GX460 buying advice request (1 Viewer)

[doru]

Hi all,

I'm new here, this is my second post. I do not like cross posting but because my question involves more than one vehicle and because most of the people read only their car forum I do not see other way than to post here to. The post for 4Runner is here Buying advice 4Runner vs. Lexus vs Tacoma. If you can share any of your wisdom choosing between those vehicles I greatly appreciate it.

For you guys one particular question is why should I buy a GX470 (2005-) vs. GX460? I know the specs and that the 150 has a lot better engine. But it also a lot more expensive and the available inventory here in Seattle is not as good.

Thanks much!

 

[MrTorgue]

Hi all,

I'm new here, this is my second post. I do not like cross posting but because my question involves more than one vehicle and because most of the people read only their car forum I do not see other way than to post here to. The post for 4Runner is here Buying advice 4Runner vs. Lexus vs Tacoma. If you can share any of your wisdom choosing between those vehicles I greatly appreciate it.

For you guys one particular question is why should I buy a GX470 (2005-) vs. GX460? I know the specs and that the 150 has a lot better engine. But it also a lot more expensive and the available inventory here in Seattle is not as good.

Thanks much!

Choose what you prefer as either are great platforms. I own both a 470 and a 460 and I love both and would be happy with either if I had to choose. Both are very capable reliable platforms.

Aesthetics
Powertrain
Ventilated seats (460)

These are really the main differences to consider. If these don’t matter choose the one with the best service history, mechanical condition and no rust.

 

[r2m]

Straight off, I'd like to welcome you to the forum! But, regarding your question, I just posted this for another new member asking the same question so I'm going to be lazy and just cut and paste what I told him:

First off, WELCOME!!
Second, with you being a pro skier, from what I saw a few Winter Olympics ago, I thought Subaru's were the skier's car of choice!
Now to the serious stuff. You couldn't have picked a better brand than Toyota/Lexus.
So what you're considering between GX460, Tacoma and 4Runners really is a wash and will depend upon your ultimate needs and end game.
Straight off the bat, I'd go with a GX over a 4Runner for the simple reasons that they are more expensive than GX's and more likely to have been driver either hard or off-roaded. It's just a fact that people buy the 4Runers for adventure, and adventure requires getting your hands err, tires dirty. GX's on the other hand are usually purchased by upwardly mobile middle class families that need something large and safe for hauling their kids to school, violin lessons and soccer. My GX was a perfect example. It was owned by a little Korean mother. I know this because when I used the seat memory, me being 6'-0", the seat about crushed my knees. I turning on the stereo and XM was set to a Korean station, finally there were crumbs and toy trinkets. On top of all that, being 5 years old, it only had 42,000 miles on the clock. The door sill still had the clear protective plastic on and it was about perfect for a lot less $$$ than any 4Runner.
So that's my preamble on GX's. The GX470's are getting a little long in tooth (higher miles) but are still great!

Also something you didn't list and is also a very viable option are 100 series Landcruisers and LX450's (they are both 100 series Toyotas). They came out in 1998 and ended in 2007. My wife and I both had our own 100 series and loved them! We traded hers with 285,000 miles and mine at 265,000 miles. When we traded them, they both still ran great! The only issues were that the paint was all peeling and the leather was really shot. In fact, there's a fellow on the 100 series forum here on IH8MUD forum that has my old hundy and is still fixing it up!

Those 100 series and even an 80 series if you can find them are really great options and will serve you and your family for many years in all kinds of conditions.

Hope this helped, wish you well on your search!


Also, if you do get a Toyota of some kind, do us all a favor a post what you purchased (on the appropriate forum, e.g. GX on the GX forum, Tacoma with Tacomas, 4R with 4R's, etc.) I'm sure everyone on that forum would love to see what you got and your plans if any for it!!

