Consider an LX570: Questions

[hskb]

Hi all,
I am considering buying an LX570. Looking at the evolution of the LX570, at first I wanted one from 2016-2021 years with the latest upgrades (8-speed trans, upgraded infotainment system) .
My intention is to upgrade the infotainment system to a wireless apple car-play system(Grom Vline in particular) , and could not find anything with the latest 16-21 versions.
that leads me to the 2013-2015 years.
which that said, do i miss a lot by going to the 2013-2015 version?
anyone with the 2016-2021 upgrade the infotainment system with the Grom Vline?

any insights would be appreciated.

thanks
hskb

 

[Taco Supremo]

I feel the common advice on here is to get the newest one you can afford. I have a 2015. With that, i feel the 2016 is a big upgrade for brakes, transmission, headlights, seats, and overall interior ..

 

[burtlively]

Naviks may be something to consider. I have GROM (2008 LX) and Naviks (2017 Tundra). I had GROM in Tundra as well and had to send in for repair. In the meantime I swapped to Naviks. Naviks is a better option for the Tundra IMO. The GROM has been great in my LX.
As far as anything else I would recommend any Land Cruiser and/or LX in any year. It’s quite frankly the best vehicle I have ever owned and I hope I never walk outside my house and don’t see at least one of any year in my driveway. 395,000 miles and counting on 2008 and 300,000 on 2000.

 

[slipkid13]

2016 and above have the dopey mouse pad control (no touch screen) and the system is still woefully outdated. For some inexplicable reason they moved the rear seat AC control to the center armrest so if 3 people sit back there they can't control the AC. 8spd seems ok and several threads of brake upgrades for the 12-15.

I prefer the pre-16 just for the actual touchscreen and no AC controls in the rear armrest.

 

[TexomaPowerboater]

No free lunches when it comes to an LX 570. Drive it on the highway and make sure suspension is 100%. If there are any suspension problems at all I'd walk or tell the seller you'll buy if he can fix it and make sure it gets fixed. I wouldn't ask for the discount and fix it yourself because you could end up very frustrated like many others. Lots of potential for different oil leaks and coolant valley leak all expensive to fix. Those are easier to diagnose than suspension problems. I paid 22K for a 2011 with $175K miles and I have about $20K in repairs into it so I would not be afraid to spend $10K more on an LX 570 in good condition with zero problems than much less for one with a known problem with same miles and would assume there are problems you don't know about. Have seen some meticulous ones show up on bring a trailer auction site a few times that I wish I still had money to buy vs what I've spent on mine. That's why you see circa 1998-2010 LX 570's in great shape priced at 25-30K, because they spent a lot of money to get them there or keep them there and your not going to save any money trying to fix up a cheap one.

 

[tsboxx]

There are some great solutions for apple carplay for the 16-21 LX. Lookup Hamilton Motor Company units, I've got the unit on order and can report back. There's a lot of good reviews on it out there though.

 

[slipkid13]

No free lunches when it comes to an LX 570. Drive it on the highway and make sure suspension is 100%. If there are any suspension problems at all I'd walk or tell the seller you'll buy if he can fix it and make sure it gets fixed. I wouldn't ask for the discount and fix it yourself because you could end up very frustrated like many others. Lots of potential for different oil leaks and coolant valley leak all expensive to fix. Those are easier to diagnose than suspension problems. I paid 22K for a 2011 with $175K miles and I have about $20K in repairs into it so I would not be afraid to spend $10K more on an LX 570 in good condition with zero problems than much less for one with a known problem with same miles and would assume there are problems you don't know about. Have seen some meticulous ones show up on bring a trailer auction site a few times that I wish I still had money to buy vs what I've spent on mine. That's why you see circa 1998-2010 LX 570's in great shape priced at 25-30K, because they spent a lot of money to get them there or keep them there and your not going to save any money trying to fix up a cheap one.

Good info, zero to do with the OP asked. Also 1998-2007 are the LX 470.

 

[slipkid13]

There are some great solutions for apple carplay for the 16-21 LX. Lookup Hamilton Motor Company units, I've got the unit on order and can report back. There's a lot of good reviews on it out there though.

