To sell, or not to sell...

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C

coveboy

10 Year
Joined
Feb 1, 2011
Threads
28
Messages
419
Location
Florida
So, here's my delima:
I'm in college and drive a 100 series daily. I love my truck to death, but it's 180k miles in, and maintenance is starting to pick up... Here's my list of things I need to do so far:
CV boots-one has a rip and now has grease coming out. The other I just put a new hose clamp on. Figured I'd just replace the whole CV assemblies
Timing belt and Water Pump-they're both original...
Suspension updated-needs shocks for sure, all original, and I've always done a lot of towing and offroading
Just minor fluid changes
Tires soon-about 35k miles on my set now
Anything else yall can think of?

Here are my options:
Get all of this done at about the same time. Any price guesses for those that have had all of these completed (ignoring new tires, figure 1200 for those)? And as far as suspension, I figured if I was getting new shocks and what not, I might as well go ahead and get a full on lift, diff drop included.
My other option is to sell my truck as is (or after my CV's are replaced at least) and purge for something newer. Was thinking like a 02-04 Tacoma or 04-05 ish Z71 with like 60k miles or so.

What are yalls opinions? Don't get me wrong, I love my Land Cruiser, but for something with so many miles and requiring a decent amount of work quite soon, is it worth all the labor and money invested? It's just becoming a hassle having to replace stuff once it goes out (i.e., alternator went out last week...ugh)
 
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Don't be surprised if your replies are a little biased considering where you are asking the question.

Additional information that might get you better answers;
  • How much of the work would you do yourself?
  • Has the 100K service been done?
  • Do you haul more gear or people?
  • What is a realistic re-sale price for your truck where you live?
  • What is a realistic re-sale price for a Taco where you live?
 
rusty_tlc said:
Don't be surprised if your replies are a little biased considering where you are asking the question.

Additional information that might get you better answers;
  • How much of the work would you do yourself? I'd rather just get it all done by a mechanic...schoolwork is overwhelming (engineering major) and I don't really have the time to spend a couple days working solely on my truck
  • Has the 100K service been done?Negatory...
  • Do you haul more gear or people?Honestly a little bit of both. I often (twice a month) haul a flatbed with a couple four wheelers or loads of wood for work. And I always have 4-5 people in the car with me it seems...
  • What is a realistic re-sale price for your truck where you live?My guess, in this condition and comparing to other LC's for sale, 8500
  • What is a realistic re-sale price for a Taco where you live?I'd probably buy out of town, because they are pretty pricey around here. I'm looking to spend 15-16k on a newer truck
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Hahaha I won't be surprised at all. Honestly, I love my truck, it's just begining to be a pain...
 
It would be less expensive to get the maintenance up to date and keep driving it. I sure as heck wouldn't replace it with a used, out of warranty Chevy. Regardless of whether you decide to keep it or sell it, I'd get the water pump, timing belt and serpentine belt replaced first thing tomorrow.
 
Get the 90K and CV rebooted by a mechanic first. Then do the fluids and shocks (or lift) yourself. Then you won't have to deal with constantly fixing a Z71 or having people asking you to move s*** with your pickup.

Kind of sounds like PM has been a little neglected, keep up with it and it won't all build up to a pile of stuff to do at once
 
Topmounter said:
It would be less expensive to get the maintenance up to date and keep driving it. I sure as heck wouldn't replace it with a used, out of warranty Chevy. Regardless of whether you decide to keep it or sell it, I'd get the water pump, timing belt and serpentine belt replaced first thing tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I know it would be less expensive, but would it not be worth it to chuck out a couple thousand more to get something newer? For instance, a Tacoma with a third the mileage that will last me through and much after college.

And Chevy's sure haven't let me down yet...had a 97 Z71 go to 285k miles, and I still see if around town. We used it to pull our 18 box trailer and tow our farm tractors too, so it was a well used work horse (just one of my many examples of chevy being a good truck)...

And actually now that I think about it I did do my serpentine two months ago, so it's good to go.
 
Well when I was in college a car was definitely a luxury (but also a necessity in Southern California). That being said, if you take care of the current issues (timing belt and CV boot FIRST), then you really won't have to worry.

While it is a Toyota, it is an expensive Toyota. When I was in college I needed money for handles and weed. Not repairing my truck.
 
Add the 100K service to you list.

I understand the time issues, but there is no reason you need to do everything at once. You will save a butt load of $$$$ doing stuff yourself. Just figure out a time line and tackle one project at a time.
 
Buying a new car is going to have a lot of hidden costs like sales tax, registration, plates. And you'll probably have to do similar maintenance even on a newer car you buy.

How much longer do you have in school?

If you only have a year to go, I'd say spend the $1200 to keep the 100 running. Once you graduate and have a job (hopefully) you'll be in a better position to make a financial decision.

Replacing everything at once will probably improve the way you think about the truck. (Don't do it if you can't pay if off in full) but you can get like a $2000 0% APR for 18 months balance transfer through a credit card.

I had the same problem with the civic I drove from high school through grad school.
The last week of grad school I accepted a job offer and bought the 100 and sold the civic with a broken steering rack, broken clock spring, worn out brakes, tires and getting close to it's 180k mile service. But before that I was replacing something every few weeks.
 
Keep your 100. I used mine daily for college, commuting about 80 miles roundtrip, 5 days a week, for 2 years straight. IL State Police got used to seeing me on the Interstate so much they've given me thumbs up a few times.

I just kept up on the maintenance, really nothin to it those 2 years, other than the occasional White Castle boxes I had to clean up, became a weekend routine. Girls loved it as much as my buddies did. My rig now has 250k miles and people are still amazed at its condition for being 11 yrs old.
 
