Need help on a '00 LC

[@wright]

I went and looked at a champagne '00 with gold bling badging, and wanted to see what you think of this deal. The vehicle is in very good condition, there are a few chips in the paint on the front of the hood, but I guess that is to be expected. It drives very well, no funny noises. I'm also putting the carfax link, so please give me your opinion. Thanks!

http://cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&paId=201696454&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&recnum=0&leadExists=true&criteria=K-%7CE-%7CM-_47_%7CD-_428_%7CN-N%7CR-50%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CZ-39047&aff=clarledg

http://www.carfax.com/cfm/ccc_DisplayHistoryRpt.cfm?partner=CDM_0&vin=JT3HT05JXY0101901

 

[bamachem]

in early June I got a black one in near-mint condition. no rock chips in the paint but one in the windshield, only one scratch in the black paint about 1" long and a couple marks on the bumpers. 62k, dealer maintained, one owner with all maintenance records. I got it for $19,800...

asking price on the lot was $25,900 and the "bottom line" price online was $21,750. I simply called them and offered $20,000 cash - this was on the first day it was listed on autotrader.com and only the second day on the lot. it was at an infiniti dealer, by the way. they countered with $20,300, so i put a deposit on it after i had the salesman go outside and look it over as i asked him questions about the condition and blemishes. i went over a couple days later (200 miles away) and they hadn't mentioned the chip in the windshield or the nicks in the bumper even though i specifically asked about them. i threatened to walk, so they worked with me on the discounts until i was happy. on the inside, i was grinning ear to ear...

 

[wareagle]

Yeah, that's WAY too much. I just bought a one owner, dealer maintained, very clean, white 2000 w/ 80K miles for KBB private party via an auto broker (www.landroversforsale.com). Also, looked at a couple of other 2000s that were less than $20k.

 

[@wright]

I searched kbb, and the starting price for a vehicle of this year with these miles was around $24,500. What do you think would be a fair price for this one? I definitely intend to play with them some.

 

[calamaridog]

I paid $22,500 for almost the identical twin vehicle in January of 05. It is like 1.5 years later and $1 per gallon more for gasoline now.

If you are sure it's a CA vehicle and it passes a pre-purchase inspection I wouldn't pay more than $20,000, but I'd be looking at other options too.

Not sure where you are and what the supply is like? Some people get killer deals.

I think you are on the right track looking at the 00+ vehicles though.

 

[wareagle]

IN my recent search, I saw about a $4k spread in pricing. I saw 2000 models from $17-21K. I saw numerous models in the sub-$20 range. I seriosuly recommend using a broker. They can help you find what you want at the price your willing to pay. I picked up a very clean 1 owner, Atlanta delaer maintained, vehicle w/ 80k miles. Prior owner traded it in on e-class Mercedes becuase of fuel costs. The prior owners gave be a glowing review of vehicle.

BTW, watch out for rust. I found a number of prospect to be very rusty. Teh fasteners were quite corroded and a coupl had rust spots in the rear door area. They were all northern vehicles.

 

[@wright]

I'm in Jackson, MS. I did a search and only 2 100 series came up. This one and a '99 with 105,000 for 15,999. I think i'd rather stick with the '00+ for the stronger diff, rear air, and ATRAC. Funny you mention a broker, my dad knows one who is going to contact for me next week to see what she can dig up. I figured that might work out pretty well, considering how limited these vehicles are, there just aren't that many around compared to others. Thanks for the help, I'll keep you updated. I'm going to go in Monday and see how low they will go on this one too.

 

[calamaridog]

I firmly believe it is worth traveling to find a clean rust free Land Cruiser. Check Texas, there are usually a number of great vehicles there and it's only a days drive.

 

[bamachem]

Jackson, heh? My in-laws live in Madison. Plan on going to at least Nashville or Birmingham (and possibly Dallas or Atlanta) to get a decent deal on a GOOD cruiser. Seriously. Search using autotrader with at least a 300-mile radius...

 

[cary]

If you are sure it's a CA vehicle and it passes a pre-purchase inspection I wouldn't pay more than $20,000, but I'd be looking at other options too.

Not sure where you are and what the supply is like? Some people get killer deals.

I think you are on the right track looking at the 00+ vehicles though.

Second double checking the truck if you are out west or in the south. I am in CA and when looking at 20+ BMW X5's for my wife, more than half of them were northern cars with rust. Dealers are buying them left and right because many people check the carefax, see no accident and don't bother to look underneath and see the rust.

 

[LXPearl]

A broker can help get more info than you can on Carfax. A lot of the vehicles sold in the south are from the north. Be especially wary if they are low mileage - They're usually from NY or NJ. In the used car market, northerners pay more for southern cars and southerners tend to go for low mileage and decent looks (it hasn't been sitting out in 100 degree sun for months).

If it is a lease can, it can be registered in the south and used in the north. If you happen to look at an LX, get a Lexus dealer to print off its history to get the locations where it has been serviced.

I would avoid this unit. The Carfax indicates KY and IN. The dealer says it came from CA. It was in an accident (minor damage probably right - other car may have been totalled - the 100 is solid). For the price asked, there are a lot better values out there. If there is that much bad info from Carfax, there is likely a lot more that did not even make it to the report. The accident is only on there because of the police report.