Purchasing used GX460 as a second car (1 Viewer)

[SDTrojan]

Hi everyone,

Currently drive a VW Golf R and have decided to pull the trigger on a second vehicle as a dedicated camping trip/off-road/soft-road vehicle.
I'd keep the Golf for my daily commute and city trips, and use the GX460 for trips to the desert here in southern California, trips up to the Sierra Nevada for snowboarding, and general Southwest (Utah/Arizona) trips.
Have been researching for a while and recently placed a deposit on a used Black 2015 GX460 with 144k miles, which I'm supposed to go check out this weekend.
I know I'm overanalyzing, but I've been going back and forth on the following, that I could use some advice with:

• I am getting the 2015 GX for $22k, which seems like a good price to me. That said, I am worried about how much stuff is likely to break at that high of a mileage. I'm not mechanically inclined and have never worked on my own car before. I'm not opposed to learning, but also don't want it to consume my weekends.
  • I checked the VIN on the Lexus owner's website and the maintenance seems fairly regular, with oil changes at the dealer every 7-10k miles. Some recent coolant leak and overheating issues, but it seems like those were fixed.
  • Since it's a second car that will be parked on the street and only used for off-road, I'm not inclined to spend a lot of money on it if I don't need to. I will likely only be putting 4-5k miles on it per year.
  • I could convince myself to splurge up to $35k or so on this for a lower mileage car, but am just not sure if it's worth it. For example, I saw a 2018 GX with only 85k miles for $32k and a Luxury trim. But I'm asking myself if it's worth it for a vehicle I will likely use relatively infrequently.
• Color: The car I am currently looking at is black with a black interior. I really like the look, and had a Black on Black BMW that I loved, but I've been reading how black shows all the pinstripes and rock chips that one picks up offroading, and now I'm wondering if I should hold out for a white car. Not to mention many of my trips likely being in the desert, where a black car gets hotter.

TLDR = is it advisable to spend more and get a lower mileage car, and how big of a deal is it to have a black car for offroad use?

Thanks in advance.

 

[SDTrojan]

P.S. Is the luxury trim worth it? I would love the upgraded sound system, but it sounds like the air ride suspension shocks are super expensive to replace, and I'm not sure if putting a lift kit on it would be more expensive if I decide to go down that rabbit hole down the road.

 

[ericm979]

I have a Golf R and a 2017 GX460.

My last few cars including the R have been white. I find that white shows dirt. Not as bad as a black car but the gray of my GX hides dirt better.

 

[5space]

Haha I have a '15 GTI and a '19 GX. I personally opted for lower miles (~40k) when I bought it bc it was in budget, I wanted to have it for a very long time, and longevity vs all the money I was about to dump into it.

 

[5space]

I previously had a gx470 which I bought at 175k. It was ROCK solid for a few years before it was totaled. But I worried about dumping big $ into it for upgrades with the higher mileage.

 

[SDTrojan]

Thanks a lot for the feedback. Didn't realize there was such a big club of fellow Golf + GX enthusiasts out there!

 

[MrTorgue]

That said, I am worried about how much stuff is likely to break at that high of a mileage.

Don't be. If the service history and current condition are spotless (get a PPI!) you'll have no worries. I'm nearly at 191k on my 2010 and quite frankly I've never seen anything like it. Rides and drives new. Factory bushings and mounts are not cracked or destroyed and my suspension isn't leaking / blown out. I've had to replace the radiator (duh), belt/hoses (duh), alternator (duh), rotors (duh), and the MAP sensor. I've never been stranded. My only major service was the coolant valley plate leak. Not a big deal. They just don't make stuff like this anymore outside of getting a 70 series elsewhere on the planet.

Focus on getting the GX with all the stuff on it you want with as best of history and condition you can. It's that easy.