Shorter recommendation:

I was in this same situation.
If you're close to graduating, then just keep the 100 alive until then. It sucks but it'll be better in the long run.

Once you get a job or don't have to pay for school, you'll have more money to better take care of the 100 or a new car.
 
Thank yall for all the replies! I'm 3 years from graduating, but I do love my Cruiser. My ultimate goal (if I were to sell it) was to buy another one as soon as I get a career going. I'm pretty set on keeping it, but I was just honestly ignorant of how much more work will need to be completed over the next few years. I'll just take it easy for the next couple months, then find a few days over the summer that I'm free and just tune up the Cruiser. Until then, I'll just avoid the long commutes and keep it out of the woods for a bit. Maybe during my "tune up" I will have saved enough money to really build my Cruiser up to a more capable rig. Some sliders, new suspension, and tires would be nice...

And I swear a Land Cruiser is the ultimate college truck haha. Guys love it because I can haul everyone and all their crap anywhere from to nice dinner to a bonfire in the middle of B.F.E. Chicks love it cause it's "stylish" and is very comfortable. And some of the things I find left behind in the back of my truck amaze me sometimes... The Cruiser packed full of friends is always a good way to start off a night.
 
I musta been doing it wrong :frown: I barely had cash for gas while in college. Anyway, sounds like you've made up your mind to keep the cruiser. Don't know about you, but I didn't have proper tools or a workspace to do anything more than the most basic repair/PM. Do you? If not, you're gonna have to pay someone for the 90K PM. For shocks, go OEM, for ~$110 you're in business. For a lift, buy some spacers for the rear and crank the t-bars. Get a diff-drop kit and call it done. Again, you may have to wait until you can get tool/garage time. Do you live at home? Is cash an issue? Because if $ is king, you could just sell and buy a 7-10 year old Corolla and call it good. :lol:
 
Remember you want to re-boot the stock CV's not replace the Toyotas with NAPA's etc... that leads to failures.

The CV reboot is an easy weekend job and cost's less than $100 if you get all the right parts from toyota and re-pack the wheel bearings.

The Timing can be done for about 600 in parts (including water pump and idlers, serpentine etc). Would make a good spring break project, really not hard at all.

Labor on the other hand for those 2 jobs could approach 1k. But you'll be good for 60 and 90 thousand miles after that and you will know the truck and trust it.

My favorite engineers are hands on dirty, beer drinking, engineers (like me), good luck!,
 
Haha thank yall!! Yes, I live at home now, but am transferring in the fall (War Eagle! :p ). And as far as workspace, my grandfather's hobby is to work on raceboats, so we have every tool imaginable and a covered work space (which is needed in the Florida weather...). I figured I could do the smaller things my self. Shocks shouldn't be a problem (helped a buddy install some on his Dodge last month, wasn't bad for the two of us). Already did the t bars, diff drop and spacers is a good idea... Timing belt and water pump I was quoted at $900, which if parts are $600, is worth chucking out the cash to avoid opening that can of worms... My main concern was putting all this money/time into my truck only to have something else die on me soon after. I just don't want it to be a constant expensive and extensive project.

And as far as buying a corolla and calling it a day, if I were going to downgrade, I'd just buy some old beater 4x4 that can get me from point a to point b and fix on the side of the road for dirt cheap. Beat the tar out of it in the woods and not care haha. I'm a real hands on guy, so fixing and building things is a definite hobby.

Once again, thank yall very much for basically confirming that I'm doing the right thing!
 
As someone who drove an 85 Oldsmobile Delta in college with 260k miles, 1 door that worked and a rusty coat hanger for an antenna, I'd say part with your darling LC for now. You're in college and you should focus on paying for college, and beer. Remember, it's a 60k truck and can be pricey to keep up no matter how reliable it is. Plus the gas is a killer.

Get a beater Tacoma, it'll be just as reliable as your LC and cheap to fix and cheap to run. (If you don't wheel super hard with it). When you're making 80k a year pick up another LC.
 
KlausVanWinkle said:
Buying a new car is going to have a lot of hidden costs like sales tax, registration, plates. And you'll probably have to do similar maintenance even on a newer car you buy.

How much longer do you have in school?

If you only have a year to go, I'd say spend the $1200 to keep the 100 running. Once you graduate and have a job (hopefully) you'll be in a better position to make a financial decision.

Replacing everything at once will probably improve the way you think about the truck. (Don't do it if you can't pay if off in full) but you can get like a $2000 0% APR for 18 months balance transfer through a credit card.

I had the same problem with the civic I drove from high school through grad school.
The last week of grad school I accepted a job offer and bought the 100 and sold the civic with a broken steering rack, broken clock spring, worn out brakes, tires and getting close to it's 180k mile service. But before that I was replacing something every few weeks.
Click to expand...

I agree, tax, title, etc will eat up most of what it wIll cost you to do the tbelt and water pump. You should be able to get a set of Nittos or Toyo OC installed with an alignment for $1200 or spend less for Generals. Do the fluids yourself with guidance from MUD - go Dino, should last thru college so no need for synthetics and big $$$.

Chances are any Tacoma you buy will need the tbelt/water pump and the Z71 will need tires etc. I'm confident that if you search the Z71 forums you'll find they have their quirks as well.

Once you complete the basic service and you learn to live with the minor annoyances of a truck with 180k you be thru college and done it with a vehicle w/a known history.
 
re_guderian said:
I musta been doing it wrong :frown: I barely had cash for gas while in college. . :lol:
Click to expand...

^this
 
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