Well, here we go again. Let me introduce Leonard the Lexus. This is the fourth iteration of my Land Cruiser endeavors. It's a 2016 with 58k miles. Original owner was reported to be the president of BYU. It was then purchased as a CPO out of Peterson Lexus in Boise and resided in Sandpoint, ID. Extensive dealer maintenance, completely straight, and all OEM. A perfect platform.
Still in the fleet is our 2013 LC 200 ("Tom Cruiser")
And our 2004 LX470 ("The Mule")
And the 2024 Yukon XL ("The General") which is the long distance family hauler / ski mobile. Sidebar: if you've not used GM's Super Cruise before it's a game changer.
The Mule is exactly as it sounds; the rig that serves dump runs, Home Depot loads, and will eventually become KC1 (Kid Car 1). The 2013 LC 2013 is going to go, not because there's anything wrong with it but after spending time in the Yukon I wanted something newer with a little more comfort. So it was time to roll back the odometer by 120k miles and get into a Lexus. While the 2013 is a great platform, the incremental gain in sound level, seat comfort, and amenities made it worth it for me to make the change as my commute is 360 miles RT.
When considering something newer, there was substantial debate on whether going with a 150 4Runner, a 250 Land Cruiser, a GX 460, or a GX 550. At the end of the day safety played a big factor and there really was no comparison against the LX. A big decision driver was mass. My commute takes me over the Cascade range, crossing it over fifty times a year and in all weather conditions. While I'm not worried about my ability to keep things shiny side up, it's the Wild West out there when it comes to other drivers. The LX is around 900-1,300 lbs heavier than the other options. With so many 7,000-10,000 lbs full size heavy duty trucks out there and mass-dense BEVs it was important to me to bring weight to the battle. I'll take the fuel penalty in exchange for this. And to spend $75k on something new and not have at least Level 2 autonomous driving isn't something I'm game for. Not to mention the real-world low-200 mile range in the 250. I'll wait out progress here with the dinosaur 570.
The other consideration is there really isn't anything this good out there. The 250/550 have some promise but I'm not sold on current Toyota build quality. While I don't doubt their commitment to the long game I'd like to see a few years sans problems and recalls. This 2016 LX isn't that far off in price from a new truck, but it was also $98,000 new in 2016 and this quality echos with every door close. With the low miles I have several years to let the new car market sort things out.
So now I need to figure out whether I'm going 'full retard' on Lenny's build or if I'm going to keep it more conservative. Life changes and I don't do nearly as much trail work as in the past. So I'm think no RTT and a more all-around build than a purpose-built expedition vehilce. But we'll see. A vehicle build is a hard thirst to quench.
Still in the fleet is our 2013 LC 200 ("Tom Cruiser")
And our 2004 LX470 ("The Mule")
And the 2024 Yukon XL ("The General") which is the long distance family hauler / ski mobile. Sidebar: if you've not used GM's Super Cruise before it's a game changer.
The Mule is exactly as it sounds; the rig that serves dump runs, Home Depot loads, and will eventually become KC1 (Kid Car 1). The 2013 LC 2013 is going to go, not because there's anything wrong with it but after spending time in the Yukon I wanted something newer with a little more comfort. So it was time to roll back the odometer by 120k miles and get into a Lexus. While the 2013 is a great platform, the incremental gain in sound level, seat comfort, and amenities made it worth it for me to make the change as my commute is 360 miles RT.
When considering something newer, there was substantial debate on whether going with a 150 4Runner, a 250 Land Cruiser, a GX 460, or a GX 550. At the end of the day safety played a big factor and there really was no comparison against the LX. A big decision driver was mass. My commute takes me over the Cascade range, crossing it over fifty times a year and in all weather conditions. While I'm not worried about my ability to keep things shiny side up, it's the Wild West out there when it comes to other drivers. The LX is around 900-1,300 lbs heavier than the other options. With so many 7,000-10,000 lbs full size heavy duty trucks out there and mass-dense BEVs it was important to me to bring weight to the battle. I'll take the fuel penalty in exchange for this. And to spend $75k on something new and not have at least Level 2 autonomous driving isn't something I'm game for. Not to mention the real-world low-200 mile range in the 250. I'll wait out progress here with the dinosaur 570.
The other consideration is there really isn't anything this good out there. The 250/550 have some promise but I'm not sold on current Toyota build quality. While I don't doubt their commitment to the long game I'd like to see a few years sans problems and recalls. This 2016 LX isn't that far off in price from a new truck, but it was also $98,000 new in 2016 and this quality echos with every door close. With the low miles I have several years to let the new car market sort things out.
So now I need to figure out whether I'm going 'full retard' on Lenny's build or if I'm going to keep it more conservative. Life changes and I don't do nearly as much trail work as in the past. So I'm think no RTT and a more all-around build than a purpose-built expedition vehilce. But we'll see. A vehicle build is a hard thirst to quench.
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