2006 MDX vs. 2004 Toyota Land Cruiser

[LXPearl]

Comparing the MDX and LC is apples and oranges - very different. The GX and 4R are very nice sporty true suvs, but on long trips the LX/LC is much nicer. If you are tall and long legged, the GX/4R are weak on thigh support. The LC/LX are nice for all sizes. I am tall and my wife short, so the memory feature on the LX is very nice. The auto suspension leveling on the LX is nice for trips - always handles well regardless the load and no worry about headlights being too high.

You can have oil changes and service on an LX done at a Toyota dealer for much less than at Lexus ($20-25).

 

[Da Hapa]

The Lexus oil changes are around $60 incl tax & the car wash/vacuuming, so half the price. At least the BMW oil changes are less than half the price of Porsche oil changes, so I'm told (no personal experience).

Keep in mind, you're not really comparing apples to oranges here.

Porsches (at least the 993, 996, 997, 986 and 987) models all have dry sump lubrication and they require synthetic oil. That means the product is a lot more expensive than a traditionaly dino based oil and there's a lot more of it.

Where you need to look is labor rates. Here in S. CA, Honda charges about $42/hour. Toyota is probably about the same. Lexus and Acura are both in the low $90's/high $80's per hour. BMW is over $100 and so is Porsche.

 

[Da Hapa]

You can have oil changes and service on an LX done at a Toyota dealer for much less than at Lexus ($20-25).

That's also not always true, at least in my experience.

We used to have our RX300 serviced at a Toyota dealership since the basic mechanicals are essentially the same as a Highlander. This saved us a ton of cash. For example, Lexus wanted nearly $1,000 for the 60,000 mile service (our RX is AWD with the LSD so the major services are a bit more than usual). Toyota did is for just over $500 and the difference was primarily the labor dollars.

However, once we moved to Dana Point, we found that the three closest Toyota dealers will not work on Lexus vehicles. They state that it's due to warranty concerns but my suspicion is that the dealer groups that own these dealerships also own Lexus dealerships and they don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul.

Just be forwarned. You can save a pile of money by servicing your Lexus at Toyota but only if Toyota is willing to do that.

 

[Jim_Chow]

That's also not always true, at least in my experience.

Just be forwarned. You can save a pile of money by servicing your Lexus at Toyota but only if Toyota is willing to do that.

Yep, I've heard more often that not that Toyota dealers won't work on Lexus. When I had stuff done at a toyota dealer in LA, I think they charged $75/hr. Anyways, isn't it true that different (Lexus) dealers charge different rates for the same service, say in LA?

 

[Da Hapa]

Yep, I've heard more often that not that Toyota dealers won't work on Lexus. When I had stuff done at a toyota dealer in LA, I think they charged $75/hr. Anyways, isn't it true that different (Lexus) dealers charge different rates for the same service, say in LA?

Well, each dealer is its own franchise so they can set labor rates as they see fit. What's normal is that a certain brand of dealer will charge similar rates as other dealers in the area. Market economics and all, or collusion depending on your viewpoint .

I don't know if there's a difference in Lexus rates between LA and OC but I suspect there's a difference between Orange County and say Oklahoma City.

 

[LXPearl]

I asked at a Lexus dealership about using other service facilities. They said they would not have a problem with a Toyota dealership using Toyota parts, but might question others. Customer service at Lexus is significantly better and can be worth the extra expense.

I can see why an owner of both Lexus and Toyota dealerships would not want to service a Lexus in their Toyota dealership, but that should be up to the customer.

Labor rates vary based on the area, but Lexus is higher than Toyota where I have checked.

 

[Birdhunter]

I have no idea about this truck... it's probably just fine.

I do have a story to share though...

I lost a little faith in Carfax though when I sold my FJ60 a few years ago. I had two wrecks in it and I told the buyer-- pretty good work was done both times so you could hardly tell. He had a carfax report and it didn't have anything listed except for my battle with the Phoenix emissions test. After one collision I had replace two doors on the driver side door and the center post when a Cherokee T-boned me. (The Jeep was totaled.) So Carfax is better than nothing but it can miss some things.

 

[Jim_Chow]

I have no idea about this truck... it's probably just fine.

I do have a story to share though...

I lost a little faith in Carfax though when I sold my FJ60 a few years ago. I had two wrecks in it and I told the buyer-- pretty good work was done both times so you could hardly tell. He had a carfax report and it didn't have anything listed except for my battle with the Phoenix emissions test. After one collision I had replace two doors on the driver side door and the center post when a Cherokee T-boned me. (The Jeep was totaled.) So Carfax is better than nothing but it can miss some things.

