GX460 & GXOR B.S. thread
- Thread starter Roody
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Even better!
Almost at 20. I'm at 15.
Acrad
GOLD Star
I'm really not worried about a potential valley plate leak, A760F failure, or other potential whatevers... I'll fix and move on and still be ahead $$$ money-wise, fun and utility... just look at current car market pricing and I would still sleep nicely.... I'll just keep chugging along doing my maintenance.
Nothing maintenance..but did the annual winter tire and TPMS reprogram today.
Just a happy 460 owner with no intention to sell..... my only stress ...someone running a red and taking rig out at a stoplight.. if unfortunate event occurs.. it will be replaced with another 460
Not saying some of my other vehicles won't be replaced but this one I'm not voluntarily giving up on.
Nothing maintenance..but did the annual winter tire and TPMS reprogram today.
Just a happy 460 owner with no intention to sell..... my only stress ...someone running a red and taking rig out at a stoplight.. if unfortunate event occurs.. it will be replaced with another 460
Not saying some of my other vehicles won't be replaced but this one I'm not voluntarily giving up on.
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And that is the reason why I didn't sell when the value was high. I feel like I know every nut, bolt, noise, and component condition. Even if the trans and engine need replacement at some point that still puts me out way ahead vs buying new. Paying $50-70k for something comparable is just dumb. Blows me away I bought it a little over 5 years ago for ~$15k. I more than got my money's worth.
More like $60-90K for a new LC250/GX550. Reliability is always a question mark with a new rig as well, and very few 2026 MY vehicles are as reliable as vehicles were 15 years ago (which is a rather sad state of affairs).
And that is the reason why I didn't sell when the value was high. I feel like I know every nut, bolt, noise, and component condition. Even if the trans and engine need replacement at some point that still puts me out way ahead vs buying new. Paying $50-70k for something comparable is just dumb. Blows me away I bought it a little over 5 years ago for ~$15k. I more than got my money's worth.
Instead of buying a new GX/LC, try thinking about putting even half that amount ($30k - 40K) into your current rig!
- New paint (whatever color you want!)
- New seats
- Upgraded head unit to be as good as new cars
- New windshield to replace the old pitted one (speaking for myself)
- All new body seals around all windows and doors
- New aluminum radiator
- ALL new and better brakes
- New tires all around
- All new hoses and belts
- (if necessary, a new transmission)
- (if necessary, a new engine)
- AND money left over for mods!
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Most of the general population does not understand how money works or how to develop a nest egg (which can be done at almost any income level with proper planning). Financial education in schools would help with that! What honestly helped my nest egg grow was living below my means, including driving older/cheap cars and working on them myself, well into my 30s, as opposed to buying expensive new ones and losing $$ on depreciation.
I'm probably creeping up or even over the $30K investment mark in my GX470 (not counting the cost of the rig) but have done a lot of mods to it, which are not cheap
. Certainly a "bad" investment as I'd lose quite a bit of money if I sold the rig, but a "good" investment relative to a new GX550.
One could consider the time and money spent on cars and such while considering them a form of "entertainment". Not do dissimilar to spending a few thousand dollars taking the family to Disney World, or as a close friend of mine, his hobby is wine. Probably tens of thousands of dollars in wine. Or worst yet for entertainment cost, boating, and I'm not referring to inflatables, kayaks or dinghy's. I mean the sailing yachts I used to race on or motor yachts.Most of the general population does not understand how money works or how to develop a nest egg (which can be done at almost any income level with proper planning). Financial education in schools would help with that! What honestly helped my nest egg grow was living below my means, including driving older/cheap cars and working on them myself, well into my 30s, as opposed to buying expensive new ones and losing $$ on depreciation.
I'm probably creeping up or even over the $30K investment mark in my GX470 (not counting the cost of the rig) but have done a lot of mods to it, which are not cheap
It comes down to what one's interest is. Ours happens to be exploring open spaces with practical and reliable vehicles!
If we had everything financially set where we wanted I would have zero issue with dropping $20-25k on my rig. But we aren't quite there yet.
Your rig and your money. But hopefully you are not following the Lexus schedule to replace Engine Coolant (Initial engine coolant replacement at 100,000 miles/120 months. Replace every 50,000 miles/60 months thereafter.) That schedule is going to cost you money if you keep your vehicle long term.
The valley plate leak is the obvious one but the heater core is also a direct causality of the acidic coolant that develops over time. Like many modern vehicles you have to totally pull the dash apart to replace it, and I mean totally. The labor to do it is rather high for good reason. Along with a few comments in the post
Ph testing the coolant only takes a couple of minutes once a year.
Hmm never gave any thought to testing wash water Ph LOL. Last week parked next to an older Dodge pickup that had a nice wax job on it. With rust bubbles all over it, talk about lipstick on a pig. The rust comes from inside the body though, not the outside paint side.
