Should I be Skeerd off by a high-mileage '97? (1 Viewer)

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Like many in here, I bought mine with higher mileage, 270kish. Two and half years later and an odometer that stopped working recently at 308k and it’s still going strong. It takes a quart of oil every 1000-1500 miles but she’s made countless trips up and down California, towing at least 30% of the time.
 
Bought mine at 198K, currently at 340K. Did the whole “while I’m in there bull$hit” Recently On the upper half that it really didn’t need but I do love the lack of multi colored smoke not being present anymore (valve stem seals). Currently at the mechanics For a once over because I am sick of turning the same bolts for the twentieth time.

Jump in @Spike Strip , the waters fine.
 
I have a '97 I purchased with 60k and it now has 305k. The only significant repairs I have had to do are a front axle rebuild, replace the valve cover seal and a new radiator. I spang a leak in a radiator hose crossing the Mojave desert in August (fixed with duct tape) so I'm in the process of replacing all rubber hoses and brake lines. Not bad for a 23 year vehicle.
 
If you pass pls let me know. . . I have (2) Black LX models now, one with 283k and one with ??? (chop shop/ US marshall seizure) and would love to add a 3rd.
260k should not scare you; get a good price on it.
 
If you pass pls let me know. . . I have (2) Black LX models now, one with 283k and one with ??? (chop shop/ US marshall seizure) and would love to add a 3rd.
260k should not scare you; get a good price on it.


Would $37,000 at 261K miles scare you off ? That's what owner is asking.
 
Truck is built though, mind you, very far from stock, but owner had a shop do the work so I think they're trying to recoup those costs...
 
It better be garage parked mint with a professionally rebuilt engine. Even then that's high.

It's clean but stock drivetrain with F&R seals replaced recently (by a shop). Tires are 50% or so ... I get sketchy answers when I ask about receipts, instead being directed to the shop that did the work ... 🤔

So if anyone knows of a clean 95-97 Kalif car, I be lookin' ;)
 
It's clean but stock drivetrain with F&R seals replaced recently (by a shop). Tires are 50% or so ... I get sketchy answers when I ask about receipts, instead being directed to the shop that did the work ... 🤔

So if anyone knows of a clean 95-97 Kalif car, I be lookin' ;)

"I get sketchy answers when I ask about receipts"
"they're trying to recoup those costs"
"very far from stock"
"had a shop do the work"

All red flags for me. This is very common in the classic car and wannabe racer sector.
 
At first I thought you misplaced the comma there.
You could pick up a pristine 200 with 70K miles on it for that!

Or, you could buy a cheap 80, with probably less miles, and pay a shop for a whole lot of work and still come out cheaper.
 
"I get sketchy answers when I ask about receipts"
"they're trying to recoup those costs"
"very far from stock"
"had a shop do the work"

All red flags for me. This is very common in the classic car and wannabe racer sector.

I think you may have nailed it: I did a bit of googling and I see a lot of 'Drift Racing' in the owner's past ... Ugh.
 
I think you may have nailed it: I did a bit of googling and I see a lot of 'Drift Racing' in the owner's past ... Ugh.
I just figured you were trying to sell yours.......
 
If the rig is originally from California (check Carfax) it will have high mileage. The state is big and everything is so spread out. There really isn’t mass or public transit here outside of San Francisco. The cool part is the miles will be primarily long flat highway miles.

If an older California vehicle has low mileage, its suspect to me.

That's a pretty generalized answer. Not everyone in CA lives in SF or LA. Here on the Central Coast, plenty of people drive short trips.
 
That's a pretty generalized answer. Not everyone in CA lives in SF or LA. Here on the Central Coast, plenty of people drive short trips.

Right. I live in the middle.Everything is far. My friends from SF fish 4 hours away at minimum. I was surprised how many people in your neck of the woods go to China Peak to snowboard.

Of course we don’t automagically all commute 2 hours everyday, but generally speaking used Toyotas for sale in California typically have pretty high miles.
 

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