Very nice rig! Doesn't look out of place at all, but I am more talking about the newer design LX. I could be proven wrong, as I usually am lol, but I don't think the new ones are going to look near as good in an off road config.
Done Vacillating Between Used 200 and New T4R
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1world1love
SILVER Star
Hmmm can’t see a Lexus logo in any one of those pictures.....
Damn! You’re right. Here you go
TheGrrrrr
GOLD Star
Anyone who thinks the LX is somehow inferior off-road (save for the crazy grill and sport body moldings on some of the newest models) should make a trip out to LCDC and watch the LX guys make things look easy. If it were me and I was entertaining customers or other things that would necessitate a decent company paid vehicle, I would look at the LX. To me the its sort of a James Bond vs Jason Bourne thing. One kicks ass in a tux, the other just kicks ass and blends in.
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1world1love
SILVER Star
I will grant you that there are fewer examples, but ther are certainly a few that brewk the mold:
Post in thread 'Mountain Goat '18LX build thread'
Builds - Mountain Goat '18LX build thread - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/mountain-goat-18lx-build-thread.1118523/post-12902405
but again, I am a big fan of the 15 and under YM and the 13-15 which is a really good balance of features and styling.
Called it, proved wrong again! That's a bad ass rig for sure lol. Wonder how much work went in to changing that front end from the freight train look to that.
1world1love
SILVER Star
Yeah, I don't want to hijack this thread and make it another Lx vs Lc discussion, but Grrrr's point is a good one. For a DD, and especially for a company sponsored vehicle, you may not want to run a lift kit, but with an LX, you have an instant 2" lift available on demand for your weekend adventures, and come Monday, you are back to business mode.
In reality though any of the three options are going to be pretty damn good for weekend adventures, even in stock mode. The LC/LX is just much more comfortable.
In reality though any of the three options are going to be pretty damn good for weekend adventures, even in stock mode. The LC/LX is just much more comfortable.
1world1love
SILVER Star
A bunch. You can follow the transformation in his thread. It's a pretty great read.
CharlieS
GOLD Star
In this case, as someone coming into a construction environment (I think that was what you had said), and not wanting to look like "that guy" (I think those were your words originally), the Land Cruiser is the more stealth choice, in my opinion. Many people have no idea what they are and they often get confused with Highlanders and 4Runners. While the Lexus is essentially the same capability (and some here might contend that they are better in some respects), they scream high end luxury vehicle from the moment you see them. It seems like that may conflict with your original stated goals. Some replies may not take this context into account, since you edited the original post pretty extensively.
- Thread starter
- #29
Excellent advice! Thank you. Your comments fit with how I think about these things as well.
Having owned T4R's in each generation (except 1st), the 5th gen is not for me again. It was great with a lift and minor mods as I did when I had one (the first year of that gen). The new one I drove was a bummer...I was saying to myself, "What the hell am I thinking?"...ha.
I just drove a 2021 LX570. Yeah, nice...and I could get one and the salesman turned-out to be the older brother of an old friend I haven't seen for 25 years....crazy. But still, $107K...even with a GREAT lease deal of $900/mo...I just can't justify it. Plus, it's the opposite of not wanting to show-up as the new guy running the show and have my 200 employees flinching at such a display. I'd be a little embarrassed and want to be more humble for sure. Yes, those things matter to me.
- Thread starter
- #30
Yeah, thanks CharlieS. It's a manufacturing business. Roughly 250,000 SF 150 year-old operation with ~200 employees, 150 in the various plant operations and the rest in back office, logistics, etc. I just don't want to be flashy with any euro vehicle and yeah, a shiny new Lexus might have a bit of that effect but just seems more toned-down. It's not a huge deal but I respect the generations of worker who bust ass day-in and day-out for not a lot of money. I'm probably putting more thought into that than I need, but just being honest with my thoughts as I take-over in 2 weeks. Heck, I should probably take my '21 GMC 2500hd Denali out there as far as "image" goes, but whatever really...in the end I AM the guy running the joint for crying out loud haha. It's not like I'm trying to be anyone's buddy. Probably just a bit self conscious when it comes to material things. I'm a 6'3" 270 bearded late 50's Russian/Scottish guy wearing White's boots, jeans, and Filson shirts to work every day...you know the type. Caber toss anyone? Ha.
Anyway, sounds like stuff for a therapist, right? I'll park my plane and drive a '74 Volvo DL to the plant...how's that? Sheesh (no plane, no).
I'll get what I want that I can keep forever so it's def the '13-'16 LC or LX. Crazy how the LX's can be had for less than the LC's and while I'd prefer the LC's, will probably go LX (and just rattle can a quarter panel with primer gray). ;^)
Tommy Dwyer
SILVER Star
Just show up every Monday morning with the thing covered in mud and pinstripes from your off road adventures down the sides...you'll be in
1world1love
SILVER Star
I don’t know. Life is too short to worry about crap like that. There are genuine assholes that live in single-wides and drive beat up junk, and there are genuinely good people that buy a new S-class every year. We are more than what we drive.
I’ve been dirt poor and have certainly involuntarily missed a meal or two, and I’ve been well off enough to drop a couple of hundred bucks on lunch. Along the way, I’ve met a lot of folks and I can say that I don’t recall what almost any of them drove, whether they were fairing better or worse than me. Its likely your new employees will remember you for something other than your car. Whatever that is, that is what I’d worry about. Not what you drive.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to lecture you (or anybody else). I think the fact that your conscious about something like that probably means you have nothing to worry about.
