressure sprayer after a wire brush on a cordless driver makes short work of it and then, when dry, hit it with some lube juice of your choice... Fresh paint can sometime raise eyebrows but there are a bunch of metal protector applications out there that do a pretty good job with corrosion mitigation.

The same stuff I use on my two-wheeler chain does a nice job on my four wheeler metal parts too. It's something you need to juice once in a while but some on here have some really sweet looking undersides but it forces you to maintain it from time to time. Plus I think we all tell ourselves, the next guy is going to give us something for the effort. :rofl:

My stuff is from Amsoil... Heavy-Duty Metal Protector - https://www.amsoil.com/p/heavy-duty-metal-protector-amhsc/#pills-home_0

As has also been mentioned above, patience and the location of your ad can alleviate lots of the 💯 wannabes...

You are in a good place here...

Cheers mate,
G
 
I listed my perfectly maintained but with TB due, somewhat rusty, 98 LC 196K on Facebook and Craigslist. 35 inquiries, sold in about 24 hours. Key is thorough pics, maintenance history, and responsiveness as a seller. I spent about 8 hours detailing before I took photos. I had 3 ppl offer to purchase sight unseen.
 
I'm curious what you are asking. We all differ on what a "good price" is. Unfortunately we seldom get the money we put into a truck for improvements (much less repairs) back at anything close to 1:1. That said, prices seem to be very high right now, so it does seem to be a seller's market! Good timing!
 
The group is correct - it is a horrible time to sell. Everyone is home, some got stimulus checks and are getting another one. Most of them think they are an expert on your vehicle. I've sold jeeps but never an LX470. Jeeps seem to sell on their name alone - the LX seems to be just garnering that "name" so some people seem reluctant to pay up for a 23 year old vehicle with 150 or 200 + K on the clock. But, put a 87 Jeep Wagoneer and they will pay big money for a truck that in my opinion will never be a fraction of the truck an LX 470 is. That's coming from a former Jeep guy too. They just don't know. How Much and How many miles... I would considering buying another and sticking it in a barn with cover - this is the third time I've said this on this forum "The LX 470 is the New Wagoneer" Those old schoolers here know exactly what I'm talking about - I passed on a Wagoneeer in near mint condition in the early 90's for 3k... I don't need to tell anyone what that would be worth today.
 
Following with interest...
 
How many times have you got these texts?: "I am very interstd in your land Cruiser,,, is there anything wrong with it?" and then "great i can come pick it up tomorrow can you please send me the car history from this site autohistoryreportcheck . com" ? That seems to be majority of scams I've seen while selling my Mini.

+1 for selling it in classifieds here and then try bring a trailer or cars and bids.
 
How many times have you got these texts?: "I am very interstd in your land Cruiser,,, is there anything wrong with it?" and then "great i can come pick it up tomorrow can you please send me the car history from this site autohistoryreportcheck . com" ? That seems to be majority of scams I've seen while selling my Mini.

+1 for selling it in classifieds here and then try bring a trailer or cars and bids.
I had my 4runner (with a rod knock) listed on fbmp and a dude from nyc sent me a message at like 1130 at night Demanding my address. Don’t think he understood rolling up on a house in Virginia at 1130 at night may not be the best idea

to keep on topic, OP do you have a link tto your listening so we can provide hive feedback?
 
Last edited:
It might be worth the investment to hire a professional photographer to take photos for you. A local wedding photographer might jump at the chance to make a few bucks. Drive it up on some car ramps, pull off the skid plate and get a few pictures from underneath (ensure a OEM oil filter is being used!). You'll always get tire kickers but with a bunch of high quality photos you will weed out a bunch of non serious prospects. Heck, if it's a good deal I'd buy it!
 
I had my 4runner (with a rod knock) listed on fbmp and a dude from nyc sent me a message at like 1130 at night Demanding my address. Don’t think he understood rolling up on a house in Virginia at 1130 at night may not be the best idea
Just got one of those two nights ago. After I told him the mini was still available, he said something like"Great, i'll be there tomorrow morning ready to buy what is your address i'm coming from yonkers".

The night before this snow storm was about to hit...
 
I cringe when they ask about pictures of the undercarriage because the frame is solid as a rock, but you can see rust at the welds etc. I mean, it's a 22 year old frame and these people think the frame is gonna look fresh out of the paint booth.

Advice???
Lets see this rust first. If its something that a wire brush, rust converter and top coat can take care of fine. If its rust through, then its a problem.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom