Need advice with an used (my first) TLC

[bhashwat]

I have been lurking into ih8mud for some time now. I have really enjoyed reading some of the debates and watching the pictures and videos posted in the forum. Ever since I was a kid growing up in Nepal, I have loved LandCruisers and wished that I could one day have one of my own. So this question is about a particular landcruiser on sale

It is a 2001 that shows as having only one owner in carfax, has 94K on it. I talked to the dealer and will test drive it tomorrow, but the dealer does not have the maintenance records. Other than the standard options, it has the towing package and third row seats extra on it. The book value for private party purchase on kbb for it is 19,570 for good condition. The suggested retail price is 24500. The dealer is asking for less than 19K for it.

It sounds like a good deal on paper. But there are no maintenance records. So what do you guys suggest? Stay away from it? Get it checked at a toyota dealership and buy it only if they okay it?

A reminder that it has 94k on it.......

From the pictures, the interior looks well cared for.

I would really appreciate your opinioins/advice.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DMX84]

I wouldn’t have a problem with buying it, but I would make them do the 90k service, as it’s a big one.
I’m sure some other people will have some more information on what to look for. You can also check Slee’s offroad site for some tips on buying a Land Cruiser too.
DMX

 

[BMWSTOY]

Don't be affraid of the records - if a dealer gets a hold of it, they toss everything. KBB is not worth the paper its printed on. Go online and get to NADA, Edmonds, use classifieds for a real value - I am sure you have but needed to add that.
Spend some quality time with the vehicle. Get underneath it, look at every single body panel - you can tell which ones are good and which ones have been improperly fixed for sale. Pay attention to the pillers and rocker panels - many manufactures do not allow repair. Remember if someone wants to hide something they would not turn it into insurance and it would not show on CARFAX - so look at the vehicle throughly. Test drive it and take it to lunch or home without a salesman in the seat blabbering stuff he/she does not know.
As you noticed by looking at these 100's everyone wants to dump them at the 100K mark and the dreaded 90K service which includes or should - the timing belt and while in there the water pump. These things to me are not worth not purchasing - but should be known.
Special considerations: starter, battery, brakes, timing belt, throttle body - all of these should have been replaced or will need it at the 90K mark - or so what I learned in all my research.
One last item: Tires are very expensive $800-1000 so that is a bargin point too.
Good luck - they are very nice vehicles.

 

[bhashwat]

Edmonds

Thanks for the replies.

The dealer's asking is below Nada and Edmonds prices.

I will keep in mind the 90K service and check the condition of the tires among other things. I will also use slee's guide.

Will let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Thanks.

 

[calamaridog]

What part of the country are you buying in and where has the vehicle spent its time?

I hear RUST can be a problem on some vehicles in some parts of the country (just not out here in the Southwest)

 

[spressomon]

What part of the country are you buying in and where has the vehicle spent its time?

I hear RUST can be a problem on some vehicles in some parts of the country (just not out here in the Southwest)

That's why the LC's I checked out in the W/SW had a higher sales amount than equivelent rigs from any of the rust belt states. And it seems the LC's are not particulary resistent to salt water like some other vehicles I have owned.

 

[bhashwat]

The car was driven in Colorado and Minnesota mostly.

 

[bhashwat]

After the test drive

I did a test drive yesterday and here are the impressions. First the negative:
1. The bass is very vey high even when I turn it down all the way to zero.
2. There is some wind noise from the top of the windshield.

The good:
1. Ride is fantastic
2. Very little, if any rattles, and such.

The coloring in the panels all look consistent. There is no sign of accident except for a ding on the left side panel toward the end. The dealer is firm at 18K for the price. The 90k maintenance has not been done, but he thinks he can get his mechanic to do it for about $500.

I have to take off.. Thus will post the rest of my impressions later.

 

[SWUtah]

I did a test drive yesterday and here are the impressions. First the negative:
1. The bass is very vey high even when I turn it down all the way to zero.
2. There is some wind noise from the top of the windshield.

The good:
1. Ride is fantastic
2. Very little, if any rattles, and such.

The coloring in the panels all look consistent. There is no sign of accident except for a ding on the left side panel toward the end. The dealer is firm at 18K for the price. The 90k maintenance has not been done, but he thinks he can get his mechanic to do it for about $500.

