2000-03 LX470 or 04/05/06?

[CaneCounsel007]

Hey guys, I've been readin y'alls posts and they're amazing.

I'm in a quandary, as I've decided 100 series is the way to go. But need help pulling trigger- is ideal world NO nav/backup cam and older model, or the later, higher horsepower, nav backup cam combo where it's at?

This will be used for occasional towing of a small boat, general daily driving, and occasional off-road use. Plan is to lift w/ bigger tires, throw some LED lights in a few places, and listen to some music at a reasonable level. (I'm 35, not 21, so I got them responsibilities, including retaining my remaining auditory function). It's Florida, so hills and snow aren't even in our vocab, but it would be cool to MOAB / Mountain run this once squared away...

So which is 'better'? I'm also picky in terms of color (black/gray/green over white or champagne) and I DO want to end up with some modern bluetooth backup cam capability, but would definitely prefer the 05/06 w/ no nav if I could get it (do they even make 05/06 w/ no nav?)

What should I look for and what should I base decision on? For purposes of this exercise, I assume AHC is on fritz and timing belt change hasn't been done. What has made this harder is having the perfect 03LS430 with all maintenance records from prior owner, so have been waffling between second vehicle purchase vs. selling LS and buying newer (+$$) LX... Thanks for any and all input.

 

[planomateo]

At a minimum, I'd go for a 2003 or newer to get the 5 speed transmission.

 

[vman07]

I was just in the same boat as you, which year to get, how much to spend, should we sell our other vehicle?

We ended up getting an 07' LX with lower miles. It has the 5 speed auto and the 275 horsepower motor. We are very happy with it and in the end, although we ended up paying on the higher end of spectrum for a 100 series, we checked all the boxes for what we wanted.

FWIW , there is no blutooth music capability in the LX , but I installed a VAIS tech blutooth receiver and I can now stream music from my phone and control music through steering wheel controls.

Best of luck with your decision...

 

[Aubie77]

I found a low mile 2000 for a great price and it made it more reasonable to think about other upgrades as well. It is all about what you find available for what you want to spend.

 

[CaneCounsel007]

Both suggestions are on point... b/c I hate payments, my budget doesn't quite extend into that 07 range... but I did see that about the BLTooth; unfortunate that that's the truth, makes finding a non-nav more of a priority (which is annoying b/c then all speakers need to be changed etc when new head unit/backup cam goes in)

 

[cyclonus]

@CaneCounsel007 I think I'm in exactly the same boat as you, but on the west coast, and tbh I can wait about 18 months.

My plan for backup camera has been this. $500 is steep, but I've heard good things from a buddy of mine. I'll probably check in with him before I pull the trigger on the long term reliability. Currently I usually have my phone mounted in the center console, so this would be something I'm used to.

I'm really looking at 2000 and up and each model year has it's trade offs and compromises. I'm stashing away a chunk of change each month and have been keeping my eyes open for deals.

With a 2000-2002 I'd probably replace everything with some CarPlay fanciness. If I up it to the 2003 I'll look at the GROM add-on.

So for me it's coming down to, do I want better tech (my own CarPlay unit) vs. aging tech (nav screen) in a stronger, safer more expensive vehicle.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll find something nice.