Opinions on a 97 I am looking at.

[SFDE71]

Ok, so I am looking at buying my first LC. I found a 97 with only 78,xxx miles.:Wow1: The owner says all maint. has been done and has had no problems. All I have seen is pictures, cause it is about 3 hours away. The only thing I see is the drivers side leather is cracking pretty bad and one ding on the driver side door. No lockers but I got the owner down to $10,000.
Good deal or not.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[AndrewP]

Get a CarFax run but if it checks out, you should buy that. It looks to be in excellent shape, and at 78k it's just barely broken in. There are not many left with low miles like that. If it's an original owner with records, that's a huge bonus too.

Looks good from here. If your looking for an 80, this is a good one.

You can add lockers later if you need them, don't let that put you off.

 

[SFDE71]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. This is the original owner. He said he was religious about maint and would take it in if he even thought something was going wrong. The only thing that is bugging me is how badly the front seat is cracked. I know it is 12 yrs old, but with the low mileage it doesn't seem like it should be as bad as it is. here are some pics of the interior.

 

[clinnet]

There's more to looking at the condition of the seat.
An abnormal wear on the passenger seat clues you in to investigate on the mechanicals of the truck. But its an old (in years) truck and wear from a driver's big bum, Sun's UV rays beating on it, and captured heat from closed windows can play on aging the DS seat faster.
I found cleaning it TOO well can remove the top colored layer of the so called leather too.

Best thing to do is have a qualified person to look at it mechanically. You can go to the FAQ section of IH8MUD for potential 80 owners and educate yourself on what you should be looking for in these vehicles.

 

[Desertdude]

Nice base truck, low miles. Two seat covers and your in. (or search Mud for a new seat)

Ours has 89K and its like new - though I have some seat cracks developing slowly.


:::

 

[bucketosudz]

Any leather product without a generous amount of care will suffer greatly, Especially seats. I have seen near mint vehicles with poor drivers seats. As mentioned you slide a big bottom with abrasive pants in and out it will take its toll. Very Nice looking ride nonetheless.

 

[KC Cruiser]

Ask to see maint records. Some people think just changing the oil means fully maintained. IH8 Mud is your bible for 80 series info, from head to toe it will have you covered. I would want to see pics of front birfs and undercarriage. Even if you had to do some things to base line it, it looks like a great base truck! Just no lockers

 

[SFDE71]

Thanks for all the replies. I did a carfax and everything on there looks good, it shows a lot of the regular maint. I know that doesn't cover everything, but does make me feel better knowing they took it in for regular service. I have been doing a lot of research here and on mud and I think I have good idea what to look for. I made the PO an offer and he accepted:wings:, now I just have to find time to go pick it up. It's three hours one way, so I think I have to wait until next weekend

 

[Pskhaat]

Make sure to see if there is any coolant seepage between the head and block on either side before you have any title xfer.

 

[SFDE71]

That is definitely on my list of things to look for.

 

[preacherman]

It looks like you are in the KC area. Get Molle Toyota on state line to look at it. When I lived there they had several tech guys who where members of the Tornado Alley Land Cruiser's. The knew there stuff. Sorry I cannot remember any names.

 

[Brian894x4]

That sounds like one heck of a find. That year and mileage at $10 grand would have been an absolute steal a year or two ago. Today, Land Cruisers prices have dropped like a rock, but that doesn't change the fact that low mileage, one owner, 1997 Land Cruisers are rare as hen's teeth.

I think the price is fair for both the seller and buyer given today's market.

 

[SFDE71]

Thanks preacherman, I will give Molle Toyota a call and see if I can get someone who knows what they are talking about.

 

[czenkov]

Look for all the factory stickers on the panels - door jambs, bumpers, fenders, hatch etc. There is a thread on 'Mud detailing what to look for. There is a science to telling if the bumpers have been replaced i.e. accident.

Carfax just confirms nothing was reported.

When were the brakes last done - on average you will be doing them yearly. Was the head gasket done?
How about the transmission? Slow going into reverse?

Had one. Very capable vehicles. Miss mine a lot but PO did not take care of it. Records are very important. If I could find a low miles one with records I would do it again!

Good luck on the purchase. Seems like a decent deal and you will love it!

 

[cruisertoy]

I wouldn't worry too much about the leather as you can get new leather from a guy on IH8mud for like $500 for the front two seats. People have liked the new leather alot. I bought my 97 sage 40th with 140k miles and lockers 20months ago for $10,000. Your deal doesn't sound too bad with the miles, but ones with 150k or so seem to be running $7-9k right now. Then again I just sold a 93 with 280k miles on it for $1500. Try to talk him down a little. Good luck with the sale.