2013 LX570...Should I or Shouldn't I (2 Viewers)

[TAMU97Agg]

Former 100 Series Owner here who has been longing to get back into the landcruiser family. Given the limited supply of 200 series landcruisers in my area at a palatable price point, and given the quality of the builds I have seen on here, up for consideration is a 2 owner 2013 LX570 with 120K miles for $32K. I've researched the vehicle at length via the Carfax report as well as the service history on lexus.com. Save a couple of 15K miles blocks with no history on lexus.com the vehicle maintenance followed the recommended maintenance schedule with nothing identified that would send me running.

My questions for the group would be....
1) How reliable of a vehicle is the LX570? Everything I have read on here, and elsewhere, is I can expect this vehicle to be fairly low maintenance and highly reliable. While weekend fun is definitely part of the long term plans for this vehicle it would also have to serve as my daily driver, and family truckster for long trips. I would be trading in a CPO 2017 TItan Pro4x with another 3 years of warranty left for the LX570 so reliability is key. While the Nissan doesn't inspire me it does start each morning when I push the button.
2) Knowing me "stock" will not be an option. If I move forward there will be a build involved. With the added weight body armor (bumpers, skid plates, sliders) introduces have others experienced issues with the functionality / reliability of the AHC system?
3) Lastly what impacts have build weight and new shows had on the overall MPG's of your LX 570(s)? I expect that I will average in the 14mpg range based on my drive (30 mile a day...mostly highway).

Your opinions and assistance in making the decision to join the LX 570 family as well as what future build plans might be instore for the yet to be named vehicle.

 

[TAMU97Agg]

3) ....what impacts have build weight and new "shoes" had on the overall MPG's....

 

[CanadianRockyCruiser]

Former 100 Series Owner here who has been longing to get back into the landcruiser family. Given the limited supply of 200 series landcruisers in my area at a palatable price point, and given the quality of the builds I have seen on here, up for consideration is a 2 owner 2013 LX570 with 120K miles for $32K. I've researched the vehicle at length via the Carfax report as well as the service history on lexus.com. Save a couple of 15K miles blocks with no history on lexus.com the vehicle maintenance followed the recommended maintenance schedule with nothing identified that would send me running.

My questions for the group would be....
1) How reliable of a vehicle is the LX570? Everything I have read on here, and elsewhere, is I can expect this vehicle to be fairly low maintenance and highly reliable. While weekend fun is definitely part of the long term plans for this vehicle it would also have to serve as my daily driver, and family truckster for long trips. I would be trading in a CPO 2017 TItan Pro4x with another 3 years of warranty left for the LX570 so reliability is key. While the Nissan doesn't inspire me it does start each morning when I push the button.
2) Knowing me "stock" will not be an option. If I move forward there will be a build involved. With the added weight body armor (bumpers, skid plates, sliders) introduces have others experienced issues with the functionality / reliability of the AHC system?
3) Lastly what impacts have build weight and new shows had on the overall MPG's of your LX 570(s)? I expect that I will average in the 14mpg range based on my drive (30 mile a day...mostly highway).

Your opinions and assistance in making the decision to join the LX 570 family as well as what future build plans might be instore for the yet to be named vehicle.

I sold my 100 series (LX470) two weeks ago and bought a 2013 LX570. So my biased opinion: go for it!

1.) Very reliable
2.) More options seem to be available all the time in terms of armor and aftermarket gear. Notably, you will have more options with the Land Cruiser 200, but I believe there are actually more LX's in the US, so that may change.
3.) I couldn't say, because I haven't modified my LX570 yet.

 

[Redbull]

These are some great builds to answer a lot of your questions and for inspiration.

@radman

Builds - The Big Bad Rad Dad LX (Dissent) Build

I purchased this 2015 LX about a year ago after searching for about 6 months. It was a single owner (60 year old female executive) that never saw dirt with 55k miles on it for $40k. I went from a '95 Grand Cherokee (2" lift on 31" shoes) to a '06 IS350, to a '13 GS350, and now this beast. It's...

forum.ih8mud.com

@1world1love

Builds - One World, One LX Build Thread

While I have never really thought about doing a build thread, I have recently had a couple of requests to compile one and figured that I'd oblige. Also, I have exhausted other ways to spend my free time these days. Hopefully something I post in here will be as useful to somebody as the many...

forum.ih8mud.com

I would buy the one you're looking at if you're happy with it.