Ditto here. I have a 86 4runner prev. owned by my father. It was rear-ended on I-5 in LA back in the late 80's, rear bumper/tail light damage. I also have a '01 honda that was t-boned in the rear quarter last year in AZ. Both inner trunk and outer body panels were replaced. Both accidents were non-injury, police reports filed, insurance paid the claims. When I signed up for Carfax recently, I ran both vins as a test...both came out clean! The only mileage reports are when you register the vehicle and when you take it in for emissions tests. Since the honda was < 5 yrs old (didn't need emissions tests), it had a clean bill, with its last mileage check when I moved to AZ and re-registered it. The Toyota shows mileage checks every year for emissions. OTOH, Carfax was correct in the registration on both vehicles and the mileage checks.

 

[Pigeon]

I would say unless you need the extra room - go with the Acura.
I miss my 3.2TL it was the nicest car I've ever driven. I had twins and bought a LC for the room - sold my 4Runner too. They both handled alot better than the LC. Land Cruisers are BIG and badass - but they handle like a bus on the road.

 

[Gene3x]

Comparing the MDX and LC is apples and oranges - very different. The GX and 4R are very nice sporty true suvs, but on long trips the LX/LC is much nicer. If you are tall and long legged, the GX/4R are weak on thigh support. The LC/LX are nice for all sizes. I am tall and my wife short, so the memory feature on the LX is very nice. The auto suspension leveling on the LX is nice for trips - always handles well regardless the load and no worry about headlights being too high.

You can have oil changes and service on an LX done at a Toyota dealer for much less than at Lexus ($20-25).

My wife has a GX and we just took a 2000 mile trip in it. I was totally comfortable and it we fit just as much stuff as my LC. It has height control but not a big deal to me. The thing I agree with here is that my LC has more support for a long legged guy like me. On the long trip in the GX my thighs strated to hurt! MDX .... forget it. like someone said.... too boring.

 

[Wayzata]

Honda or Toyota?

hmmm....

We went Toyota. Both choices are pretty good. Consider yourself warned: The Cruiser drinks gas!

Have it mechanically inspected by a different Toyota dealer prior to purchase. Call the service department and tell them you are considering buying a car from a different party and you want a used vehicle inspection. I really liked the suggestion 2garfields said: take it to a body shop and have them look it over. The cars are never quite as good as they look on the lot with all the polish and shine they have on 'em. We missed a couple of things on ours, and I walked around it 3 times physically touching the car with my hand looking for damage. Certified Pre Owned means USED! Best of luck!

 

[Tinkerer]

I searched Kelly Blue book for the trade in value and came up with this in my area.
Condition Value
Excellent $40,325
Good $38,240
(Selected)
Fair $34,365
Somewhere in here is what the dealer gave for the trade in value. Consider that the dealer then spent money on smog, safety inspection, and whatever repairs it needed (i.e. brakes, oil change, etc.) and the detail shop. If it's been sitting on his lot for more than 90 days, he's losing money on it in flooring (the interest cost of investment borrowed from the bank) and he needs to move it NOW! Dealers make their most profit from used cars, and if it sits, it's not making money. It's a good deal, could be better, and you could always ask him to throm in some accesories or even come down another thousand or so. Play hardball with them.
As far as LC Vs. MDX? My wife wants an MDX after driving one, it's more "car" to her. We drove the MDX, X5, RX300, RX330, and Infiniti FX35. She likes what she likes, and it's the MDX. It's another year out though.

Those are wholesale, or retail values?

The dealer did not pay anywhere in the retail value range, and I wouldn't count on the dealer to have made sure that anything other than cosmetics (e.g. hiding flaws) have been tended to, unless a functional problem was noticeable and absolutely had to be fixed or else.

You are correct - dealers make mucho profit from used cars. That is why you are not likely to get a good deal from a dealer. If it is a great vehicle, expect to pay a great premium to a dealer for it.

 

[Jim_Chow]

If it's in mint cond (a few dings in the paint from road debris is considered normal wear & tear), expect to pay about $41.8-42K at best. If certified from a Toyota dealer, figure more like $44K. In LA, most '03 LC's I considered had 60-70K+ mi and were going for $38-44K, private party or dealer certified. For the same money, you can get a certified '03 LX w/ under 40K mi (they periodically crop up--there were 2 before Xmas). If the used LC is selling for less, it's probably in another part of the country, most likely the rust belt or hurricane region where the vehicle sees lots of water/salt and depreciates faster. IMHO, I found that used newer LC's in the Southwest (3 yrs old or newer) were not a good value in general...it's a seller's market, and gas prices have nothing to do with this. If someone is willing to buy a $55-70K vehicle, gas prices are low priority.