Potential new owner seeking guidance (1 Viewer)

Location

United States

Howdy y’all,

I’m in need of some advice from the forum. I am going to look at an ‘06 LX470 tomorrow as a potential replacement for my 955 Cayenne. I have 3 young kids (4yo, and 2yo twins) and I need a bigger vehicle that fits 3 car seats, preferably in the second row (forward facing on drivers side, twins in center and passenger side rear facing for another year maybe). We have a Honda Odyssey for long trips but I also want to be able to pick up my kids from daycare without switching vehicles.

First off, does this sound feasible in a 100? I like the LX as it fits my budget ($18k) and desire for reliability/quality, flexibility (we will want to go camping soon), and I’m comfortable with Lexus’ of this era, having owned a few and worked on many (car audio tech 2002-2012ish).

The candidate has 226k miles, local Texas only vehicle, no accidents, maintenance records since new, TB at 202k, and lots of other maintenance in the last 5 years. The seller is asking $17,500. The market is a little hard to read on these as they are entering classic vehicle status. There are rust buckets, pristine low mileage examples, and everything in between. I don’t trust KBB for this, but the values are pretty low. Looking at BAT leads me to think the market is probably $15-18k, depending on color, location, history, etc. Does that sound accurate?

I have read on the forums and watched this to learn about common issues with the platform:


Any comments and/or direction appreciated!

 

[rexington14]

Feasible, but there are roomier options like a sequoia.

Price sounds like it's in the ballpark but you need the full picture. A PPI is usually a good idea.

Do you plan on doing any baselining / maintenance / repairs yourself? With 3 young kids will you have the time?

 

[rbrave]

Yes to kids in the back seat. I am happy to have just had to switched from car seats to boosters, and it was fine back there. Bonus points for the ride height being easy-ish for kids to get buckled in, and keep your running boards so they can climb in easily.

As for price, everyone on here will say good ones are worth a premium. Maintenance records and minimal / no rust is a huge bonus. I’ve had mine for a couple years now, and as a ‘98 I paid something like $16k with 178k. The market has changed, but they didn’t make as many ‘06-07 so seems worth a bit more even with another 50k. Agree on arriving at classic territory, mine is almost to 27 years old.

 

[beegeezy]

Feasible, but there are roomier options like a sequoia.

Price sounds like it's in the ballpark but you need the full picture. A PPI is usually a good idea.

Do you plan on doing any baselining / maintenance / repairs yourself? With 3 young kids will you have the time?

Yeah, I am also considering a Sequoia or Nissan Armada, but would prefer the LX for the ride quality and refinement. My dad had a LS400 and a 430…I really like the Lexus/Toyota V8 engines. If the kids fit now, things should get better as they transition to forward facing, then boosters, etc.

I’m a 100% DIY guy usually, but my attraction to this particular LX is partly that it’s advertised as needing nothing other than a subwoofer re-foam (part included, and my bread and butter). $5k worth of maintenance in the last 6 months. I only drive a few thousand miles a year in my vehicle, and I have spares in case I need to fix something. I just can’t afford a brand new vehicle at this point and I don’t want something that I need to fix frequently. My 955 cayenne turbo is pretty reliable, but it always has a few things to check/fix.

 

[beegeezy]

Yes to kids in the back seat. I am happy to have just had to switched from car seats to boosters, and it was fine back there. Bonus points for the ride height being easy-ish for kids to get buckled in, and keep your running boards so they can climb in easily.

As for price, everyone on here will say good ones are worth a premium. Maintenance records and minimal / no rust is a huge bonus. I’ve had mine for a couple years now, and as a ‘98 I paid something like $16k with 178k. The market has changed, but they didn’t make as many ‘06-07 so seems worth a bit more even with another 50k. Agree on arriving at classic territory, mine is almost to 27 years old.

Thanks for the kids confirmation. The current owner has a car seat and a booster installed and says he can fit in the middle, so I think it will be fine.

I will only consider a non-rust 100…not messing with that crap. I hate trying to remove something only to have to get out the persuasion tools. This one is advertised as rust free and the undercarriage picture looks good. I’ll crawl under and inspect thoroughly. I know I could get one that has spotty records and/or needs work. I don’t want a AHC deleted truck nor one that is highly modded…I prefer to look stock and not stand out. I’ll eventually pull the audio system out, install a DSP, run everything active, and build a custom woofer enclosure that I can hide it integrate into the rear side panel.

