Toyota builds cars really well. No question about that. And well-built cars make great used cars. But nothing is eternal, and even Toyota products must eventually succumb to their accumulated years and miles. How far gone is too far gone to be worth the effort? That’s what we’re investigating today.
We were in agreement about yesterday’s choices: the VW Scirocco is the better candidate to fix up. It’s mechanically simpler, in better cosmetic shape, and it has a known problem that isn’t even all that hard to fix. Hell, it isn’t even an in-tank fuel pump. Twelve-year-old-me will always pine for a Dodge Shelby Charger, but that’s not the right one to start with.
Now, about rust: Yeah, I don’t like it either. But I have dealt with it in the past, and unless I want to only buy cars in other parts of the country and bring them here to Michigan (possible, but a giant hassle), I imagine I’ll have to deal with it in the future. And anyway, we’re not talking about the Peter Iredale here. The seller of that Charger wouldn’t have bothered putting new brakes, struts, and a gas tank on a car that’s structurally compromised. I’ve patched floors before (the wrong way, with rivets) and I’m willing to learn how to patch them the right way, with welding, on the right car.
Last week, I mentioned a scruffy old Toyota Corolla I bought a few years back for $500. My wife reminded me, when she read about it, that I spent about another grand on it bringing it up to snuff. Did that make it less of a good deal? A bit, yeah, but it still ended up costing me way less to drive than it would have to keep commuting in my truck, when you factor in gas and insurance. The insurance on the Toyota was actually a bit less than the multi-car discount it invoked, so adding it to the policy actually made it cheaper. And 30 MPG versus 13 is easy math.
The trouble is that even shitty, beat-up Toyotas are often overpriced. I doubt any running $500 Corollas even exist anymore, outside of family-and-friends deals. Even the two examples I’m about to show you, two of Toyota’s finest, feel overpriced to me at two grand in their current condition. But maybe I’m wrong, and you’ll think one of them is a great deal. Let’s check them out and see.
1996 Toyota Previa SC All-Trac – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: Supercharged 2.4-liter OHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, AWD
Location: Kitsap County, WA
Odometer reading: 300,000 miles (but says “odometer broken”)
Operational status: Runs and drives well
I have to give Toyota credit for the Previa. The Japanese giant answered the minivan call with the weird Hiace, which was sold here simply as the “Van,” a cab-over-engine design completely unlike the Chrysler design that would eventually take over the market. It doubled down on the weirdness with the Van’s successor, the egg-shaped Previa. Not everybody understood these vans, but those who did absolutely loved them. The seller of this van says its their third Previa. That’s pretty good customer loyalty for a vehicle that hasn’t been sold here in twenty-nine years.
The Previa’s stubby hood opens, but don’t expect to find the engine under there. All you’ll find are places to check the fluids, the air filter, and if I remember right, the fuse box. The engine is under the driver’s seat, accessed through a hatch in the floor. Two engines were available in the Previa in the US: a 2.4-liter four, and a supercharged version of the same. This one has the supercharger, as well as Toyota’s All-Trac all-wheel-drive system. It has a lot of miles, but the engine was replaced two years ago, and the seller says it runs and drives great.
So we have a high-mileage but good-running Toyota van; how is this a project, you ask? Well, the interior is “somewhat rough,” according to the seller, and it needs a bunch of smallish repairs. The HVAC fan only runs on high speed, for one thing. It also needs a new windshield, and the side window in the sliding door is held in place by what looks like gaffer’s tape. The seller says the hardware is broken. It’s also dirty and beat-up inside. A good cleaning would give you a better idea of just how rough it is.
Outside, it’s got dents and scrapes all over, but no serious damage that I can see. The headlights are foggy, but that’s no surprise on a car this age. Ordinarily, I’d suggest you just replace them, but these don’t seem easy to find, so you might have to try to polish them. This thing will never be pretty, but with some work, it could be a little more presentable.
1998 Lexus LS 400 – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 4.0-liter DOHC V8, five-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Vancouver, WA
Odometer reading: 170,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
It’s still weird to me to hear a car this new referred to as a classic. It’s like hearing Nirvana on the “classic rock” station. I mean, yeah, okay, but it’s jarring. The LS 400 definitely qualifies, though; this car has earned its place in automotive history, and if there’s a pantheon of luxury sedans, it has a seat there. So much so that even one that has suffered as much of a beating as this ends up in an auction yard instead of a junkyard. Nobody wants to give up on a car this freaking good.
The LS 400 is powered by a 4.0-liter V8 that runs smoothly enough to perform a really impressive trick you may remember from the ads. That silky-smooth engine drives the rear wheels through an automatic transmission, which had gained a fifth gear by the time this one was built. The seller says it runs and drives really well, despite how it looks on the outside. They just picked it up from an auction and don’t have time to fix it up like they planned.
The seller says the interior is “not too bad,” but it doesn’t look great. I think it’s mostly just dirty, but the glovebox door is on the floor, and there’s glass all over the rear seat from a broken window. Hopefully it hasn’t been parked outside in the rain with that window missing, otherwise the cleanup will be a lot worse.