I have to take off.. Thus will post the rest of my impressions later.

I think your impression on how the LC looks is very important, if the interior is really clean/nice and the paint looks cared for then that normally means that the owner maintained the vehicle. I would have a good machanic do the timing belt and water pump. Also replace any belts and hoses that are taken off in the 90K maintance. These LC's are only starting to get broken in at 100K miles.

 

[1loudLX]

is it an independant dealer or toyota dealer?

 

[DMX84]

I would get them to pay for the 90k service since it already past due. I would try to get them down a little lower than $500. But make sure they do the water pump too.

The Bass issue seems common in the newer units, and you can search for how others are dealing with it.

DMX

 

[spressomon]

I noticed probably the same noise on my '99 when I first got it...don't know when I stopped noticing it...before or after the new windshield. Others here have noticed the same apparent windshield noise. It might just be the way the air flows over the hood/cowl/roof.

 

[Jim_Chow]

What part of the country are you buying in and where has the vehicle spent its time?

I hear RUST can be a problem on some vehicles in some parts of the country (just not out here in the Southwest)

Friend of mine w/ a 01 LC lives right on the cliff in La Jolla, parked his LC outside for 3 yrs. Everything bare steel in the engine compartment/undercarriage rusted, rust on the tailgate. Warranty doesn't cover it, as it hasn't rusted through (has to completely rust through). Granted, this is surface rust, not corrosion from driving on salted roads day-in, day-out. Personally, I would never buy any vehicle driven on salted roads. This means anything from the Midwest/Northeast. The LC is very electronic dependent, and the main enemy of electronics is water & corrosion. When I bought my '03 a year ago (local vehicle), I checked the undercarriage...the bolts were still shiny despite sitting outside on the dealer lot for 3 months during the winter. Also, the paint underneath the rear license plate frame was scraped by the frame's edge down to the bare metal (paint is very thin on the tailgate), and still shiny. Gotta love that 5% Arizona humidity.

 

[1loudLX]

jim, the paint behind the licence plates on the LX is over chrome. That whole peice is chrome just like the 98-02 lx grilles.

Like I asked before, is it independant dealer or Toyota? You would want the 90k service done at a Toyota Dealership with expirence with LCs/Seqs/Tundras so they know the motor well and can properly check it over.

 

[calamaridog]

The car was driven in Colorado and Minnesota mostly.

My friends from Minnesota only buy used cars from California and Arizona. Can you see rust on the undercarriage, frame, etc.?

 

[SWUtah]

All cars can/do rust. I've never heard of even LC/LX's that spent their life in Minn. having any problem with rust disabling their vehicle. I've lived much of my life in Missouri and after a snow storm/ melt cycle all local car washes have bottom blasts that clean the salt/crap off the underside plus you just have to wash it more in the winter to keep it clean. I've also in the past and will continue with this LX to every spring get under the truck and use rust arrester to eliminate any rust that could be starting and then spray with rustolem so it doesn't come back. You have to also keep a good coat of wax on your rig. In the rust belt you need to wax every qtr. JMHO I did own a 99 LC that spent its life in AZ and it did not have any rust or corrosion anywhere on the vehicle, but sun damage is a concern in though western states.

 

[bhashwat]

It is an independent dealer

 

[bhashwat]

The dealer says that if he does the 90k service, he will increase the asking price on the vehicle. He is pretty firm in selling it for 18K as is.

 

[bhashwat]

I noticed probably the same noise on my '99 when I first got it...don't know when I stopped noticing it...before or after the new windshield. Others here have noticed the same apparent windshield noise. It might just be the way the air flows over the hood/cowl/roof.

So, is it common to have some wind noise from the top of the windshield?

 

[bhashwat]

My friends from Minnesota only buy used cars from California and Arizona. Can you see rust on the undercarriage, frame, etc.?

I saw some rust in the towing-equipment. I did not notice much rust in the undercarriage or the frame of the vehicle. However, when I take it to a mechanical inspection at a toyota dealership next week, I will definitely take a good look at it. I take it from your question that if it has rust in the undercarriage or the frame, it should be a deal-killer.......