Is this my new LX470?

[kman62]

I really hate doing this, but I learnt that if you lack knowledge, then you should acquire it or collaborate with those who have the knowledge you seek. So a little background, I have been researching (Slee FAQ, IH8MUD and here) sites for the last two years on which vehicle I should by for my needs and it came down to really two or should I say three LC100/LX470 or a LR3. Well reliability trumped emotional desire and I chosen the 100 series vehicles. Now I'm down to selecting the vehicle and here is one that looks ok to me but I want to get other opinions, I will ultimately be the "decider", the car has always been serviced at a Lexus dealer and it appears to have had the 90K maintenance, I used a combination of the CarFax and the drivers.lexus.com site to identify the services records. As a matter of fact I was able to find 17 pages of service info on the Lexus site.

What do you guys think, 2004 LX470 155K miles 18K.


Thank you all in advance for your assistance.

Keith.

 

[Sempertoy]

Yes it is.

 

[peneumbra]

OK, you have our approval. But change out that "bumper", lift it a few inches, ditch the running boards, and get some different wheels...

 

[mhiscox]

A fine truck, and as it is a 2004, it has a bunch of significant improvements that hit in 2003. If the car has been maintained on schedule, and you keep up the maintenance, it is legitimately a quarter-million mile truck. I've had two of them and they were flawless.

That said, it is well worth looking through the information here:

http://www.sleeoffroad.com/newbie/newbieUZJ100.htm

to pick up some additional knowledge.

I suspect you have discovered that, compared to it's competitors, the Hundred Series trucks are what you might charitably call "fully valued," to the point where a Range Rover that started out costing quite a bit more may now be about half the price of an LX470 of the same model year. This is not any statement about the relative merits of the trucks or how good any individual truck will be compared to any other. It's simply the result of the market voting with its pocketbook that it wants the reliability of the 100s and will pay a hefty premium for it. They are one of the few vehicles where 100K miles is considered low mileage and no cause for concern. (And my two were, in fact, totally trouble free.)

 

[kman62]

Those are my plans but I will have to wait until 2015 for the bumper and lift. I'll wait until the ACH die before replacing the suspension.

OK, you have our approval. But change out that "bumper", lift it a few inches, ditch the running boards, and get some different wheels...

 

[kman62]

Thank you for your input. I've read the Slee article over and over. It's my goto reference for the 100 series vehicles. I have it in Evernote and I pull it out when I'm inspecting vehicles.

A fine truck, and as it is a 2004, it has a bunch of significant improvements that hit in 2003. If the car has been maintained on schedule, and you keep up the maintenance, it is legitimately a quarter-million mile truck. I've had two of them and they were flawless.

That said, it is well worth looking through the information here:

http://www.sleeoffroad.com/newbie/newbieUZJ100.htm

to pick up some additional knowledge.

I suspect you have discovered that, compared to it's competitors, the Hundred Series trucks are what you might charitably call "fully valued," to the point where a Range Rover that started out costing quite a bit more may now be about half the price of an LX470 of the same model year. This is not any statement about the relative merits of the trucks or how good any individual truck will be compared to any other. It's simply the result of the market voting with its pocketbook that it wants the reliability of the 100s and will pay a hefty premium for it. They are one of the few vehicles where 100K miles is considered low mileage and no cause for concern. (And my two were, in fact, totally trouble free.)

 

[temple]

Perfect. What are you waiting for?

 

[kman62]

Perfect. What are you waiting for?

To visit the dealer next weekend to test drive and inspect the LX470 as it's about 100 miles from my house.

 

[Littlehouse]

Looks like a good score, so you better scoop it up quick. 06/07 with a little lower mileage are selling for double that. Slightly better HP/TQ in the 06/07, but I don't think much else. I've been watching for a couple months now.

 

[Bretthn]

Personally I would never buy Pearl White. Some would say it is the best color though....:sombrero:
I say if it looks and drives as good in person scoop it up but it would not be far fetched to snag it as low as $14500-15000. Worst the dealer can say is no and you buy it anyway.
Good luck and make sure to let us know if you end up with it.

 

[p nut]

I say if the carfax checks out, all VIN tags are there on body panels, and no rust issues underneath, it's a good price. Unlike what someone else said, no need to start modding right away. Enjoy it in stock trim. It will give you a good idea of what you really need when you do upgrade.

 

[ChuckB]

Looks/sounds good to me. Pearl White is the best color I'll trade you wheels I have the chrome version :yikes:

 

[Ed B]

Go for it. I have had my 2004 for about 6 months now and love it. It had 90,000 on it when I bought it. In stock trim it will take you to plenty of remote places. Good luck with the purchase.

 

[kman62]

Thanks for the pricing strategy, Ill kept the group informed.

Personally I would never buy Pearl White. Some would say it is the best color though....:sombrero:
I say if it looks and drives as good in person scoop it up but it would not be far fetched to snag it as low as $14500-15000. Worst the dealer can say is no and you buy it anyway.
Good luck and make sure to let us know if you end up with it.

 

[kman62]

I saw a 04 w/97K for $23K in vegas.

Go for it. I have had my 2004 for about 6 months now and love it. It had 90,000 on it when I bought it. In stock trim it will take you to plenty of remote places. Good luck with the purchase.