New Guy advise on Used LC

[Blake1]

I am new to the site but have been looking in the forum for a while. Stepping up from an 04 4Runner.

I am looking at a 2001 LC for purchase(the child restraint hooks are important for me), I currently have a hold on it.

-It is a one owner vehicle -Trade on a new HOnda Pilot. purchased from honda dealer
-Color and option what I am looking for
-69,000 miles
-Power Antenna Broken(they are fixing)
-Bar that limits door travel problem(they are fixing), caused very small dent in door hardly noticable(will not fix, but requires touch up so does not rust)
-Northest vehicle - Undercarage has seen snow, corrosion less than my 94 had at similar age seems acceptable to me.
- Crease on rear Quarter and rear passenger door about 8 inches (they are fixing), They told me they did not fix initially due to dealer wanted to show that absoletely no body work on car.
- Bumpers both have some scuffs(I am not fussed about that)
-No service records
-No Nav
- Roof cross rails peeling
-Otherwise paint and inerior look great.
- may only havve 1 master key( need to check)

They origianally asked 25.5, then dropped to 21,495 after on the marked for 1 month in local paper(internet price). still listed at 25 a few spots.

They are firm on 21,495 but are correcting the items noted above. (Antenna, bodywork on quarter pannel, Door)

They will also not do more service given car passes inspection.

What I figure.

21,495 PP
1,500 tax /reg /plates
875 60K service at toyota dealer
400 new keys (if needed)
25,000 approx ready to go

I drove a mint 2002 w/ low miles as well ( dealer asked 30) and this 2001 drives the same/just as well.

car has 3000 mile used car warrantee. Seems fair based on what I have seen lately, what do you guys think. I am not in a rush, but want to be sure the truck is tip top by the summer & I just had the time over the holiday to do some looking.

Do you think I sould have the local Toyota dealer do a pre-purchse inspection?

The dealer seems reputable and they do not sell auction cars, only trades that are up to snuff.

i can live with imprefections given color/year/options I want.

What do you think?

 

[Blake1]

stepping up from 94 runner(not 04)

 

[drsales]

This summer I purchased my 2000 with 94k/ $16,800. But I needed to do $1000+of service to the truck. Orginal asking price was $18,900. at a Nissan dealership. 30 warrenty. But then again?

Not knowing any book values I would think $21-22,500. If in great mechanical condition.

Are they offering any service contracts etc? Certified? Better look at the brakes and rotors. Tires? Exhaust? What is the condition of the fluids? (Brake, trans, coolant, power steering, diffs and transfer).

Items like this I would use (which I did,) to get the overall price down. It is also the years end, they do not want it on their lot in Jan. 2007

Besides the items mentioned, the LC will give you lots of good miles. I was and still am very happy with the purchase.

Good Luck.

 

[jp213a]

For the condition and lack of maintenance records, the price is high. Since you're not in a rush, I'd pass because there is a high probability something better will come up in the near future. Look for private owner sales. For more, see thread down the page titled: Good deal for this 2001 UZJ100?

 

[hoser]

Difficult to ask "what's this 100 worth?" as the market rate can vary +/- 10% depending on location.

 

[Blake1]

Thanks guys - I was wrong on the keys, car comes w/ 2 masters & one grey valey, only one has the remote.

Also, I can pay for a pre-purchase inspection at Toyota dealer.

Brakes and fluids looked good to me, however, I am a bit out of practice on the mechanical stuff. I stick to interior fixes & electonics these days and mechanical stuff where I can be in and out in 3 hours, otherwise goes to the shop.

Once I havea car I become a voice on these types of boards, appreciate all the intellegence available here.

Also, from what I see private party sales on these vehicles are few and far between. Folks that spend 60K on car often don't have cost benefit of taking days out of their lives to sell a used car.

 

[Morbo]

No Service records? That would be a deal killer for me, no matter the price.

 

[Blake1]

I hear ya......seems like I am one of the few folks that has records sinse new. Seems like dealers and the like never have any records. Even w/ private parties it is shotty. Among my friends /family I am the only one I know who keeps such detailed records.

What sucks is that dealers can't release service records w/o the prior owners consent.

I may let this one slide, just sucks w/ time invested i will see how it turns out.

 

[EdsCruisin]

Although that LC has relatively low miles, I would pass on the body work issues alone. I have a '00 with more miles, but there was no damage and all the functioning parts worked fine, and the cross bars are not bare. That is probably due to salt spray in the NE winters. What else has accelerated wear due to the NE winters? You should also add to your budget a set of tires. At 70K, if there is still original rubber on the rim, it is at it's end.

 

[Blake1]

Grey on Grey was popular, they are all over the net. Also, I think being pre-winter sellers are thinking it is a good time due to the snow season coming up this month. I will snap out of this one as the first decent car for a lower price & hold out for a while, I have until May anyway. It is risky that the do a poor job on the body work as well.

Anyone bought car outside of the rust belt & had it shipped w/ good results?

 

[spressomon]

My '99 came from the NE...and I won't do that again EVER! Almost every bolt had to be drilled out and retapped...a major pain in the arse and although I saved about 10% over the West coast prices (2004) it's just not worth it if you are going to do any mods that require removing any bolts/nuts. JMO.

 

[jp213a]

Anyone bought car outside of the rust belt & had it shipped w/ good results?

I shipped a vehicle from the west coast to the mid south with no problems; took 10 days. It changed trucks at least once. I found my LC online from a private owner 500 miles away. I flew over and drove it back. All the maintenance had been performed at a dealership and they e-mailed me copies beforehand. It was only a verbal agreement but I did get the seller to agree to pay for my airfare back if the truck wasn't in the condition he told me over the phone. When I got there, I was pleased the guy had been honest.

 

[1loudLX]

I will have to agree with you guys on the rust factor. I hate dealing with under my truck, theres rust coating on alot of the bolt heads. Nothing has rusted through, just surface.

But for the way the truck needs bodywork, it seems like the previous owner didnt really care about the truck. You want to try and find a TLC that gets as much TLC as we give ours here, or at least as close as possible. Messed up doors and creases in the body panels dont show that kind of signs.

 

[LXPearl]

Buying outside the rust belt does not guarantee a vehicle from outside the rust belt. Many low mileage vehicles from the rust belt are sent to the south for high prices where buyers are impressed with the low mileage and assume the vehicle is from the south.

If you include the LX in your searches, any Lexus dealer can give you a printout of the work done in a Lexus shop based on VIN.

I like the 01 model. If I saw the LC you mentioned, I suspect I would walk and keep looking. Even though the price seems good, the long term effect would be minimal compared to the possible compromised condition and previous maintenance practices (probably minimal).

 

[NMuzj100]

While I'm not sure this truck is a great deal at only 70k I would not be too concerned about service records. For a 100 of this age as long as it got a couple of oil changes a year you are probably fine. You will just have to baseline the vehicle so you know where things are at.

I think interior condition is a better indicator of the level of care given the vehicle than anything else.

 

[1loudLX]

I second that interior condition indication, it shows the lifestyle of the previous owner. If they are messy and dont care about the interior, why would they care about the motor and transmission?

 

[Blake1]

I passed on this one. seemed to be settling on a vehicle when I have time, this was the gut feel. I think it was a guy owner who rode in it mainly alone geven rest of etnerior nice. and loaded a lot of stuff. top of tailgate banged up, rear floor dirty w/ imbedded sand etc. and front door hing broken.