Need help deciding on if I should buy my first LX470; any advice really appreciated. (1 Viewer)

[Fullgeek]

Hello. I am considering buying a 2000 LX 470 w/195k. This would be our families first. Our goal is to drive it once or twice a week and take it on trips to the mountains for overlanding. It looks to be in great condition, inside and out. Drove it and AHC worked well, everything worked well.
It has lots of work done to it:
New Steering Rack
Suction and Return Hose
Fluid and Alignment
New Timing Belt
Water Pump
Idler Pulley, Crank Shaft Seal
Tensioner Pulley
Drive Belt
Coolant
New Passenger Front Axle
Serviced Front and Rear Differentials and Transfer Case
Oil Cooler O-ring replaced
Is $12000 too much for it? What would you pay? Is this a good deal?

 

[Sog]

I'd called and talk to the owner on it when I was looking to purchase one about a month ago. I found a different one instead, a 2002 with fewer miles. The owner of that one was willing to negotiate on price and the owner of this one wasn't. The owner of this one is a straight shooter though, so if you do wind up with it, I believe it will treat you well. It looks like a well sorted example in very clean condition. If you buy one with less maintenance for less money, you'll probably make up the difference in getting it up to the level this one seems to be at. If you haven't, reach out to the owner. Maybe he's more willing to negotiate on price now. If it's listed at $12k, when I was looking it was listed at $12,999, so he has come down. I think he said a couple months ago when it was first listed, he had it at $13,999.

Good luck!

 

[Fullgeek]

I'd called and talk to the owner on it when I was looking to purchase one about a month ago. I found a different one instead, a 2002 with fewer miles. The owner of that one was willing to negotiate on price and the owner of this one wasn't. The owner of this one is a straight shooter though, so if you do wind up with it, I believe it will treat you well. It looks like a well sorted example in very clean condition. If you buy one with less maintenance for less money, you'll probably make up the difference in getting it up to the level this one seems to be at. If you haven't, reach out to the owner. Maybe he's more willing to negotiate on price now. If it's listed at $12k, when I was looking it was listed at $12,999, so he has come down. I think he said a couple months ago when it was first listed, he had it at $13,999.

Good luck!

Thank you for the info. It is still listed at $12,999, so maybe it is wishful thinking. How long did your journey take to find the right one?

 

[Sog]

It wasn't so much the right one as the one I had time & budget for. I bought the first one I looked at since I was on a tight timeline. But I spent a month+ looking and researching vehicles. LX's, LC's, Tundra's, GX's. Out of all of those, I was the most confounded by the prices of the LX's. There doesn't seem to be consistency with how much you should expect to pay. Especially reviewing the forums here how, even a couple years ago, some people were able to score a similar 2002 to what I have for the $8k range. I noticed Craigslist & Cars (dot com) on same/similar year/miles is +- $4k between offerings. So I never knew what to make of it. I found a 2002 with a mostly clean CarFax, he was the first person I had lined up to go see the vehicle and I had a tight timeline to get a vehicle, get it loaded, and back up to MN. I made an offer, he accepted, and now I own it. I was hoping to keep it because I really like it, and I'm going to regret selling it. Can't keep 'em all.

I really like the 2002 I have, but in the process there was a guy in Scottsdale I connected with via CL who was helpful in highlighting the differences in the pre-2003 and 2003+ models. Had time and budget been a bit more relaxed, I think I'd go with a 2003+ model for the 5 speed transmission and seemingly more upgrade-ability of the Nav system to make it more modern + the rear-view camera. Although this has been taken care of at least partially in that 2000 you're looking at since someone already put in an aftermarket system.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

That seems to be the going rate for clean, well-maintained example. Check for rust (I imagine a non-issue is an AZ truck). I would still set aside another $2k for suspension work and other eventualities that are part of 20 year old truck ownership reality.

 

[Fullgeek]

This is super helpful. I realized I forgot to check the AHC that users in this forum recommend. "+ 8 tick marks between high and low.
Keeping some extra cash around is a really good idea as I imagine converting the AHC to LC suspension would be somewhat expensive.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

This is super helpful. I realized I forgot to check the AHC that users in this forum recommend. "+ 8 tick marks between high and low.
Keeping some extra cash around is a really good idea as I imagine converting the AHC to LC suspension would be somewhat expensive.

8 marks between low and high is disappointing. If you end up with the truck you can flush the AHC fluid and see if it gets any better but I seriously doubt it. Conversion to LC can be done for about $1000 if you are willing to get your hands dirty otherwise it will be about $2k job.

