Thinking about buying a 1998 Landcruiser.

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Ronman737

10 Year
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Threads
1
Messages
9
Location
Greenville, SC
First off I want to say hello to everyone, as this is my first post on this forum.
I am currently an owner of a 2003 Tacoma so I am not unfamiliar with toyotas. Since my first child was born last year I had been thinking about trading my truck in for something a little more practical for a family. I found a pretty nice 100 series in town for a pretty good price. It has 188k miles on it and its listed for 8900. I have seen the carfax and it is a 1 owner vehicle with a quite a few service records. I had a chance to go check it out today but not drive it because the dealer is closed. I did a quick walk around and tried to find as much wrong with it as possible. Body was extremely straight with just a few scratches here and there. Interior was IMMACULATE! Even the drivers seat looked like it was practically new.

This particular 100 has the factory rear diff lock as well, making it more desireable to me. I looked at the suspension as well as i could and it too looked to be pretty clean. I did notice under the drivers side wheel well in the engine compartment that there was come caked on oil. It is parked on a gravel lot with the rest of this dealers used cars so i was unable to see if there was any buildup of fresh fluids leaking.

The only reservation I have about jumping on this beast is the 188k miles. It will be my dd so I am just a little reluctant to take on a "project" when my truck is at 115k and I know it will take me where I need to be when I need it to.

So please, someone talk me into or out of this bad boy. I love LC's and think that it would be a great new ride. It will also be my fourth toyota vehicle. Having the King of the brand in my driveway would be nice.

Oh I forgot to mention that it is my favorite color that they offered, I believe its called river rock green or something like that.

Thanks for the help guys.
 
River Rock Mica Green, I have the same color and adore it. I would say the mileage shouldn't be your concern as 188k is not much. Welcome to the forum!
 
Welcome to MUD...

A toyota dealer can print-out service records done at toyota dealers if you supply the vin number.

You can get the same info from the toyota website, but it will not show you any services offered that were declined by the owner.

Steve
 
First, I'd say that the price was on the high side for the mileage
The oil in the wheel well is not a good sign, as axle seals might be leaking gear oil.
I have a '98 which I picked up for $5200 with 135k miles (private sale, with all receipts). Ever since it crossed the 200k-mile mark, I've had to spend more time and money on it than I would like.
I can't say "yea" or "nay" for you, but I'd definitely try to get the price down and accept that sooner or later you will have to put more time and/or money into it.
They can certainly take a beating, but they are not indestructible.
Good luck.
 
BackToTheBog said:
First, I'd say that the price was on the high side for the mileage
The oil in the wheel well is not a good sign, as axle seals might be leaking gear oil.
I have a '98 which I picked up for $5200 with 135k miles (private sale, with all receipts). Ever since it crossed the 200k-mile mark, I've had to spend more time and money on it than I would like.
I can't say "yea" or "nay" for you, but I'd definitely try to get the price down and accept that sooner or later you will have to put more time and/or money into it.
They can certainly take a beating, but they are not indestructible.
Good luck.
Click to expand...

The oil was inside the engine compartment via the wheel well. It was caked on and pretty dry. It seemed like what ever contributed to it hadnt done so in a while.

I understand that the price is kinda high. If I am able to go take it for a drive I will definitely be doing some haggling if it gets to that point. I was hoping to sell my Tacoma privately but it would just be a lot easier to trade her in.
 
None taken, Muddy. I'm just speaking from my personal experience.

Ronman: I get it now, re. the inside compartment. Strike what I wrote about the axle seals.
 
Checked the Toyota owners page and the last service on there reads;
Engine minor: repair sublets

Could that be why there is dried up old oil and crud mix in that particular area?
 
Bog, I skimmed through your message without really reading it and at first glance just saw "LC have issues and start taking your money after 200k" so I responded...and then took the time to actually read your post and then realized I was completely off base and have no issue with your post whatsoever. Hence the deletion. :)
 
Muddy Bean said:
Bog, I skimmed through your message without really reading it and at first glance just saw "LC have issues and start taking your money after 200k" so I responded...and then took the time to actually read your post and then realized I was completely off base and have no issue with your post whatsoever. Hence the deletion. :)
Click to expand...
No problems, Muddy, happens to the best of us!;)
 
Ronman737 said:
The only reservation I have about jumping on this beast is the 188k miles. It will be my dd so I am just a little reluctant to take on a "project" when my truck is at 115k and I know it will take me where I need to be when I need it to.
Click to expand...

