Value of 98 LX 200K miles?

[bctlex]

Hi all,
Took a little road trip today to look at white 98 LX with 200K miles. Owner wants $10K but seems willing to negotiate. I been looking at LC primarily with less milleage, but thought I should look at LX just to make sure I dont miss anything here (I read the thread comparing value of LC vs LX). Honestly, I am a bit worried buying an LX due to AHC.

I looked at the car and did a quick test drive.
- Interior is pretty clean. Leather is decent shape with some wear and creases. No tear or hole.
- Exterior is pretty clean. Some knicks in paint from road debris. Nothing major.
- Tires seems to be in pretty good shape, lots of thread left.
- No GPS system. Radio works, antenna works, CD player does not work.
- Minimal rust underneath that I can see. Did not see any leaks. Pretty good shape for the age.
- Timing belt and water pump was replaced at 96K miles, so thats due.
- Driver side mirror could not close. The motor was whining loudly trying to close. Can the motor be replaced, or have to buy the whole assembly?
- Front windshield and front passanger side window glass do not have Toyota marking, so those had been replaced.
- Steering wheel do not move forward and back. It will go up and down. I assume the motor is not working.
- Brake pedal was a little weird. The pedal would travel a bit before I can feel the pad starts to bite. Maybe has little air in the system? Owner said brake pads are new.
- AHC seems to work fine, which was really a surprise. It go low, normal, high with a push of a button. I did this several time when parked. On test drive, the car was quite, ride was smooth. AHC fluid is dark. What are the chance that AHC will be working beyond 200K? Or am I buying something that is going to blow up soon? I never driven an LX before so I was impressed with how it rides, and I think my wife is going to like how it rides for her daily drive. I like to keep AHC as long as possible, but unsure how much longer this system can last.
- Anything I miss that I should have look at?

Considering what I mentioned above, some are pretty expensive to fix/replace. What do you think is a fair value for the car? Owner seems willing to negotiate.

Thanks!

 

[TXLX100]

Just based on what you described and assuming there might be a couple of unknowns, I'd say $6k in my opinion. If it was 200k and every last thing been repaired and maintained, I'd say $9k.

Just to add, it's not a big jump in price to get a maintained and nice 100 with less than 150k miles (less than $12k).

 

[r2m]

I have 216k on my 96LC and my wife has 265k on her 98 LC, but run as strong as the day they came out of the factory. Never any major repairs. Worst was the rear seat heater condenser on my wife's LC. $10k may be a little rich. Check Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) and AutoTrader for any other comparisons. As far as rust, I've never had to deal with that living in So. Cal.
Radio's never last in these things. We've already replaced the head units in both our LC's, that to be expected.+
We don't have motors for our mirrors and steering, so again, I can't address that either, but that's pretty fluffy stuff. Do you really care as long as the mirrors still break away/fold manually and the steering will get to your desired position??

 

[Hugga99]

I would say the timing belt gives you some room to wiggle. Sounds to me like $7,509-$8,500 sounds fair. You cannot expect a car, even an LX, at 200k miles to have everything 100% working. Sounds like the one you saw is in solid shape for 200k miles. Make sure you check the sunroof, that is very pricey and can leak.

For reference, I got a 99' LX with 138k miles for $11,500 with very recent timing belt/water pump/brakes. I thought that was fair enough. My steering wheel does not move back and forth either, but do not care as it is in a comfortable position. Like any car, all these little details matter much less once driving everyday. You obsess over them during pre-purchase, but really never think about it when daily driving.

 

[bctlex]

@TXLX100 Agree. I was going to see another LX with 138K miles for $12K last weekend, but some family matter came up. Was going to re-schedule the visit this weekend, but the car was already sold. The mileage on this one is a bit high for my taste, but maybe if I can negotiate the price, it isnt such a bad deal.