 

[Fullgeek]

8 marks between low and high is disappointing. If you end up with the truck you can flush the AHC fluid and see if it gets any better but I seriously doubt it. Conversion to LC can be done for about $1000 if you are willing to get your hands dirty otherwise it will be about $2k job.

what should I check for? I thought over 8 was good but maybe I misread.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

@PADDO is generally considered our resident expert on AHC - tagging him/her in hopes that he/she will chime in.

I had to pull AHC from my truck because I had only 6 gradations difference. It can be reliable if it has been maintained and if the rust doesn't kill the shocks or hydraulic lines.

 

[Sog]

According to the AHC thread, 14 is in the new range: Definitive list of AHC maintenance items

Straight from @PADDO.

 

[Fullgeek]

I just checked and it was exactly at 8. Guessing this means I will have to prepare for this repair sooner than later...which is fine.

 

[97 AZ LC]

8 is good. It's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. 7 is OK. Remember it took 20 years and almost 200k to go from 14 to 8. I've been on 8 for two years and it rides fine and the system works well. You might get several more years of service out of the globes, which is not to say you couldn't have some other fatal AHC issue.

 

[Fullgeek]

8 is good. It's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. 7 is OK. Remember it took 20 years and almost 200k to go from 14 to 8. I've been on 8 for two years and it rides fine and the system works well. You might get several more years of service out of the globes, which is not to say you couldn't have some other fatal AHC issue.

Well alright. That is A great point and good to know.
I guess hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
My wife just sent a 2003 with 260k miles. It is listed for $10k. Not super concerned with miles just not knowing what else has been done. The guy bought it from a dealer a year and a half ago and doesn’t drive it much.

 

[gregnash]

Are you willing to travel for the vehicle? You could potentially find a better, cheaper vehicle if you are not in a hurry and are willing to travel and drive back.
I just purchased a 98 LC with 191k on it at the end of December for $9500 and it had brand new tires, sliders and a small lift on it already. Unfortunately, I am going to have to invest a good $1k into items that were done improperly by the shops the PO chose to do different things but still coming up on top for the most part (other than my frustration). Note I flew to the south end of the state and drove over 400 miles back in one day with the vehicle.

Last week I happened to jump on the local Craigslist and found a truck that was two years new, with 175k on it, still in stock form for $7500. Price is somewhat negotiable as the current owner purchased as an OVERLANDING rig and then the family decided they wanted a side-by-side instead. Anyways, morale is that if you can be choosy then you can potentially yield something better.

 

[CloudCity]

I think this is fair given the work done, tho those chrome wheels are not ideal and seemingly also fitted with spacers, which I like the look of but don't use personally. I would never preemptively replace an AHC system since they tend to really only fail on clapped out rust rigs and those with neglected service of the fluids. I much prefer an AHC rig over an LC without for everyday use. The ability to turn to Full Sport mode keeps the rig flat in curves and evasive moves at speed on the freeway, really gives lots of confidence especially if doing family duty. It doesn't feel like it's going to tip over making emergency lane changes, doesn't pitch far forward when slamming brakes, etc. Added benefit is you can raise it to high mode to change oil or replace O2 sensors without needing to jack it up. If you get stuck in snow, drop it to low a couple of times to crush it down away from the undercarriage. Pretty useful if you get creative.

 

[Fullgeek]

Are you willing to travel for the vehicle? You could potentially find a better, cheaper vehicle if you are not in a hurry and are willing to travel and drive back.
I just purchased a 98 LC with 191k on it at the end of December for $9500 and it had brand new tires, sliders and a small lift on it already. Unfortunately, I am going to have to invest a good $1k into items that were done improperly by the shops the PO chose to do different things but still coming up on top for the most part (other than my frustration). Note I flew to the south end of the state and drove over 400 miles back in one day with the vehicle.

Last week I happened to jump on the local Craigslist and found a truck that was two years new, with 175k on it, still in stock form for $7500. Price is somewhat negotiable as the current owner purchased as an OVERLANDING rig and then the family decided they wanted a side-by-side instead. Anyways, morale is that if you can be choosy then you can potentially yield something better.

Great question. I would prefer not to do too much traveling. I have however done some looking in surrounding cities like LA, Las Vegas, San Diego. Find what I think is a decent price then gone before I can get there.

 

[gregnash]

Great question. I would prefer not to do too much traveling. I have however done some looking in surrounding cities like LA, Las Vegas, San Diego. Find what I think is a decent price then gone before I can get there.

Ok good! You are expanding your options quite a bit by doing so. Also, don't forget about the classifieds here and places like Facebook Marketplace and tools like SearchTempest/AutoTempest when searching on the interwebz. If you find something that is outside of your area to look at, contact the local club and see if one of the members either A.) knows the rig, or B.) is willing to go look at it for you. I have done this for multiple members on here for trucks that are local to me, never ask more than a beer if they happen to come out and grab the vehicle and some cruiser talk (which most don't mind).