Oh, and this one has a newer set of Michelins, new headlamp assemblies, and a Grom VLine with front/rear cameras so it’s had some money invested in it recently. I like buying vehicles that someone else dumped money into before the sale. I like to make sure my vehicles are issue free before selling too.

 

[Rhetoric]

It’s gonna need stuff, regardless of what was put into it. I speak from experience.

Bought my ‘07 LX in 2021 for $15k. 221k miles. One owner. All dealer serviced. North Carolina truck. I just rolled over 270k miles.

I haul two kiddos in the 2nd row. Its worth noting that there is no LATCH provision on the passenger side 2nd row seat. Only the center and drivers side have them.

 

[Malleus]

There is no comparison between the LX470 and any of the other vehicles listed; it's in a class of it's own. I had four toddlers in my 100 when they were young, after dumping my truly worthless Sequoia. It was no problem, but I would have loved to have had a Lexus instaed.

My son has a 2000 LX470 now, with over 300k on it. It saw a lot of soccer mom use in a previous life, so the interior wasn't cared for properly, but it's still a solid great running truck.

The GROM upgrade is nice, but you can do that cheaply. The condition of the front suspension and frame would tell you more about the prior use than anything else, IMO. If those look good, you just have to decide if it fits your budget or not. Gettgin into the engien and transmission to perform a reliable PPI is beyond most people's ability/time/money, but a visual inspection of the frame and front end anyone with eyes can do.

I can't offer anything of value on valuations; $18k would be astronomically high here, and Charlotte is an island of conspicuously disposable income in the hinterlands of the Piedmont.

 

[beegeezy]

It’s gonna need stuff, regardless of what was put into it. I speak from experience.

Bought my ‘07 LX in 2021 for $15k. 221k miles. One owner. All dealer serviced. North Carolina truck. I just rolled over 270k miles.

I haul two kiddos in the 2nd row. Its worth noting that there is no LATCH provision on the passenger side 2nd row seat. Only the center and drivers side have them.

Agreed, there is certainly a difference of “advertised” as not needing anything and reality, but I think this one seems at least to have not been a minimally maintained truck.

My kids are all above the weight for using latch anyways. I don’t mind using the seat belts since I won’t pull the car seats out often. Thanks for the head up though, that’s the kind of info I’m after.

 

[Malleus]

FWIW, if the choice was between an '07 LX470 and any year LX570, I wouldn't buy the LX470. Around here, I could get a 1st gen LX570 for what you're looking to pay for the LX470. Far superior truck, IMO.

 

[Rhetoric]

Agreed, there is certainly a difference of “advertised” as not needing anything and reality, but I think this one seems at least to have not been a minimally maintained truck.

My kids are all above the weight for using latch anyways. I don’t mind using the seat belts since I won’t pull the car seats out often. Thanks for the head up though, that’s the kind of info I’m after.

You wont be disappointed in these rigs. It has been a great daily family hauler for us. I am planning to keep it on the road as long as I can.

 

[beegeezy]

There is no comparison between the LX470 and any of the other vehicles listed; it's in a class of it's own. I had four toddlers in my 100 when they were young, after dumping my truly worthless Sequoia. It was no problem, but I would have loved to have had a Lexus instaed.

My son has a 2000 LX470 now, with over 300k on it. It saw a lot of soccer mom use in a previous life, so the interior wasn't cared for properly, but it's still a solid great running truck.

The GROM upgrade is nice, but you can do that cheaply. The condition of the front suspension and frame would tell you more about the prior use than anything else, IMO. If those look good, you just have to decide if it fits your budget or not. Gettgin into the engien and transmission to perform a reliable PPI is beyond most people's ability/time/money, but a visual inspection of the frame and front end anyone with eyes can do.

I can't offer anything of value on valuations; $18k would be astronomically high here, and Charlotte is an island of conspicuously disposable income in the hinterlands of the Piedmont.

I probably wouldn’t have bought the grom if other cheaper options are available, but I’m happy if it’s already there. The truck has newer front shocks, a cooling flush performed, a main seal (front or rear? Not sure yet), new brake fluid, ac evaporator was flushed, heater tees and clamps done, rear axle seals and bearings, and a new heater core gasket/seal.

Ah, Charlotte. I was was born in Mecklenburg hospital many moons ago. We left NC for Dallas in the 90s. The Austin area is home now, which also is a pricey area to live. Better car deals are to be had in Dallas, San Antonio, or Houston. This LX is 10 minutes from me and looks to be one of the better examples in the state in my price range.

