Cheapest 2018+ Sequoia in the entire country!! Modify, Upgrade, Maintain (2 Viewers)

[NKP Garage]

Earlier this year, we sold our beloved 2017 LX570. We needed a cheap second car—something low maintenance—so I picked up a one-owner, very clean Tesla Model Y. Big mistake (for me, at least).

While the Full Self-Driving feature worked surprisingly well and the instant torque was fun, everything else fell short. The build quality just isn’t there—noisy cabin, horribly uncomfortable suspension, and a list of other issues. After just six days of ownership, I knew I couldn’t do it anymore.

I started looking around for a budget-friendly LX570, but all the “cheap” ones were in rough shape. That led me to consider the Sequoia, specifically the 2018+ models for the refreshed front end.

The Purchase
I ended up buying the cheapest 2018+ Sequoia 4x4 in the entire country. By a long shot. Picked it up for $18.5k — a 2018 Sequoia Platinum 4x4 with some serious highway mileage: 250K on the clock! It’s a two-owner truck with a solid maintenance history, including regular oil changes.

To make the swap, I drove the Long Range AWD Model Y from Austin to Houston to trade it in. I fully charged the Tesla to 100% (330-mile range) for the 170-mile drive. But Texas highways have speed limits of 70-75 mph, meaning very little regenerative braking. I made it about 140 miles before hitting 5% battery. Luckily, there was a Supercharger nearby in Sealy, TX, where I had to stop and charge to 50% just to continue. Totally disappointing.

When I arrived at the dealership, I checked out the Sequoia. It wasn’t perfect, but it was what I expected. A few door dings, but no rust (always Texas-owned). The dealership’s "cleaning" left a lot to be desired—so much Amarillo red dust in every nook and cranny!

However, the interior was in much better condition than I anticipated. Mechanically, it was also better than expected—looked like it had new upper control arms at some point, and all fluids were very clean and recently replaced. All electronics and options worked properly. There was a bit of peeling clearcoat on the front fender, but nothing major.

The Drive Home
With a full tank of gas, I drove the Sequoia from Houston back to Austin. Coming straight from the Tesla, a few things immediately stood out:

1. Much quieter cabin
2. WAY more comfortable suspension
3. No creaks or shifting noises
4. Not EV fast, but plenty of power for highway cruising at 75-90 mph
5. Made it from Houston to Austin on just half a tank of fuel

That last point really put a smile on my face. In the Tesla, I barely made it 140 miles before needing to stop. In the Sequoia, I could go 2 to 2.5 times farther on a single tank of gas.

What’s Next?
I’ll keep this thread updated with maintenance, modifications, and general ownership updates. Coming from LC/LX ownership, I’ll also share my thoughts on the differences I see/feel between the LC200/LX570 and the 2nd-gen Sequoia platform.

Here's the beast the day I picked it up:

 

[hoch]

You did really well. Looks like it has 50k miles, not 250k.

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

OH BOY! She is sexy!

 

[NKP Garage]

You did really well. Looks like it has 50k miles, not 250k.

OH BOY! She is sexy!

Thanks guys! It's been good so far. Been working on baseline maintenance and getting some little things updated. I'm really impressed at the condition vs milage so far.

 

[NKP Garage]

Did a bunch of research and found a plug and play solution that would work on my Sequoia to get a new touch screen head unit installed that has Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto, without cutting any wires. Took about 45 minutes to install, given that I had no idea where things go and how things came apart. If I had to do it again I think I could knock it out in 15-20 minutes.

The system retains the factory reverse camera and factory JBL amp and speakers. The factory DVD / RSE still works, but audio is only working through the wireless headphones. I think I have a solution to get the DVD / RSE audio to work through the factory speakers as well, I will report back on that once I get to it.

Here's the full installation video incase anyone is looking to do the same. So far so good, loving the new setup.

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[NKP Garage]

I got a new AC cabin filter for the Sequoia with the activated carbon. Pulled the old filter and got the new one installed. The old filter had definitely served its purpose. It was dirty and yellowing. It was time to replace it for sure. Once replaced, it wasn't a night and day difference, but I could tell air flow at the same fan speeds was slightly better. I'll have the cabin filter replacement on the maintenance schedule to do at every oil change going forward.

Installation video, incase anyone else is looking to do the same. It's an easy 5 minute DIY, don't get tricked into paying the dealership $120+ to swap out your cabin AC filter.

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[NKP Garage]

Starting to work on deleting some of the chrome and updating the look of our 2018. Last weekend I replaced the chrome mirror caps on our 2018 with black ones. I didn't realize there were different types of mirror caps. Went through 3 of them before I found a good one. First one, I guess I didn't pay attention, it was an outer cap that went over the existing cap and had double sided tape to hold it on. Terrible design and doesn't fit flush obviously, returned it. Second one I ordered was the clip on type like OEM, looked fine at first, but upon closer inspection the edges were "wavy" almost like someone cut the edges by hand. Returned those as well. What is surprising about these first two is the number of positive reviews. Maybe people don't pay attention to the details like I do? Then I ordered a third set, again a set thats essentially a copy of the OEM mirror cap, it came in, and was perfect. Removed the old ones and Installed the new ones, they fit perfect. Did a quick video for anyone else needing a visual of how they go together. The link to the last set that I kept and installed is in the video description. Hopefully it's helpful for you guys:

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[NKP Garage]

Next step in my chrome delete for our 2018 was the door handles. I didn't know it was so easy to swap out the door handles!! If I had to do it again it would take me around 2 minutes per door handle. The one thing that got me stuck for 30-45 minutes was when one of the door handles gave me trouble and I couldn't get the screw to line back up and thread in. After much comparison and looking at the others I realized what the problem was and got the little assembly in the door lined back up and I was good to go. I have that entire process and how to fix the screw alignment issue in the video I took of my install. And links to the door handles I bought in the video too. It was about $35 for the entire set of door handles. Here's the video, hoping it's helpful for you guys if you're doing the same with your Sequoia:

