Wanted Pre Purchase Inspection near Atlanta

I found it: 2004, 1 owner, full service history, RUST FREE, 170,000 Miles. Price is a little high.

Rust free is kinda neat after seeing what the northeast can do after 10 years...

The problem is the Land Cruiser is in Atlanta and I'm not in Atlanta...

Any recommendations on a knowledgeable shop or individual that could do a Pre Purchase Inspection?

Here is the link: The Barrios Collection

 

[UGA2018]

Try ACC Garage in Atlanta. They are the go to spot for Land Cruiser restoration. I would bet that they will do a pre purchase inspection.

 

[landcruiserjunky]

X2 for ACC. Also, you are right on the price being high.

 

[NoMudOnMerritt]

ACC sounds great. I wish we had an ACC in Connecticut. I'm reaching out today and will report back.

Many thanks!

 

[sammybones]

Just buy it.

 

[NoMudOnMerritt]

Right you are sammyBones, I will buy it.

 

[Truman]

Looks similar to the 00 I bought out of TX last year. Rust free can add a few K to price for us northerners, but worth it. So much easier to work on/tinker with when everything is not rusted. I'd grab it before it's gone. Maybe I'll see you on the road in CT.

 

[NoMudOnMerritt]

There are very few Land Cruisers around here. What color 00?

If I see an 00 it'll have to be you!

Well, I just put the Cruiser on deposit. Now I need an inspection.

ACC is on the other side of town and that makes coordinating the inspection difficult. Sounds like a great shop. They told me they are booked solid and are not taking on any new projects.

Instead of ACC I've found two inspection companies.

autoappraisal.com

http://www.i-van.org/states/Georgia.html

Anyone use either of these services?

 

[Truman]

Don't get too hung up on the shop not being able to do it. An appraisal company is fine. I bought a FJ62 out of AZ few years ago and used a local appraiser. Told him what to look for and he did it. Then I bought it. It did add piece of mind but from pics of your truck i looks pretty damn good.

 

[NoMudOnMerritt]

Thanks for that, I found an appraiser this morning: Ace Auto Inspectors in Atlanta and they spent a couple hours today looking at.

They keep saying it was super clean.

BUT

It also has cracked L/R inner CV joints. They suggested replacing the axles.

2nd item is the upper lower rear bushings. They suggested replacing the bars as well.

Other than that it's good to go.

What's a fair offer considering the work it needs?

 

[Truman]

I'd say at least 1500 less. You have to factor in shipping or drive home costs too. Remember "the hunt" is the best part.

 

[NoMudOnMerritt]

Yeah I know some folks search for years.

So a very clean rust free 2004 that needs front axles / CV and rear bearings (upper and lower) is worth $16k? It'll cost the dealer $3k-$4k to repair everything.

Cruiser prices don't follow other car prices. I'm going to search the forums for any pricing threads.

 

[landcruiserjunky]

16k with the two issues? I would offer 12k with 13k being my top price. Have you thought about a GX470? You can get something just as nice, with half the miles for 5k cheaper.

 

[NoMudOnMerritt]

I looked at the GX and it is probably the smarter choice. But I feel like if I’m going to buy a big 4x4 made by Toyota, I should buy THE ONE AND ONLY LAND CRUISER!!

The thing with price is the the way things are and how they should be. This LC should cost $12k. I’m just not sure the seller agrees. I’ll find out today.

I found this thread 2004 Cruiser; Introduction & Log that has a chart with prices for 100 series broken down by mileage.

Also reading the forums it seems a lot of folks who buy 100k + Cruisers end up doing the CV and generally spending $2k-$3k right away.

 

[TNLCMama]

If it helps, we passed up that vehicle , back in MAY, for a less clean, needing some cosmetic TLC, 2002 with no issues, for considerably less... The 2004 at Barios is beautiful, but it was owned by a doctor, and they actually DO NOT have all the records on it. We later found out that the maintenance wasn't done regularly, either. I also wasn't too thrilled at being pushed. Barios folks don't know Land Cruisers (although after we got done with them, they know more and may even be MUD lurkers).

On our test drive, it was a beautiful day and we had all the windows down. We got 1/2 mile when we started smelling the oil.

NoMudOnMerritt, this vehicle should be considerably less- especially as they do not have service records for all the major stuff (no records of 90k service for example). I am not mechanically minded and my husband, who is, started a new job and doesn't have the time. Our son had rolled our 2000 (he walked away without a scratch, it was totalled), that we had bought new in 2000 when our twins were 10 weeks old. I needed a vehicle that was mechanically sound, and was better off buying the one needing cosmetic work.

Just a heads up. This 2004 has been on the market for a while (I still have a file on it).

 

[NoMudOnMerritt]

Thanks I think I just avoided making a bad decision.

Spoke with Barrios about the service records. Toyota records only go up to about 110k then he has a printout that shows service up to now. This printout does not show the name of the shop doing the work (it’s not Toyota, I checked their database).

I asked him for the name of the shop and he refused. He said after I buy the vehicle, he would show me verifiable service records??!!

So The Barrios Collection expects people to buy first and verify second.

Many thanks for the advice.

The search continues.