Which 100s are worth it?

[mlofty72]

Hello All,

New to the forum. I have been looking for LC's (98+) for quite some time and am finally going to look to purchase. I have owned both an 05 4Runner and 07 Sequoia in limited trims. Both were 4WD and both had the 4.7 so I am not unfamiliar with the 2UZ.

Prices vary wildly and I have been looking nationwide and there seems to be 2 sets of LCs... Ones with service records, tbelts done and good carfax info. And the second group that has little documentation, light carfax info yet still seem in very good shape. Of course the first group are always most expensive.

For example in my area there is a 2004 100 with 300k on it that has very limited information on, yet the price is low enough that addressing the tbelt and normal services may make it a bargain if most of the mileage is highway which I cant see how it wasn't. I would normally run away from vehicles with little documentation but LCs seem to be robust enough to be a good DD if needing a bit of make up maintenance.

Is my best bet getting the newest one in my budget provided it hasn't been totally neglected and hopefully has addressed some of the major maintenance items? Or is one that passes inspection without tons of service records ever worth it? Mileage doesn't seem to be much of a concern with LCs.

Thanks.

 

[yeti in ga]

Welcome , and good luck on the search for the right LC, everyone knows the '99 is the best year.. This topic comes up often , please use the search feature on the site to find 100s of threads on this very topic. Happy Hunting....

 

[TXLX100]

You just need to find the one you are comfortable with, in your price range. I look inside, under the vehicle, consider maintenace and repairs already done and can attach a value to that when I was looking for one.

For me, hitting the sweet spot on a 1998-2001 with around 110-130k miles that has had common maintenace and common repairs already performed offers the best value. Not coming out a bunch of money after you buy it, and many miles before major service is due.

 

[DanInDenver]

I bought my 2000 almost 4 years ago. It had 136k miles, 4 owners, no TB or WP done that I could tell. Was at the dealer for 30 days or so, dirty inside and out. Test drove it, negotiated, then walked away. They called me all week, so I went back and bought it.
In that time I have;
daily driven, wheeled it (3 HIH and all over CO), back and forth to Chicago twice.
TB, WP, starter (1st week I had it it failed), Rotors and pads all around, Heater and Fog light relay (A real B@tch), wheel bearing repack (thanks MUD).
Don't stress it too much, buy one and let the adventure begin.
Love it and it will love you back.