 

[doru]

I went on a test drive yesterday and the reviews are here:
Buying advice 4Runner vs. Lexus vs Tacoma - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/buying-advice-4runner-vs-lexus-vs-tacoma.1260785/#post-14003664

 

[doru]

Thanks for welcoming me here.

Subaru was the official car of PSIA. Now it is Volkswagen. Land Rover is the official car of USSS. But I do not get any perks for buying a used one.

I love the classic look of those Land Cruisers but that means a 20+ years old truck almost as old as my Camry (25). The gas millage was not great even then let alone today and parts and stuff are becoming less available than they used to. We saw a dark (British) green LX450 yesterday in the lot next to the LX570 and wife asked what truck is that - she lover the look and color instantly.

I haven't purchased anything yet, but I posted the back to back test drives reviews from yesterday here.

 

[Acrad]

Aside from the Nori coming out on '22... another green color was available on 10-11 GX 460 called Peridot Mica.

If you pick up a 10-19 you can cheaply add the crawl control and multi terrain select as well.

460-Add Crawl Control (CC) and Multi Terrain Select (MTS) to 2010-2019 models/all trims

CLICK ME: =crawl']Crawl Control and Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) retrofit on '10-'19 GX 460 / all trims Crawl control and/or MTS can be added to any '10-'19 GX 460 regardless of trim. MTS is not available in stock US models in North America except for Canadian top tier models. Crawl Control was...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[doru]

I came across a very nice 2013 LX570, one owner, cared for, black interior (much better than the fancy light tan), and I don't think there was left any option not installed. The price is $39k so 9 more than budget. It has all the features including crawl control.
Is that a good buy?
Honestly the only things I like better on GX is the flat folding chairs and gas mileage.
I can't compare to Land Cruiser as I just looked at that at that one.

 

[Acrad]

That is about the going average price for LX 570. I hear AHC is good so if you plan to keep stock it seems quite reliable... if adding a lift I've heard not as easy to retrofit.

Used Car Price Trends - CarGurus Pricing Index

Stay on top of used car price trends and get real-time industry-leading market insights.

www.cargurus.com

 

[VentoGT]

Thanks for welcoming me here.

Subaru was the official car of PSIA. Now it is Volkswagen. Land Rover is the official car of USSS. But I do not get any perks for buying a used one.

I love the classic look of those Land Cruisers but that means a 20+ years old truck almost as old as my Camry (25). The gas millage was not great even then let alone today and parts and stuff are becoming less available than they used to. We saw a dark (British) green LX450 yesterday in the lot next to the LX570 and wife asked what truck is that - she lover the look and color instantly.

I haven't purchased anything yet, but I posted the back to back test drives reviews from yesterday here.

Honestly, if gas mileage is even a thought you are probably not going to be very happy around town my GX will get maybe 13 ish mpg. No better or worse than my Sequoia, Range Rover, and a tad better than my old FJ62, which was almost bang on at 11MPG no matter how it was driven. The simplicity and reliability are what attracted me to Toyota, especially the normally aspirated 8 cylinder lineup. I bought my Sequoia to make sure I got 'the old platform' before they change it over to the TTV6 next gen. Thanks for posting the writeup on the test drives!

 

[skey44]

The 570 is notably wider. My dad has a LC and you can tell the size difference inside vs my GX. To me the GX is sized perfectly. The GX is cheaper if buying used than a 4Runner and comes with lots of Lexus upgrades (heated and cooled seats, rear heated seats, soft leather, kdss). The Tacoma cab is cramped and tiny IMO and the minivan engine kinda sucks (though mpg is better). Here’s a good video for reference that helped me inspect my GX before purchase.

