Too good to be true LX.. what do I look for?!?!

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C

Clead

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Threads
13
Messages
82
Location
New Westminster, B.C.
Looks like I might be joining the club a little earlier than I had planned (was thinking mid 2013). I've found a way too good to be true 2001 LX here. Totally stock, 121k mi, TB done at 105k. Local truck, dealer serviced. AHC moves 10 notches from low to high. Body and interior in great shape. Blown speakers in ML system, broken tilit/tele as usual. listed at $12,000 right now. It test-drove very well. Perfectly aligned, no odd noises, braking very even. I couldn't find anything to fault while driving it.

The main problem is that it's at one of the shadiest dealers here. They've been written up as scammers repeatedly. Selling rebuilds as clean title etc. He says it "came from a Lexus lot trade-in". Uh, sure.

I ran our Canadian carfax on it. It's clean and consistent. History shows a couple glass claims and a $1400 collision. The glass matches the story: all original except the windshield and passenger front window.
My question is this: What are they hiding?!?!:hhmm: Is there any way to hide a failing trans? The engine bay looks amazing. I don't see any leaks whatsoever.
I want to buy this truck, but I'm terrified of buying some hidden big problem! I'm going to use the Slee checklist and then later this week I'm taking it to a local inspection shop that specializes in uncovering dirty tricks from used dealers, as well as its home Lexus service shop to see what they say.
Help[me buy this truck:D]!
Duncan
 
I think I've read that the pre-2000 100 series have stronger transmissions.
 
I think you pretty much have it covered. Have it thoroughly inspected by someone that has no emotional or financial ties with it and if it turns out good, buy it. You will never have to deal with the dealer again especially of you buy it 'as is'.
Perfectly good trucks end up at sleazy dealers and junk sometimes end up at respectable dealerships. You just never know. In the end it is a 12 year old machine. They are good rigs but at that age, there is always a risk involved.
 
I'm not familiar with Canadian Carfax, but I think people in general place too much trust in the Carfax report.

I think it was about four years ago a very good friend wrecked his brand new Dodge Viper. When I say "wrecked" I mean like $50K worth of damage...

That year there was a new Z06 Corvette option and just for fun he went to the local Chevy dealer to see about trading in the Viper on a new Corvette. The dealer ran the Carfax and it was clean!

So he traded in the Viper on the new Corvette.
 
When I bought mine, I knew it had a history which involved water + engine.
I took it to my mechanic who had a good look.
That was over a year ago and the car is still going strong.
 
Hmmm.... that phrase "too good to be true" is a huge red flag, especially from a known shady dealer. Use your own and a good mechanic's judgement. I know from personal experience that Carfax reports can be wrong and they make it very difficult to correct an inaccurate report. In the June, 2009 issue, Consumers Reports wrote they used title record services to look up dozens of cars with known collision damage and:

"Many reports returned "clean" results, sometimes from all five services: Carfax (www.carfax.com), AutoCheck (www.autocheck.com), the free VINCheck from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (www.nicb.org), and two services providing information from the federal government's National Motor Vehicle Title Information Systems database (www.nmvtis.gov)."

Caveat emptor.
 
Agreed. My 80-series showed a clean Carfax. After I bought it, I discovered it had been in a wreck, just put back together well. The Toyota dealer (in Phoenix, AZ) that did the PPI for me never mentioned that it showed signs of having been in an accident, either. I was a bit disappointed in them, as you can imagine.

If it appears to be "too good to be true"........"Run Forrest, Run !". As one of my favorite mechanics said, "You can't pay to much for a really good one, and you can't pay too little for a really bad one!" Caveat emptor.
 
BlueBook on that is $13,594 in "Fair Condition". Factoring in the $1400 damages reported, broken steering wheel adjuster, blown speakers, that could be the reason behind ,"the too good to be true" statement.


Question...when you arrived for a test drive did they have it running already? If so, request a cold start and and go from there. 100's like to quiet down once warmed up. There should be a VIN # on each body panel. Check for bolts with fresh wrench marks on them, and any paint that doesn't look original. Inspect CV axles and do several lock to lock turns with the windows down, listen for noises. Look at the hoses as well. Ask to take it for the day and pull the intake off, look at the throttle body. That should tell you if whoever owned it at least did common sense maintenance.

Who knows, you could just be looking at a vehicle the dealer does not want on their lot, and is trying to fire sale it. I'm sure insurance and lot space is not worth a 12 year old vehicle. They would rather have a brand new Camry in that spot with maximum profit. Do they sell a lot of trucks/SUV's?
 
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12,000 is too much for that many km's. I bought an 01 with less than 100,000km (60,000 mi) for $14,000 three years ago. Two years before that I bought a '98 with 140,000km for $12000. Both were purchased in Canada. Neither required any repairs.

If I was you I'd offer 10,500 and negotiate to no more than 11,000.

Repairs can be a pain, unless you like that sort of thing.

Simply put, that deal is not "too good to be true".
 
well done to the canadian rocky cruiser.. i think you're good price is attributed to the fact it is a relatively unknown and uncelebrated vehicle here in canada. i bought mine 2 years at (2001 model) at a used kia dealership.. i spotted it driving by when i was on my way to a small town speciality shop that services my audi. i recognized it immediately and walked in, asked how much it was selling for (playing dumb to the fact its the greatest vehicle known to mankind).. they weren't sure of the model and had to go look at the back of it.. the odometer read 110K miles and it was sold by some footballer that moved up to canada from southern u.s.. all highway miles, road tires and never seen dirt (shame waste of engineering). they didn't have a price on it, but suggested $12K. i drove it around the corner to the audi specialist (genious mechanics overall and well trusted over my years of modding and service) and he gave me a list of things to fix - cracked headers, D indicator light out, slight pulling to the right (caliper piston seized), front brakes 40%, e brake siezed etc.. they knocked off the cost of brake caliper and fixed the rest on their dime.. i walked out paying 12K after tax and had it ready for baselining and the start of my build..

two years later, couldn't be happier.. the engine is just bombproof reliable. my audi has half the kM and my oil is black within 5K km.. the cruisers oil looks brand new still after 10K km.. i switch it anyway..

i can't get over the 14K paid for the cruiser with 100K..
 
