Hi all, happy to be joining the club!
Having recently moved to SW Colorado and with winter fast approaching, I decided it was time to invest in a vehicle that was less likely to get me killed between now and next May. Did a few weeks of research, test drove an Xterra and a 4runner, and eventually decided that even with prices the way they are right now, the GX represented the best possible choice: I wanted a vehicle that I can keep forever, go just about anywhere, won't cost a fortune to maintain, and wasn't priced absurdly relative to it's merits. Toyota tax around here is real and kinda laughable... people either keep their cars until they break or trade them in 3 years later with 50k miles and expect to get $3k less than they paid MSRP
After a 2-month nationwide search and missing out on a couple of great GXs (these things move FAST, the market is nuts) I was shocked to see a 2011 base pop up 5 minutes down the road from me. 41,500 miles, meticulous service records at 3-5k intervals with all work done at Lexus in Santa Fe or our local Toyota dealership, priced @ $25,600. Went in first thing in the morning and put down a deposit. A little forensic analysis indicated that it likely belonged to a couple that owned a second home in the area. White/tan wouldn't have been my first choice in colors but a bird in the hand...
The tragedy: bought the thing and drove up to Denver, arrived and there was white, acrid-smelling smoke coming from under the hood. Took it into Lexus immediately for diagnosis and got a call and video a few hours later. Turns out the selling dealership had, for reasons that NOBODY can seem to explain, yanked the OEM CV axles and replaced them with garbage Napa CVs and seals. Inferior parts and low quality work, the bottom of the car was covered in diff fluid... hence the smoke. After a week of back and forth and a substantial amount of yelling Lexus got me back on the road and the selling dealer picked up the bill.
Made it back home and I'm eager to see what this thing can do! I'm completely new to Lexus and four wheel drive in general. Wanted to give a huge thank you to all the members on here for contributing so much invaluable information!
Dobinson's IMS kit (3" front/2" rear) on order from Kyle @ Treaty Oak, driver and passenger windows getting tinted on Friday, looking at wheels and tires. All weather mats and obnoxious 4x4 sticker installed. Next up sliders, bumper, and a roof rack.
Here she is:
Having recently moved to SW Colorado and with winter fast approaching, I decided it was time to invest in a vehicle that was less likely to get me killed between now and next May. Did a few weeks of research, test drove an Xterra and a 4runner, and eventually decided that even with prices the way they are right now, the GX represented the best possible choice: I wanted a vehicle that I can keep forever, go just about anywhere, won't cost a fortune to maintain, and wasn't priced absurdly relative to it's merits. Toyota tax around here is real and kinda laughable... people either keep their cars until they break or trade them in 3 years later with 50k miles and expect to get $3k less than they paid MSRP
After a 2-month nationwide search and missing out on a couple of great GXs (these things move FAST, the market is nuts) I was shocked to see a 2011 base pop up 5 minutes down the road from me. 41,500 miles, meticulous service records at 3-5k intervals with all work done at Lexus in Santa Fe or our local Toyota dealership, priced @ $25,600. Went in first thing in the morning and put down a deposit. A little forensic analysis indicated that it likely belonged to a couple that owned a second home in the area. White/tan wouldn't have been my first choice in colors but a bird in the hand...
The tragedy: bought the thing and drove up to Denver, arrived and there was white, acrid-smelling smoke coming from under the hood. Took it into Lexus immediately for diagnosis and got a call and video a few hours later. Turns out the selling dealership had, for reasons that NOBODY can seem to explain, yanked the OEM CV axles and replaced them with garbage Napa CVs and seals. Inferior parts and low quality work, the bottom of the car was covered in diff fluid... hence the smoke. After a week of back and forth and a substantial amount of yelling Lexus got me back on the road and the selling dealer picked up the bill.
Made it back home and I'm eager to see what this thing can do! I'm completely new to Lexus and four wheel drive in general. Wanted to give a huge thank you to all the members on here for contributing so much invaluable information!
Dobinson's IMS kit (3" front/2" rear) on order from Kyle @ Treaty Oak, driver and passenger windows getting tinted on Friday, looking at wheels and tires. All weather mats and obnoxious 4x4 sticker installed. Next up sliders, bumper, and a roof rack.
Here she is:
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