I agree with this. Sometimes it’s just too much hassle, which is the beauty of the lease… ‘here you go its yours now’ . lol
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That’s fantastic, you got to drive a new car for free for a few years. Totally cool you were able to find a 2001 Highlander in good condition, that will take care of you indefinitely.
If once/flipping and cheap car opportunities fade away, I’m really thinking of getting a 90’s JDM no-frills type of car. There’s something really freeing and special about basic cars that have been engineered to last.
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I wouldn’t say indefinitely, the 1MZ engines (Same as in the RX300 and ES300) have their problems but if the previous owner knew about their weak points and addressed them it should be good to go for a time.
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Oh my gosh. I have looked at a lot of JDM imports lately. They seem to be really affordable for some of the wacky stuff like Kei cars.
This will be my third or fourth engine in that series. My other Highlander has one as well, 2006. I’ve had a lexus and a Solara with the same engine as well. No issues. And I had another Highlander with the same engine, but someone wrecked into that and I also made a lot of money on that insurance settlement.
When taken care of (keeping it sludge free, timing belt/wp, replacing VVT actuator when it starts doing a diesel-like clatter) they are good engines and actually sound great with a resonator delete.
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Just to be safe I ordered some Liqui-Moly and another brand of top end cleaner that escapes me right now. I’ll run that through and get the oil change to synthetic. It runs and drives so nice.
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I have a ton of friends stationed in Japan right now (gotta love worsening tensions with China). The military allows them to basically import one car for free when they return from assignment, so it’s been fun to do some shopping with them.
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As an aside, my dad was part of the occupation forces during WWII. Two of the ships he was on were torpedoed and sank. Got tix to Tokyo in March, but being entry restrictions will make them worthless.
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Bless him, if he’s still around thank him for his service. War is a nasty thing for everyone.
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90s JDM cars are overpriced now tho
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Yeah they’re definitely not cheap, but there’s a few gems still left.
Even for the popular/overrated cars, an old land cruiser bought for $15k-$20k would probably still appreciate over time
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I bought a 95 Supra TT 6 speed for 38
January 2020
I sold it last month for 41k WRECKED car wasn’t worth past 20k imo
well they ain’t makin any more of them, and by wrecking that one you made everyone else’s worth more 
Sorry to hear that though, but good job on making some serious money
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It had a history when you bought it or you wrecked it?
I bought it clean title
I just sold it for 41 last month wrecked
I lost money
Insurance payout would have been 60k+
Did you not have insurance on it??? Why did you not get the payout???
My dumbass never drove it so it had liability
And the one time I drove it to the market .2 miles away a speeding 18 year old kid hit me
Insurances blamed each other
Thank god for covid or else I would have lost a lot of money
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Oh mannnnnnn. That’s always how it happens. Glad you are okay and didn’t take a big hit on money.
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