@r2m @Hugga99 Agree, the radio and mirror are minor stuffs. I dont listen to CD anymore I do need to have the steering wheel to adjust back and forth because my wife in her current daily drive (sequoia) is sitting too close to the steering wheel/airbag. I was hoping that in LX, she can get into a better position. I didnt check the sunroof closely, but didnt see any sign of leak on headliner.

Appreciate the inputs!

I got the VIN, and check the service records at Lexus. There is nothing about AHC service or replacement, so I am assuming it still has original parts. Anyone knows how long original AHC system last? Who has the highest miles with original AHC here? I been reading any thread I can find about AHC here, and seems that it fails way before 200K miles, which really making me worried about buying this car.

 

[Hugga99]

I wouldn't put too much into the failures here. People tend to complain when something goes wrong, and say nothing when everything works fine. Before buying mine I asked the Austin Land cruiser Specialist about the AHC systems, and he said he has never had someone come in with one broken, and to not worry about it. Worst case scenario, it fails and you spend $1,200 on an OEM install. Not the end of the world in a car that can go for 500,000 miles.

I love this forum, but I have to say, reading it all the time makes you overly paranoid, and causes you to always be looking, and listening, for things to fail. It is great to know what to look for, and be informed from all the great posts here, but be careful not to start expecting things to fail just because it happend to someone here.

Main thing is, how many people do you see saying they regret getting a Cruiser. Not too many. I traded in an Acura with 70k for an LX with 140k. That sounds crazy to most, but I do not regret it for a moment.

 

[TXLX100]

I wouldn't downplay the condition either. Timing belt, water pump, cam seals, pulleys, tensioners isn't cheap. If it's a botched windshield job could be $1500. If steering rack, CV boots are questionable, another $1000-$1500. Steering motors, not a huge deal.... My tilt works, telescopic doesn't but I have it extended all the way. I have the same brake issue, I'm hoping it's a fix with a rebuild, if not that's $2k. Original AHC probably won't up and die, it just probably won't work well.

A used car like this just seems like a weak proposition, esp if you plan to recondition it and keep it. At that price when there are many nice ones in the $10-$12k range.

 

[Wak]

I'm actively (obsessively?) looking as well and have to agree the price is too high. If you're open to all '98 and up years, LC and LX, and mileage that high, there are definitely more fish in the sea. If you want lower miles and a little better condition at that price you can find it. I've seen them. As some here have pointed out, looking is part of the fun. Enjoy and good luck!

 

[mbusa1]

FWIW. I bought my LX about 3 weeks ago. Mine is a 2000, with 175k miles. In relatively rough/average condition. It did have the t-belt/w-pump done though. I got it for 5500.

 

[Cfbrenton1]

You CAN find these with no problems. The 1997 in the picture to the left has exactly ZERO things that don't work the same as they did when the car came off the production line. I even fixed a couple tiny light bulbs on the heater unit. The previous owner of the truck you looked at has clearly let things go without fixing them.

Also, the AHC problems are greatly exaggerated and given the nature of this site --which is great-- people only talk about things that have gone wrong. I have had three LXs, none have ever had a problem with the AHC. I would, however, replace the fluid right away --instructions are on here-- and also do the test they explain on here where you count how many notches it moves.

If it were me, I would start with what I would pay for a perfect specimen --12-13k?-- and then go from there. I would subtract 1500 for the timing belt, 500 for steering wheel and mirror, 500 for windshield risk, 1,000 for rust risk, 500 for radio, 500 for weird brake risk, it sounds like the body's as a few dings and scratches so maybe 1,000 there. This quick and rough calculation gets you to 6500-7500.

Do the boots look good? Does the rear AC work properly? Those lines can corrode and then be an expensive fix. Is there any rust on the back hatch? Look at it when open, near the handle especially. Head gasket issues?

I would plan on replacing every fluid in the truck as soon as I got it.

 

[bctlex]

@Cfbrenton1 Owner said the boots were leaking, but have his mechanic tighten up the clamp. I saw some grease down there. Rear AC seems to work fine. I probably should have tested a bit better. Back hatch is good, no rust from the outside.

Appreciate everyone's input!