I'm new here, what a wonderful community, so much valuable information. I've spent many hours reading. My wife and I were in the market for a used minivan for our family and everything was expensive and worn and well, a minivan. So, we stumbled across a really nice 98 LC and it's now ours. The problem now, I really want one for myself to replace my Tundra. So, my situation below.
A question I've researched, but it seems really hard to pin down since each situation is unique. How many miles is too many. I've found one I think I like but need to drive a few hours to go see it. The problem, it is a 97 with 250K+ miles. The owner sounds like an older gentleman and he and his wife were very knowledgeable about the maintenance history. I'm a total newb when it comes to auto terms and pretty sure the owner may be too, so let me tell you what he said. On the HG, he said it was taken care of, he said it was "resurfaced". Does this truly mean it was fixed correctly? On the front axle, he said it started making some noises, so he said the work was done on the front axle, he said "the main bearings were replaced". Is that sufficient? Also done, new radiator, new belts, new tires, new shocks. Can't remember status on breaks. All work done by local shop run by former Toyota/Lexus mechanic. The only problem he said it had is a small oil leak. He made it sound minor like an occasional drip, but that's all he said and I didn't know what else to ask about it. Hopefully something I can troubleshoot and fix myself. Or is this indication of something else potentially bigger wrong? It seems all the major things that can go wrong have been addressed. I didn't ask about PHH but don't think he'd know what I was talking about. Am I missing anything?
I'm looking for this to be my DD. I work from home and only take and pick up my son from school. So only drive 7K miles a year or so. I figure 5 years from now I'd be around 300K or so and hopefully then make it a 3rd vehicle. My wife probably thinks I'm crazy for my new addiction. Sounds like this is a common problem, lol. So, is this a reasonable vehicle in the $5K range? No lockers. Prices here in CA are all over the board. A similar one with 200K miles and a few minor mods went for $10K. Also, is there a premium on the anniversary edition? Thanks for any help you can provide!
A question I've researched, but it seems really hard to pin down since each situation is unique. How many miles is too many. I've found one I think I like but need to drive a few hours to go see it. The problem, it is a 97 with 250K+ miles. The owner sounds like an older gentleman and he and his wife were very knowledgeable about the maintenance history. I'm a total newb when it comes to auto terms and pretty sure the owner may be too, so let me tell you what he said. On the HG, he said it was taken care of, he said it was "resurfaced". Does this truly mean it was fixed correctly? On the front axle, he said it started making some noises, so he said the work was done on the front axle, he said "the main bearings were replaced". Is that sufficient? Also done, new radiator, new belts, new tires, new shocks. Can't remember status on breaks. All work done by local shop run by former Toyota/Lexus mechanic. The only problem he said it had is a small oil leak. He made it sound minor like an occasional drip, but that's all he said and I didn't know what else to ask about it. Hopefully something I can troubleshoot and fix myself. Or is this indication of something else potentially bigger wrong? It seems all the major things that can go wrong have been addressed. I didn't ask about PHH but don't think he'd know what I was talking about. Am I missing anything?
I'm looking for this to be my DD. I work from home and only take and pick up my son from school. So only drive 7K miles a year or so. I figure 5 years from now I'd be around 300K or so and hopefully then make it a 3rd vehicle. My wife probably thinks I'm crazy for my new addiction. Sounds like this is a common problem, lol. So, is this a reasonable vehicle in the $5K range? No lockers. Prices here in CA are all over the board. A similar one with 200K miles and a few minor mods went for $10K. Also, is there a premium on the anniversary edition? Thanks for any help you can provide!
"Lets see what this thing can do before we sell it honey"