 

[bloc]

3) ....what impacts have build weight and new "shoes" had on the overall MPG's....

Front bumper with lots of exposed tire, roof rack with stuff all over if, and other things that significantly modify aero profile will have a big impact on mileage.

 

[Tex68w]

I never added any heavy items to our LX570 such as sliders, bumpers, skid plates, etc. but I did put 33's on ours right away. On the highway I could still touch 18-19 mpg hand calculated from time to time but 16.5-17 mpg was more or less the norm. Around town 13-15 mpg was the regular fuel economy so it was as expected. I have a buddy with an older LX570 with all of the added gear listed above including drawers and a rack with 34's and he sees 14 mpg at best with 11 mpg being the norm especially if traveling at 70-85 mph loaded down. He hasn't had any issues with the AHC system even with it loaded down but there are reports here of the system dropping back into Neutral height with too much weight.

 

[TAMU97Agg]

I'm torn between running 33" or 34" tires but new wheels / tires will be the 1st mod. I'll likely land at 33's on 17" Icons or 18" Methods. ARB Sahara front and Slee rear bumpers are on the like to have list and part of Phase 2 build along with Slee sliders and skid plates. I'll likely hold off on the roof rack for now. We are a family of 3 so I'm hoping to get by for the moment without having to mount stuff to the roof. This will likely change though as little man gets older.

 

[tbisaacs]

14-15mpg with lots of extra weight and bumper and exposed front tires. Aftermarket for the LX has become less of an issue with more vendors paying attention to the sheer volume of these being sold used.

You are most likely to have issues with your radiator/starter/alternator than AHC, at least in my experience.

 

[bloc]

I'm torn between running 33" or 34" tires but new wheels / tires will be the 1st mod. I'll likely land at 33's on 17" Icons or 18" Methods. ARB Sahara front and Slee rear bumpers are on the like to have list and part of Phase 2 build along with Slee sliders and skid plates. I'll likely hold off on the roof rack for now. We are a family of 3 so I'm hoping to get by for the moment without having to mount stuff to the roof. This will likely change though as little man gets older.

The other thing I didn’t mention is if mileage is a priority you can run a P-metric SL or XL tire vs the usual LT metric. On my truck this accounted for almost 3mpg on the freeway. The non-LT will have marginally less aggressive looking tread, but require less pressure meaning a better ride, and as mentioned be more efficient. Not as many tires available in this build though, so do your research if it’s something you are interested in.

My numbers:
285/65/18 e-load KO2, struggled to hit 15mpg at my usual trip cruising speed of 74mph. This is with 42psi.
285/70/17 p-metric toyo AT2, actually taller than the above by about a half inch, I consistently hit 17 and sometimes over 18mpg at the same avg cruising speed. ~32psi

 

[slipkid13]

I have '13 LX I bought 16 months ago. I got it from CarMax and got the extended warranty. So far the only issue was (and it was broken when I bought it and carmax fixed it under their 90 day warranty) was the front parking sensors.

I bought it with 61K miles and did the 60K service soon after I got it. I have put over 20K miles on it including two trips CO to TX and never had an issue.

I replaced the battery in Nov after realizing it was still on the original.

I swapped out the 20s for 18 inch LC rims, nice improvement in ride quality. I run Yokohama Geolanders and Blizzaks in the winters. I average around 18-19 mpg on the highway, in town I guess it's around 14 or so I don't really keep track. The only modification I have made is SLEE slider and I don't think they added much, if any overall weight.

 

[TeCKis300]

Former 100 Series Owner here who has been longing to get back into the landcruiser family. Given the limited supply of 200 series landcruisers in my area at a palatable price point, and given the quality of the builds I have seen on here, up for consideration is a 2 owner 2013 LX570 with 120K miles for $32K. I've researched the vehicle at length via the Carfax report as well as the service history on lexus.com. Save a couple of 15K miles blocks with no history on lexus.com the vehicle maintenance followed the recommended maintenance schedule with nothing identified that would send me running.

My questions for the group would be....
1) How reliable of a vehicle is the LX570? Everything I have read on here, and elsewhere, is I can expect this vehicle to be fairly low maintenance and highly reliable. While weekend fun is definitely part of the long term plans for this vehicle it would also have to serve as my daily driver, and family truckster for long trips. I would be trading in a CPO 2017 TItan Pro4x with another 3 years of warranty left for the LX570 so reliability is key. While the Nissan doesn't inspire me it does start each morning when I push the button.
2) Knowing me "stock" will not be an option. If I move forward there will be a build involved. With the added weight body armor (bumpers, skid plates, sliders) introduces have others experienced issues with the functionality / reliability of the AHC system?
3) Lastly what impacts have build weight and new shows had on the overall MPG's of your LX 570(s)? I expect that I will average in the 14mpg range based on my drive (30 mile a day...mostly highway).

