Gx470 or new rubicon???

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backwoods boy

backwoods boy

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Sep 24, 2009
Threads
14
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73
Location
Central Arkansas
Can I make the gx as good "off road" as the rubicon? Or is it better already?

I have the gx 470 and also have a 92 fj80, but want to have only one good trail machine/daily driver. I like the comfort and technology in the newer gx but feel it may be lacking some of the strengths of the ole cruiser. And then the new rubicon seems to be tending to a more road friendly but beefy setup. What the hell shall I do? Keep and build the lexus and sell cruiser? Or should I go to the dark side and sell both for the rubicon? Or maybe even build the cruiser and keep the lexus? If I were to keep the cruiser could I build it to flex like a hooked up rubicon? Guidance and opinions are greatly appreciated!
 
Just personally I have drank the KoolAid and would have a hard time jumping into jeeps again. After years of owning and building jeeps I'm over it. They are great vehicles and extremely capable, but I got so sick of being out on the trail with my hard work and budget builds with some idiot breaking his $50k wrangler that he just picked up from 4wheel parts. It became a competition to see who spent more and broke more. I love what SS has done with his gx and you would be hard pressed to find a more capable rig on the 120 platform.
 
Rubicons out of the box are pretty darn capable. Plus I think there's more of an expectation to see one on the trail on the weekend and then at the office on Monday. Plus they're built to be modded, and there's a huge aftermarket for them. The GX, not so much. It was marketed as a luxury vehicle, so though you can mod it, it's not as easy and the aesthetic isn't as pleasing to as many potential future buyers. If I weren't such a diehard Land Cruiser fanatic, I'd go with the Rubicon. For now I'll stay with my FJ40 until I have the time and money to build what I want.
 
Why not just build up the 80? Cheap to mod. Parts are easy to come by. Dan's GX is pretty much the GX to go by if you want to build one up. But a TON of custom work went into it. You'd need to make sure you know how big the can of worms is that you'd be opening if you start down that road.

PS: fawk jeeps :p
 
I love the looks and potential of the GX even if it takes extra work to source the needed parts. I think my next vehicle will be a GX once I move from the Sequoia. The Rubicon is pretty strong off of the showroom floor and esp with some of the AEV upgrades and probably easier to sell down the road if heavily modded.
 
Lets see...
Rubicon:
Solid front axle
4:1 factory t-case -not as good as an atlas II, sure.
Factory locking diffs -not as good as ARBs, sure.
Coil spring suspension front and rear
Convertable.
PLETHORA of aftermarket axles, t-cases, adapters, swap kits, etc.
Parts _EVERYWHERE_
Cheaper

GX470
IFS
2:1 t-case
Traction control software instead of locking diffs.
Less aftermarket support.
More expensive.

The real question is, do you want a road warrior/expedition rig, or do you want a rock crawler?

Expeditions = Lexus
Rock Crawler = Rubicon

If I could get a Rubicon with a Hemi V8 or a 4 liter turbo-diesel from the factory, I'd trade my Taco in on it.
 
I love the gx for taking long trips and minor off road stuff, and love the cruiser for banging around on the rocks.

I made the mistake of researching the jk and I found that its a pretty "able" vehicle from the factory and now I am questioning the build I initially wanted for the gx.

I really like the vvti but how much flex can you get out of the ifs?

My brain is frying!!!!
 
backwoods boy said:
The problem is that I want everything in one, I guess. I want my Lexus to perform like a jeep. Dang it.
Click to expand...

Then you want an 80 with a lot of sound deadening material, 35's, locking diffs, 4.88's and bypass shocks. That'll get you a nice off-roader but be quiet and smooth on the highway.
 
Tigerstripe40 said:
Lets see...
Rubicon:
Solid front axle
4:1 factory t-case -not as good as an atlas II, sure.
Factory locking diffs -not as good as ARBs, sure.
Coil spring suspension front and rear
Convertable.
PLETHORA of aftermarket axles, t-cases, adapters, swap kits, etc.
Parts _EVERYWHERE_
Cheaper

GX470
IFS
2:1 t-case
Traction control software instead of locking diffs.
Less aftermarket support.
More expensive.

The real question is, do you want a road warrior/expedition rig, or do you want a rock crawler?

Expeditions = Lexus
Rock Crawler = Rubicon

If I could get a Rubicon with a Hemi V8 or a 4 liter turbo-diesel from the factory, I'd trade my Taco in on it.
Click to expand...

A couple of important items were left out.....

GX470 ..... Known for quality and reliability

Jeep ( Chrysler ) ...... Known for.....well I am not sure what they are known for.

Buy a 80 Series / LX450 :)
 
I do have both the Lexus gx470 and a 1992 fj80. I was looking for advise on which to dump money into. Or if the rubicon of the showroom would suffice for both expedition and crawling needs.

I was starting to like the sounds of the new rubicon but I'm really partial to both of my rigs.

Here are my beauties.
image-2359626096.webp
image-2983163309.webp
 
Without spending untold 10s of thousands, the GX470 will never be half the off roader the Jeep is out of the box. Just the nature of it. However, the GX470 is a far better car and light duty off highway vehicle. It's way easier to live with than the Jeep.

You really need to decide what you want, and where you want to go.

With your vehicle line up, it should be a no-brainer to build the 80 and keep the GX decent. Everything you do to make the GX a better off-roader will make it worse a general use highway vehicle. Most people spend less than 1% of their driving miles off-road, so be realistic about what you need.

Your 80 could be built fairly inexpensively to go anywhere. Gears, lockers, and a 4 inch lift and anything in North America would be fair game. It's also cheap enough and old enough, you won't care when it gets damaged as it inevitably will. The lack of power will not be a limiter off-road. It isn't the world's fastest vehicle, but off-roading and expedition travel are not high speed games. The GX will never be as good an off-roader as the 80 either, especially $$ spent vs $$ spent, but it's a great all-around SUV.

If realistically you'll be going on 1 trip a year to Moab, or the Deserts of the South West, building a dedicated rock crawler doesn't make much sense. A minimally built 80 will suit your states needs well.
 
MicahMan said:
I love what SS has done with his gx and you would be hard pressed to find a more capable rig on the 120 platform.
Click to expand...

*cough cough*

I agree the GX is a great wheeler, but not like a Rubicon...apples and oranges.

Expo = GX
"Hardcore capable" = Rubi

It really is about what you want and what you want to do.
 
backwoods boy said:
Ok, I think I'll just build the 80 for bashing and maybe put a little money in the gx for expeditions. I'd still have less in both than I would in a new rubicon.
Click to expand...

This sounds like the best plan. IMHO it's very hard to get the best of all the worlds in one vehicle, it's kinda like (jack of all trades and a master of none). :D

-Daniel Kent
 
I agree with all above... If you want to have a very capable rig build the 80 it will do anything a Rubicon will when built up with some lockers and lift and armor. The Gx will be way better on road than any jeep ever will be. And let's be honest you aren't going to take the GX down the overgrown sagebrush trail where it's going to get all scratched up. Take the 80!
 
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