 

[Roody]

Hi everyone,

Currently drive a VW Golf R and have decided to pull the trigger on a second vehicle as a dedicated camping trip/off-road/soft-road vehicle.
I'd keep the Golf for my daily commute and city trips, and use the GX460 for trips to the desert here in southern California, trips up to the Sierra Nevada for snowboarding, and general Southwest (Utah/Arizona) trips.
Have been researching for a while and recently placed a deposit on a used Black 2015 GX460 with 144k miles, which I'm supposed to go check out this weekend.
I know I'm overanalyzing, but I've been going back and forth on the following, that I could use some advice with:

• I am getting the 2015 GX for $22k, which seems like a good price to me. That said, I am worried about how much stuff is likely to break at that high of a mileage. I'm not mechanically inclined and have never worked on my own car before. I'm not opposed to learning, but also don't want it to consume my weekends.
  • I checked the VIN on the Lexus owner's website and the maintenance seems fairly regular, with oil changes at the dealer every 7-10k miles. Some recent coolant leak and overheating issues, but it seems like those were fixed.
  • Since it's a second car that will be parked on the street and only used for off-road, I'm not inclined to spend a lot of money on it if I don't need to. I will likely only be putting 4-5k miles on it per year.
  • I could convince myself to splurge up to $35k or so on this for a lower mileage car, but am just not sure if it's worth it. For example, I saw a 2018 GX with only 85k miles for $32k and a Luxury trim. But I'm asking myself if it's worth it for a vehicle I will likely use relatively infrequently.
• Color: The car I am currently looking at is black with a black interior. I really like the look, and had a Black on Black BMW that I loved, but I've been reading how black shows all the pinstripes and rock chips that one picks up offroading, and now I'm wondering if I should hold out for a white car. Not to mention many of my trips likely being in the desert, where a black car gets hotter.

TLDR = is it advisable to spend more and get a lower mileage car, and how big of a deal is it to have a black car for offroad use?

Thanks in advance.

My one regret about buying my GX is that it's Black Onyx. Not so much for the trail rash / pinstripe factor as much as it gets HOT in the sun. There's a lot of real estate on this thing to heat up, and it really does in the summer; even in the spring and fall, it can get seriously hot inside thanks largely to the black paint. I'd advise against it if you are concerned even a little bit about temperature or trail pinstripes. Hold out for white, silver, or gray-- I wish I had.

Also, Golf R is the car I'd probably choose if I had to swap the GX for something more fuel efficient. Love those things. What gen is yours? Every so often I think maybe it's time for a break from the 4WD life and the R keeps popping into my head.

 

[185]

personally, if this is a dedicated trail rig, i'd just get the cheapest one that is mechanically sound, whether it be 470 or 460.

 

[rexington14]

• I checked the VIN on the Lexus owner's website and the maintenance seems fairly regular, with oil changes at the dealer every 7-10k miles. Some recent coolant leak and overheating issues, but it seems like those were fixed.

Be careful with UR engines with overheating history, especially if it occurred recently. I'd get a (comprehensive) PPI done including checking compression and/or other testing to verify there is no blown head gasket.

Also, GX460 transmissions can have issues (look into it). At this mileage I'd pass if there's no records verifying the transmission has been serviced (ideally multiple times).

 

[SDTrojan]

My one regret about buying my GX is that it's Black Onyx. Not so much for the trail rash / pinstripe factor as much as it gets HOT in the sun. There's a lot of real estate on this thing to heat up, and it really does in the summer; even in the spring and fall, it can get seriously hot inside thanks largely to the black paint. I'd advise against it if you are concerned even a little bit about temperature or trail pinstripes. Hold out for white, silver, or gray-- I wish I had.

Also, Golf R is the car I'd probably choose if I had to swap the GX for something more fuel efficient. Love those things. What gen is yours? Every so often I think maybe it's time for a break from the 4WD life and the R keeps popping into my head.

Thank you so much for the great advice. I think this is what I was afraid of, especially since most of my trips will be in the desert.
I found a '15 with 100k miles, no accidents, single owner in AZ, and an immaculate dealer service history (every 5k miles) for $27k.
It's in Arizona but I think I'll jump on it.
My only worry is that it has Ecru seats, and those seem like they'll get wrecked when coming back dirty after a hike or backpacking trip.
But I can live with it.