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[NKP Garage]

Took the Sequoia to Hidden Falls today with my two sons. They had a blast, and the Sequoia did surprisingly well. I have been to HF over the years in my LXs and LCs, various 80 series, 100 series and 200 series. But this is our first time in a Sequoia. We tried to get a couple wheels in the air on purpose to see how well the 4wd and traction control got us out of a no traction situation. It did 100% perfect without a hiccup. Just drove through at low throttle like it was easy. I would have no problem taking this beast anywhere. We put it through the tests on 1, 2, and 3 diamond trails with great results. Only place we had a little bump was a large boulder that my son drove right over and it caught the newly installed aluminum offroad skidplate. But that was easy to reverse and pick a different line. And the new Michelin Defenter Platinum tires shined for sure. Never had a single traction problem at all. These tires are my new favorite, they are quiet on the highway, balance out perfectly, and do fantastic offroad.

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[NKP Garage]

For you guys that like tinkering. Have any of you modified your stock intake box? I removed the charcoal filter, and installed a K&N filter, and put it back together. I am a big fan of the factory intake box on Toyota SUV's, they are a better "cold air" intake than anything aftermarket. And they are not really restrictive. I guess this may have opened up the intake flow a little bit. Who knows. Got a slightly better intake sound when you floor it, but still nice and quiet during normal operation. If you are in silly state like California maybe you want to leave it alone. But if you are in the land of freedom like Texas then you're probably fine to do the modification.

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[NKP Garage]

I had no idea that the front console lid does this. Did yall know? Feel like I’m finding new things everyday with this Sequoia.
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[NKP Garage]

Found another easter egg on our 2018 Sequoia. I was wondering why the tilt mirrors weren't doing anything. Apparently if you have the switch moved to R or L, the mirrors will auto tilt downward when you put it into reverse. But if you have the switch set to the middle the mirrors will not auto tilt when you go into reverse. I guess that's a good thing, incase you don't want them to auto tilt you have an option to keep them from moving:
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[NKP Garage]

Got the TRD style skid plate installed on our 2018 recently. Very impressed at the quality. It is really nice thick aluminum, very solid build quality. And the oil filter access port is a game changer, it should have been like that from the factory. Install was super easy, just took a few minutes to figure out where all of the hardware went. First impressions, VERY NICE upgrade. Even if you don't go offroad just having the oil filter access plate is an awesome addition. As far as offroad durabilty goes, this is just as heavy duty as just about every other skid plate I've seen around for the Tundra/Sequoia platform. Well worth it. Here's the detailed installation video if you're doing the same install. It was $215 on Amazon, I put the Amazon link in the video description:

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[NKP Garage]

I wanted to upgrade all of the interior bulbs to brighter LED bulbs, to make it brighter and also get rid of the OEM yellow tint bulbs. I looked all over to try and find all of the different bulb sizes and part numbers, but I kept finding various data. Finally I took a chance and just ordered a complete "kit" off of amazon. I figured it might come with some incorrect bulbs or missing ones. But to my surprise it actually came with all of the correct bulbs. It even came with the bulbs for the "puddle lights" at the bottom of each door. The kit even came with new LED bulbs to replace the dim license plate bulbs. For $23 bucks it was well worth every penny, and exceeded my expectations. The interior of the Sequoia is now bright at night when we need the lights on, and it has a nice modern bright light instead of the old dingy yellow tint from the factory lights. It took some trial and error to figure out how to remove a few of the lenses. Took me and my son about an hour. But if I were to do it all again now knowing how they all came apart it would take maybe 20 minutes. We put together a step by step video to show how to get to all the bulbs, and where each bulb in the kit goes. And the direct link to the amazon listing is in the video description. Hope you guys find this helpful!

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[Chilkoot]

Great thread and I appreciate the videos. I think these rigs are pretty undervalued honestly. I did something similar about a year ago. Found a 2016 with 219k on the odo. After base lining fluids and a new pulley/tensioner it’s been solid.

 

[RobE30]

I am also on the hunt for a 2nd gen Sequoia. A year ago I bought a quad cab Tacoma, absolutely terrible vehicle for a family of four. The new babyseats are huge and I end up eating the steering wheel (6ft). I'm hoping to find a decent sequoia and trade the Taco towards it.

Thanks for all the info and videos!

 

[FXJ 96]

Got the TRD style skid plate installed on our 2018 recently. Very impressed at the quality. It is really nice thick aluminum, very solid build quality. And the oil filter access port is a game changer, it should have been like that from the factory. Install was super easy, just took a few minutes to figure out where all of the hardware went. First impressions, VERY NICE upgrade. Even if you don't go offroad just having the oil filter access plate is an awesome addition. As far as offroad durabilty goes, this is just as heavy duty as just about every other skid plate I've seen around for the Tundra/Sequoia platform. Well worth it. Here's the detailed installation video if you're doing the same install. It was $215 on Amazon, I put the Amazon link in the video description:

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Thanks for sharing, it's tempting to just get the oil filter access plate. Tired of messing around with the factory plate jigsaw puzzle.

Nice work on the rig, most interested to watch how the drivetrain and suspension holds up based on the higher miles. How many miles a year do you plan to use it? A couple years ago I bought a 2012 SR5 with 189K miles and in great shape for$13k, for us it's a third car for family trips or dirty, messy trips or for moving stuff. I've put almost 20K problem free miles on it. Upgraded wheels, tires, suspension, headlights, head unit, speakers, interior and exterior LED's. It's been great for us.