That's what I thought.
A beginners guide to buying a used GX470 (4 Viewers)
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We are just starting to look around for what's gonna be the replacement for our honda van and as of now the two vehicles being considered are the GX or a 200.
Love both of them, they got the looks, capability, V8s, bla bla bla. MPG is close enough to go either way. Towing is better with 200 obviously!
So I'm doing my homework and trying to piece together when and how the changes were done as well as the option packages. I did look through the link in this tread and was very good!
The only exception was not telling you the specifics of how the options were grouped together.
For example: Is the tow package tied to the sport model and what else would be included in that version? Is KDSS tied to Nav? 3rd row seats tied to something else? And goes on and on…
Basically, what's tied to what so one could more easily identify the best vehicle to fit his needs/wants!
Did the Nav system ever got moved to an actual Nav without the dvd part? If so when was it? I'm leaning now to a non nag so I can put whatever I want there but am trying to figure out what I'll be giving up for that to happen!
Thanks for any imput!
Love both of them, they got the looks, capability, V8s, bla bla bla. MPG is close enough to go either way. Towing is better with 200 obviously!
So I'm doing my homework and trying to piece together when and how the changes were done as well as the option packages. I did look through the link in this tread and was very good!
The only exception was not telling you the specifics of how the options were grouped together.
For example: Is the tow package tied to the sport model and what else would be included in that version? Is KDSS tied to Nav? 3rd row seats tied to something else? And goes on and on…
Basically, what's tied to what so one could more easily identify the best vehicle to fit his needs/wants!
Did the Nav system ever got moved to an actual Nav without the dvd part? If so when was it? I'm leaning now to a non nag so I can put whatever I want there but am trying to figure out what I'll be giving up for that to happen!
Thanks for any imput!
Sport will include KDSS by default. KDSS was available as a standalone option, but it's very rare to find that way. I believe Sport also includes nav. Tow ratings between the GX470 and LX570 aren't very different (6500lbs vs 7000lbs).
You might find this helpful: Lexus GX470
You might find this helpful: Lexus GX470
You know, my bad! I did look through that but had not gone into the actual brochures for the specific years! Now I have many of the answers I need, thanks.
Nothing is tied to anything other than Nav tied to the Mark Levinson sound system all other features or options are independently/individually available. Basically there was only a hand full of options, and only two trim packages available, regular and sport models. The sport got different wheels and tinted lights and darker interior trim accents.
No grouped packages were offered to my knowledge. Everything was its own option.
Also the GX and 200 are so vastly different, more so than they are similar... Price point being the biggest. You could buy at least 2 GXs for the price of a 200. And I don't see a 200 getting 20mpg... The 200 is gonna be much nicer interior wise and make the GX seam pale in comparison. Personally if I could afford a 200, I wouldn't even be looking at a GX. But that's just my thoughts.
It was more of a guess at first since the 200 is an overall bigger/heavier vehicle, has a bigger engine, bigger brakes, 6 speed instead of the 5 in the GX.
I would most definitely prefer the 200 as well but $$$ wise is still out of my reach!!! I've seen a couple come and go for a screaming deal around $35K with low miles but not ready to pull the trigger for that yet. Hence why GX made the second option! Again, this is research time!
Thanks for the help.
200 will tow better due to the mass and stance, but the GX is WAY cheaper, and it depends on what you are towing.
Glad that I was able to point Google in this direction before I started this exact thread. I am shopping for a 470 right now. So, they all came with KDSS and it is something that I want? It acts as a sway disconnect system? Not a single truck that I have turned up is devoid of navigation. I normally detest the in dash systems as my phone will forever do a better job at getting me more lost but is this navigation being equipped really that big of a deal?
Also, how many miles might I find to be too many miles? I could find a late 4th gen with fewer miles but prefer the higher roof line and better look of the Prado/ GX.
Also, how many miles might I find to be too many miles? I could find a late 4th gen with fewer miles but prefer the higher roof line and better look of the Prado/ GX.
I believe there are a few thing wrong with your post.
No they do not all come with KDSS unless they were a Sport edition if I remember correctly.
The major problem with the navigation option is that the thermostat controls are integrated into it so changing out the unit for a more modern stereo system is not possible or at least much more difficult.
I am personally looking for an 05 or newer for the better towing and the only option I am ruling out is the navigtion but that is making it very difficult because it seems that much more of the newer 470's came with navigation.
No they do not all come with KDSS unless they were a Sport edition if I remember correctly.
The major problem with the navigation option is that the thermostat controls are integrated into it so changing out the unit for a more modern stereo system is not possible or at least much more difficult.
I am personally looking for an 05 or newer for the better towing and the only option I am ruling out is the navigtion but that is making it very difficult because it seems that much more of the newer 470's came with navigation.
