Well should say hi now

[Prophecy]

My name is Jeremy, just finally pulled the trigger and after a lot of debating with the wife she let me sell the LX450 locked on 37's. The only exception was we replace it with another expo lexus. I am in the process of narrowing it down to 3 GX's 2 - 07's and an 05 with kdss. Anyways should have one of them here in the next few days. Have spent the last week reading just about every article, but still am lost about the lifts and what I can put on there with kdss suspension.

Want to run 33's, front bumper, winch, spare tire, cb, etc.

Hope you all had a good thanksgiving.

 

[wingysataday]

welcome. The Gentleman is creating all kinds of great products for the GX. Southern Style speed makes a nice bumper.

 

[Prophecy]

Ok, so I am completely on the fence due to lack of knowledge. How important is the kdss in comparison to non kdss? I plan on lifting it, and I see all the info in regards to certain lifts not working with kdss. I don't believe I want bigger then 33's, and don't want to design a lift around kdss just to have it go out eventually and be to pricey to replace leaving me to redo the lift to compensate for the kdss.

This wouldn't be so bad but now the 4 GX's I am looking at are all in opposite directions. Anywhere from a 3 - 8 hour drive from us 1 way. Any help would be great.

 

[wingysataday]

I could be wrong but I think the most important thing to find is the lowest miles best history rig you can find. If it has navi or kdss great or maybe not so great. You could be hunting for a long time if you want no navi, low miles, great history, low price, and kdss.

 

[Prophecy]

I guess my biggest concern is to have as good if not better articulation then what would have been capable with mild lift, 33's , and kdss.

I also kind of prefer (or should I say used too) a stiffer suspension since running the lx with j's and no weight in the rig all rear seats removed, except when geared down on trips.

At the same time I would like to avoid a $1, 900 lift as in the lx. I learned my lesson after changing the lift on the lx 3 times (of course going from 33's to 35's to 37's didnt help matters). Plus as I hit 41 I'm starting to try to learn maybe I should do it right the first time. (Key words being trying to learn).

Also is there a big issue with doing an aussie locker? Saw an article about it here but seemed to be split decision and didn't really see if anyone had actually done it. Quite of a few folks in the 80's section wernt very big on them but I ran an aussie in it for 5 years without a single issue. Just learned to drive a touch different in parking lots and when cornering in snow or ice. Are the axles vs. Hp not a good mix for the gx with an aussie?

Jeremy

 

[BlackCat]

If I were to do it again, I'd go without Nav. There's literally no aftermarket support for changing head units and the Mark Levinson stuff is basically a bag of dicks.

 

[Prophecy]

Roger that, bag "O" dicks, so guess I'm skipping that option. On a side note my wife did want to know if that was a dealer option or aftermarket only.

Jeremy

 

[BlackCat]

Roger that, bag "O" dicks, so guess I'm skipping that option. On a side note my wife did want to know if that was a dealer option or aftermarket only.

Jeremy

Haha. The Mark Levinson stuff is notoriously crappy, even though it's supposed to be super high end stuff. If you get a Nav truck, you can't change head units to upgrade nav features because all the HVAC controls are done through the touch screen. I'm not a big audiophile, but the Nav system leaves much to be desired and you're kinda stuck with it.

 

[dnp]

Haha. The Mark Levinson stuff is notoriously crappy, even though it's supposed to be super high end stuff. If you get a Nav truck, you can't change head units to upgrade nav features because all the HVAC controls are done through the touch screen. I'm not a big audiophile, but the Nav system leaves much to be desired and you're kinda stuck with it.

Agreed on the NAV. My wife drove an '03 with NAV / ML for 10 years, and not only did most of the speaker surrounds require refoaming, the sound was nice, but not spectacular to the point it was worth being stuck with the head unit. In fact, the '04 I recently acquired is a non-NAV truck, and I swear the sound is just as good as the ML....maybe even a little better! Plus, Google Maps on my phone and tablet is NEVER out of date!

