5,200 mile maiden voyage in my first GX

[gxnnar]

I have been lurking these forums for a few months and am stoked to report that I finally bought this Satin Cashmere Metallic (lol) GX 460 about a month ago with just under 84k miles!

Kept telling myself I would get a PPI but this one looked super clean and I just took a leap of faith trusting the seller and the Carfax. Drove about 8 hours there and back to go and get it... Long story short, noticed leaking coolant and had to do a new radiator, which set me back about $1,000. Kind of annoying but can't complain, never had regret because I got it for a great deal, and I was just glad it wasn't the valley plate leak! I also maintain the expectation of , whenever I buy a new vehicle, I am just going to inevitably spend $2,000 getting it sorted right after purchasing it (this has proven to be true with almost every vehicle I have purchased lol) .

Anyway, aside from that hiccup , I really love it ! The rest of the car is super clean, and everything up underneath is completely rust free. I have already reached over 90,000 miles in just a month and have had zero mechanical issues since replacing the radiator.

I was in a bit of a scramble ordering things and getting it ready for the trip, but knew I wanted to have at LEAST a few things done to it. Wheels, tires, roof rack, awning, and a third row removal/ rear deck fridge/battery setup. I will create a thread on my DIY rear deck setup in the coming days. This forum gave me a ton of insights so I am eager to share what I have come up with as a last minute solution.

I ended up going with:
-Falken Wildpeak A/T4W 275/70/r17 (heat gun and trimming mostly mitigated rubbing, but not completely... future lift kit should solve)
-Fifteen52 Turbomac HD
-Prinsu Roof Rack
-OVS LTE 270 awning
-Thule Tepui tent (already owned)
-Goose Gear fridge slide (already owned)

Here is a good before and after :

(One could argue that the backdrop of the picture was a much bigger upgrade than anything to do with the vehicle.)

Future mods include:
-To be determined Lift Kit (most likely Iron Man FCP)
-skid plate
-rock sliders
-some cool bro lights
-possibly new style grille
-bumper cut

As for the voyage- an unbelievably awesome trip, went from Houston TX to Glacier National Park and back, in just over 2 weeks of total travel. Had an absolute blast and the car ran super smooth with no hiccups, super thankful. Here are some more pics.

I plan on doing a couple more threads addressing specific issues/solutions that I have come across and seen other people on this forum encounter. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will try my best to check up on the thread. Cheers

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Way to do it! Use it as it’s meant! Thanks for sharing! Glacier national park is on the bucket list!

 

[GrizzlyClint]

View attachment 3706724

I have been lurking these forums for a few months and am stoked to report that I finally bought this Satin Cashmere Metallic (lol) GX 460 about a month ago with just under 84k miles!

Kept telling myself I would get a PPI but this one looked super clean and I just took a leap of faith trusting the seller and the Carfax. Drove about 8 hours there and back to go and get it... Long story short, noticed leaking coolant and had to do a new radiator, which set me back about $1,000. Kind of annoying but can't complain, never had regret because I got it for a great deal, and I was just glad it wasn't the valley plate leak! I also maintain the expectation of , whenever I buy a new vehicle, I am just going to inevitably spend $2,000 getting it sorted right after purchasing it (this has proven to be true with almost every vehicle I have purchased lol) .

Anyway, aside from that hiccup , I really love it ! The rest of the car is super clean, and everything up underneath is completely rust free. I have already reached over 90,000 miles in just a month and have had zero mechanical issues since replacing the radiator.

I was in a bit of a scramble ordering things and getting it ready for the trip, but knew I wanted to have at LEAST a few things done to it. Wheels, tires, roof rack, awning, and a third row removal/ rear deck fridge/battery setup. I will create a thread on my DIY rear deck setup in the coming days. This forum gave me a ton of insights so I am eager to share what I have come up with as a last minute solution.

I ended up going with:
-Falken Wildpeak A/T4W 275/70/r17 (heat gun and trimming mostly mitigated rubbing, but not completely... future lift kit should solve)
-Fifteen52 Turbomac HD
-Prinsu Roof Rack
-OVS LTE 270 awning
-Thule Tepui tent (already owned)
-Goose Gear fridge slide (already owned)

Here is a good before and after :

View attachment 3706721View attachment 3706722
(One could argue that the backdrop of the picture was a much bigger upgrade than anything to do with the vehicle.)

Future mods include:
-To be determined Lift Kit (most likely Iron Man FCP)
-skid plate
-rock sliders
-some cool bro lights
-possibly new style grille
-bumper cut

As for the voyage- an unbelievably awesome trip, went from Houston TX to Glacier National Park and back, in just over 2 weeks of total travel. Had an absolute blast and the car ran super smooth with no hiccups, super thankful. Here are some more pics.

View attachment 3706716
View attachment 3706717

I plan on doing a couple more threads addressing specific issues/solutions that I have come across and seen other people on this forum encounter. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will try my best to check up on the thread. Cheers

Fun trip! I moved from Texas to north Idaho last year and drove the 4K mile round trip about 5 times in my GX--including a couple straight one way 2k mile trips with only gas and pee stops. Loved it. These are great cruisers to compliment the offroad-y stuff.

 

[gxnnar]

Fun trip! I moved from Texas to north Idaho last year and drove the 4K mile round trip about 5 times in my GX--including a couple straight one way 2k mile trips with only gas and pee stops. Loved it. These are great cruisers to compliment the offroad-y stuff.

The final leg of my drive was right at 1,000 miles. 2,000 mile straight shots are intense! kudos to you , and kudos to the gx for handling it !

