Still searching, looked at a beautiful 04 LX and...rust!

[Whewdoggie]

Started out great, ran excellent, no codes, super clean, original owner, complete Lexus service records. Started inspecting the undercarriage, looked great, some typical surface rust, lots of area with absolutely no rust and then I got to the rear and wow. Rear body mounts terrible. Is this normal? I know I am in the salt belt but it's long island, not exactly a snowy place and other trucks similar years aren't this bad.

 

[nukegoat]

That looks rekt

 

[ikarus]

Started out great, ran excellent, no codes, super clean, original owner, complete Lexus service records. Started inspecting the undercarriage, looked great, some typical surface rust, lots of area with absolutely no rust and then I got to the rear and wow. Rear body mounts terrible. Is this normal? I know I am in the salt belt but it's long island, not exactly a snowy place and other trucks similar years aren't this bad.View attachment 2337910

Seems like the rear always gets hit harder. Even if you find one that looks clean, check under the bumper cover at the rear quarter panel, behind the rear driver's side wheel well. Rust always hides there

 

[Kabanstva]

That’s bad

 

[Whewdoggie]

This is an 04 with 200k owned by a doctor and always Lexus serviced. My 04 suburban with 300k and beach driven most of its life isn't even close to this point of rust.

 

[Whewdoggie]

Seems like the rear always gets hit harder. Even if you find one that looks clean, check under the bumper cover at the rear quarter panel, behind the rear driver's side wheel well. Rust always hides there

Under the bumper cover was just crumbling.

 

[Whewdoggie]

Pretty sad as I really like these trucks and wanted one for quite a long time. I can deal with mechanical and cosmetic issues but the amount of rot I have seen is crazy. I have physically looked at many dozens of LCs, LXs and GXs and way more if you cou t phone calls and pics. While they run and drive great the rot is so bad. Not body rot, i can deal with that, frame, body mounts, springs, sway bars, structural components just crumbling in my hands. It's sad that they seem to be so well made but with inferior steel and/or treatment. I've had 5 jeeps for over 250k each, that travels and off road all over the country and never had anything close to what I have seen. My 300k suburban starting rusting after about 12 years but light surface rust, some under carriage bolts still have no rust. It looks incredibly good in comparison and it was originally a work truck for employees, a beach fishing and a boat tow rig.
Trying to decide if I should travel to get one, didn't really want to but maybe it's the only way. But then how fast is it going to rot when I get it home.

 

[bamabrock]

ok

 

[FxFormat]

If you want rot free, you gotta pony up some big dough, drive at least south of North Carolina to get them. What is your budget and we can tell you if it can be done or not, don't want you to waste your time.

 

[e9999]

You're in luck! Thanks to the powers that be, California soccer moms are switching en masse to Teslas and there are plenty of gas-guzzling rust-free SUVs available for the taking out there...

 

[Eighteen11R]

@HeathC has one for sale in GA... Check it out. PRICE REDUCTION - 2002 LX 470 for sale $9250

 

[2020 Rocks]

Pretty sad as I really like these trucks and wanted one for quite a long time. I can deal with mechanical and cosmetic issues but the amount of rot I have seen is crazy. I have physically looked at many dozens of LCs, LXs and GXs and way more if you cou t phone calls and pics. While they run and drive great the rot is so bad. Not body rot, i can deal with that, frame, body mounts, springs, sway bars, structural components just crumbling in my hands. It's sad that they seem to be so well made but with inferior steel and/or treatment. I've had 5 jeeps for over 250k each, that travels and off road all over the country and never had anything close to what I have seen. My 300k suburban starting rusting after about 12 years but light surface rust, some under carriage bolts still have no rust. It looks incredibly good in comparison and it was originally a work truck for employees, a beach fishing and a boat tow rig.
Trying to decide if I should travel to get one, didn't really want to but maybe it's the only way. But then how fast is it going to rot when I get it home.