 

[wingysataday]

I don't really have any complaints with my navi system. I really like it. Sounds good and in my Tacoma I had a $1500 stereo in it. I just like stuff that works. As I have gotten older 31 ha ha, I just prefer things stock as possible. Now mine is an 05 with Bluetooth and it works great! My brother has a android nav in his 4Runner and the Bluetooth sounds terrible.

 

[UNCnalledge]

The ML system is a bit of a weak point (considering it is touted as a Levinson system which is supposed to be a good notch above JBL/Harman Kardon) - there is no way to replace the so-so nav or, more importantly, the speakers; BUT IT ISN'T BAD, it just isn't audiophile grade. However, it is hard to find the "right" GX without Nav - so I would not make it part of your go/no-go decision. I waited it out for 3-4 months for the GX I wanted - a sport (as I like the dark gray/black wood trim) with superb maintenance history. I did not drive a non-KDSS version, but I would say that the GX with it exhibits little roll when on a circular interstate on-ramp at speed. From reading here/ExPo/toyota120.com, my understanding was KDSS does not dictate what lifts you can put on, but after 3 inches of lift, KDSS is no longer effective (but I could be wrong). Adventure Driven's GX has KDSS and their ICON suspension is drool-worthy.

 

[The Great Him]

Personally kdss is not that great, when I was looking for a GX last year I drove a couple with kdss and I didn't notice any difference really. I think tires make just as big of a difference. Lifting is possible with kdss, just it can be a bit more complicated and as you said costly to repair, I mean its one more thing to go wrong... I would consider it more of a detriment than a benefit personally, maybe I'm biased idk. I think finding a rig that hasn't been wrecked or isn't from the Midwest or east coast and covered in rust and salt corrosion and one that does not have the Nav are bigger more important issues. I wouldn't be concerned with mileage all that much as its a Toyota, and they typically are know for long life (higher miles means lower price = more money for mods) and really any vehicle can be trashed and junk in 50k(or less) if not taken care of properly or abused. I mean I'd take a 250k mile rig that was well maintained and kept in good condition over a 60k mile rig that they only changed the oil on 4 times and used as a work truck and left out on the street... I think you need to look at all the options and features they all came with and really narrow down what it is you can't live without and go from there. For me I had to have a non Nav, grey interior, and 3rd row. Other than that I wanted a 05 for the higher power(though honestly I could not tell the difference) and I wanted a Ash Blue Mica color. I ended up with an 04 in silver with everything else and for $13k with only 130k mi. I saw rigs with 150k miles going for $20. Could I have waited for the right one, yes, but I also could still be waiting or I could have paid twice what I paid...

 

[Prophecy]

Well all this input has greatly changed some if not all of my choices minus interior and exterior colors.

Wants:
05 or newer (only for the hp and tq difference, but can anyone even tell the difference while wheelin or towing? Plus running the premium vs regular? Supposedly an extra 1mpg on the highway?) if these factors are minimal or don't even exsist there are a ton of 03 - 04's that fall into my wants category that are a substantially cheaper.

Grey or dark interior (some almost look black to me)
Blue, silver, black, mica exterior
No nav
Under $14k
Extra large blinker fluid reservoir
Can't think of anything else

Jeremy

 

[BlackCat]

Well all this input has greatly changed some if not all of my choices minus interior and exterior colors.

Wants:
Grey or dark interior (some almost look black to me)
Blue, silver, black, mica exterior
No nav
Under $14k
Extra large blinker fluid reservoir
Can't think of anything else

Jeremy

In my search at least, the dark interior was the hardest to find. I had to search and search and search, but finally found one. Also, I didn't know about the difficulties with the factory Nav and ML stuff, otherwise I would've looked for one without that, too. I I don't think you'll have a ton of trouble finding one though.

 

[GXO]

No leaks in the center diff lock actuator, lower oil pan, and TSBs complete on the radiator, front diff supports, dash, drive shafts, and timing belt complete on schedule (100k). Also, I would watch for age and condition on the headers/cats as they are expensive to replace if they are rusted/blown out. Other than that, normal stuff like leaky CVs, steering rack, etc.