If it's the right truck the miles are irrelevant. I have 300k on my 98 and just finished a 10,000 mile trip with zero issues beyond the pain my gas card is feeling :).

I personally don't believe the asking price is high at all. Again, if it's the right truck with a documented history.
 
BackToTheBog said:
First, I'd say that the price was on the high side for the mileage
The oil in the wheel well is not a good sign, as axle seals might be leaking gear oil.
I have a '98 which I picked up for $5200 with 135k miles (private sale, with all receipts).
Click to expand...

Based on my experience looking for hundys for friends, $5200 was an unbelievable deal on a 98. You are a lucky man. I've looked extensively in Seattle, Salt Lake, Vegas, and LA and everything I've seen even close to those miles in good shape has been $9500+.
 
There are a lot of good cars out there. Don't be compulsive and buy trouble. If your gut is saying there is a problem pass by. Any oil or caked on dirt by oil is an issue these cars should not have, OR if they did have a good owner would have fixed.

ALSO as a private used buyer with cash never pay more than KBB trade in. Check the value but $8900 seems about right if no issues. How many owners? Carfax? At this age limit yourself to no more than 2 owners - more indicates problems as owners tend to keep the better ones and sell the problems.
 
I understand completely. Its a one owner vehicle btw. It was absolutely gorgeoes inside. I tried to upload some pics on my phone because i went back to look at it again. It really looks like its in great shape. The service history that registers on both toyotas owner page and carfax shows a lot of recent maintenance. Guess the only thing left to do is go drive it. At 8900 it is the least expensive 100 i think i have ever seen. Even ones with 200k are going for over 10k on craigslist in the south east.
 
Pics?

image.webp
 
I like that color as well. Another major consideration in respect to prices is that trucks in the Northeast almost universally skew lower due to rust. And seem to skew highest out West. Thus, if that LC is local, that price is not too bad. I would recommend having a PPI preformed unless possessing a pretty strong knowledge base.
 
I bought my '98 with 76,000 miles last February for $17,000. Just for reference. Same color and pretty damn clean also.
 
stonepa said:
Based on my experience looking for hundys for friends, $5200 was an unbelievable deal on a 98. You are a lucky man. I've looked extensively in Seattle, Salt Lake, Vegas, and LA and everything I've seen even close to those miles in good shape has been $9500+.
Click to expand...
This price was on an East Coast mobile, my friend. Besides oil changes, I didn't need to do anything for 50k miles after my purchase. It endured plenty of road salt, deep snow on a rough driveway, commutes on terrible roads and hundred-year floods. I know it was a bargain, but you don't want to pay for just a pristine interior. Having said that, though, I did put mine through serious tribulation with plenty of water crossings and mud above the axles on my Nevada trip. I extracted myself from seemingly impossible situations and drove to places I previously thought were not feasible. That's probably the source of my problems now. OP, all I can say is caveat emptor. They are awesome vehicles, but still do your homework. Some fixes are not cheap or user friendly (see rear axle seals). Consider the previous owner's maintenance schedule and your prospective use.
 
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stonepa said:
Based on my experience looking for hundys for friends, $5200 was an unbelievable deal on a 98. You are a lucky man. I've looked extensively in Seattle, Salt Lake, Vegas, and LA and everything I've seen even close to those miles in good shape has been $9500+.
Click to expand...

My feelings exactly. Just to give some more perspective, I bought mine in June of this year for $9,300 @138k miles. It was marked at $10,500. Interior I'd give an 8, and now that I've repaired some stuff I'll bump that to a 9. Exterior is subjective, since I'm not bothered by minor dents and scratches as I've already added plenty more myself. It really is a truck-to-truck basis, find the one that feels right to you. I wasn't even looking for an LC, but it sure felt like home.
 
I think the price is pretty good. I'm in SC as well, and I wouldn't let my 2000 go for less than 9k. I've got 208k miles btw. To the guy who said never pay more than KBB trade-in, good luck with that. Why wouldn't the seller just take it to Carmax if willing to accept such a low amount?
 
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