Rust & city rash question - NYC 06 LC 79K

[kcobourn]

Can the community help me decide is this truck a nightmare waiting to happen OR is it a surprising find from the worst place to source cars (Manhattan).

A link to 12 total in a Google album - https://goo.gl/photos/toEvWY3z5BTzzVjF6

 

[Sandroad]

If those pics are the worst of it, you're golden. That looks like minimal rust and the body scrapes are superficial. Good Carfax, etc.?

 

[MastiffDad14]

Rust? Truck looks Great underneath, I wouldn't worry much about the small amount of surface rust.

I'd buy a bottle of factory toyota touch up paint and just brush in the chips it won't look perfect but for the time being it's better than looking at the nicks.

 

[87warrior]

Looks almost perfect to me You should be happy with your new Cruiser.

 

[Kabanstva]

Either that truck never saw a NY winter or it was never a NY vehicle to begin with. That's super clean underneath. Most 2 year old trucks which saw salt here in Chicago look 10x worse than that. I imagine in NY it's even worse.

 

[kcobourn]

Good Carfax, etc.?

Looks almost perfect to me You should be happy with your new Cruiser.

UPDATE: looks like it's not 'perfect. 1) the prior owner ran into a mailbox & had to replace the right front fender & 2) lots of scratches where '6 or so' won't buff out. Value-wise am not sure if that ought to drop the price - thoughts?

 

[Sandroad]

UPDATE: looks like it's not 'perfect. 1) the prior owner ran into a mailbox & had to replace the right front fender & 2) lots of scratches where '6 or so' won't buff out. Value-wise am not sure if that ought to drop the price - thoughts?

Depends on what the price was to start with! Body work is expensive; can you get an estimate to use for negotiations? Maybe take the pics to a local shop and ask? In general, I've found that cosmetic issues (things you can see) often offer more negotiating leverage than overdue maintenance and/or things you can't see. It seems most folks (not those here on MUD!), buy vehicles based on how they look rather than on mechanical condition.

 

[fsung]

Underneath looks like a 6 months old truck from Northeast, can't get much better than that. It's way cheaper to fix some body scratches than dealing with a rust bucket.

 

[kcobourn]

Depends on what the price was to start with! Body work is expensive; can you get an estimate to use for negotiations? Maybe take the pics to a local shop and ask? In general, I've found that cosmetic issues (things you can see) often offer more negotiating leverage than overdue maintenance and/or things you can't see. It seems most folks (not those here on MUD!), buy vehicles based on how they look rather than on mechanical condition.

Personally I'm ok with the new fender as it's not a wreck just a poor old fella (79 yr old owner) got squirrely in his driveway.

 

[sean2202]

Did you inspect truck before purchasing? One thing to check into is brakes and tranny flush. Being from NJ NY area stop and go traffic is terrible so that may contribute to wear. Also "good" mechanics are hard to come by in the NYC area so just double things.

I bought my truck from Long Island on e-bay in2015 and had it shipped sight unseen. Shipping wasn't bad as I thought would be.

Rust in that area of the country usually isn't too bad IMO. Now upstate NY is a different story as far as rust goes.

 

[Sandroad]

Since it's just now getting broken in at only 79,000 miles, clean up the scratches and enjoy the "new" truck.

 

[fjfj60]

Not to be that guy- but you bid on the vehicle now you are trying to get the seller to lower the ending price? Don't know how that approach is going to work.

 

[Singha]

I'd buy a (TRUE) NYC Manhattan truck all day. To me it mean that thing don't get driven around the city that much. Have you ever tried to find a parking spot for a large SUV in Midtown or Lower Manhattan? It is faster to travel by subway/Or have you ever paid for a garage parking in the city and be charge for "an oversized vehicle?. Most Manhattan vehicles are likely used to drive out to a summer home on weekends.

 

[abuck99]

Not to be that guy- but you bid on the vehicle now you are trying to get the seller to lower the ending price? Don't know how that approach is going to work.

I bought mine on eBay and flew in to drive it home. It was not exactly as described- and I quickly wrote a short list of items and renegotiated on the spot- I was ready to walk- literally. Seller had cash in his pocket so he was ready for it.

You have the option to walk away if it's not as described, and get your deposit back.

 

[MastiffDad14]

Let's look at this two ways.

1) it's a 11 year old truck, the amount of rust is almost non existant. Your paying almost 1/3 of what it costs new, your buying it from the original owner who decided to keep the truck 11 years and has good service records. The fender is a bolt on item, a non structural part of the truck, if it was a 1/4 panel I'd be a little more curious about the repair and why it was done.

2) let's say for a moment you don't want the truck and pass on the deal. You could spend 18-20k and buy say an 05-07 with maybe 90-110k miles. This imaginary truck could have 3 owners, some basic service history. Timing belt done? I'm not sure. Brakes look 50%, any other maintenance? Oh yes I've always changed the oil ever 5k miles, just put In a new battery and tires are only 18 months old. Could have more than a few scratches and maybe the whole side of the truck was painted you didn't notice because the work came out nicely and they taped over the Vin tags.

All I'm getting at is this seems like an excellent truck, it's no steal of a deal but your not over paying. One owner clean fax and the owner clearly cared a lot about the truck.