Your opinions and assistance in making the decision to join the LX 570 family as well as what future build plans might be instore for the yet to be named vehicle.

To answer your questions

1) Reliable, but there are certain maintenance areas to pay attention to in higher mileage, including the radiator and starter. Nice trade is that these are timing chain motors so that's a cost trade to perform those others fixes proactively. One quality with Toyota's, and the LX is no exception, is that they may be more expensive to service than other brands, but if you do your maintenance proactively, they will absolutely take care of you with exceptional reliability. If you can wrench, all the better.

2) AHC doesn't flinch with weight. It has deep capacity reserves up to about 2000lb stock. More notably, it's always spot on and dialed regardless of weight, without giving up ground clearance with more load. If you're at extremes, the system can be augmented for weight. Easily tailorable for lift. And up to the challenge of enthusiast pursuits including lifting some 4+ inches with minor adjustments, with little to no added costs beyond the purchase of the vehicle. It's exceptionally robust (many going 200k++), can be refreshed onboard with a fluid flush (60k miles), with enough knowledgebase here on the boards to help troubleshoot and fix within less costs than aftermarket suspension setups should it ever be necessary.

3) Around town MPG is pretty low with stock city rating in the 13/14 range. Building heavy will impact this. Highway is very respectable at 17 and some have seen up to 19. Modified, things wont' be pretty but 12-14 combined overall is about where most end up. I try to be very conscious of weight and aero with my build, so I've made mods to where I see the largest value with minimal compromise. Don't have a build thread as it's been done over the last 10 years in spurts, but you can see most of the notable ones in my sig.

 

[1world1love]

Former 100 Series Owner here who has been longing to get back into the landcruiser family. Given the limited supply of 200 series landcruisers in my area at a palatable price point, and given the quality of the builds I have seen on here, up for consideration is a 2 owner 2013 LX570 with 120K miles for $32K. I've researched the vehicle at length via the Carfax report as well as the service history on lexus.com. Save a couple of 15K miles blocks with no history on lexus.com the vehicle maintenance followed the recommended maintenance schedule with nothing identified that would send me running.

My questions for the group would be....
1) How reliable of a vehicle is the LX570? Everything I have read on here, and elsewhere, is I can expect this vehicle to be fairly low maintenance and highly reliable. While weekend fun is definitely part of the long term plans for this vehicle it would also have to serve as my daily driver, and family truckster for long trips. I would be trading in a CPO 2017 TItan Pro4x with another 3 years of warranty left for the LX570 so reliability is key. While the Nissan doesn't inspire me it does start each morning when I push the button.
2) Knowing me "stock" will not be an option. If I move forward there will be a build involved. With the added weight body armor (bumpers, skid plates, sliders) introduces have others experienced issues with the functionality / reliability of the AHC system?
3) Lastly what impacts have build weight and new shows had on the overall MPG's of your LX 570(s)? I expect that I will average in the 14mpg range based on my drive (30 mile a day...mostly highway).

Your opinions and assistance in making the decision to join the LX 570 family as well as what future build plans might be instore for the yet to be named vehicle.

I bought my 13 LX with 106k and it now has 130k. I have added a FrontRunner rack, Front and Rear bumpers from Dissent Off-road, Slee sliders, and a custom drawer system. I run 285/75/17 KO2s on ICON wheels.

The truck is not my daily driver, but it does get driven quite a bit and has been on many trips on and off-road. I don’t wheel as hard as some folks but certainly harder than most LX owners. i just completed a cross country road trip, with me, the wife, 2 kids, and a dog. We logged over 6k miles on the trip with temps ranging from 5f to 90f. We saw lots of snow and ice, tons of rain, and plenty of bright blue skies.

Even with all of the mods, the KO2s, and all the off-road adventures, the ride was excellent and comfortable. It still drives like a new truck. I just took it in for a post-trip service and it got a clean bill of health. I would get in and do the trip all over again without hesitation.