My Golf is a Mk 7. It's been an absolute blast to drive, although I will say I do miss the inline 6 from the BMW 335 I had previously.
The Golf is just so much more practical though. It actually swallows a lot of gear for outdoors trips with two people, and is reasonably fuel efficient, and just a really comfortable car to chew up the miles in and attack winding mountain roads.
I did a lot of research on what single car could give me the on-road dynamics of a sporty car and yet have clearance and capability off-road.
After many days of research, my conclusion was that there is none, and one would need to cars to tick both boxes.
So here I am haha.

 

[SDTrojan]

personally, if this is a dedicated trail rig, i'd just get the cheapest one that is mechanically sound, whether it be 470 or 460.

Yeah, that was my plan, but the mechanically sound part was what worries me a bit with older cars.

Be careful with UR engines with overheating history, especially if it occurred recently. I'd get a (comprehensive) PPI done including checking compression and/or other testing to verify there is no blown head gasket.

Also, GX460 transmissions can have issues (look into it). At this mileage I'd pass if there's no records verifying the transmission has been serviced (ideally multiple times).

Thank you very much. Given this, and the fact that it's black on black with the heating concerns that Roody pointed out above, I'll likely pass and look for a better fit.

Don't be. If the service history and current condition are spotless (get a PPI!) you'll have no worries. I'm nearly at 191k on my 2010 and quite frankly I've never seen anything like it. Rides and drives new. Factory bushings and mounts are not cracked or destroyed and my suspension isn't leaking / blown out. I've had to replace the radiator (duh), belt/hoses (duh), alternator (duh), rotors (duh), and the MAP sensor. I've never been stranded. My only major service was the coolant valley plate leak. Not a big deal. They just don't make stuff like this anymore outside of getting a 70 series elsewhere on the planet.

Focus on getting the GX with all the stuff on it you want with as best of history and condition you can. It's that easy.

Definitely plan on getting a PPI for whatever I end up buying, and have them check for transmission codes, etc.
Thank you for the great advice.

 

[HVLA]

With it intended to be a 2nd vehicle my personal preference would be the cheapest rig with the most extensive maintenance history I could find. Mileage would not matter to me.

 

[Roody]

Thank you so much for the great advice. I think this is what I was afraid of, especially since most of my trips will be in the desert.
I found a '15 with 100k miles, no accidents, single owner in AZ, and an immaculate dealer service history (every 5k miles) for $27k.
It's in Arizona but I think I'll jump on it.
My only worry is that it has Ecru seats, and those seem like they'll get wrecked when coming back dirty after a hike or backpacking trip.
But I can live with it.

My Golf is a Mk 7. It's been an absolute blast to drive, although I will say I do miss the inline 6 from the BMW 335 I had previously.
The Golf is just so much more practical though. It actually swallows a lot of gear for outdoors trips with two people, and is reasonably fuel efficient, and just a really comfortable car to chew up the miles in and attack winding mountain roads.
I did a lot of research on what single car could give me the on-road dynamics of a sporty car and yet have clearance and capability off-road.
After many days of research, my conclusion was that there is none, and one would need to cars to tick both boxes.
So here I am haha.

Sounds like a decent deal, price might be a bit high though. Would need to hear more about it to say one way or another.

Mk7 is great, again probably what I'd go for it I stepped away from the 4WD world. There is a good combo of on and off-road performance, it's the first gen Porsche Cayenne haha.

 

[SDTrojan]

With it intended to be a 2nd vehicle my personal preference would be the cheapest rig with the most extensive maintenance history I could find. Mileage would not matter to me.

I agree, in fact I agonized for a few years over if/how I could justify a second vehicle at all, with the associated depreciation, registration, insurance, etc.
I'm just not sure how to reconcile something that may look cheap up front, but then becomes a money pit or, worse, unreliable and leaves me stranded in the middle of nowhere. So I'm trying to find some sort of middle ground.