KDSS is not a sway bar disconnect, its more of a sway bar extended travel via a electric/hydraulic system. It's OK for a stock rig that won't see much off road use, but I suspect the more is pushed the faster it will become a headache. Some will say the Nav is OK, I don't like it. It's technology from 2002 and the only updating it got was things like Bluetooth, the software was never upgraded so its old technology and your phone is yes a much better source for navigation. You can update the maps to an extent but they discs are a premium, and they only do so much. The 05 and newer only get a few more ponys and having driven an 05, and owning a 04, I didn't notice the difference, maybe on a track doing 1/4 miles you might notice the difference but in everyday life I don't think it would matter. I'd personally loom for the best maintained one you can find without Nav irregardless of year. Sports are gonna bring a premium price.
When looking at for sale ads and trying to figure out which options the thing has there are a couple of things that always go together. For example, the sport package is sometimes hard to spot just from photos but there are a couple clues. If it has the dark gray steering wheel instead of brown wood, then it is sport; the roof rack will be dark gray on sport; there is no sport without a chrome exhaust tip. Sport is supposed to have smoked taillights but I can't tell the difference in photos. There are a couple colors that weren't available with the sport package, white and gold I think. KDSS was was available as an option separate from the sport package but you need to see it in person to know if it has this option.
A couple other things, the rear A/C was not available unless it had the third row seat option. So if it has rear A/C then it came with the 3rd row seats. If it has the backup camera then it has nav, so you can tell just by looking at the back whether it has nav or not. If it has chrome door handles then it's 2008 or newer.
A couple other things, the rear A/C was not available unless it had the third row seat option. So if it has rear A/C then it came with the 3rd row seats. If it has the backup camera then it has nav, so you can tell just by looking at the back whether it has nav or not. If it has chrome door handles then it's 2008 or newer.
I have yet to see anyone with actual KDSS problems - most are just speculation on potential future failure. I wouldn't buy a GX470 without KDSS, but that's me (most of my miles are on-road so the heavier sway bars are wonderful).
Read up on how it works. Anytime you lift or make changes to the suspension you are supposed to reset it otherwise it can have adverse effects. There is a few threads on this and the newer rigs like the 200s are more user friendly but still very very costly to fix and only a handful of Toyota techs are qualified to work on the system in the country. That means that if the system is damaged or needs repair, either your vehicle has to go to them or you have to pay for them to come to you, either way you pay for it. On the 200s at least the owners can reset the system without actually opening it up if they lift their rigs.
Sport has the smoked headlights and fog lights base has a green tint to them. Sports also has the "hyper-silver" wheels as apposed to just the standard silver. The chrome exhaust tip was available on all GXs and most got it. And there is no brown wood in the sports anywhere its all the black/grey wood. And I do believe that sports were available in white.
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That is good to know, now another thing I can take of my picky list while shopping. So now my only must is No Navigation and I would prefer No KDSS and Grey interior.
My discussion with Radflo indicated that this wasn't a big deal and they include instructions with their suspension setups.
To each their own - I will take the massive on-road performance increase and the extra (4", IIRC) articulation.
Other than hearsay, I have yet to see anything saying that KDSS is unreliable. Example. If you're planning on scraping rocks against it, then maybe it's not the best option for you.
If you do want a non-KDSS truck, congrats...they're incredibly easy to find (i.e. everywhere)!
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Thanks for the information. Around me, everything has navigation. Everything. Does Lexus do the VIN lookup like Toyota does for checking service records? At what mileage level would you say is too much? Finding low mileage units, again around me, is pretty impossible. Most are around 70k.
Edit: Scratch that, just found an '06 WITHOUT navigation. 86k miles. Now I am REALLY interested in that VIN lookup option.
Edit: Scratch that, just found an '06 WITHOUT navigation. 86k miles. Now I am REALLY interested in that VIN lookup option.
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Almost every auto maker has that ability to do a VIN search for records, but they will only show dealer services, not any service done by independent shops, so relying on a dealership for records is not always accurate. Also if you buy a vehicle from a dealership they can not provide you with any paperwork or records of service other than that which comes from the vin lookup... So oftentimes buying from a private party is better because you can get records for everything and have receipts for work/parts that are still under warranty, say like tires or radiators or alternators ect.( not that those should have needed to be replaced...) I prefer private part sales personally, as you get to meat the previous owner and you can tell a lot from them and how they act and the condition of their other vehicles house ect on how they took care of the vehicle. Dealers are notorious for up selling and being full of s*** when it comes to used cars(even at the actual dealer).
Anyhow my point, don't always rely on that VIN search...
Anyhow my point, don't always rely on that VIN search...
Lucky for me, this thing has a LOAD of dealer service records. It seemed to have a no start issue leading to the alarm being deactivated and battery replaced. Most recently, the PO complained to the compressor being noisy and running so I am guessing that that is the rear suspension leveling system?