The mangled left front corner shown in the first photo is sadly not the only damage; the right side rear door took a hit too, and it looks like the dent may extend into the rear quarter panel. You can probably replace the fender, hood, doors, and bumper with junkyard parts (if you can find one in a junkyard), but the other damage may have to stay. These are going to be prized classics someday, but that probably won’t include this one. It is still an awfully nice driving car, though.
Toyota, and by extension Lexus, means something in the used car market. They’re the brands that most buyers consider a sure thing, and most of the time, they are. And if these two cars were clean and low-mileage, they’d be commanding a whole lot more money. As they sit, they’re both still good-running, reliable cars. But are these two really still worth a couple grand in their current condition? And which one is more worth it? That’s what you have to decide.
The windshield on the van actually bothers me the most. First of all, what’s wrong with it? I don’t see any flaws in the images. Second of all, these things can’t be cheap. (Checks internet). Yeah, $900 on top of that price.
That LS400 is possibly beat up inside as well as out. The lack of interior pics bothers me. Tough one today.
Lexus. As others have said, If someone has owned 2 other Previa’s and loves them is selling this one there is a big issue.
The Lexus is holy grail beater. Cosmetic damage with a clean title and mechanically good. The glass in the back makes me think this is a recent crash and we are in the dry season. It hasn’t rained for 2 months. Needs a closer inspection but likely is OK.
The ad says they are moving overseas, so strike your first argument.
They’re both pretty crappy Toyota products so I would not want either of them in real life. But if forced to pick, I’d choose the van.
I once knew a guy with a Volkswagen van that had a mid-engined Olds 455, a turbo-400, and a driveshaft that was about a foot long.
Has anyone ever made a PrelCamino? (Pranchero?) I’m, uhh… asking for a friend.
You could fashion some sort of midgate to allow the driver’s seat to tilt back for engine access, but that’s just part of the creative process, right?
Okay, I probably wouldn’t go to all that trouble, but I’m going places with the Previa today anyway.
That Lexus has seen some things… I’m going supercharged van today.
The supercharged, mid-engine, AWD Minivan almost wins just for being what it is. It’s amazing in that car nerd sort of way that appeals to me. It also looks like it’s lived a good, honest, if long, life. Unlike its competitor today…
That LS would also be amazing…if it hadn’t been involved in what looks like a relatively high-speed, albeit glancing, crash. Like it was involved in a car chase and was put back together just enough to make it functional. It’s a little far gone even for being a drift missile. Once a great car, and in the same condition as the Previa probably worth a lot more, but it ended up in the wrong neighborhood somehow.
So, by replaced the engine 2 years ago, does that mean a Jasper reman motor, or more probably just the first running 200K mile unit that was found in a Pick and Pull? I am not against the AWD Baluga whales, but this one is sketchy. I will pass. the LS400 is interesting only because I would kind of want to gut it and make it into a sleeper drag car, see what the 4.0 could do then swap in a pickup 5.7 and then see what it could do. just for funsies.
I really want both, but I pulled the imaginary trigger on the Lexus. I’d do the full Mad Max treatment and rule the wasteland in comfort.
Hey I’ve owned both of these previously, though my Previa wasn’t supercharged. The Previa being an AWD model takes the cake for me. Mine was a tank in Ohio winter.
I’d rather not deal with the body damage on the Lexus, and I think the supercharged van is a lot more interesting anyway; I kinda want to make it an itasha.
A supercharged AWD van. WOO HOO!!!
I’m a little concerned that someone who has owned three Previas is selling this one. Maybe they wanted something different…or maybe they know this one is on its last legs. I like the Previa but I’d rather spend more to have one in better shape, and with fewer miles. The Lexus is ugly but you could make it presentable with a bit of time. Plus it has nearly half the miles as the Previa.
The ad says they are moving overseas and obviously won’t be taking it with them.
I’ve seen it done, so here’s what I’d do. Get the LS400, cut away the body. Buy a classic American car with a decent body, but no drivetrain, floors, etc. Cut the guts out of the American car, and slide it over the LS400. You can find lots of old Buick/Olds/Pontiacs/Etc. with a similar wheelbase to do this with for cheap.
So, LS400 for me for that purpose alone.
If someone loves Previas, and on their third, is getting rid of a driveable one implies they know something.
The Lexus is the one to check out and do a sniff test, a quick drive to check that the track is straight, and check if it’s salvage (or just beat up). If it’s just aesthetic – full-send.
It’s the vanlyfe for me. Not even Camissa’s latest video can convince me to pull the trigger on that LS400.
Again with the parts cars! I don’t like this version of the timeline.
I’d go with the van, and make a weird anime version of the Mystery Machine out of it. That windshield is likely the most expensive fix; but the Lexus is just thrashed in every possible way. I’m not subsidizing someone else’s bad decisions.
Gotta be the van, right? Afterall, it’s mid-engined, supercharged, and all wheel drive!