 

[r2m]

Congrats on your GX and what a great way to "break it in". Beautiful backdrop!
Replacing the radiator is neither a big deal, nor unexpected. It's one of the cheaper fixes that happen to our rigs.
Yeah, these rigs do travel nice. My wife and I went for a lobster dinner in Maine, note we live in So. Cal. We were doing 1,000 mile days and aside from being a little stiff from sitting so long and at the age of having baby grandkids, the GX was awesome!
Keep the pictures coming as you fix 'er up!

 

[ericm979]

That's a great shot of the Tetons.

BTW the vast majority of lifts on these cars do not limit suspension up travel. They just raise the static ride height. So if your tires are rubbing now they will still rub after the lift. Maybe not as often when you're on pavement but it will still happen when the suspension flexes.

 

[jeremy j]

Thanks for sharing. Looks like an amazing trip.

 

[re_guderian]

Niiiiice!!! Love the rig! What year? and the Fifteen52 wheels rock. They are the only aftermarket ones I would consider running.

 

[RadoTracks]

View attachment 3706724

I have been lurking these forums for a few months and am stoked to report that I finally bought this Satin Cashmere Metallic (lol) GX 460 about a month ago with just under 84k miles!

Kept telling myself I would get a PPI but this one looked super clean and I just took a leap of faith trusting the seller and the Carfax. Drove about 8 hours there and back to go and get it... Long story short, noticed leaking coolant and had to do a new radiator, which set me back about $1,000. Kind of annoying but can't complain, never had regret because I got it for a great deal, and I was just glad it wasn't the valley plate leak! I also maintain the expectation of , whenever I buy a new vehicle, I am just going to inevitably spend $2,000 getting it sorted right after purchasing it (this has proven to be true with almost every vehicle I have purchased lol) .

Anyway, aside from that hiccup , I really love it ! The rest of the car is super clean, and everything up underneath is completely rust free. I have already reached over 90,000 miles in just a month and have had zero mechanical issues since replacing the radiator.

I was in a bit of a scramble ordering things and getting it ready for the trip, but knew I wanted to have at LEAST a few things done to it. Wheels, tires, roof rack, awning, and a third row removal/ rear deck fridge/battery setup. I will create a thread on my DIY rear deck setup in the coming days. This forum gave me a ton of insights so I am eager to share what I have come up with as a last minute solution.

I ended up going with:
-Falken Wildpeak A/T4W 275/70/r17 (heat gun and trimming mostly mitigated rubbing, but not completely... future lift kit should solve)
-Fifteen52 Turbomac HD
-Prinsu Roof Rack
-OVS LTE 270 awning
-Thule Tepui tent (already owned)
-Goose Gear fridge slide (already owned)

Here is a good before and after :

View attachment 3706721View attachment 3706722
(One could argue that the backdrop of the picture was a much bigger upgrade than anything to do with the vehicle.)

Future mods include:
-To be determined Lift Kit (most likely Iron Man FCP)
-skid plate
-rock sliders
-some cool bro lights
-possibly new style grille
-bumper cut

As for the voyage- an unbelievably awesome trip, went from Houston TX to Glacier National Park and back, in just over 2 weeks of total travel. Had an absolute blast and the car ran super smooth with no hiccups, super thankful. Here are some more pics.

View attachment 3706716
View attachment 3706717

I plan on doing a couple more threads addressing specific issues/solutions that I have come across and seen other people on this forum encounter. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will try my best to check up on the thread. Cheers

Looks like we might have stopped for lunch at the same place? Was this at Grand Teton?

 

[gxnnar]

Niiiiice!!! Love the rig! What year? and the Fifteen52 wheels rock. They are the only aftermarket ones I would consider running.

Thx man, it's a 2014. And I think the fifteen52 wheels are super cool and pretty fairly priced. Which style are you considering?

 

[gxnnar]

Looks like we might have stopped for lunch at the same place? Was this at Grand Teton?
View attachment 3708209

Ha , yup ! That's awesome. Tetons were super stunning. Also, you are the first I've seen throw a spare tire up on a prinsu , which is something I was considering. How did you secure it ? Any issues ?

 

[RadoTracks]

Ha , yup ! That's awesome. Tetons were super stunning. Also, you are the first I've seen throw a spare tire up on a prinsu , which is something I was considering. How did you secure it ? Any issues ?

I used this mount from Amazon. It was stable the whole time. I didn't even lock it...just zip tied to make sure it didn't come loose. Overall, I had it on the roof for about two months without any issues. I left the plate installed so I can put it up there quickly if I need to.

I don't keep it up there normally. I have a deck in the truck over it normally but wanted the space for the trip. I did have it up there when I did Medano Pass and could for sure feel the added weight on the roof. I'd only recommend having up up there for a trip like you took or forrest roads. Any off camber stuff felt extra sketchy with the weight on the roof.

 

[re_guderian]

...Overall, I had it on the roof for about two months without any issues...

was MPG an "issue"?

 

[RadoTracks]

was MPG an "issue"?

I was towing a trailer for a lot of it so it’s hard to say. I’m sure it had some impact but we aren’t winning any awards with the GX for mpg. Maybe 1 or 2 mpg if I was to guess.

 

[VentoGT]

Super rare color - I don't think I've ever seen one before. Mods look awewome!

 

[HVLA]

Did I miss the thread on the rear deck build?

 

[RadoTracks]

Did I miss the thread on the rear deck build?

Not sure if you are referring to my comment about a deck above. Mine is just a simple plywood deck with the rug on top. Here are a couple photos:

 

[evolute]

Super rare color - I don't think I've ever seen one before. Mods look awewome!

I call this grandpa gold. I had a friend recently that was exclusively looking for a 10-13 in this color.

 

[gxnnar]

Did I miss the thread on the rear deck build?

I am going to get to it within the next week. I have just finished up on an Ironman Foam Cell Pro lift kit (did it myself), but want to rebuild my previously thrown together last minute deck setup. I will include both in the new thread when I do it