 

[greatyoupeople]

I took a look at your other post about the different options you’re looking at. I’ve owned 4th and 5th gen 4runners, as well as 2nd and 3rd gen Tacomas…all are great cars so in all honesty I’d answer your questions this way.

if you’re simply looking for affordable and reliable I’d try to find a 3rd gen (3G) taco or or 5G 4R. you’re preference will resolve the suv vs truck situation. The reason i picked these is they’re both Offroad capable, great rides and/or easily modifiable to get there, can handle all the items you mentioned, will be cheaper on maintenance (vs Lexus) and may be easier to find in well maintained condition used (Although you’ll likely find a lot of ‘babied’ gx’s too).

if you want to spend a lot less but maybe have to fix/maintain more step down to the 2G taco (early 3g)/4G 4R. May be a little tougher to find one that has been well kept but they’re definitely out there and will save you some cash upfront. The 4g 4R’s also have an awd v8 option.

if you want an suv but meet space and power and more luxury, the gx is really your only option (at least out of the cars you listed)

If you plan to do a lot of towing at all I’d say go taco or gx

hope that helps!

for me:
loved my 2nd gen taco, but ended up wrecking it and switched to cheaper cars to get me back and forth to class. later got a 4gen 4Runner which I loved but when I found a killer deal to upgrade to a 5th gen 4Runner I jumped on it (and loved that car as well!). after tearing the runner up a little with home projects and throwing things in the back, i thought I wanted a truck so I got a 3rd gen Tacoma, which has been great. But after a few camping trips, back and forth trips with our dogs, and some family planning for a little one or two, I’m now looking at a GX or LC for the added space and luxury my wife wants, while keeping the towing and off road capability I want. I‘m considering getting another 4Runner but definitely not as overpriced as they are now; plus the 6th gen is ’scheduled’ for next year and I don’t know if I’m that patient to wait for Toyota to underwhelm me…

 

[doru]

I actually started by wanting a 4R. But the overpricing of 4R pushed me to Lexus. I do not see why paying so much for less performance, space, comfort, and towing. To get a reasonable price I need to accept lots of miles on the odometer or average conditions. But wife conditioned this purchase on low miles, very well maintained truck.
I need to get this ride this fall no, time to wait for gen6. Even then the prices on those gen6's will be high. I expect most of them to come with NA engines and to get a sticker shock for TT.
Taco is great for home projects, and my friends contractors all have Tacos. The issue is that I'm not a contractor and I'm not constantly working on house projects that require a Taco. Besides for the last 20 years I manage to do all my projects using my wagons (it is amazing how much stuff you can cram into and on top of a V70) and the occasional rented trailer. I agree that Taco is a "purpose built tool" only that I'm not sure we want to accept the trade-offs as this will still be a family car not "my truck".

 

[phishtaco]

As you are a skier and deal with lots of snow, you will hate the swinging door IMO. Every time I open in the snow, a pile of snow lands in my cargo area. I have a 470 do I don’t know if this is improved with the 460. Rain also goes straight in with the way the rear door and body are shaped.

 

[Acrad]

There is the popup window on the rear door of the 460

This may help while 460 shopping as well.

 

[turtlepadi]

Crazy car market now. I ended up going down to Portland to purchase a 2010 GX460 from a private seller. Got it for a good price, so the trip was worth it. With no mods, I got 20mpg freeway driving. Getting about 15 mpg city. I was on the same boat as you. Looking at a 4runner, GX 460 and LX570. I thought the GX was a great alternative to those two in terms of size, ride, comfort, power and cost. Also was disappointed with 4runner's power. LX was nice, but that mpg and the 3rd row set up was a huge turnoff for me.

As for GX470 vs 460, the 3rd row set up was a huge factor. The side folding set up ate up too much cargo space. Also, I did prefer the "newer" tech of the 460 vs 470. If you're still in the market for LX570, there seems to be couple of sale from private sellers for under $30K.

Anyways, good luck with your search!

 

[doru]

The LX market is very small and good quality trucks are hard to find. The ones I saw were not great with too many miles for me (I want around 100k or lower) or had collisions that were not reported let alone listed. The 3rd seats can be removed. The MPG ...
GX has more availability. Why do they had to use that rear swing door. I would have driven a GX now.
I'm still not sure which one