LX470 or Gx470

[Emslie]

Hello again. Been checking out some 04 4runners lately, and they all been duds with major work that needs to be done. In my area (Canada) there is a 04 GX470 and 01 LX470 for sale. Ill give you the details on both.

04 GX470 : 297000kms (185700miles) no accident, all service documents in order, vehicle is in great shape asking 10000cdn obo

01 Lx470: 212000kms (135800miles) small incident which needed the bumper to be fixed. Service documents are hit and miss, but the guy said services were completed with his buddy at a Mercedes dealership and has replaced the manifold which I hear is a common problem with the v8. 12000cdn obo

Obviously ill do a carfax to dig a bit deeper and drive and inspect them. I plan on getting front and rear bumpers, change out the air suspension and other comforts.

So the questions are;

1) which one would you lean towards lx with fewer miles, small damage incident, maintained vehicle but a bit more in price, or the Gx470 with higher miles, all documents avail, and a bit cheaper
2) I know the lectronics are different then their Toyota counterparts (Landcruiser and 4runner) but do most factory add ons for the Toyotas work on lexus
3) I understand the machines are "Million Mile" engines, but would you worry about the GX470 mile count, or is okay.

I continue to do more research on the vehicles on the forums but this seems direct

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[CSG]

Without dreaming of commenting on which of those particular two you might want to buy, I will say the LX is the model I'd want over a GX. More space and heavier duty build. In spite of their reputation to go so many miles, I wouldn't buy any vehicle with over 100k miles. I bought my used LX when it was seven years old and had about 63k miles on it. It now has about 119k. No major repairs but the timing belt is an expensive service at 90k miles.

I'm sure others with more mechanical experience will give you their input.

 

[bhunter74]

You can’t go wrong with either one. I have a gx with 205k and it runs like a charm. I’ve had to do a few things to it but nothing crazy. I don’t need a lot of cargo room so the smaller gx was a better fit for me. These things will go forever if you take care of them.

 

[Eric Neal]

I recently bought a '08 gx470 in SE USA with 173000 miles, great price (negotiated down due to mileage). All maintenance records were in order and all work done at dealership. I side with bhunter74, I too don't need a lot of extra storage beyond what is provided with the GX. What was "telling" for me (when considering the mileage for my purchase was that it appears that most miles were highway and not stop & go city driving) was that the brake pedal had almost no wear nor did the accelerator pedal. That would indicate that far less brake application and frequent use of the cruise control functions. Of course I can only assume based on condition of the body, interior, engine compartment, undercarriage, etc. was that the mileage logged on the unit wasn't harsh or abusive. Also the seats were not worn, wrinkled or stained which again indicates that it wasn't subject to lots of getting in and out of the passenger compartment in a typical city-use environment.

The GX is, or so I've been told and also read online, a bit better on fuel consumption as compared to the larger LX.

I'm crazy about my purchase at this point since I'm totally unaccustomed to so much luxury. I usually off road and camp in my older Ford Ranger 4X4 that I use for local day trips, short weekends, or when we go to more difficult trails which pose more potential for body damage. The GX in our case is going to be really handy for cross country trips where we hop on the interstate highway in Georgia and burn up the miles heading out to New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, California, etc. We've done those sorts of 4-6 week long trips in the Ranger. Although the Ranger was/is super dependable there is a lot of fatigue incurred in a long drive in a small pickup truck.

My deciding factors were maintenance records, visual condition (inside and outside), cost, cost to operate, ease of future repair/maintenance. There is also significant aftermarket product support and options since many of the retrofit items for a 4Runner also fit the GX.

Good luck on your decision - I think you'll be happy with either vehicle

 

[KonzaLander]

You need to first determine what you are comfortable doing to the rig. I bet both of them are due for a timing belt and general maintenance.

The 4.7 in my 100 is going on 309,000 miles, or about 497,000 km, with no sign of giving up. Both of the vehicles you are looking at are low mileage and ready for many more years of service in my opinion.

When I was shopping for my 100 Land Cruiser, I was also looking at the LX470 and GX470. The GX felt quite small inside compared to the LC/LX. It's smaller size was noticeable, but it also seemed to weigh less so the power:weight ratio was better. I liked the GX, but it was typically higher priced than the LC/LX. In the end I choose the LC/LX because the interior space, general solid feel of the vehicle and I wasn't crazy about the GX interior/ergonomics.

While the LC/LX aftermarket support isn't non existent, the aftermarket availability for the GX is out of this world since it shares so much with the 4Runner.

I agree with the above, you will probably be happy with either vehicle.

 

[Emslie]

Thanks everyone this far, just took a look at the lx470 today and it looks pretty good. There was an accident on the front driver side..airbags didnt deploy and appears to be mostly cosmetic since It looks like it's all original parts. Only thing I dont like about it is the lack of supporting maintnance docs. And when spending 9000usd I hate to buy a bust. I know the reliability of these engines, but it still needs the maintenance

 

[Arailt]

I have an 08 GX and I really like it. Mileage is not great, but it has tons of power and the ride is great. Head over to IH8MUD. You’ll find more info on 100 and 120 Series Toyotas than you care to have.

I will say that the aftermarket, from my perspective, is greater for the LX because it’s a 100 Series Land Cruiser. The GX is not a 4Runner, but a 120 Series Land Cruiser Prado. The 4Runner shares the Prado’s chassis and suspension, but they’re completely different from the frame up. Bumpers, roof racks, snorkels, interior bits, etc. for the 4Runner do not fit the GX. That said, the GX is becoming much more popular in the 4x4/overland community, so more fab shops are starting to design bumpers/racks and more vendors are starting to import Aussie Prado parts.

With either one, make sure the timing belt was changed at 90k mile intervals (so the GX should have been changed recently). As you’ve already pointed out, the exhaust manifolds on the 4.7 are known to crack, causing a loud ticking from the exhaust leaking.