You're 500 miles away from finding what you are looking for, at minimum. I got lucky and the hundy I bought a year ago spent it's first half of it's life in NV and AZ, then the last 5 in NY/PA. It has some rust, but no cancer and was worth the cost of refresh to my operable safety standards. Your best bet is to try and find one from a mud member, then you'll know what you're getting on the plane for. Good luck.

 

[MJK]

I can understand how buying remotely can be scary, but this is not hard:
1) find nice truck not in rust belt
2) ask for detailed photos
3) make an offer contingent on a PPI, or ask a local Mudder to go have a look.
4a) buy cheap round trip tickets, inspect truck yourself, buy truck, deliver beer to Mudder, make a new friend, and drive home
4b) same, but buy a truck FROM a Mudder
5) Get it to where you want it, and either park it in the winter or coat the sh!t out of it with Fluid Film every fall.

 

[92LXAZ]

Rented a one way car traveled for my 450 to CA, rented a car again and traveled for our first 470 to Durango, bought 570 site unseen and had it shipped here from Missouri, got lucky on current 02 470 as owner from NM happened to have it here. Drove an hour, took cash to go see it, and bought it after a 5 minute test drive. All of them I wanted bad enough to make it happen.

 

[Otter]

Plenty of people here travel to buy good trucks. Buddy of mine flew from Atlanta to Denver to buy his 80. I looked all over the country before I bought my 80, but it just happened to be local. If you're serious, be ready to travel and quickly before someone snatches it out from under you.

 

[suprarx7nut]

The 100's aren't known for above average rust problems. NY is insane when it comes to rust, but you probably already knew that.

If you want to start with something rust free, you're going to have to travel, probably 1000+ miles.

As a car person I'm not sure what I'd do if I lived in NY. Buy a new car and know that in a short period of time, it's probably (but not certainly) going to be worthless in ~10 years. OR buy a used car that someone else took good care of only for me to buy it and ruin it in 3-5 years.

I'd just move to a climate that doesn't hate steel.

 

[Whewdoggie]

I can understand how buying remotely can be scary, but this is not hard:
1) find nice truck not in rust belt
2) ask for detailed photos
3) make an offer contingent on a PPI, or ask a local Mudder to go have a look.
4a) buy cheap round trip tickets, inspect truck yourself, buy truck, deliver beer to Mudder, make a new friend, and drive home
4b) same, but buy a truck FROM a Mudder
5) Get it to where you want it, and either park it in the winter or coat the sh!t out of it with Fluid Film every fall.

This sounds like a well laid out plan. I may have to do that.

 

[katit]

No way to find one rust-free in NY it's just not happening. Not in STL either. I looked at few "locals" and all were rusty. Eventually I found mine (by accident) but it was in TX until 2015. It starts showing signs of rust now but I can live with it, very minimal and with some treatments will be OK for decade.

I would follow advice above on buying from CA/TX/etc. I personally would pay company to deliver. Last time I shipped BMW from CA (btw, can't buy classic BMW without rust either) in 2019 I paid $1100. To NY it will be <$2k to ship. IMO - worth it.

 

[Whewdoggie]

The 100's aren't known for above average rust problems. NY is insane when it comes to rust, but you probably already knew that.

If you want to start with something rust free, you're going to have to travel, probably 1000+ miles.

As a car person I'm not sure what I'd do if I lived in NY. Buy a new car and know that in a short period of time, it's probably (but not certainly) going to be worthless in ~10 years. OR buy a used car that someone else took good care of only for me to buy it and ruin it in 3-5 years.

I'd just move to a climate that doesn't hate steel.

Upstate gets really bad but on LI we aren't salting the roads every other day. I really didn't want to get another GM, they certainly hold up better to the rot but everything else stops working.

 

[CBeckFJ]

I searched for over 2 years to find the right truck. Ended up flying to FL and driving it 1400 miles back. Patience is key