Buying 455k mile GX (1 Viewer)

[VSPro9]

Hello Everyone,

I have been lurking for sometime as i have been shopping for the perfect GX470/460 for a mild off road build.

while discussing my hunt for a GX with some contractors doing work with my company, one of them mentioned that he just purchased a new GX and would sell me his old one for $500.

The kicker is it has 455k miles on it. its an 06, that he bought after lease with about 40k on it. Majority has been highway miles as he travels to factories across the US for work.
im obviously going to buy this, because even if things go terribly wrong i can recoup 500.
he says its been well maintained and is mechanically sound except for a slow leak from the air suspension.

my question: what am i getting myself into here? he has done the basics religiously, timing belt and such, but will i be looking at a new transmission or differentials soon? anything major? I will replace suspension of course, but should i price in additional replacement parts?

Thanks Everyone!

Budget for getting this thing up to speed will probably be between 7-10k

 

[Toyoland66]

Tough to say without knowing the current condition and maintenance history. Your best bet is to fix what you know needs attention and baseline it, replace all fluids, filters etc so you have a better idea what your starting with. I would thoroughly inspect all the suspension bushings, steering links, ball joints, wheel bearings, u joints etc. check the radiator and all hoses. Look for any leaks.

It’s hard to say if you should expect any major items such as transmission or diffs, but if they need attention there are plenty of used parts to swap in, or opportunities for upgrades considering your entry price. Pretty much Anything can be fixed if you have the will and skill set.

 

[MrTorgue]

As long as there is no rust I would easily jump all over this. Depending on what all maintenance needs to be done expect a final price tag somewhere around $7-10k like @Toyoland66 said.

 

[Rednexus]

I would buy it in a heartbeat, it would make a great trail rig. I would also plan on changing the differential, transfer case, and transmission fluid. If you change the transmission fluid be sure to drop the pan, clean it, replace the strainer, and then do a full exchange of all ~15 quarts from the transmission cooler. It's not a fun job the the only way to do it properly. Other things that should probably be changed would be the brake fluid and coolant (unless the coolant was recently done as part of a TB replacement).

From the engine side of things, I would also pull and inspect the spark plugs, then replace them if needed. If the GX does hot have a secondary air injection system delete already, this would be a good idea to install before the air pump fails. Also inspect all of your coolant and vacuum hoses and replace if needed. The OEM hoses on my '07 were in perfect shape at 135k, but I replaced them anyway, at 455k they should be replaced regardless of how they look.

The items I listed above should be $1K of less if you DIY all of the work, but could easily exceed $2K if taken to a shop.

 

[ewillis]

I'm just happy to hear that an 06 is still alive at 455k miles...

 

[VSPro9]

Tough to say without knowing the current condition and maintenance history. Your best bet is to fix what you know needs attention and baseline it, replace all fluids, filters etc so you have a better idea what your starting with. I would thoroughly inspect all the suspension bushings, steering links, ball joints, wheel bearings, u joints etc. check the radiator and all hoses. Look for any leaks.

It’s hard to say if you should expect any major items such as transmission or diffs, but if they need attention there are plenty of used parts to swap in, or opportunities for upgrades considering your entry price. Pretty much Anything can be fixed if you have the will and skill set.

Thank you for the reply! All i know is he claims it was maintained “religiously” and he is a bit of an enthusiast. I’ll check those areas when i get it.

 

[VSPro9]

I'm just happy to hear that an 06 is still alive at 455k miles...

I was shocked when he told me but i
Guess that’s what happens when you take care of your stuff?

 

[VSPro9]

I would buy it in a heartbeat, it would make a great trail rig. I would also plan on changing the differential, transfer case, and transmission fluid. If you change the transmission fluid be sure to drop the pan, clean it, replace the strainer, and then do a full exchange of all ~15 quarts from the transmission cooler. It's not a fun job the the only way to do it properly. Other things that should probably be changed would be the brake fluid and coolant (unless the coolant was recently done as part of a TB replacement).

From the engine side of things, I would also pull and inspect the spark plugs, then replace them if needed. If the GX does hot have a secondary air injection system delete already, this would be a good idea to install before the air pump fails. Also inspect all of your coolant and vacuum hoses and replace if needed. The OEM hoses on my '07 were in perfect shape at 135k, but I replaced them anyway, at 455k they should be replaced regardless of how they look.

The items I listed above should be $1K of less if you DIY all of the work, but could easily exceed $2K if taken to a shop.

This is exactly what i was hoping to hear, thank you so much!

 

[Is3]

Can I ask you how often oil was changed on that GX?

 

[VSPro9]

He said every 3-4k

 

[GXinPDX]

Keep up the maintenance, and take it to a million.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

My guess is the engine and transmission can last to a million if maintained right as the million mile tundras have shown, but other things might need replacing like alternator, starter, cats, o2 sensors, radiator, bushings, calipers, etc.

Everything I listed is reasonably priced except the cats.

 

[VSPro9]

My guess is the engine and transmission can last to a million if maintained right as the million mile tundras have shown, but other things might need replacing like alternator, starter, cats, o2 sensors, radiator, bushings, calipers, etc.

Everything I listed is reasonably priced except the cats.

who needs cats?

itll be a extra vehicle so daily drivability doesnt matter too much to me.

 

[VSPro9]

Keep up the maintenance, and take it to a million.

doubt ill get there, i have a G37 for a daily driver and QX56 for hauling the fam. this will be for camping with my older kids and some mild off road here in michigan. Would be cool though!