Sounds like a decent deal, price might be a bit high though. Would need to hear more about it to say one way or another.

Mk7 is great, again probably what I'd go for it I stepped away from the 4WD world. There is a good combo of on and off-road performance, it's the first gen Porsche Cayenne haha.

That's really good info.
I've been looking for only a few months now, within a 500 mi radius, and it's been tough to find anything that seems like a truly good value.
The ones that seem like a better value are often with either non-existent maintenance history on the Lexus owners' portal, or have been in one or two accidents according to the carfax.

The few I'm looking at currently are:

1. $27k, 2015, 100k miles, white on white, pristine history, single owner, no accidents.
2. $29.5k. 2018, 81k miles, white with black interior, good maintenance history, but high mileage for its age and two "minor" accidents on the Carfax.
3. $22k. 2015, 144k miles, black onyx with black upholstery. Pretty good maintenance history, but the recent overheating issues at ~120 k miles.
4. $32k. 2018, 85k miles, white Luxury model. Pretty good maintenance history.
5. Just to go completely off-script, a 2014 red Nissan X-Terra Pro-4X with 100k miles for $17.5k. It's no Lexus, but it's cheaper, 9.5 ground clearance stock, rear locker, ~33 degree approach angle, 29 degree departure angle.

Not sure if I should just hold out for a few more months and keep looking for some end of the year deals.

 

[Banandalorian]

With it intended to be a 2nd vehicle my personal preference would be the cheapest rig with the most extensive maintenance history I could find. Mileage would not matter to me.

I feel like 144k is right in the sweet spot of someone trading the car in because something expensive needs expensive service (or expensive service was put off and 30k miles later something expensive broke). Like a 200k mile rig with extensive service history showing all the stuff they replaced between 120 and 160k miles is a much better choice than 140k miles with just an oil change history.

 

[SDTrojan]

There's also this which is a clean Carfax and looks like it's been modified already but has virtually no maintenance history on the Lexus owners' portal. And from what I've read it's better to buy a clean, unmodified car and modify it myself than trust an already modified one.

 

[SDTrojan]

I feel like 144k is right in the sweet spot of someone trading the car in because something expensive needs expensive service (or expensive service was put off and 30k miles later something expensive broke). Like a 200k mile rig with extensive service history showing all the stuff they replaced between 120 and 160k miles is a much better choice than 140k miles with just an oil change history.

Bummer. I was really excited that I was getting a great deal, but now between what you said, and the feedback I've read on the black Onyx color, I'm thinking it's not the best choice.

 

[Poop Bubbles]

Stock for stock the Xterra Pro-4X will be more capable off-road, similar power, available in manual (overrated), better MPG. Aftermarket parts are typically cheaper.

The Lexus will be FAR nicer to drive and just be inside of, MUCH quieter, MUCH higher payload, and just as capable with the right modifications. $22k for a 2015/144k seems high.

Equally modified, I'd take the Lexus all day. There is nothing more reliable than a Toyota v8.

 

[SDTrojan]

Stock for stock the Xterra Pro-4X will be more capable off-road, similar power, available in manual (overrated), better MPG. Aftermarket parts are typically cheaper.

The Lexus will be FAR nicer to drive and just be inside of, MUCH quieter, MUCH higher payload, and just as capable with the right modifications. $22k for a 2015/144k seems high.

Equally modified, I'd take the Lexus all day. There is nothing more reliable than a Toyota v8.

Thank you so much for taking the time to provide those comparisons. That makes a lot of sense.
I'll stick with the Lexus.

Just struggling to find any good deals and hit that price/age/mileage sweet spot

Really helpful to have you guys provide your insight on whether it's a good deal, since it's much more difficult to assess in a vacuum.
I've just been checking Autotrader frequently for the past few weeks to see what's out there and setting my price expectations accordingly.