New vehicle shopping

[Howlinwolf]

I am looking at buying a Land Cruiser and wanted to get y'all's opinion.

Its a 2016 Land Cruiser. 144,000 Miles. Two owners. Originally sold in Oklahoma. Then Sold in Tucson in 2020. Overall, it's pretty clean, but I have a couple concerns...

An aftermarket electric brake controller was installed - so I'm guessing it spent a fair time towing. The first owners put 80,000 miles on it in the first four years. Assuming most people put like 12k miles a year, I'm assuming the engine has about 30K+ miles of towing

So, my first question is what kind of shape is engine and transmission in after all that towing? Anything to cause concern?


Second issue is alignment. Looking over the Carfax, it was in for tires and alignment October of 2024. It went to another shop two weeks later, and they did the struts and alignment... Then it went for alignment again 7/25. That's three alignment jobs in less than one year. This a cause for concern?

Rest of the car looks solid and well taken care of. No rust, engine sounds good, transmission shifts easily. Steering was straight, but I just made a loop around the block.

TIA

 

[Sandroad]

You don't have to be afraid of towing, but it would be good to know if it had maintenance related to that, such as gear oil changes, etc. The alignment scenario is not scary either. Alignment with tires is normal, alignment after shocks is normal, and if the shop didn't get it right, the 7/25 alignment could be considered ok too. You'll need to do much more than a loop around the block test drive and get a pre-purchase inspection if you have concerns.

 

[Heckraiser]

Multiple alignments is common for vehicle owners who know their vehicles. Most alignment shops don't know what they're doing and if you have specific alignment requirements, it may take several trips to the shop to "get it right".

I wouldn't be scared by towing mileage. My buddy has a Tundra (same drivetrain) that has basically spent the last 15 years hooked up to a dual-axle enclosed landscaping trailer. He hasn't had any problems. If the maintenance history shows 2 diff fluid changes or tans fluid changes, that's more than most trucks get. If there is no history of that, I still wouldn't let it stop me from buying the truck (assuming PPI goes well). Just do the maintenance when you get it into your own possession. Diff and transmission are both very robust. Toyota even fed the public a "lifetime transmission fluid" sales pitch, which is not really true, IMO, but is still an indication that serious harm is not likely.

 

[Howlinwolf]

Ok, thanks. I'll get a PPI. VIN JTMCY7AJ6G4040916 in case anyone's interested

They're asking $45K. Which seems reasonable these days.

 

[Howlinwolf]

Alright and here's another twist. My current trail truck is a 2011 G550. I'm thinking of a clean swap. ATRAC for triple locked. Hate to give up the unique ride, but man that Toyota reli(ability) is calling my name

 

[Supra Turbo]

@Howlinwolf another plot twist... the G actually needs lockers with its great articulation

Jokes aside... ATRAC is plenty for most and if you still really need lockers, you can put some in the LC.