I've owned a 2012 Outback 2.5 and a 2016 Outback 6 cylinder. Bought my 98 LX in February 2017. Originally intended it to be the 3rd "fun" vehicle for camping trips only. However, the more I drove it, the more I loved it. Within 9 months it became my primary transportation. Sold the 2016 Outback for what I paid for it and never looked back. After having all the "bells and whistles" on my 16 Outback (fully loaded with every single available feature), it was nice to have a vehicle that was so "simple." Fuel economy is abysmal in my LX. But, no vehicle that I've ever owned has felt and driven so solidly. Other family members own T4Rs that are less than 3 years old. Every single one of them marvel how solid my "old" truck feels and how quiet it is on the highway. Despite having tons of "stuff" all over my truck and 33" AT tires, my 98 LX is noticeably quieter at 70mph than my friend's '17 T4R Limited and my uncle's '18 T4R TRD Pro.
Do your research before buying and look for solid service records and minimal rust. If you just pull the trigger on a 100 series without your due diligence, you could get into a money pit fast. These are not "cheap" to maintain. Anyone who tells you that, is mistaken. Over the past 3 years I've replaced the following worn parts: CV axles, rear driveshaft, front upper control arms, steering rack, steering pump, radiator, all hoses and bushings, rear upper and lower control arms, panhard bar, complete Timing Belt/Water Pump job including fan bracket/clutch/coils and plugs, front/rear rotors with pads (2x) and more. All of those are consumables on any vehicle that gets to the 200k+ mark. Difference being, my LX drives better than most new vehicles despite having 250k and will continue to drive that way as long as I maintain it.
The LX is definitely quieter than the LC (more insulation, more door seals and "thicker" windscreen). The LX tends to have been treated better than the LC as the LX was typically a mall-crawler. Mine had 3 previous owners: 2 female real estate agents who got all services done on time thru their Lexus dealer and software engineer who used it for 2-3 camping trips/year only and had all services done on time at Sewell Lexus in Dallas. Every LC I looked at had missing service records and appeared to have been treated more harshly. Anecdotal evidence for sure, but it does start to make sense once you think of the typical buyer for these rigs. The LX has numerous other enhanced features over the LC that are IMO pretty valuable including the electric folding mirrors (nice on trails), auto-dimming side mirrors, standard rear AC, and a few other things. The LX has somewhat polarizing aesthetics: some people hate the front end whereas others are fine with it.