 

[LC Lurker]

I’ve only been an LX owner for 5 days but I can tell you it’s been a wonderful 5 days. I haven’t done any service yet, just state inspection. I know maintenance won’t cost more than my past addiction of modifying my old Gladiator (IYKYK), so I don’t think much of it.

Anyway, definitely find one to buy. These things are great vehicles and are built like M1 Abrams tanks. Based on my recent 2 month search, $18k is a very solid budget for a rust free, 200k mile LX470. Life is short - if you like that one you found, then get a ppi and let the good times role.

 

[Malleus]

My daughter now has my '08 LX570 in Dallas. She had the Grom installed last year and loves it, in fact so much that my wife now has it in her '15 GX460.

 

[shane431]

I love my LX470. But if I had 3 kids I’d be looking at a 2nd Gen Sequoia, which I also have. The Sequoia is great for road trips and needing lots of room. The amount of space between the 2 aren’t comparable plus the Sequoia gets better gas mileage. I tend to drive the LX more but for road trips the extra rom in the Sequoia is a game changer.

 

[beegeezy]

I love my LX470. But if I had 3 kids I’d be looking at a 2nd Gen Sequoia, which I also have. The Sequoia is great for road trips and needing lots of room. The amount of space between the 2 aren’t comparable plus the Sequoia gets better gas mileage. I tend to drive the LX more but for road trips the extra rom in the Sequoia is a game changer.

I appreciate the advice. I have read similar things about the Sequoia vs 100/200. I think since I only need to drive my kids from daycare to our house, which is like 5 minutes away, that I can tolerate the fact that there are bigger options out there that meet my kid hauling needs. The Sequoia checks some boxes but not others for me. Unless we’re going out into the bush, our minivan is still going to be our road trip vehicle.

 

[Couvi]

Get it. You won’t regret it just get it looked over really well.

 

[rexington14]

FWIW, if the choice was between an '07 LX470 and any year LX570, I wouldn't buy the LX470. Around here, I could get a 1st gen LX570 for what you're looking to pay for the LX470. Far superior truck, IMO.

While I don't disagree the 200 is superior, any LX570 priced at $18k is likely to be an early year model and hammered with miles.

It depends on the maintenance history but in general I'd be more comfortable buying an old higher mileage 4.7 than I would the 5.7. If I was going with a 200 series I'd be upping the budget considerably and looking for a newer example.

 

[beegeezy]

While I don't disagree the 200 is superior, any LX570 priced at $18k is likely to be an early year model and hammered with miles.

It depends on the maintenance history but in general I'd be more comfortable buying an old higher mileage 4.7 than I would the 5.7. If I was going with a 200 series I'd be upping the budget considerably and looking for a newer example.

I don’t like the exterior looks of the 200 as much as the 100. The interior is much nicer in the 200. And yes, I’m seeing high mileage early model year 570s in my area that don’t look to be as well maintained for the same price range. If I wanted a nice 200, I’d probably have to budget 30k. Daycare is like $45k a year right now. In 3.5 years, when all the kids are in public school, I hopefully will have a larger budget if I need a newer vehicle.

 

[LC Lurker]

I don’t like the exterior looks of the 200 as much as the 100. The interior is much nicer in the 200. And yes, I’m seeing high mileage early model year 570s in my area that don’t look to be as well maintained for the same price range. If I wanted a nice 200, I’d probably have to budget 30k. Daycare is like $45k a year right now. In 3.5 years, when all the kids are in public school, I hopefully will have a larger budget if I need a newer vehicle.

Brb…going to go chop my nuts off real quick

 

[Rhetoric]

I don’t like the exterior looks of the 200 as much as the 100. The interior is much nicer in the 200. And yes, I’m seeing high mileage early model year 570s in my area that don’t look to be as well maintained for the same price range. If I wanted a nice 200, I’d probably have to budget 30k. Daycare is like $45k a year right now. In 3.5 years, when all the kids are in public school, I hopefully will have a larger budget if I need a newer vehicle.

From one dad to another dad: your daycare budget will turn into other kid costs.

But by then 100s will be highly desired collectors rigs and you will end up paying even more!

JK. Just had to poke a little. I have looked at 200s and they seem neat, but dont appeal to me like the 100 has. I can empathize with what you are working through.