Clead said:
...The main problem is that it's at one of the shadiest dealers here. They've been written up as scammers repeatedly. Selling rebuilds as clean title etc. He says it "came from a Lexus lot trade-in". Uh, sure...
Click to expand...

The deal on the 100 aside, why would you want to support a shady company with a slimy reputation? The reason why they stay open and continue their fraudulent actions is dolts keep buying their cars.
 
Lol, yeah it's the one at Brillyan. Obviously I need to hone my BS detecting skills. What did I miss? Had another look today.. Speakers aren't blown, but the amp cuts in and out. Tilt DOES sort-of work, tele is inop. I couldn't find any leaks, and it's been raining for a while here. I was thinking of offering 10k for it if it passes my mechanic's inspection.
Too bad the pretty green/tan one at Lucky8 is a '99. I need ATRAC, VSC etc for my family hauler.
 
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Clead said:
Looks like I might be joining the club a little earlier than I had planned (was thinking mid 2013). I've found a way too good to be true 2001 LX here. Totally stock, 121k mi, TB done at 105k. Local truck, dealer serviced. AHC moves 10 notches from low to high. Body and interior in great shape. Blown speakers in ML system, broken tilit/tele as usual. listed at $12,000 right now. It test-drove very well. Perfectly aligned, no odd noises, braking very even. I couldn't find anything to fault while driving it.

The main problem is that it's at one of the shadiest dealers here. They've been written up as scammers repeatedly. Selling rebuilds as clean title etc. He says it "came from a Lexus lot trade-in". Uh, sure.

I ran our Canadian carfax on it. It's clean and consistent. History shows a couple glass claims and a $1400 collision. The glass matches the story: all original except the windshield and passenger front window.
My question is this: What are they hiding?!?!:hhmm: Is there any way to hide a failing trans? The engine bay looks amazing. I don't see any leaks whatsoever.
I want to buy this truck, but I'm terrified of buying some hidden big problem! I'm going to use the Slee checklist and then later this week I'm taking it to a local inspection shop that specializes in uncovering dirty tricks from used dealers, as well as its home Lexus service shop to see what they say.
Help[me buy this truck:D]!
Duncan
Click to expand...

I Just bought my 2000 2 weeks ago from an Infinity dealership. It looked to be in perfect shape and of course they gave it a clean bill. When I got it home the first thing I did was schedule a full inspection at my local Lexus dealership, for free of couse. One of the nice perks if being a Lexus owner, they even gave me a free loaner GX350 while it was being serviced.

They came back with just a bunch of maintenance things but nothing major. I would check and see what the return policy is for that dealership. So if you can take it to the Lexus dealership fairly soon you can minimize your risk. You might even see if the dearship will let you take it the mechanic for a double check!!
 
It's been awhile since I looked at the LX at Brillyan but I remember it being a POS. It's rusty too IIRC. I think I also noticed a dent in the side. I wasn't impressed enough to even get inside. I spoke to the dealer for a minute and my BS meter blew the scale.

Stay away from that place. There are plenty of better deals around. Keep looking.
 
Hey neoworm, would you mind sharing some more details about the cons you found? Obviously I need to look harder. I noticed a dent beside the rear license plate, a bit of rust on the tailgate, the tilt/tele issues, amp cutting in and out, and a dirty interior. I never did get underneath it... it must be pretty bad!
 
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Clead said:
Hey neoworm, would you mind sharing some more details about the cons you found? Obviously I need to look harder. I noticed a dent beside the rear license plate, a bit of rust on the tailgate, the tilt/tele issues, amp cutting in and out, and a dirty interior. I never did get underneath it... it must be pretty bad!
Click to expand...

Uh, how many more reasons do you need? Don't get sucked in by the price. You're gonna end up spending the money one way or another. Look to be honest I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it. I saw a bunch of early warning signs right from the get go and then the salesman opened his mouth and that pretty much confirmed I didn't want it.

IMO it's a piece of s*** but I have very high standards. Partly because I've seen many nice examples of lower mile well cared for trucks out there. You just need to be patient and willing to jump on it when it shows up.

If those flaws fall within "your" acceptable range then go for it but I think you can do better. If that is all you can afford then maybe consider a different vehicle segment. Just my $.02

P.S. "a bit of rust on the tailgate" this alone is enough for me to walk away. A bit of rust you can see = a lot of rust you can't.

Good luck. I'm looking for a 2006 but if I see an older one that looks good I'll send it your way.
 
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I've decided to get this '01 LX inspected by my mechanic. I might be able to find a nicer one somewhere else, like Texas or LV, but duty/travel would add a fair chunk of change to the price. There are another couple '99s for sale here, but the ATRAC and VSC are non-negotiable with my kidlets and wife in the truck. I'll post pics of the undercarriage from the hoist. If this wasn't a local/dealer-serviced/no accidents truck, I would not be looking at it. The shady lot guy today said they bought it at a wholesale auction as a Regency Lexus trade-in, since they don't sell vehicles that "old" :lol: themselves.
Thanks guys
 
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