Back in 1995 I leased a new 4Runner, white with tan interior that I loved when I lived in Minneapolis for a few years. In 1998 after returning to Southern California and the lease expired, I turned it in and bought my buddy’s 1990 4Runner, 5 speed manual, with 200K and a blow valve for $2K. Had it rebuilt, lifted, tires, wheels, manual locking front hubs.. and have enjoyed the truck ever since which is now rolling with 277K on the chassis and 77K on the rebuilt motor.
My wife and I love going way back into BLM land in New Mexico and Arizona and camping in the middle of no where. Well.. that truck has 277K on it now and while I still trust it in the back country, getting from SoCal to AZ or New Mexico is challenging with lots of little things going wrong in the truck like AC, Heat, noises, rattles etc…. so, I am giving the truck to my nephew on his 18th birthday in April.
For the last year I have known that I would replace it with a Cruiser and started doing my research and came across this blog. I have ready almost every tread about series 80 and series 100, and through you guys found out about Slee in Colorado (and have given them a few calls about questions and they have always been so helpful… thank you Slee!). With all that, I decided that I would purchase an 2003 – 2005 LC with 100K – 150K on the rig for several reasons… 1) I am planning on keeping the truck for 10 – 15 years, 2) V8 power, 3) Five speed tranny. Of course the newer they are the more gadgets and bells and whistles they have the more things to go wrong but I wanted the 5-speed tranny! The idea is to be super comfortable on the highway getting from here to New Mexico and then having no limits when we get to the dirt.
So I began shopping online seriously several months ago looking for vehicles that matched my target, ensuring that they were one or two owner, clean car fax, not from the rust belt, good price, well maintained… and of course I preferred that white with tan interior like I had on my beloved 4Runner but I would take anything other than black or gold. What I found was..most vehicles for sale with 100K on them had not had the 90K service or timing belt changed. The ones that had or that had a decent price, were sold right away.
I missed out on a couple of good deals because I didn’t move fast enough. Plus, I had motivation to purchase by the end of the year as my tax advisor told me, that since the vehicle weighs over 6000 lbs, I can write off 100% of the vehicle this year (and I need the write-offs as a business owner) which would make the actual cash purchase price about 35% less than I actually paid given the dollars I avoid sending to Uncle Sam.
As Xmas approached I was waiting to see what some dealers where doing with prices as we got toward the end of the year… and finally, the day after Xmas, an Acura dealer in Texas dropped the price on an 05 with 115K miles down to $19,994 from $22,000. I found that most 03 – 05 Cruisers with 100K miles were going for $22,000 or higher but 90% of them hadn’t had the 90K service and timing belt changed.
The rig was a two owner, soccer mom car, in beautiful conditions.. no dings, scratches or interior blemishes I could see from the 35 picture they had online. Always owned in Texas since day one. The only reported issue with the car (and picture) was a right rear bumper blemish from backing into something which of course I don’t care about because I am replacing the bumpers anyway. So I called and decided to purchase. They wouldn’t accept any lower offer so that was the price.
So here is the key to the story.... I asked them to send me pictures and an email describing any flaws or issues with the vehicle. They replied that the buttons on the second key were broken, reminded me about the rear bumper, that the 90K service had not been done to anyone’s knowledge and let me know the vehicle as very clean and had no other problems or issues. So I gave a $500 credit card deposit, bought a plane ticket to Houston, and went to the bank and got the cashiers check and left the next morning for Houston so I could complete the purchase this calendar year.
Before leaving, I made an appointment for the vehicle to checked over by a local Toyota dealership the morning before I arrived specifying that it was to be at the Toyota dealership and still on the lift when I arrived. That inspection, plus my own visual inspection found the following issues:
- Cracked front windshield - $200 replacement
- Missing trim piece on roof rack - $135
- Battery needing replacement - $120
- Front CV boots leaking and needing replacement - $1300
So, I said unless they dropped the price $1600 I was flying home as they didn’t disclose any of these issues in advance. We settled for a $850 price reduction and them buying and sending me the roof rack trim piece, so my out the door was $19,145 and it is white with the tan leather that I wanted! Here is a pic of the new rig:
The CV boot issue isn’t a problem at all since I am putting on front lockers and have to take that all apart anyway to do that. So, it needs a front windshield and a new battery.
Then I got to drive this beautiful machine home… I left the dealership Saturday at 5:30PM and arrived home on Monday, New Years Eve at 2PM, took a nap and then enjoyed an amazing party at our house with 12 friends over for dinner and bonfire in the back yard.
Since I also own a Prius (105K flawless miles) the LC will only be for adventures… I plan on sending to Slee for the whole program.. lift, bumpers, tires, racks, lights, suspension… of course I am going to put it in right away for the 90K service and those minor repairs (scheduled for this Friday).
