This is overpriced...what would you offer? (1 Viewer)

[Infinity00]

2003 LX470 for $15.9 129k miles. Been on the lot for awhile.

I looked at the service record and some things that popped up were:

GOOD:
-Timing belt done at 102K but nothing about water pump or anything else that would be done with it
-regular oil changes up to 60K then records for only 2 oil changes after that
- brake booster replaced - don’t other brake components need to be replaced if booster is?
- 3 flushes of the transmission, diffs and transfer case
- 3 flushes of the brakes but the last flush they said fluid was black. Seems odd given it was flushed a couple times previously and booster was replaced. May mean brake components are deteriorating
- power steering flushed once. Is this part of the AHC?
- coolant flushed
- lived in Tucson

BAD:
- service inspections showed rack bushings shot, but no repair
- service inspections showed rack and pinion leaking need replacing but no repair
- service inspection showed cv boots deformed and grease leaking, but no repair
- AHC wasn’t specifically serviced, unless when a power steering flush is done that includes the
- Brake booster replaced, but brake fluid black after multiple flushes over its lifetime, is there more brake work to be done in its future
- timing belt done but no mention of water pump, tensioner or anything else
- brakes replaced several times while turning rotors, rotors never replaced so that will probably be due
- bearings never serviced
- it’s a Lexus (seriously)

What do you think? Value should be 10K? 12?
I might have time to look at it tomorrow.

 

[Kabanstva]

Offer $5,000 and go from there.

 

[AlpineAccess]

Many big items on there. Whatever you offer you'll want to have $2-4k set aside for service.

Wheel bearing replacement and service - $200 for parts. $400-600 labor.

Rack is a big job. Can DIY but a PITA. $700-1k

AHC without flushes is going to mean a swap to spring setup. $500-1k

Cv grease and reboot labor intensive but parts cheap. CV replacement is expensive. $800 parts and labor $400-800k. Same labor cost for reboot.

Brake not a big deal. Do when wheel bearings serviced. $200 for front OEM rotors. Rears probably fine even with resurfacing.

Keep an eye on coolant level and water pump weep hole for water pump going out. Tensioner is bigger deal. I'd be shocked if they didn't do the tensioner, it comes in all belt kits.

Just some notes.

If it drives well and is solid, I think a fair deal would be anything under $14-5 after maintenance is caught up.

 

[AlpineAccess]

Power steering not part of AHC. Durable but often neglected system.

Brake fluid being black just means is pushing service interval. Not great but not bad. Totally fine to replace individual brake components if they pinpoint the component.

 

[Infinity00]

So around $4600 in possible repairs based on your high end observations. Around here the repair costs seem a bit higher so based on your input I’d say no less than 6-7K in repairs are possible. I do my own work so that would bring it down some but I’m just trying to wrap my head around it and your post helps.

 

[Infinity00]

Power steering not part of AHC. Durable but often neglected system.

Brake fluid being black just means is pushing service interval. Not great but not bad. Totally fine to replace individual brake components if they pinpoint the component.

I’ve read about the earlier 100 series brake system failures, so I was wondering about more than the booster needing replaced when it starts to have problems.

 

[AlpineAccess]

So around $4600 in possible repairs based on your high end observations. Around here the repair costs seem a bit higher so based on your input I’d say no less than 6-7K in repairs are possible. I do my own work so that would bring it down some but I’m just trying to wrap my head around it and your post helps.

Yeah, definitely could go that high. If you DIY you'll be able to get stuff tied off under $2k I'd bet.

 

[Infinity00]

Offer $5,000 and go from there.

yeah that’ll go over well, lol. But point taken.

 

[AlpineAccess]

I’ve read about the earlier 100 series brake system failures, so I was wondering about more than the booster needing replaced when it starts to have problems.

Usually an issue at over 200k. Definitely the biggest repair many have with the 100 series platform and worth a healthy level of concern. You can test the system via instructions on here.

 

[CloudCity]

Here that might be a 12k truck in current condition. Our Cruiser/LX prices tend to be somewhat high however because rigs don't rust here and command a bit of a premium so consider any underside corrosion and deduct if present.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Yeah, definitely could go that high. If you DIY you'll be able to get stuff tied off under $2k I'd bet.

That is unfortunately untrue. You will absolutely not be able to do all this work unter $2k. Around $4k is what I'd budget for it if you DIY

 

[Whiskerz]

My random question on all of the transmission services and brakes. Was it pulling a heavy trailer? Being ran hard in the mountains? Brake jobs with cheap parts ?

 

[AlpineAccess]

That is unfortunately untrue. You will absolutely not be able to do all this work unter $2k. Around $4k is what I'd budget for it if you DIY

Untrue, or optimistic?

Price out his parts list for the current items he has stated as known issues. If the CVs can be rebooted instead of replaced he's under $1k in parts.

I agree that it could be significantly more if he finds additional issues, but he gave us a list and I'm not a psychic.

 

[geanes]

I'm having my rack replaced as we speak. The part alone is $580. Labor is around $800. CVs are going to run between $150 (reman) to $400 (OEM Toyota) plus labor (if you don't do it yourself).

I see a LOT of missed maintenance in that list. Makes me think "what else did they neglect"? Better have $5k set aside for baselining and hope the AHC is fine (though they likely skipped servicing it as well....probably all original fluid). $15.9 for the year and mileage would be good a fully sorted LX. I think they are about $7k high given what you've listed. I'd offer $8k at most.

 

[Infinity00]

@AlpineAccess laid it out really well, and took the time to clarify each issue. That was incredibly helpful.

I like to go OEM otherwise I have to redo in a few years - so I know how much that costs especially when you’re talking about a Lexus. I have a GX right now and the identical Toyota part is often 50% higher - and it hurts when you can’t get the identical Toyota part.

@geanes I had lined up a OEM remanufactured rack for $500 for my GX470 but the guy that did them for Toyota is now lost to me and I can’t find a good one that cheap now.

@Whiskerz Interesting thoughts on maintenance. To me it seemed like someone keeping up with regular maintenance but something to look into. Tucson does have hills.

I’ve run many cars thru Lexus driver and this was the first one I’ve seen with this many records that wasn’t a rust bucket.

 

[kwoodwo]

I personally don’t think it is overpriced by that much. I’d probably value it at $13,500-14,000.

 

[Infinity00]

Interesting take on it.

 

[kwoodwo]

The problem is that we are “enthusiasts” and know what to look for. The market on these has increased substantially whether we like it or not.

After reading the comments about the deferred maintenance- this is one that I would just pass on altogether rather than trying to haggle $5-6k off of the price for repairs.

it is a 17 year old truck and just about every 17 year old truck that is sitting at a dealership is going to need a lot of maintenance. The way around this is finding one owned by an enthusiast that is a fanatic when it comes to maintenance.

however, that dealer will find someone to buy that vehicle for at least $13k simply due to the low mileage (assuming it isn’t rusted out).

 

[saucebox]

Maintenance > Mileage

 

[geanes]

^^THIS^^ I'll take a high-mileage, well-maintained 100 over a low-mileage, poorly maintained 100.