They also have a unit for 12-15.

 

[hskb]

Wow, lot of helpful insights. Thanks all.

Currently looking at:
1. 2013 with 178k miles for 22.5k. It has good service records and clean carfax, MK audio, LL LUXURY PACKAGE, Remote start, Park assist.
2. 2013 with 85k miles for 35k. It has good service records and clean carfax, MK audio, LL LUXURY PACKAGE, Remote start, Park assist.

My absolute requirements beside the usual are:
1. Mark Levinson audio
2. Multi Terrain Select

Yes the 2016+ are nice, with newer tech, but i really don't like the mouse set up and prefer the touch-screen.
Here are my thoughts, since the LX570 is very reliable, it is ok to buy the high mileage, and keep the $ for something else. I am leaning toward the 22.5k one.

By the way, I currently have the 2000 LX470, and love it. Will pass this one to my teen Son if i get the 570 (I got the LS460 with 39K mile for him, but he is practicing on my LX470 and likes the big SUV, so will sell the LS460

 

[jlm43]

I'd drive both and see which one you prefer. I've driven plenty of 80k vehicles that were worn out as well as 180k cream puffs. Being well maintained is a great start but how was each of them used? Highway driving is much easier on a vehicle than rough dirt roads at high speeds, even if it is well maintained.

I was in a similar situation and kept it between the years of 2013 and 2015 for a few reasons.
1- Coming from a 100 series that lost it's PS pump, I'm a huge fan of a hand brake. Parking brakes and electronic e-brakes are on or off, there is no way to use them for regular driving. I was able to drive my 100 series home and then to the shop the next day on the hand brake when the booster went.
2- Rear HVAC controls being on the console vs rear armrest. For my use case, I wanted to have access to them when I have my platform fully installed. Mostly so I can turn on the AC for the dog in the summer.
3- I didn't like the idea of the mouse for the infotainment controls. Now that I've used the one in my daughters RX, they aren't all that bad. Just not my preference though.
4- Older is usually cheaper and I'm not a fan of spending over $40k on something that doesn't gain value.

All of that being said, I found a one owner 2013 with 87k miles that was well maintained by a reputable Lexus dealer in a rust free state that has the same options as your #2. I'm one year and 22k miles into my ownership and I'd absolutely make the same choice. While I do miss my 100 series, I am happy I made the swap.

 

[slipkid13]

Wow, lot of helpful insights. Thanks all.

Currently looking at:
1. 2013 with 178k miles for 22.5k. It has good service records and clean carfax, MK audio, LL LUXURY PACKAGE, Remote start, Park assist.
2. 2013 with 85k miles for 35k. It has good service records and clean carfax, MK audio, LL LUXURY PACKAGE, Remote start, Park assist.

My absolute requirements beside the usual are:
1. Mark Levinson audio
2. Multi Terrain Select

Yes the 2016+ are nice, with newer tech, but i really don't like the mouse set up and prefer the touch-screen.
Here are my thoughts, since the LX570 is very reliable, it is ok to buy the high mileage, and keep the $ for something else. I am leaning toward the 22.5k one.

By the way, I currently have the 2000 LX470, and love it. Will pass this one to my teen Son if i get the 570 (I got the LS460 with 39K mile for him, but he is practicing on my LX470 and likes the big SUV, so will sell the LS460

I wouldn't get too hung up on the ML Audio, it is by far the most underwhelming piece of the LX. I have 2013LX with ML and I can't believe someone paid good money for this mediocre, blah audio system.

Crawl with MTS is standard on all 2012-15 LXs
High mileage is fine if you can verify the maintenance record (esp. coolant and AHC)

 

[jlm43]

I'll add that an original radiator that needs replacement is far better than one that has been replaced. While on paper it looks better to have one that's been replaced, in reality though, it's near impossible to know the severity of the cracked radiator. Original radiator confirms it has never cracked causing the engine to overheat.