Bottom line, thank you IH8Mudder’s for your passion, wisdom and experience… you have been invaluable to me in these past months. I joined the blog officially this morning and downloaded the Ap for my ipad. I know I have a lot more to learn about the Rig and look forward to the modifications and adventures ahead.
Here is a pic of the two rigs....
My wife and I love going way back into BLM land in New Mexico and Arizona and camping in the middle of no where. Well.. that truck has 277K on it now and while I still trust it in the back country, getting from SoCal to AZ or New Mexico is challenging with lots of little things going wrong in the truck like AC, Heat, noises, rattles etc…. so, I am giving the truck to my nephew on his 18th birthday in April.
For the last year I have known that I would replace it with a Cruiser and started doing my research and came across this blog. I have ready almost every tread about series 80 and series 100, and through you guys found out about Slee in Colorado (and have given them a few calls about questions and they have always been so helpful… thank you Slee!). With all that, I decided that I would purchase an 2003 – 2005 LC with 100K – 150K on the rig for several reasons… 1) I am planning on keeping the truck for 10 – 15 years, 2) V8 power, 3) Five speed tranny. Of course the newer they are the more gadgets and bells and whistles they have the more things to go wrong but I wanted the 5-speed tranny! The idea is to be super comfortable on the highway getting from here to New Mexico and then having no limits when we get to the dirt.
So I began shopping online seriously several months ago looking for vehicles that matched my target, ensuring that they were one or two owner, clean car fax, not from the rust belt, good price, well maintained… and of course I preferred that white with tan interior like I had on my beloved 4Runner but I would take anything other than black or gold. What I found was..most vehicles for sale with 100K on them had not had the 90K service or timing belt changed. The ones that had or that had a decent price, were sold right away.
I missed out on a couple of good deals because I didn’t move fast enough. Plus, I had motivation to purchase by the end of the year as my tax advisor told me, that since the vehicle weighs over 6000 lbs, I can write off 100% of the vehicle this year (and I need the write-offs as a business owner) which would make the actual cash purchase price about 35% less than I actually paid given the dollars I avoid sending to Uncle Sam.
As Xmas approached I was waiting to see what some dealers where doing with prices as we got toward the end of the year… and finally, the day after Xmas, an Acura dealer in Texas dropped the price on an 05 with 115K miles down to $19,994 from $22,000. I found that most 03 – 05 Cruisers with 100K miles were going for $22,000 or higher but 90% of them hadn’t had the 90K service and timing belt changed.
The rig was a two owner, soccer mom car, in beautiful conditions.. no dings, scratches or interior blemishes I could see from the 35 picture they had online. Always owned in Texas since day one. The only reported issue with the car (and picture) was a right rear bumper blemish from backing into something which of course I don’t care about because I am replacing the bumpers anyway. So I called and decided to purchase. They wouldn’t accept any lower offer so that was the price.
So here is the key to the story.... I asked them to send me pictures and an email describing any flaws or issues with the vehicle. They replied that the buttons on the second key were broken, reminded me about the rear bumper, that the 90K service had not been done to anyone’s knowledge and let me know the vehicle as very clean and had no other problems or issues. So I gave a $500 credit card deposit, bought a plane ticket to Houston, and went to the bank and got the cashiers check and left the next morning for Houston so I could complete the purchase this calendar year.
Before leaving, I made an appointment for the vehicle to checked over by a local Toyota dealership the morning before I arrived specifying that it was to be at the Toyota dealership and still on the lift when I arrived. That inspection, plus my own visual inspection found the following issues:
- Cracked front windshield - $200 replacement
- Missing trim piece on roof rack - $135
- Battery needing replacement - $120
- Front CV boots leaking and needing replacement - $1300
So, I said unless they dropped the price $1600 I was flying home as they didn’t disclose any of these issues in advance. We settled for a $850 price reduction and them buying and sending me the roof rack trim piece, so my out the door was $19,145 and it is white with the tan leather that I wanted! Here is a pic of the new rig:
The CV boot issue isn’t a problem at all since I am putting on front lockers and have to take that all apart anyway to do that. So, it needs a front windshield and a new battery.
Then I got to drive this beautiful machine home… I left the dealership Saturday at 5:30PM and arrived home on Monday, New Years Eve at 2PM, took a nap and then enjoyed an amazing party at our house with 12 friends over for dinner and bonfire in the back yard.
Since I also own a Prius (105K flawless miles) the LC will only be for adventures… I plan on sending to Slee for the whole program.. lift, bumpers, tires, racks, lights, suspension… of course I am going to put it in right away for the 90K service and those minor repairs (scheduled for this Friday).
Bottom line, thank you IH8Mudder’s for your passion, wisdom and experience… you have been invaluable to me in these past months. I joined the blog officially this morning and downloaded the Ap for my ipad. I know I have a lot more to learn about the Rig and look forward to the modifications and adventures ahead.
Here is a pic of the two rigs....