As far as MPG, I don’t really keep up with it too much, and on this trip it would be hard to say what the overall average was, but under normal driving conditions in the flat Midwestern states, I was getting over 14. Keep in mind that is with a tailwind and using cruise control on the interstate, but it was also with a roof box on top. If I were guessing, I would say that my average was around 12 for the whole trip.

If the truck you are looking at has no signs of fluid leaking anywhere, and has had regular service, it is likely to run without major problems for many years.

 

[dnh1]

I think that the 13-15 LX is the best looking of all 200 series, whether LC or LX, inside and out. Having owned 7 yes 7 200s, that is about the only dang model I never owned.

 

[grinchy]

14-15mpg with lots of extra weight and bumper and exposed front tires. Aftermarket for the LX has become less of an issue with more vendors paying attention to the sheer volume of these being sold used.

You are most likely to have issues with your radiator/starter/alternator than AHC, at least in my experience.

View attachment 2556973

This is a great angle on this bumper. Sweet look!

 

[radman]

ARB Sahara front and Slee rear bumpers are on the like to have list and part of Phase 2 build along with Slee sliders and skid plates.

Most of my bolt-ons are aluminum, and I’m a heavy pig. My guess is that the steel arb/slee will net 300+ pounds over aluminum.

Since I’m a Dissent fanboy:
Dissent offroad 200 series offerings. - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/dissent-offroad-200-series-offerings.1109875/post-13201239

Here are some rough weights of my mods:
Dissent Front: 20lbs (net of ditching crash bar and plastics)
Winch: 77lbs (includes rope, control box, fairlead, hardware)
Dissent Rear: 140lbs
Spare tire: 20lbs net (stock 20" 285/55 @ 80lbs vs 305/70/18 @ 100lbs)
LRA 24: 130lbs + gas
Prinsu: 35lbs (net of ditching stock rack)
4 x Prinsu load panels: 20
Adapt Light bar: 23 lbs
BFG KO2 35": 20lbs (net over stock) x 4 = 80lbs
2nd Optima Yellow: 44lbs
ARB Twin + tray : 20 + 17lbs = 37
Traction Tracks: 13lbs

 

[tbisaacs]

Most of my bolt-ons are aluminum, and I’m a heavy pig. My guess is that the steel arb/slee will net 300+ pounds over aluminum.

Since I’m a Dissent fanboy:
Dissent offroad 200 series offerings. - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/dissent-offroad-200-series-offerings.1109875/post-13201239

Here are some rough weights of my mods:
Dissent Front: 20lbs (net of ditching crash bar and plastics)
Winch: 77lbs (includes rope, control box, fairlead, hardware)
Dissent Rear: 140lbs
Spare tire: 20lbs net (stock 20" 285/55 @ 80lbs vs 305/70/18 @ 100lbs)
LRA 24: 130lbs + gas
Prinsu: 35lbs (net of ditching stock rack)
4 x Prinsu load panels: 20
Adapt Light bar: 23 lbs
BFG KO2 35": 20lbs (net over stock) x 4 = 80lbs
2nd Optima Yellow: 44lbs
ARB Twin + tray : 20 + 17lbs = 37
Traction Tracks: 13lbs

Incredible - if I recall the Slee rear bumper is nearly 400 pounds.

 

[radman]

Incredible - if I recall the Slee rear bumper is nearly 400 pounds.

Yea, the website says 325 - 140 (aluminum) = net 185.
How much does your IM front weigh?

 

[tbisaacs]

Yea, the website says 425 - 140 (aluminum) = net 285.
How much does your IM front weigh?

Approx 140 pounds

 

[TAMU97Agg]

While test driving the vehicle I was unable to get the crawl control to engage. I would place the vehicle in 4L and then in Drive before hitting the crawl control button. The display kept saying the vehicle had to be in "D" or "R" to engage even though I was already in drive. Also, the vehicle is beeping non stop while in 4L. I've been trying research what might be causing this (operator error vs. issue with the vehicle itself) but I'm not having much luck.

 

[Sandroad]

While test driving the vehicle I was unable to get the crawl control to engage. I would place the vehicle in 4L and then in Drive before hitting the crawl control button. The display kept saying the vehicle had to be in "D" or "R" to engage even though I was already in drive. Also, the vehicle is beeping non stop while in 4L. I've been trying research what might be causing this (operator error vs. issue with the vehicle itself) but I'm not having much luck.

Others will know more about the LX, but my guess is the vehicle has never before been in 4lo and the actuator is stuck in 4hi. It should not be continuously beeping in 4lo. Did you place the trans in neutral to get to 4lo?