Please Help - Need quick opinions/insight/advice (1 Viewer)

[Dozer18]

Hello everyone - I'm looking to become an active member of the 100-series forum after being active on the 60 forums for the last 11 years. I still have my FJ62, but have been in the market for either a 100-series or a GX470 for the last six months. Today I found this gem listed at a local Autonation:

2004 Toyota Land Cruiser SUV JTEHT05J342065295 - AutoNation Honda Dulles - Sterling, Virginia 20166

For context, this is a one-owner 100 that has been garaged in VA it's entire life. You can see the free Carfax report in the link and it has had regular maintenance at the same dealership it was bought at (Autonation Toyota in Leesburg) before recently being traded in at Autonation (reportedly for a smaller vehicle).

I went out and crawled under it today and drove it, and it is super clean and drives well. The seats in the back - and the third row - seem brand new, and everything - everything - was in working order. No rust underneath. Tires have about 20K on them (Michelin Latitude Tour). Alternator recently replaced. Paint has standard chips/scuffs you would expect. New front axles, which were actually causing a leak; I noticed a small leak that looked like fresh oil coming from the engine skid plate prior to driving, and it was worse after. I pointed this out and they immediately put it on the lift; said that they didn't torque the nuts properly when replacing the axle and it was leaking diff oil. The axles and boots were shiny new.

This will replace my 62 as my DD while I continue building the 62 out; I will start a slow build on this 100 in the spring if I buy it. Meanwhile it will be the primary road trip/kid hauler/dog hauler machine.

I'm asking you guys for opinions on the price and for insight on anything else I should be paying close attention to. I'm much more familiar with the nuances of 60s than I am of 100s. I already have a check from the bank and, after sleeping on it tonight, plan to close the deal tomorrow. Just looking for a sanity check from the forum. Thanks much in advance!

 

[cybersecurity]

I'm relatively new to 100's, though I am not new to LEXUS V-8's. I would find out when the timing belt was done since it is about that mileage to replace it. As you may read from my other posts, I recommend replacing everything that's touched in that job at the same time- waterpump, all pulleys, check camshaft seals if leaking, definitely crank seal, tensioner for sure. Other than that, the LC looks great and you've already done a lot of the research. It might be good to make a checklist as you would for any car, just to make sure your lust is not blinding you to what should be checked

 

[Dozer18]

Thanks for the reply. I'm all over the timing belt issue; the TB and WP assembly were all replaced at 112K. So, even though in a perfect world they would have been replaced at 90 and 180, I'm still good on that for a bit.

 

[badsamaritan]

If you can get a pre-purchase inspection at a reputable shop. That will give you a nice list to take back to the owner and give you a heads up as to what looks like it's ready to go. I wish I had done this one mine, as I had some surprises after I got it home and started baselining all of the fluids. Other than that it sounds like a good find

 

[nw_fj62]

Looks like a strong truck. Seems like a reasonable dealership price. I do like badsam's suggestion of an independent inspection...

I made the move from an 88 FJ62 to a 02 UZJ 100 and have really enjoyed the power and comfort of the new truck. Same color as your prospective truck.

Did they explain why new front axles were installed?

Now, just think of the places you can take your new truck....

 

[YodatheLC]

Truck looks great! I’m sure there is some wiggle room in that price, I’d say 10-11k would be reasonable. Another thing I would look at is the steering rack. They typically go out before the 200k mark. And if it was replaced make sure it’s OEM, because the cheapo ones are trash.

And replace the Heater Ts!

 

[vman07]

I think that's a really reasonable dealer price, and likely below what you'd see here in CA. I say jump on it before someone else does...

 

[Dozer18]

Keep it coming! No wiggle room in the price; it's Autonation, so it's a "no haggle one-price" sort of deal. They stick to that, too.

I agree that this truck might be cheaper in some places, particularly from a private party. I guess what I'm struggling with is how much is it worth to me to pay a premium for a one-owner truck, meticulously maintained, purportedly garage-kept in Northern VA (read: little snow/salt and virtually no rust), and in great shape inside and out? If someone else were writing this I would tell them to stop second guessing and pull the trigger; those are great reasons to pay a premium.

Regarding the axles, I don't have a good answer for that and I'm not confident I would get a good one if I asked (not from a big-box used car salesman, anyway). That said, I was all up under that truck today and they were shiny and new; no clue if they were OEM though or how to go about finding out. Seem to have been done since the trade in.

The steering rack still seems solid; my brother (a mechanic with Toyota experience) asked me the same question for the same reason, but the steering felt rock solid. I'll have a new OME kit on by summer, and I'll put on the steering stabilizer and new TREs when I do that, so not too concerned.