 

[hskb]

Regarding about the 2013 LX with 86K miles for $35k. The car is in rural CA, last Sat I drove 2 hours to see the car. The owner is still driving the car, carpets a little dirty, the engine is covered with DUST since it's in the farm/rural place. I could not see much since it covered in dust. I check the oil and it's still fresh.
The owner has car-seats in it so there are some scratches. The headlights are fogged up a little, and need to be cleaned.

Is $35k a decent price for this? i think i can ask to lower to maybe $33 or so.
Please give me some advice. thanks

 

[997guy]

34k is about right. I just bought a 13 116k Mile single owner Lx for 32.5 in Dallas. It is super clean though and has been serviced at Lexus its whole life.

Side note are you from California? I always thought you had to pay Sales tax in the state of California and in your home state when you register your plates.

 

[TexomaPowerboater]

Agree that the 86K mile LX could be just as worse as the one with higher miles. It's obvious if the engine has leaks, it's obvious if the suspension needs to be completely replaced if you find tore bushing on control arms and anywhere else that uses rubber bushings. If you see even one you might as well budget the cost of a completely new suspension and they likely need a new one at $100K miles and a second one at $200K. It's crazy, all I ever had to do on the trucks was new shocks: I was never more than $1-2K away from a brand new suspension.

 

[gray rider]

I would not buy a LX 570 nor a LC 200 series for creature features. (Just me).....

 

[bicycleagent003]

Lurker here, so forgive the question.
Do the 2016- Land Cruisers also have the climate control device in the rear seat armrest?

 

[hskb]

If i decide to go for it, i will take it to a Lexus dealership to do PPI for peace of mind. Yes the 85K miles is $12K more than the 180k miles. For almost 100K miles, i think it's worth it

 

[997guy]

I would not buy a LX 570 nor a LC 200 series for creature features. (Just me).....

Coming from a base F150 my LX is a luxury cruiser lol.

 

[CHAOTIC]

I’ve owned a 2013, 2020, and currently have a 2015. For me personally, I prefer the 2015 I have now for the value it offers relative to the 2020. But I like Nebula and I like the 2013-2015 body lines better in so many ways.

As for my 2020, it was fully loaded sport edition in Atomic with Cabernet seats. The exterior with the sport grill (2020 version) looked great to me but obviously it was not off-road friendly. All black headliner and black side panels were a great touch also. Headlights are LED and a sizeable improvement over earlier HIDs. Steering wheel is much more modern. Full range of speed for dynamic cruise along with heads up display - very nice to have and worthwhile for night driving. Better brakes on the 2016+ and the ride was better - but it also had much lower miles - so can’t say for sure if anything was truly better or just newer.

The interior quality and design is also a step up from the 2013-2015 in many ways - but the material for the seats is a noticeable downgrade I should mention. I personally like the mouse control and had used it on my CT200h prior - so for me it was a non-issue and was very simple once calibrated. The front console area and controls are much more refined (but not a robustly built IMO) and the ambient lighting, rear seat A/C, and small touches like the rear pull-up shades, push button hatch, and larger rear screens are there also if you pay attention enough to value them. Also - having climate control external your Navi screen is a huge plus in my personal opinion. Overall - the 2016+ interior was quiet, well built, and and just am overall upgrade in my view.

Some downsides for the 2020 for me was the rear back with the sport bumper was not as aesthetically pleasing. From the sides and front, I liked it but the rear back on never looked right to me. Another item that bothered me was the new 8-speed transmission. At times it was quite smooth but many other times it hunted for an adequate gear - or at least that was my seat of the pants feel. Both my 2013 and current 2015 seem to shift “better” and my current 2015 feels quicker and not as “heavy”. The paddle shifter on the 2020 felt good when using it but wasn’t something I used often. Another downside for me was the wheel wheels seems to want a bigger rim that the 2013-2015. With the factory 21in rims the gap still seemed large to me aesthetically. For a 17in rim, I couldn’t find a set that looked that great to me. I have also seen posts indicating you can program the earlier LX’s to stay in high mode via the rear panel by the passenger seat on the driver side but are unable to do so on the 2016+. I never really looked into that - but might be worth considering.

If I could have the perfect LX, I’d take a 2015 in Nebula and swap in the entire 2016+ interior in Cabernet. To me, that would be the most ideal setup.