2007 GX 470 Rust Check (1 Viewer)

[creedants]

I am researching available GX 470's in Texas. One I came across seems to be a good candidate except that it spent half its life in NJ. It was a single owner and has an extensive service history with dealer service every 5k miles like clock work. The timing belt and water pump replaced right at 90k, etc. Price is 13.5k but I think I can get it down to the 12k range at least.

They claim it is a sport package with KDSS but the markers such as black wood do not seem to be there. So that leaves me with 2 questions from the pictures below:

1. Should the level of rust in the pictures below keep me from purchasing
2. Can you tell if the KDSS is present just from the pictures

Obviously, being in Texas there are other options out there that did not see such harsh winters, and I want to know if this one is worth the trouble. Thanks.

5 Images attached full album below:

 

[SteveH]

It's not destroyed, but there are gobs of rust-free ones out there. I just bought an all-TX-driven 2006 here in Colorado that is super clean underneath.

I would pass on this, as every fastener for everything underneath will require a torch or cursing to get off. I had the top of a Toyota Highlander fuel tank rust out (truck was in NY/OH for 6 years) - so sometimes the things you cannot see are just as bad as what you can see.

The 1-owner and service history are admirable, but there are others out there about as nice (in that regard) without the rust.

 

[shutupkaren]

It's not destroyed, but there are gobs of rust-free ones out there. I just bought an all-TX-driven 2006 here in Colorado that is super clean underneath.

I would pass on this, as every fastener for everything underneath will require a torch or cursing to get off. I had the top of a Toyota Highlander fuel tank rust out (truck was in NY/OH for 6 years) - so sometimes the things you cannot see are just as bad as what you can see.

The 1-owner and service history are admirable, but there are others out there about as nice (in that regard) without the rust.

Where were you looking? Autotrader, carguru, trucar?

 

[SteveH]

Honestly, Craigslist. Some dealers in Denver buy lots of TX and FL trucks and ship them to Colorado. Epic Autos in Denver - my brother and I both bought GXs from Travis. Used Cars Englewood CO. Of course, he has none right now.

I looked at other Denver dealers and found the rusty buckets from Ohio, etc. Be sure to get the VIN and check history on the Lexus website, as I found one truck at a Denver dealer where Lexus recommended a transfer case rebuild ($5K) that was not done - right before this truck ended up at the Denver dealer. Private sale GXs tend to be overpriced, but can be one-owner clean trucks. I spent several months looking for one, too - you would be very lucky to find a clean one at the right price on any given day. Some dealers in Castle Rock, CO seem to have nice GXs at times, too. I found nothing in Colo Springs that was competitive in the last year.

 

[shutupkaren]

Yeah, Lexusdrivers now pops up on my top 10 on my chrome home page. It's a fantastic resource! Almost counter productive... I probably would have pulled the trigger on a 470 by now. I've been searching across the country considering everything is overpriced here in CO. Usually cheaper to buy out of state and ship than pay the ol CO mark up. And the private sellers do seem higher, probably because they know what they're working with.
I've been looking for a couple month now, and the silverlining of this funk is that I have the luxury of being patient. I'm glad I came across this thread, as I've been sent some undercarriage photos similar to what the OP put up, and was curious about where the threshold of my expectations should be.

 

[greenscobie86]

Doesn't look horrible at all, no holes rusted through, if you get it for a good price and it's been maintained well. Wire wheel it, slap on some rust treatment and enjoy.

 

[CarolinaGX]

Brother (edit: or sister), you are in TX which is not a big rust state. Keep looking... That one isn't bad as far as the upper east coast is concerned but you are in an area that will have better options. If you lived in NJ, NY, MA, etc. the it would be worth considering.