Wally20

First time poster here. We just sold my wife's car and we're going to purchase an SUV for her in the next two weeks. She is in LOVE with the GX. We test drove an 04 a while back and she has her mind made up.

To accomodate our price range, we'll be looking at an 04-05 with around 70-80k miles on it. Can you guys and gals please give me some things specific to the GX I need to look for when we test drive?

I'm a bit nervous since we have to make a purchase soon and there aren't many/any GX's in our area for sale right now so it's looking more and more like we'll be taking a road trip to look at and possibly purchase one. Buying a car from a dealer 4-5 hours away is nerve-wracking and I want to be as prepared as possible. Thanks for your help!

z0lt3c

iTrader: (1)

Lots of good posts here describing the difference between the 04 and 05, but to break it down quickly, the 05 has a slighly improved engine and drivetrain versus the 04 -- As such usually the 05's are more expensive. If you can find a 05 priced the same as the 04, I would always go with the 05, but I think the 04's are the best value propisition. The top of the heap would be an 05 w/ the Sport package and the KDSS option.

Thinks to look out for are mostly the minor common problems; driveshaft clunk, cracked dashboard, air suspension problems, functional GPS and electronics, stuck brake calipers, drivetrain vibrations at highway speeds, condition of the leather seating surfaces and out of balance tires.

Overall, they are very reliable vehicles but like any machine they have some flaws!

Wally20

Thanks for the info. I've learned a lot reading this forum.

I've seen posts about the NAV failing. Does that mean the screen stops working or the NAV function stops working? We really want a backup camera, I could care less about the NAV. But if the whole unit stops working, that's another story.

Also, I'm curious as to how the blizzard pearl color holds up over time. About 6 months ago we were looking atthe first gen RX's and noticed how badly the white paint aged and gained a tan-ish tint to it. Do the white ones hold their brite white color better than that?

Matsui

Generally the paint on GX holds up very well, but it also depends on how much the previous owner(s) have taken of it. Here is a link to a post by someone who recently purchased a Blizzard Pearl 2004, and it looks as good as new:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...ard-pearl.html

I know what you're referring to about the RX and their paint does look very dated after a while (on their first gens).

sprocket

My 04 is gold and the paint is in great shape. I've had it 2.5 years and I do take care of it. The NAV and stereo work fine. I do have a couple of very small cracks in the dash, but they do not appear to be growing. It has 74K miles and runs like a new vehicle.

Ancient

Besides looking at the typical problems, that people have with this vehicle, look closely at the service history. People with a lot of experience, do it themselves, or at other places. This may not show up on the service history. However, finding one that has been regularly serviced at a dealer, means someone has money and wants to take care of the car.

Regardless of color, you need to take care of any car paint. Mine is always garaged, when not in use. I never let salt set on the paint or wheels overnight, even if it is a quick rinse off. I clean and wax my car more often in winter. I use a "clay bar" to remove any light acid rain. Look around, you see very few clean cars in winter. I don't in Ohio. It's cold outside, people only want to take care of their car when it is warm.

The recent purchase was referenced in Houston, Blizzard Pearl. Seeing that car, how clean it is and how it was taken care off, made me wish that I would have seen that car first. Being a car nut, I would have driven from Ohio to Houston, to buy that car. That one was really rare. Use your gut, when checking out any purchase. Some cars, just shout out "help me", you can see that they look like trash.