I’m around your age and the way I look at it, I may only have a couple of decades left if I’m lucky. I’ve worked hard, and as soon as I was in a place to do it, I bought an expensive vehicle. Then I proceeded to slice and dice it, drive it over mountains, across desserts, through mud, through, snow, and probably through a lot of brush. I do it all in comfort with my wife and kids. We’ve had a blast in that truck. I have received more than a few comments about having bought a Lexus and then heavily modding it. The ways that truck has enriched my life far exceeds all the f**ks I give about what people think about it.
Buy whatever makes you happy......but consider taking a taxi on your first day
Last year I sold both of my 5th gen 4runners.
2013 - supercharged, icon suspension, wheels/tires, and other stuff
2014 - icon suspension, wheels/tires
The biggest thing that always bugged me about the 4runner was the size, just a little too small. Having the supercharger installed on one of them fixed the lack of power, but it comes at a cost.
2013 - supercharged, icon suspension, wheels/tires, and other stuff
2014 - icon suspension, wheels/tires
The biggest thing that always bugged me about the 4runner was the size, just a little too small. Having the supercharger installed on one of them fixed the lack of power, but it comes at a cost.
- Thread starter
- #34
More like dragging the fixtures from a smash and grab at one of the 5 pawn shops down the street...there's some street cred! Though I was just deciding which motorcycle to take out there and decided on the '21 BMW R1250GSA vs my '17 Harley Road Glide Ultra. That woulda helped I suspect.Just show up every Monday morning with the thing covered in mud and pinstripes from your off road adventures down the sides...you'll be in
Yep. Ha, I was a little surprised it took this long for someone to touch this point...that's a good sign, I suppose. In any event, most of the "crap" in that area of discussion was certainly in the TMI department on my part. It's tough when we don't know one-another in this sort of venue. But FWIW, my points raised really have absolutely nothing to do with what "I" might think that "I" need to drive or an image that I might care about or how I think what one drives may or may not have a bearing or meaning about the owner. Yeah, a little counter-intuitive but was 100% about being conscious/self-conscious for looking like a jerk when I take-over given the sorts of changes I will quickly make and the effect it will have on many people who bust-ass for $15/hr year-in and year-out. Counter-intuitive since the very act of caring about how it might look to others (employees) and saying it's not about "me", is actually doing just that...caring about how I come-across...which IS about "me"....whew...I have a headache.I don’t know. Life is too short to worry about crap like that. There are genuine assholes that live in single-wides and drive beat up junk, and there are genuinely good people that buy a new S-class every year. We are more than what we drive.
I’ve been dirt poor and have certainly involuntarily missed a meal or two, and I’ve been well off enough to drop a couple of hundred bucks on lunch. Along the way, I’ve met a lot of folks and I can say that I don’t recall what almost any of them drove, whether they were fairing better or worse than me. Its likely your new employees will remember you for something other than your car. Whatever that is, that is what I’d worry about. Not what you drive.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to lecture you (or anybody else). I think the fact that your conscious about something like that probably means you have nothing to worry about.
I’m around your age and the way I look at it, I may only have a couple of decades left if I’m lucky. I’ve worked hard, and as soon as I was in a place to do it, I bought an expensive vehicle. Then I proceeded to slice and dice it, drive it over mountains, across desserts, through mud, through, snow, and probably through a lot of brush. I do it all in comfort with my wife and kids. We’ve had a blast in that truck. I have received more than a few comments about having bought a Lexus and then heavily modding it. The ways that truck has enriched my life far exceeds all the f**ks I give about what people think about it.
Buy whatever makes you happy......but consider taking a taxi on your first day
Based on your good points, I really think as you do in your comments, believe it or not. It is NOT about "me" so much as it's about perception of a crowd who more likely do carry around an association with "things" to the type of person. Sure, that's a real thing and while often true and support stereotypes, it's not a way to live a life ("image" driven, that-is), in my opinion. That whole direction is probably driven, for me, due to coming from nothing and having been just fortunate enough to make a few only slightly better decisions than awful ones...and I mean awful. Oops, back to the therapist.
Reminds me of a statement like this.... "Enough about ME...now, what do YOU think about ME?" Can you tell that I was raised by a Psychologist and steel worker? Hahaha.
Yeah, I'm thinking I'll have a cop car drop me off the first few days. That oughta do it. In all seriousness, we'll never please everyone and cannot control others' perceptions. Sorry if I was coming across as "that guy" after all!
I'm revising this b/c I wanted to know if you ever had any luck purchasing a 200 series, if so which model did you go with, and were you able to find financing? I'm just wondering b/c I'm in the same boat as you. I have a 2016 4runner, I paid 31k for it 2yrs ago w/ 28,000 miles on. Last week I went to the dealership I bought it from to get it appraised w/ 71,500 miles on it. The dealership offered me 30k for it. I've been looking at 200 series and found a few I'm interested in, but the problem is financing. No banks, or credit unions will finance a 2015 and below vehicle for less than 48 months. When asked why, I was told the COVID pandemic was the game change. It royally sucks b/c I had no issues whatsoever financing my 2004 LX470.
CharlieS
GOLD Star
Have you tried a credit union? Our small credit union has always had more flexible terms and restrictions than the big banks.
Yes, I tried the credit union I have my 4Runner & LX470 loan thru. They are the ones who originally told me they revised their loan terms to 48 months for any 2016 vehicles and below. I've talked to a few dealerships as well, and they told me none of their banks will go higher than a 48 month loan. They said the only ones who would possibly finance a 60 or 72 month loan on a 200 series with over 100,000 miles is Toyota, but your credit needs to be excellent. I even tried Capitol One, they will finance, but they want a hugh down payment. They told me the reason for the big down payment is b/c the dealership pricing is actually higher than the actual blue book value of the actual vehicle I'm looking at.
Thanks, but yeah...I don't like to gamble like that.
indycole
GOLD Star
It's not a fit for everyone, but it may be worth reviewing non-secured loans (lightstream.com is an example).