Personally, KDSS is a nice to have, not a must have. I have wheeled my 03 for years now and I flex great with an aftermarket suspension with no need for KDSS. If the suspension is done right, it offsets the KDSS (but KDSS is still useful lifted on road and somewhat off). I put it in a "value add" category. Non-NAV is a big one. My aftermarket stereo destroys anything stock or done to make a NAV unit more viable.

Under 14k is going to make you more like me I suspect...floating in the 03-05ish model year range. All perfectly good trucks in that timeframe.

 

[little_joe]

I'd like to try KDSS on a GX with a new/fresh suspension - the stock suspensions on these things are mush when you're talking about a vehicle that is 8-11 yrs old (well, at least mine was, and it had 78k when I bought it).

Premium or regular on the 05+? It doesn't matter. I've tracked every tank since I got mine via a spreadsheet, and run reg for weeks at a time, then mid for weeks, then premium, and the mpg just doesn't vary.

I'll say it again, the nav/ML is not as bad as some make it out to be. The system works, and it sounds very good. For very fine nav, yes I pull out my phone w/ Here or OSM maps. It all depends on priorities, I doubt you'll find much of a price difference between nav/non-nav at the price point you're looking at, but then having to drop another $1k-$2k on a hooptie stereo may be something you're fine with. I guess another benefit is thieves aren't targeting stock nav/ML systems for theft........

Anyway, happy shopping, and I'm sure whichever one you settle on will be entirely gratifying!

 

[THeGeNTLeMaN]

under 14k (depending on the miles) might be hard ... but feel comfortable in the 14k-16.5k range ...
with any vehicle IMO if your planning to modify it (especially for offroading) the less bells and whistles the easyier and probly more reliable it will be for you ... I wouldnt worry about KDSS for what your doing .... if im not mistaken its a sway bar control ? .... many peopl including myself dont even run a sway bar lol ...

 

[GXO]

My sway bar (front) is long gone. Rear is going when I go to the long travel.

 

[JLee]

You aren't going to match KDSS articulation unless you remove your sway bars. On-road performance is also really quite impressive.

If I were to do it again, I'd go without Nav. There's literally no aftermarket support for changing head units and the Mark Levinson stuff is basically a bag of dicks.

A lot of people say that...but I'm really quite happy with mine.

 

[Prophecy]

OK ladies and gents,

I apologize for the delay in getting back with ya all. Been extremely inundated with my business. You tell people your leaving out of state for 6 weeks for gov. Contract work and the flood gates open. So all purchases had been put on hold for my GX until now... Dum dum dum... Found a 1 owner 03 with 176k all records. Black with the tan interior, and the pre discussed "bag O dicks" nav and mark Lev system. The rear air ride system is out, the front seats are broke down, clear coat on the hood is breaking down. Other then that it is in excellent mech. condition. Got him down to $5,900.

So at that price I have some spare change to spend. First things first, lift kit. I want to be able to clear 33`s without an issue (35`s would be nice) trimming doesn't scare me, its not going to be a mall crawler. Function over form I say. So obviously I need a lift kit, under $2k would be nice. Mix and match stuff doesn't bother me. Getting rid of the factory rims, going all black everything. Need a rear tire carrier, front winch capable bumper, and some kind of header and power increase. If I had to pick a priority order it would be, After standard maintenance.

Lift
Headers (Whatever bolt on hp)
tires
Bumpers
Winch
tow package
Triple blinker fluid reservoir (thats right don't get jealous, gonna have 3 of them)

I know there are a ton of different threads about all of this, and trust me I have spent all the mind numbing brain churning time on it, but please remember I'm just a Marine so pictures do a lot for me, I just want to point and click and order what I need. We do about around 50/50 wheelin to driving since we drive to where we wheel. Any help would be great, thanks in advance for any constructive assistance. And if ya want to yell at me and tell me I'm an idiot the following would work also (316)990-2371.

Jeremy