Most of the general population does not understand how money works or how to develop a nest egg (which can be done at almost any income level with proper planning). Financial education in schools would help with that! What honestly helped my nest egg grow was living below my means, including driving older/cheap cars and working on them myself, well into my 30s, as opposed to buying expensive new ones and losing $$ on depreciation.
I'm probably creeping up or even over the $30K investment mark in my GX470 (not counting the cost of the rig) but have done a lot of mods to it, which are not cheap
Agreed. Guessing they don't teach how to even balance a checkbook anymore in school. After 17 years finally replacing my 50" Panny Plasma and AVR this week I bought the replacements on early Black Friday sales. From places that do 30 day or longer price protection.
On an Upland hunting forum there is a discussion right now about buying a new truck. Mirrors a lot of the recent posts on here with the high cost of new vehicles and lack of reliability. A couple of the guys have been burnt with the new Tundra and even though long time Toyota fans they are done with Toyota. General consensus is get a used newer vehicle and maintain them until they fall apart.
One of the best lines I read on that thread is that rich people live like they are poor and poor people often live like they rich. There is more than a little truth to that. My Ex could spend money I didn't have faster than I could make it. Debt is a killer and some people never grasp that. Pay off debt first then don't go into debt.
Same for retirement planning. The median 401(k) balance goes up with age but even 55–64 year old is only ~$100K. That is only $4,000 a year with standard recommended withdraws. The average balance for the same age group is ~$275K so that means only a few are actually are saving for retirement. I've been putting 20% of my pay in for a long time. IRS limits contributions to $32,500 a year for my age not counting employer contributions. I am eligible for a 457(b) due to my income but I consider that more of a savings account instead of a retirement account. Pay off debt, pay yourself in a savings account and contribute to a retirement fund. Don't spend more than you make is the key IME.
Old adage is a mans second happiest day is when he buys a boat. The happiest day is when he sells it.
You do have to still live and be happy, as long as it is in the budget and you plan for it. Mine is chasing birds with the dogs and shooting sporting clays with SxS shotguns in the Upper Midwest at specialty events. And once a week in the winter at heated 5 stand breaking clays with friends someplace. Instead of open spaces I prefer those lousy with chlorophyll but we aren't all the same which makes life much gooder
Hence the fact that for most folks, myself included, if the drive train took a big dump, and was looking at a 5 figure repair bill, that fact that it would be easier to just drop a few thousand dollars down on a $60k plus on new vehicle, with a total price of probably $90k after 5 years of interest payments, vs dropping the $10k (or whatever) and just fixing one's current rig.
Who's the douche who hates his GX? Once he starts having problems with his 2005 2500 he will be cussing GM just the same. We've all been there, deep into a cluster **** of a mess of a repair, and hating the world because of our misfortune. The truth is that all vehicles break, eventually. Toyotas do it much less than all the others, and even less with good maintenance practices. I would much rather work on a Japanese made vehicle than a Detroit s***box any day. I'll be changing my coolant periodically, it's not hard, nor expensive.
Those pics of the evaporator and heater core don't look terrible to me. He just went a few more steps than I did when I replaced the . dash in my 470 (see below - not the first time and not the last time I'll post the pic). Regardless, $100 in coolant and $100 in trans fluid every few years, plus changing your oil at 5K miles instead of 10K+ (I'm betting extended oil changes killed his timing chain) will certainly help keep a 460 running a long time. The 460 is, after all, the product of more stringent fuel economy and emissions standards than the 470. But, fewer stops at the pump and a cleaner tailpipe in this case comes with less tolerance of poor maintenance practices.
Hope there were lots of photos to remember how everything went back together!
The only part that was challenging was figuring out how to hook the aftermarket PX6 head unit back up. I had some OK photos but not great ones as it's hard to photograph the backside of the PX6 with the dash on. Otherwise, it all went back together very intuitively and smoothly. Toyota usually designs things so there is only "one way" to put it back together. Presumably the 460 is the same.
I also have zero dash or other interior rattles, period, a full 2 years after that job (which also included recovering the seats). Most any other 19 year old vehicle would be a clunky, rattle-filled mess, especially when driving on rough roads.
I still do all my own work minus tire changes and alignments. Engine or transmission are no sweat and I have plenty of garage space, it's just time consuming. Then again, if I am shopping for a running replacement...that can be had for ~10-20k leaving my current (if broke) GX as a parts pig. I won't go back to a 4Runner...I have way more headroom in my MR2.
I've looked at the 550 and I like it...but I prefer to buy at the 7-10 year-old mark.
Might wanna check out the recent documents put out by Toyota on the V35A. Expanded recall, and they are not sure how many engines are affected, its not just "machining debris". Saw a nice 2023 460 at a dealer yesterday and called them about it, the PO trades it in on a 2026 Tundra, they messed up BAD.